New England Fall Road Trip
Hi guys! Happy (almost) Halloween. I’m so excited for Halloween this year because my best friend and I have a really good costume! This fall has been so much fun and filled with lots of festive activities. One of the highlights of the season was taking a New England fall road trip with my mom and boyfriend! During last year’s fall road trip, we were in Vermont and northern Maine. This year we were in southern Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Although it wasn’t quite peak yet, we were still able to see some gorgeous fall foliage. In today’s post, I’m recapping our New England fall road trip and sharing some tips for next time!
New England in the fall is absolutely beautiful. If you’ve ever browsed Pinterest, you’ll see lots of pictures from New England that give you all the cozy vibes. I love saving fall pins to my boards. What’s nice about New England fall road trips is the ability to see so many different places. There’s tons of quaint towns that make you feel like you’re in a Gilmore Girls episode or Taylor Swift song, and they’re close enough together so you can town hop each day and make the most of your visit. I also love how New Englanders are super festive for Halloween! Everyone has pumpkins, corn stalks, hay bails, and all kinds of Halloween decorations up. It’s really fun and gets you in the right mood for fall.
Here’s where we went and what we did:
Related: Camping in Acadia National Park
Kennebunkport, Maine
Day #1 was spent driving up to Kennebunkport, Maine. We left super early to avoid the NYC traffic. I highly recommend doing that if you’re coming from Maryland or somewhere else in the south. Our hotel was just outside of Kennebunkport and was very clean and decorated really nicely for the season. Once we got into town, we browsed around the shops and ate some delicious lobster soup. We also visited the Bush family compound. There’s lots of stunning houses and lakeside cabins on the way. It’s a pretty drive! Kennebunkport is fairly small so you don’t necessarily need an entire day to see it. After that, we made our way on the backroads to New Hampshire. Along the way we stopped in Portland to do some shopping at the flagship L.L.Bean store. It was MASSIVE and packed with so much stuff! We really loved shopping there.
The White Mountains, New Hampshire
Our next destination was the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We stayed at The Omni at Mount Washington, and boy it did not disappoint! The hotel is a hundred year old castle in the middle of the White Mountains. There’s lots of activities to do like horseback riding, golfing, carriage rides, spa treatments, and more! Just make sure to have plenty of cash with you to do these excursions, haha. There’s quite a few big fireplaces inside that are perfect for cozying up with a cup of tea and a good book. The food is amazing too! We had a delicious, fancy dinner at one in one of their dining rooms. We only stayed one night because it was ~rather pricey~, however I do feel it would be worth it to come back in the winter or another time when it isn’t quite as expensive. I don’t think I’d ever be bored at this hotel, haha!
Groton, Connecticut
After departing New Hampshire, we moseyed our way down to Groton, Connecticut. We made several stops along the way, one of them being the covered bridge shoppe. It’s a covered bridge turned gift shop and is really cute! We also stopped in Portsmouth, NH for lunch. Once we got to Groton, we just got carry out lobster and went to bed. We were so exhausted from driving all weekend! The next morning we got up and headed straight home.
Related: A Weekend Guide To Charleston, SC
What I learned
Use a fall foliage calculator – My best advice for catching the leaves at their peak is to use a fall foliage predictor map. A basic google search will lead you to a couple of maps, but this one is a good one for the New Hampshire area. Make sure to check the maps several times before booking hotels! Also, you’ll get cheaper hotel rates if you go during the weekdays. There’s less traffic too!
No matter what, you’re still not warm enough – Pack warmer clothes than you think. Seriously, no matter what. Coming from Maryland (or further south) makes you much more prone to being freezing in 50 degree weather. I had to buy a hat and warmer socks because I was so cold!
Be weary of festival traffic – We went during the first weekend in October, which meant it was fall festival galore. Everyone decided to host a fall festival that weekend so we sat in quite a bit of traffic due to the festivals. It wasn’t horrible, but it would have been nice if we timed it differently to avoid the crowds.
Lastly, there were a few key items that really came in handy during the trip. This sweater served as a cute top and a cozy lounge piece. I honestly lounged in this sweater just as much as I dressed it up. This jacket was great because it kept me warm and looked good with just about anything. I wish I packed my L.L. Bean slippers (the same ones I packed for my trip to Acadia!) because they’re perfect for long car rides.
That pretty much sums up this years New England fall road trip. We had a lovely time and really enjoyed getting away, even if it was just for a few days. I wish fall lasted longer because it’s such a wonderful season! Have you guys taken a roadtrip up North? Where were you favorite places? If you have recs for me for next time, let me know! Thank you for reading 🙂
