The Best Things to Do in New England This Fall
When you live in the northeast, every season has its own charm—but nothing beats a New England fall. The forests and mountains erupt into a riot of colors, and locals embrace every bit of the fall-themed splendor. Join in on the fun by heading to regional farms and roadside stands for fresh cider doughnuts, apple picking, and pumpkin patch photo opps (not to mention the frenzy of baking they do at home), or opt for a long, rambling road trip through the region’s quieter locales. This fall in particular feels especially energetic, with new museum exhibits, new hotels and spas, and new events for both locals and visitors to explore. Whether you’re looking to get out into nature and appreciate the region’s natural beauty, visit a pumpkin show illuminated by over 1,500 jack-o-lanterns, or you simply want to hunker down for a glamorous spa weekend, these are our picks for the best things to do in New England this fall.
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Courtesy AWOL1. Enjoy Provincetown all to yourself
While everyone’s out leaf peeping across the New England mainland, consider escaping to Provincetown. You’ll have the tip of Cape Cod—and its wealth of historic lighthouses, sand dunes, humpback whales, and seaside charm—all to yourself. Yes, the summer crowds thin out at this time of year, but there is still lots to explore in town, thanks to a bustling lineup of festivals which, since the pandemic, basically extends until the holiday season: from Women’s Week, to TransWeek, Spooky Bear, Provincetown Food & Wine Festival, and Holly Folly. . Base yourself in the center of the action at the lovely Gifford House Inn, which just underwent a renovation this year,or opt for something a little removed from the action such as AWOL Provincetown, which overlooks the serene moors at the far West End of downtown. Amble through the boutique-lined “downtown,” bike or walk one of the surrounding nature trails, explore the uninhabited sand dunes of the northern Cape with Art’s Dune Tours (bookings until November 15, 2023), or set sail on a highly rewarding whale watch with eco-conscious company Dolphin Fleet (sailings run through October 29, 2023t).
Gallo/Getty2. Drive the Vermont Cheese Trail
Many destinations love to organize themselves with wine trails, street art walks, public art districts, and so forth–but did you know that Vermont has its very own Cheese Trail? The Vermont Cheese Council has done all of us the very important public service of putting together a circuit of the state’s top cheesemakers, which makes for an excellent diversion no matter where you find yourself in the state. Some stops are small, family-owned dairy farms on sleepy country roads; others are larger institutions with museums and formal tours. Check out the Vermont Cheese Council’s website for an interactive map with all the stops.
Courtesy Ocean House3. Sharpen your kitchen skills at a hotel
There’s no shortage of charming inns and hotels in New England, many of which have really upped their culinary game in recent years—and several of which now invite guests to do the same. The intimate 22-room Relais & Chateaux property The Inn at Hastings Park, located in historic Lexington 30 minutes outside of Boston, offers immersive culinary instructional workshops and supper clubs taught by inn owner and chef Trisha Pérez Kennealy. Down along the coast in sleepy Watch Hill, Rhode Island, summer hotspot Ocean House makes a compelling case for visiting during the off-season with its Center for Wine and Culinary Arts, which offers an educational lineup of classes and wine tasting dinners each fall. A full listing of available classes (some of which are open to the public, not just hotel guests, as single sessions for a fee) is available here.
Billy Freeman/Unsplash4. Visit a Trustees of Reservations Property
New Englanders wear their history proudly, and few organizations in the region–or perhaps the country–can compete with Massachusetts’ Trustees of Reservations in terms of historic preservation and land conservation. This non-profit, first established by the Massachusetts Legislature over 130 years ago, owns and cares for over 100 sites of historic or natural significance around the state, from historic estates to sculpture museums to working farms. If you’re coming from Boston, the World’s End Reservation in Hingham or the Harold Parker State Forest in Andover are just about half an hour’s drive from the city proper. If you have time to venture further afield, the Naumkeag Pumpkin Show uses over 1500 jack-o-lanterns to bring a historic Berkshires estate to life. .
Getty5. Soak up some culture and history
If it’s looking like more of an indoor kind of day, turn your attention to the multitude of museums and historic sites New England has to offer, many of which are located in Boston—or as a convenient day trip away. There are the institutional biggies like the classic Museum of Fine Arts Boston (which this fall welcomes “Fashioned by Sargent,” an exhibition about the role of fashion in Sargent’s portraiture), the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (catch the new exhibit Forecast Form, about art of the Caribbean Diaspora), the intimate Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the great-for-kids Museum of Science. Or turn your eye outside of the city limits where more options abound. Drive out to the Berkshires and visit The Clark for impressionism and old masters, or Mass MoCA, a sprawling contemporary art museum set in a former mill complex. The nine-installation James Turrell: Into the Light exhibit (note that advanced reservations are required), is now accompanied by C.A.V.U.—Turrell's largest free-standing circular Skyspace that was three decades in the making, and opened earlier last year.
Gary W. Kellner6. See the leaves via zip line
There's driving through autumnal foliage from the comfort of your car. But then there's getting a thrilling bird’s-eye view via a zip line. Many of New England’s ski areas offer zip line activities during the summer and fall months, such as Gunstock Mountain Resort in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region (go there for epic water views over Lake Winnipesaukee), or at Catamout Mountain Resort in the Berkshires (the longest zip line in New England, at over 5,500 feet long).
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Douglas Friedman7. Get to know Boston’s rising farm-to-table scene
With new regional developments in year-round farming and hydroponics, there's been a rise in popularity for seasonal, locally-sourced farm-to-table cuisine—and fall is the best time to try it all. In Boston, head over to the Seaport District for dinner at Woods Hill Pier 4, or to Puritan & Company in Cambridge, where Robert Downey, Jr. and Scarlett Johanssen were recently spotted dining. Rooftop apertivo bar Contessa (pictured) has also maintained its appeal (think inventive Northern Italian menu and Public Garden-view) since Carbone-famous Major Food Group opened it in 2021 atop the Newbury Hotel—a perfect urban leaf-peeping spot. Outside of the city, consider a stop by Gilson’s farm in Groton, about forty minutes west of Boston where the suburbs quickly give way to bucolic, rolling hillsides. Chef Will Gilson’s popular “Herb Lyceum” dinner series returns this year on select Fridays and Saturdays throughout the season. These dinners feature five courses of Gilson’s seasonal produce, starting with passed appetizers in the gardens and then moving inside to an open air carriage house for a communal dining experience capped at just 30 guests.Keep an eye on Herb Lyceum’s website for updated dates and ticket info. And if your travels bring you to Cape Cod, the Chatham Bars Inn’s popular Fall Greenhouse Dinner Series returns this year with four unique culinary experiences held at the hotel’s Farm in Brewster.
Courtesy Boston Harbor City Cruises8. Go whale watching
Between Cape Ann and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of the top spots for whale watching in the country, where you’ll typically end up on organized trips from the Cape, the North Shore, or even Boston. Most don’t realize that the best time to whale watch is October through early November, when the boat crowds have thinned and the humpbacks are out in full-force—it’s a great time of year to get breaching photos. Boston Harbor Cruises offers its whale watching trips through mid-November this year.
Getty9. Explore modern-day Salem
The history of Salem, Massachusetts, may be steeped in witchcraft, but its modern-day magic is hard to miss. Base yourself at The Merchant, a 200-year-old home that once belonged to sea merchant Joshua Ward and is now a colorful and creative boutique hotel in close proximity to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial and the Salem Witch Museum. Then browse the American decorative art collections at the oldest continuously operating and collecting museum in the U.S., the Peabody Essex Museum (catch the new exhibit The Salem Witch Trials: Restoring Justice, which wraps November 26th). Book a spooky, lantern-lit walking tour to learn more about Salem’s nefarious past, then dine at one of the city’s buzzy restaurants like Ledger, which serves dishes like spaghetti alle vongole made with Duxbury clams in the spectacular setting of a former bank.
Getty10. Experience cranberry season
Live the Ocean Spray dream and sign up for a tour at A.D. Makepeace Company in Wareham—the world’s largest cranberry grower. In non-pandemic times, guests are invited to throw on a pair of overalls and wade through the bogs, but this year, they've linked up with the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association for an industry-wide bus tour.
Courtesy Castle Hill Inn11. Discover a different side of Rhode Island
Since it’s more about the coast than the forest in America’s smallest state, Rhode Island may not be an obvious choice for fall—but it's prime time to experience the "locals' summer." Split your days between walks on vast, near-empty beaches, and drives along colorful, canopied country roads. Head down oceanfront Scenic Route 1A from Westerly to Wickford—it’s about 40 miles, a long distance in Rhode Island terms—for the ultimate juxtaposition of seaside backdrops and changing leaves, and base yourself in tony Newport, which has a markedly low-key vibe this time of year. For overnights, book a room at the adorable new Gardiner House, nestled on a quiet waterfront street, or at the Brenton Hotel, which overlooks the iconic Bowen’s Wharf Marina and sits across the street from buzzy new Mother Pizzeria.
Getty12. Go hiking
Take advantage of the crisp fall weather to work up a sweat in New England’s wilder regions. For something truly rugged, head up north to Maine, where Baxter State park, the Nahmakanta Public Reserved Land and the Appalachian Mountain Club 100-Mile Wilderness Conservation Area offer a truly unspoiled outdoors experience. There are enough hiking trails—lined with brightly colored trees and towering evergreens, punctuated by boulder-strewn streams, lakes, and ponds—to keep all skill levels busy and happy.
Closer to Boston, the World’s End Reservation in Hingham or the Harold Parker State Forest in Andover are just about half an hour’s drive from the city proper. If the weather is clear and you’re still up for a mountainous challenge, the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail on Mount Washington in New Hampshire offers some of the best alpine hiking on the east coast.
Mark Olsen/Unsplash13. Explore Maine’s many lighthouses
If some Coastal Grandma vibes are up your alley this fall, consider a choose-your-own-adventure road trip up and down the Maine coast (or down and up, or whichever way you please). The state offers an astonishing 65 historic lighthouses, many of which are open to the public, and some of which even allow access to the keeper’s quarters, for an up-close view of how these iconic structures work. Many of them are still, today, actively used for offshore navigation. Check out the Maine Office of Tourism’s website for an interactive map of where you can find each lighthouse.
Courtesy The Glen House14. Go apple (and pumpkin) picking
Nothing says fall in New England like pumpkin patches and apple orchards (and the cider doughnuts produced therein). At family-run Shelburne Orchards in northern Vermont, pick your own apples, feast on crispy cider doughnuts, sip fresh-pressed cider, and sample seven-year-old cask-aged Apple Brandy made on the premises. (Don't miss the Pommeau, a fortified cider, either.) In Loudon, New Hampshire, savor piping-hot cider doughnuts at Meadow Ledge Farm (so good they often command a 45-minute line), and in Meredith, New Hampshire, get lost in a mega-corn maze, pick your own pumpkins, and try cider doughnuts with a twist (think chocolate drizzle and sprinkles) at Moulton Farm. And while pick-your-own apples are common across much of New England, there seems to be a slightly higher concentration of these farms down in Connecticut–like at the tenth-generation family owned Averill Farm in Washington Depot, operating since 1746.
Courtesy Mandarin Oriental15. Treat yourself to a five-star spa day
Autumn tends to bring plenty of mild weather, but it also requires plans for the occasional rainy day. Book some time at the glamorous new Guerlain Spa inside Raffles Boston for some time at the city’s buzziest new urban spa sanctuary (it’s scheduled to open in late October). . On Massachusetts’ South Shore, locals love the Mirbeau Inn & Spa for its luxurious spa treatments, as well as year-round Acqua Terrace, an outdoor space with a waterfall, fireplace, relaxing oversized whirlpool tubs, and drinks service.
And don’t make the mistake of assuming the Encore Boston Harbor only offers its rowdy nightlife and casino scenes–this enormous property, located in Everett just beyond Boston proper, is also home to one of New England’s largest, most glorious spas. Facials, in particular, are a strong suit here, with offerings from HydraFacial, Biologique Recherche and Dr. Babor. You’ll leave positively glowing—and perhaps with a little more luck on your side, too.
Getty16. Plan a leaf-peeping road trip
Yes, it's the worst phrase ever, but there's nothing cringe-inducing about New England's highways in October—there's even a handy fall foliage map to help you plan the ideal weekend away. Make sure your road trip includes one of the following: New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway, a 34.5-mile National Scenic Byway through the state’s White Mountain National Forest, an itinerary through Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest, or the famed 63-mile Mohawk Trail through Massachusetts’s Berkshire Mountains. Each showcases the region’s most dramatic colors.
