Fall Foliage in New England
Lynn Erickson
October 2004

I recently took an incredible fall trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  My mother, a friend and I flew into Portland, Maine and rented a car.  Before we left home, we planned a driving route through the three states.  We stayed at a nice mix of hotels and bed and breakfasts along the way.

The first few days were spent in Vermont and New Hampshire; they are very similar states.  We traveled through the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  The colors in the mountains were at peak and just awesome. 

One of the biggest attractions in Vermont is Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory in Waterbury, VT - where Ben and Jerry got their start.  They offer a factory tour and, of course, taste testing at the end of the tour!

Beyond the tourist attractions, the natural beauty of Vermont and New Hampshire is what makes them so captivating. Whoever knew that New Hampshire has over 100 waterfalls?  The region is also dotted with covered bridges crossing rocky rivers.  The White Mountains of New Hampshire are a hiker’s paradise offering hundreds of miles of hiking trails. 

The small towns of Vermont and New Hampshire are lined with quaint bed and breakfasts, old country stores, antique shops and churches with white steeples.  Along the country roads, you will find roadside stands selling maple syrup, apples, pumpkins, and hot cider.  All of this against the backdrop of New England’s brilliant fall colors.

The biggest source of driving excitement was keeping our eyes peeled for moose.  You can see moose-crossing signs everywhere just like deer-crossing signs in other parts of the country.  In the end, we saw a total of 6 moose in northern New Hampshire.

The interior of Maine was not that impressive; however, the coast was a whole new world.  We spent the first couple nights in Bar Harbor, ME; it’s a cute little touristy town with lots of shops and restaurants.  A nice lobster dinner is about $15 - $20.  For dessert, you have to have the blueberry pie with ice cream. 

The coastline of Maine is something you have to see; it’s very rocky with lots of little islands and the water is filled with colorful lobster buoys.  Speaking of lobsters, we each brought home 6 live lobsters at a cost of only $4.60 per pound!  We went to a local fisherman and he boxed them up so we were able to check them in on the plane as luggage. 

If anyone is looking for a romantic getaway in Maine, the Grey Havens Bed and Breakfast in Georgetown, is definitely the place. It’s a gorgeous home with a huge covered porch and turrets at each end of the home.  The view is absolutely magnificent. Before we left, we couldn’t miss visiting some of Maine’s charming collection of historic lighthouses. 

For anyone who looks forward to that last burst of fall beauty before winter, a trip to New England is a must!

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