Where in New England should I visit in late October? Too late for fall foliage?

Question

We'll be flying into Boston on Thursday, 10/25 and staying until Monday, 10/29. On Sunday we're going to the Patriots football game in Foxoboro and we're trying to figure out where to spend the rest of our time there. We've spent plenty of time in Boston so we might just do one night there and would like to explore some new areas by car.

We are thinking about Providence and Newport. Are those areas nice in late October? Will fall foliage have passed by then? Are there any big events, festivals, etc. going on at that time that we should plan on?

Where else do you suggest we visit that can be reached by car in no more than a few hours?

A there websites with a directory or B&Bs that we should look at?

We plan to have a rental car the entire trip and don't mind checking in and out of a different place every day if it means we get to see and do more.

We are in our mid-30s so we are active and would enjoy some exciting nightlife too.

Answer 1

October is the perfect time to see the fall foliage.

Newport, Rhode Island is a great place to visit. Cute little downtown and you can also tour the mansions...which is really fun and interesting. I have never been to Providence but it's supposed to be a great little city too.

Vermont is really beautiful in the fall too. Manchester, VT is about 3hrs from Boston...has some great outlet shopping. You can go apple-picking and hiking, etc. Even just driving through is nice ...and stopping at random little places along your ride. Check out this site for b&b's in vermont. http://www.vermontvacation.com/TravelPlanner/Search.aspx?catID=1

Answer 2

Newport is very nice but there's not much to do around there. Most of the 'cities' in New England (Providence, Portland, etc) are just miniature versions of Boston. If you do go to Providence, check out the schedule for WaterFire. The White Mountains (New Hampshire) is good area for foliage, hiking, and outlet shopping, plus there's no sales tax in NH) that's about 3 hours from Boston. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are not too far from there (those are indian casinos -- Mohegan is a very stylish place with lots of good entertainment and restaurants, while Foxwoods is more popular with hardcore gamblers and its the biggest casino in the world -- they are about 1 hour from Newport or 2 hours directly from Boston)

Answer 3

Southern New England will still have nice foliage around that time, so Newport and Providence are excellent ideas. However, as far as clubs and bars I would say try to spend your time in Boston. Great places all over the city really. My favorite is to spend time in Fanueil Hall. You can get a great meal, and then go to so many different bars and pubs it's fun. It is also a great time of year to obviously check out Salem, MA and all the witch museums, hay rides, festivals in that area.

Answer 4

You still can see some foliage, but it's really limited to the southern parts of New england like RI and CT.....Providence and Newport are great to visit, very easy to navigate. Providence has great restaurants and cute little shops, especially on Thayer Street. There are sure to be some festivals for Halloween too....Newport has the mansions which are beautiful, and they have great little shops nearby too. There are little inns around Newport especially, but they only may be open seasonally, I'm not sure...You'd easily be able to rent a car in Providence or Newport and drive the distance....it's only like 40 minutes or so at the most...

Answer 5

If there has not been late October storms of too much ferocity there should be good foliage remaining in lovely countryside in the eastern Connecticut hills north of New London to about the Putnam area.

Not much nightlife, though, except for what may be offered by the 2 casinos.

Providence is a very attractive and rejuvenated city and well worth a day or two.

Answer 6

I like J.C's answer above mine the best. Northern New England will have gone past the peak season for leaves and you'll just see bare trees. It'll be nice though if you head way up in the White Mountains, like North Conway since you might get a glimpse of snow capped mountains and N.Conway has lots of places to shop and party at night too. I'd try there, or head to Newport, RI. It'll still be warm enough to enjoy the ocean and bars there too. If you don't want to go very far...try Portsmouth, NH or Newburyport, MA which are both north of Boston up the coast. Portsmouth is for 30s and Newburyport for a bit older, but both cities are quaint New England towns.

Enjoy!

Answer 7

I don't think the foliage is going to be very good in RI this year. Not much rain this summer. So don't bank on seeing the colors during your trip.

However, I would recommend Newport. And October would be a great time to see it because its considered "off-season". Parking is free, and there won't be crowds of people. The street you want to walk is THAMES - not Thayer like someone said. Don't want you to get confused :)

Answer 8

in southern new england the fall foliage is good in late october. if you go up to northern new england, like new hampshire or maine, the fall foliage has usually passed by then due to the leaves dying or the wind from fall storms blowing the leaves off of the trees. boston has a lot of good clubs, i recommend tequila rain on landsdowne street. if you get up to new hampshire, i would recommend the club 313 in manchester. if you're into halloween at all the town of salem is crazy in october, all kinds of halloween-related festivals going on. i'm not sure if there are any clubs there, but there are a lot of cool stores and not to mention interesting people in their halloween costumes - definitely a sight worth seeing. and salem is only about 20 minutes north of boston up route 1a.

Answer 9

Boston has a rich record and a diverse neighbourhood; it's a legacy of arts, culture, and training; Boston has anything for everyone therefore find what Boston may give you with hotelbye . The three-mile Freedom Trail leads you previous - and in to - 16 of the city's principal historical monuments and sites. It's easy to check out, by the line of red stones in the pavement and by footprints at road crossings. The path may take you to Old Granary Burying Ground where Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock are hidden; will get you to King's Chapel Burying Ground, the Boston's oldest cemetery; Old South Meeting House where in actuality the calling speeches of patriots spawned the Boston Tea Party and the Old State House, Boston's oldest community making and the site of the Boston Massacre.

Answer 10

You could go to Salem--they fun witch and magic stuff year round, but they go crazy around Halloween! The atmosphere there is really cool. It gets pretty busy there in October, and I must admit, a lot of the stuff is pretty tacky, but it's still fun! Also Salem is only about half an hour from Boston--20 miles, but it's a fairly roundabout route. I hope this helps!