In Fall, 2017 I decided to take a road trip through New England to see the trees change colors. I had an amazing time trying the local food, and enjoying the fall foliage and top destinations of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. After much research, I think I figured out the best route for a fall road trip through New England!

Just a warning, I completed my road trip in 10 days, so this is not for the faint of heart. You can, of course, opt to stay in each location longer if you want to have a more leisurely vacation but I prefer a jam-packed, fast-paced trip.

Boston, Massachusetts: (one night)

I started off my trip by flying into Boston. My flight got in around 5:30pm, so I checked into my hotel (Boston Hilton Double Tree) and had dinner at Jacob and Wirth, a local pub-style restaurant per the recommendation of the concierge. I loved it because it was less than a 5 minute walk from my hotel, and the food was amazing! I only spent one night in Boston (on this first leg of the trip), so I went to bed early so I could wake up early and explore a little bit of Boston before I had to move on.

My first stop the next morning was Dunkin’ Donuts! I got an iced vanilla latte and a chocolate glazed donut. Honestly, the donut was a little disappointing, but the coffee hit the spot. I walked with my breakfast over to Boston Common to sit on a bench and enjoy the park. It was lovely to just sit for a minute with my coffee and people-watch as I enjoyed the picturesque scenery.

My next stop was Acorn Street. I recommend getting there early in the morning! There were only a few of us there taking pictures, so I was able to take my pictures without getting anyone in the background. But just 30 minutes later, a couple of tour groups had pulled up to Acorn Street and it was packed! For the rest of my half day in Boston, I just wandered around, window shopping and trying to get a feel for the city. I rented a car in Boston from Enterprise at the Revere Hotel and headed of to Salem, Massachusetts for some lunch and some witches.

Salem, Massachusetts:

It’s about a 40 minute drive to get to Salem from Boston. I got lunch at Turner Seafood in Salem. I ordered the “Award Winning Lobster Bisque” and the house salad. Both were very yummy but very expensive. I wouldn’t recommend eating lunch in Salem; eat lunch in Boston and then leave for Salem. Because it’s such a tourist trap, the food in Salem is going to be more expensive than it’s worth. I spent a couple hours just wandering around and enjoying all the kitsch. It is definitely very cheesey and not at all historic, but I still enjoyed myself. I ended my Salem trip with a scoop at Melts Ice Cream. Then, on to Portland Maine!

Portland, Maine: (one night)

I stayed at the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa, which was very nice (but a little confusing to navigate). I went to the Corner Room for dinner per the recommendation of the hotel concierge. It’s an Italian restaurant and bar, and the food was so good! I ordered the fettuccine bolognese and (speaking as someone who studied abroad in Bologna, Italy for a semester) it was really good bolognese sauce!

The next morning I explored Portland. It is a very charming town! I enjoyed the harbor and window shopped throughout the city center. I got lunch at J’s Oyster Bar right at the harbor. It might’ve been the best meal I had the entire trip! I’d suggest getting there right when it opens, it’s a small restaurant, and it’s very popular so the wait time gets long pretty fast. I ordered the fresh lobster roll on garlic bread. I loved it because it was generously packed full of lobster and it wasn’t over-saturated with mayonnaise. I also got a donut from The Holy Donut. It’s very popular, so be prepared to wait in a bit of a line. They made a name for themselves by making their donuts with potatoes! It was really yummy, it gave the donuts a nice weight to them while still being very moist (and it doesn’t taste potato-y). Then, I began my 3 hour drive into Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park, Maine: (2 nights)

I stayed at the Bar Harbor Quality Inn. It was a good, inexpensive hotel, and I would definitely recommend staying in Bar Harbor. I walked into town to do a little bit of window shopping and have some dinner. I ended up eating (and drinking) at the Thirsty Whale Tavern. I got fish and chips with a cup of clam chowder and a beer. The tavern had a fun environment and everything was good.

The next morning, I woke up before the sun rose to get to Cadillac Mountain. Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise on the continental United States, and I wanted to be a part of it! Just a word of warning: it is cold on the mountain before the sun rises! This California girl was not at all prepared and was shivering the whole time in leggings and a flannel shirt while she waited for the sun to come up. Luckily, I had also brought a big scarf with me that I could wrap around myself. A lot of people come out to see the sun rise, so try to get there early enough to get a good spot.

After enjoying the sunrise (and thawing a bit), I started on my loop of the park! Acadia National Park is actually really easy to drive. The only road goes in a big loop around the park, so you can’t get lost. I pulled off at every possible stop to enjoy the scenery and take pictures! I had lunch at the Jordan Pond Tea House which was so lovely! I got there right when it opened to put my name in and I didn’t have to wait for very long. Even though it was partially under construction for refurbishments, it was still lovely to sit inside the teahouse and look out onto the pond. I got a cup of the Farmers Market Stew which came with a popover and jam! If your entree doesn’t come with a popover, you have to order one, they are absolutely wonderful!

After finishing Park Loop Road, I took a detour to the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse. Did you really go to Maine if you didn’t see a lighthouse? It wasn’t technically in the park, but it was the only lighthouse in the area. You do have to crawl down over rocks to get to a good spot to see the lighthouse, but it was worth it!

I ended my day back in Bar Harbor at Side Street Cafe. I got a half order of the lobster mac & cheese and a slice of blueberry pie a la mode, per the recommendation of my waitress. Everything was so good! The mac & cheese was decadent, but delicious, and the blueberry pie was the perfect dessert!

Lincoln, New Hampshire: (one night)

The next morning, I slept in a bit, then I hit the road again! I had a 4.5 hour drive to Lincoln, New Hampshire ahead of me. To get to New Hampshire, I took the Kancamagus highway, which is one of the most beautiful highways in the United States, especially during fall. I took my time, enjoying the scenery and pulling off at pullouts to take photographs. It was really lovely with all of the leaves changing for the fall. The drive ended taking me a bit longer because of all of my stops.

In Lincoln, I stayed at the Lincoln Holiday Inn Express. The town itself is pretty small, but it’s very charming and right at the other end of the Kancamagus Highway, so it was a good place to stop for the night. For dinner, I went to the Black Mountain Burger Company. It’s got a cool ambiance and I really liked my burger. I got the brie and bacon burger with a side of sweet potato waffle fries. The fries were amazing and the burger was very good, albeit very rich.

Lincoln is also near the White Mountains National Forest and Franconia Notch National Park, so the next day, I popped over there for a little bit before heading out to Vermont.

If you’ve got more time, I’d recommend spending an extra night in Lincoln to explore the National Forest and Park a little more.

Burlington, Vermont: (one night)

I stopped for lunch in Montpellier at the Down Home Kitchen. Breakfast is served all day so I got the Down Home Breakfast, it was sooo yummy and the town of Montpellier was a really cute place to stretch your legs! On my way into Burlington, I also swung by the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury Vermont (1281 Waterbury-Stowe Rd). This is a *must do*! I went on the factory tour which is very cute (albeit, a bit cheesy) but it’s definitely worth it because at the end, you get to sample an ice cream flavor! I also bought a scoop of my favorite flavor, Americone Dream, from the gift shop and wandered around the property a bit.

Burlington itself is a very charming city. The University of Vermont is located in Burlington, so the whole town has a college vibe and a fun shopping street that is pedestrian only (Church Street). There is also a Ben & Jerry’s on Church Street which I frequented during my time in Burlington. I stayed at the Burlington Hilton Garden Inn, which was very nice and centrally located. That night, I had dinner at Sotto Enoteca, an Italian restaurant right by my hotel. It was very fancy and very expensive, but the food and wine were good.

While in Burlington I also bought a jug of maple syrup! I talked with some locals, and they recommended getting maple syrup from the grocery store, so I picked up a jug from the City Market/Onion River Co-op. I only travel carry-on, so I had to mail it back home, which was a bit of a process. To mail a liquid, you need to put it in a sealable bag with padding around it. I ended up buying ziplock bags and coffee filters from the CVS on Church Street. Mailing the syrup cost almost as much as the syrup itself! But it was so fun to have Vermont maple syrup waiting for me when I got home from my trip. Next, it was on to Hartford!

Hartford, Connecticut: (one night)

I stayed at the Hartford Hilton in Connecticut. It is a high-rise hotel in the middle of downtown Hartford. I walked around downtown a bit and had dinner at Trumball Kitchen, which was within walking distance from my hotel. It’s a New American/Asian Fusion style restaurant that was very popular. I got the Pad Thai and I enjoyed it. It was definitely different from the Pad Thai I’m used to, but still really yummy.

The next morning I got breakfast at New York Deli & More, which is a little grocery mart with a grill behind the counter where they make amazing breakfast sandwiches. I took my breakfast sandwich and a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts (right next store) and walked over to Bushnell Park. After finishing breakfast, I drove out to New Haven to see Yale. Yale is beautiful! I loved walking around the campus and seeing all the shops just outside of the University, it was a fun way to spend half a day. For lunch, I went to Cajun Boiled Seafood. It had a cool vibe and was obviously pretty popular, but it wasn’t close to the main campus center. I got the fried basket combo with fried fish, and oysters. Everything was really well cooked and seasoned. Then, I started the drive to Newport.

Newport, Rhode Island: (one night)

I stayed at the Newport Marriott which was veeerrrryyy expensive! It is a beautiful hotel, but definitely more than I usually like to spend on a hotel. My options were limited because my time in Newport fell on a weekend and I think there was some sort of convention, so everything was expensive (and Newport is expensive to begin with). I enjoyed walking along the harbor and shopping at Bowens Wharf. I had dinner at The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar. It was very popular, but I was able to squeeze in at the bar because I was dining solo. I got the seafood pasta and it was delicious (and expensive)! Sometimes when you order seafood pasta, there are only a couple of pieces of shrimp and some clams, but The Mooring was really generous with their lobster, shrimp and scallops!

The next day, I took a detour to the Castle Hill Lighthouse. It’s a lovely lighthouse, but parking was a little difficult. You can park at the Castle Hill Inn parking lot if you’re staying there or eating at their restaurant. Unfortunately, I was doing neither. I found a parking lot off Ocean Avenue near the path entrance, but it might’ve been permit-only parking. I didn’t get ticketed though, so alls well that ends well!

I didn’t make it over to the cliff walk or Breakers Mansion because it was on the other side of Newport. If you’ve got some extra time, you can consider spending an extra night in Newport. After I was done in Newport, it was back to Boston.

Boston, Massachusetts: (two nights)

For the last bit of my trip I went back to Boston and the Hilton Double Tree Hotel. I walked part of the freedom trail and hung out around the Faneuil Hall Marketplace for a bit. Then I walked over to the North End for dinner. I went to Mother Anna’s and got the Gnocchi Juliana. It was delicious! It came with lobster, scallops, and shrimp sautéed in a marsala wine sauce. I ended my day by seeing Paul Revere’s house.

On my last day in New England, I drove out to Harvard. I love Harvard! It is a beautiful school and the streets surrounding it are full of cool shops and restaurants and, of course, the bookstore! I ended my day back in Boston to get ready for an early flight back to L.A. the next morning.

All together, in 10 days I traveled to 6 states, 11 cities, and drove roughly 1150 miles.

I had a wonderful time exploring New England and enjoying all the colors of Fall. Did I miss anything important on my trip? What should I do/eat/see the next time I’m in New England? I can’t wait to go back!