These tours include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and other areas, and typically last between 4 and 6 nights. Allow us to take the planning out of your hands! We will write up an itinerary for you based on your interests and how long you are able to tour, then, together we will custom tailor to your interests.
We can do these at any time of the year, and typically we would begin with a drive up the Maine Coast, see a bit of the ocean and lighthouses…maybe some woods – 80% of Maine is forest! We would then cross over into New Hampshire in the Lakes region, head north to North Conway in the Presidential Mountain Range, drive through the White Mountain National Park and along the scenic, winding 2-lane Kancamagus highway, maybe stroll through “The Flume” in Lincoln, or visit the elegant White Mountain Resort, where the Bretton Woods Accords established the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 1945.
Including Boston, Concord and the Berkshires Mountains of Massachusetts is a nice way to start your journey. From there, your guide will make suggestions for stops along the way. There are many old villages to tour, orchards and wineries with cider donuts and wine tastings, cultural stops, antique shops and so much more.
We then come down the west side of the Lakes region and can stop at the Canterbury Shaker Village, which has a remarkable sense of serenity about it.
If you are daring, consider an optional open-cockpit bi-plane ride over the lakes and rolling hills of New Hampshire, or a warm-weather ride on a ski-lift to the top of a mountain for a view of the Presidential Mountain Range in the national forests of New Hampshire.
New Hampshire has no sales tax, no income tax, no bottle tax, and no gun laws – their state motto is “Live Free or Die”, and there are also no state death taxes.
After this, we flit over the border into Vermont, where the cows outnumber the people. Look up “Woodstock, Vermont” – this pristine old town is straight out of a photography book, there are dozens of photogenic old covered bridges in town and we can stop at Simon Pearce’s Glassblowing Studio to watch as master craftsmen create crystal glass goblets, wineglasses, candlesticks, and more. We can have lunch alongside a strong, running river, visit arts and crafts shows, see working farms, country fairs, watch apple-pressing, or visit vineyards to taste samples – there is so much to see and do here!
We can then head back to Boston the long way, through southern Vermont and western Massachusetts, stay a night in Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts (look up “Old Deerfield, MA”), and on our last day visit a quaint little red schoolhouse where Mary Sawyer went to school – she’s the Mary in “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.
Ordinarily we stay at Bed & Breakfasts, but can stay at hotels or motels to keep costs down – and usually these tours last between 4 and 6 nights. These tours are limited, so it’s first-come-first-served. The vehicle we bring depends on the size of your group, the number of days we’ll be gone, and the amount of luggage.
