Fly or drive to Boston. If flying, you'll land at Boston Logan Airport and will need to take the shuttle to pick up a rental car. Then you'll drive into downtown Boston to spend the night at one of Boston's many fine hotels. In years past, we've stayed at Westin Copley Place, Hilton Boston Back Bay, Marriott Long Wharf, and the Royal Sonesta on the Charles River in Cambridge. Take one of the guided city tours or do the walking tour that's marked, "The Freedom Trail." You'll see Faneuil Hall, Old State House, Old South Meeting House, Public Gardens, Old North Church, and Old Ironsides-all part of the Revolutionary War. Be sure to go by Quincy Market-it's fun, with great little shops. Make a dinner reservation that night in Cambridge. We can recommend Jasper White's Summer Shack or Chris Scholassberg's East Coast Grill. Both chefs are in our new cookbook and do a terrific job with seafood. You won't get any better anywhere.
The next day drive north to Gloucester, where I suggest you have lunch at the Gloucester House-their clam chowder and lobster rolls are fantastic and large enough to serve two. Order one of each and share. This is the restaurant that invented fried calamari. Explore the shops and watch the fishermen come in with their daily catch. Before evening, continue a bit north to Rockport. Here you'll want to book a room at the Emerson Inn by the Sea. This is where Ralph Waldo Emerson stayed and wrote his poems about Pigeon Cove. Its rock gardens are absolutely lovely and the view of the Atlantic is spectacular. The non-ocean view rooms are reasonable, and all rooms include a bountiful, healthy, and delicious breakfast buffet.
Head out next day north to Lexington and Concord where you follow the route of Paul Revere's immortal ride of April 8, 1775. The dramatic events that led to the War unfold at every turn and are climaxed by a visit to Concord's renowned Minute Man Statue. You'll pass by the homes of Hawthorne and Emerson, and you can visit the home of Louisa May Alcott. Continue north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and stay the night. Next morning drive to Kennebunkport, Maine. If you're a fan of Bush, drive out on Walker Point where you'll be able to view former President George Bush's summer Whitehouse. Stay over or continue north towards Boothbay Harbor. There are lots of great places to stay and eat there. Lobster is the choice of the day in Maine-it's so fresh and sweet, you don't need any melted butter!
From here you'll drive to Bath on Maine's beautiful coastline where for centuries artists have flocked to paint the scenes on canvas. The Maine Maritime Museum in Bath is a must, depicting the state's shipbuilding heritage. Nearby is Mount Washington/New Hampshire, New England's highest peak in the White Mountains. You'll pass through Crawford Notch enroute to Montpelier, Vermont, where Vermont's Capitol stands framed against the hills in a memorable setting. The foliage takes on the most beautiful hues as you progress north towards Stowe, Vermont, in the heart of the Green Mountains. Stay overnight at the Trapp Family Lodge of Song of Music fame. Stowe is a charming village-shops, restaurants, cider mills, and so forth.
The next day, drive east to Burlington where you'll connect with Route 7, then south through Vermont, seeing one picturesque view of fall foliage after another until you cross the border, back into Massachusetts. Continue south past some of the best antiquing in the world to just south of the Mass Turnpike to Stockbridge where you should stay overnight at the Red Lion Inn, one of America's few inns in continuous use since the 18th century. Immortalized in Norman Rockwell's Main Street, Stockbridge, the Red Lion Inn epitomizes New England tradition. The Inn's dining room is renowned. Next day, head east on the Mass Turnpike to Sturbridge where you can walk through Old Sturbridge Village, a remarkable reconstruction of early American architecture.
From here, it's an easy drive to Boston for the night. Early morning, it's back to Boston Logan airport to return your rental car and catch your flight home.
As always if you have diabetes, be sure to take double the amount of medicine/insulin and testing supplies that you'd normally use during the time gone, and don't check these items in your suitcase. Call your airline carrier or visit their website for their regulations regarding insulin syringes and lancets for testing. A written prescription no longer suffices, so best to check with your airline. They go into a carry-on along with carb snacks, sunglasses, and sunscreen. On this trip, be sure to also pack a can of hair spray. If you lightly spray both sides of the prettiest leaves you find on your trip the very day you pick them up and carefully store them in a box that you carry back with you, the leaves will remain bright and pliable for years to come. Guaranteed.
FTG
