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New England’s four distinct seasons each has its own pleasures, making any time of year the right time to visit New England and giving you a great excuse to come back!
Autumn brings the famous fall foliage attracting car and bus loads of leaf peepers to New England from the rest of America and from around the world. The autumn colours of New England is quite unique as the mix of aspen, birch, tupelo, maples and sumac leaves presents a kaleidoscope of autumn gold. The change begins in the northern parts of Maine around mid-September spreading to New Hampshire and Vermont in October and then further south to Massachusetts. The peak of the season is generally mid-October around the Columbus Day holiday weekend and advance bookings for hotels and even some restaurants are recommended.
There are many great leaf peeping locations and each New England state even has a foliage hotline number and web pages to keep you updated on the best of the foliage. The I-95 runs the length of Maine and presents some excellent foliage views, while in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, try the Kancamagus Pass or Crawford Notch. A great leaf peeping tour for Vermont is the Route 7 between Burlington and Bennington, while in the Berkshires of Massachusetts is the Mohawk Trail on Route 2. Alternatively you could view the foliage along the shorelines in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire or Lake Champlain in Burlington.
Winter presents the New England countryside as a Christmas card winter wonderland where rural villages twinkle with fairy lights and sleigh rides are the best way to get around. Winter of course brings the peak of the New England Ski season for resorts in Vermont and New Hampshire. Killington VT is one of the most popular and was where the snowboard was first seen in the mid 60s. Smuggler’s Notch just outside the twee village of Stowe is perhaps one of the most scenic of New England’s ski locations. In New Hampshire Loon Mountain and Attitash are the largest resorts, but there are plenty others offering a range of skiing for families or expert skiers. Within just two hours drive from Boston’s Logan International Airport skiers are coming from as far as Europe and the UK to take advantage of excellent resorts at extremely attractive prices.
Spring in New England starts later than it does in Europe, but is just as colourful and is a time for flower shows and outdoor events. From March 17 – 25 the New England Spring Flower Show is held in Boston, while in April Daffodil festivals are held in Nantucket (MA) and Meriden (CT) and Bristol (RI) and May brings the lilacs that thrive throughout New England and are the state flower of New Hampshire. Spring also brings out the sap from the maple trees of New Hampshire and Vermont ready to be turned into sugary maple syrup for your morning pancakes.
Summer may be a short season in New England, but New Englanders certainly make the most of it. The months of July and August are when New Englanders largely head for the coast and the most popular summertime activity is to escape to the Cape. Famed for its coastline Cape Cod boasts some of New England’s best beaches along the National Seashore, while the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard have provided a watery playground for generations of summer visitors to New England as does Newport in Rhode Island, known as the sailing capital of the world. Summertime in Maine sees the beaches such as Ogunquit packed out, and visitors flock to the coastal towns such as Kennebunkport and Bar Harbour. In land Vermont and New Hampshire offer outdoor pursuits from hiking (or even driving) up the tallest peak in New England; Mount Washington or fishing and sailing in the Lakes Region, while enterprising ski centres transform their slopes and trails into mountain biking centres.
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