Image via Complex Original
Even if your summer weekends were whiled away watching Orange Is the New Black in the comfort of your own AC, you haven’t completely lost your opportunity for scenic getaways. In fact, saving your visits to the most picturesque destinations for the early fall avoids you stifling heat, monstrous crowds and, often, a bit of cash. Here are our favorite under-the-radar spots in New England that won’t be totally packed this fall.
Mount Washington Cog Railway
City: Bretton Woods, N.H.
Address: 3168 Base Station Rd.
Website: thecog.com
Check out the scenic views from New Hampshire’s White Mountains while appreciating a bit of locomotive history on the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world’s first mountain train. The antique steam engine and newer biodiesel trains run to the top of Mount Washington, New England’s highest peak, where visitors can enjoy one of the best displays of fall foliage in the region, before a pleasant ramble down.
Four Seas Ice Cream
City: Centerville, Mass.
Address: 360 S. Main St.
Website: fourseasicecream.com
Four Seas, the legendary Cape Cod ice cream spot that once counted Jackie O amongst their loyal clientele (the First Lady loved their peach flavor and a check bearing her imprimatur), is known to draw crowds that extend into their gravel parking lot during the high season. Until recently the shop shut down post-Labor Day, but now it’s open for pints year-round, so it’s only a quick stop before you’re enjoying the East Coast’s greatest dairy delicacies on nearby Craigville Beach.
Chatham Pier Fish Market
City: Chatham, Mass.
Address: 45 Barcliff Ave.
Website: chathampierfishmarket.com
The tony Cape Cod town has become a vacation haven for seals in recent years, as anti-hunting legislation has led to a boom in their numbers. Check out the adorably whiskered sea creatures in action at one of their favorite hangouts, outside this old-school seafood classic.
Coastal Wine Trail
Location: Southeastern New England
Website: coastalwinetrail.com
They’ve kept it under wraps, but it turns out there’s a pretty spectacular cottage wine-making industry right in New England. Nine vineyards operate on the 182-mile stretch that goes from Western Rhode Island to the outer reaches of Cape Cod, and a passport can be purchased to grant you access to all of them. Bottoms up!
Simon Pearce
City: Quechee, Vt.
Address: 1760 Quechee Main St.
Website: simonpearce.com
Retail has never been more serene. The famed home goods brand manufactures elegant glass pieces out of a river-set, former woolen mill turned factory where visitors can check out the turbine that powers the operation and watch the expert glassblowers at work. Foodie alert: don’t miss the Sunday brunch at Simon Pearce’s first-rate restaurant, considered one of Vermont’s top culinary highlights.
Mohegan Bluffs
City: Block Island, R.I.
The 200-foot high summit of the historic cliffs, site of a Pequot War battle, provides one of the most breathtaking sites in the tiny but mighty state with a view all the way to Montauk.
Fort Wetherill State Park
City: Jamestown, R.I.
Address: Fort Wetherill Rd.
Website: riparks.com
The site of the annual America’s Cup (and several scenes in Moonrise Kingdom), this sprawling, 61-acre former military fortress gets plenty of use in the offseason when its trails offer hikers Winslow Homer worthy views. Don’t forget your coonskin cap.
White Barn Inn
City: Kennebunk Beach, Maine
Address: 37 Beach Ave.
Website: whitebarninn.com
If you’re looking for the scenic grandeur of New England without the rustic austerity, the White Barn Inn offers a resort experience as high-class as any New York City destination, but with all the coastal village charm of nearby Kennebunkport. Bumping into a former U.S. President is just a bonus.
Old Sow Whirlpool
City: Between Deer Island, New Brunswick and Moose Island, Maine
Website: oldsowwhirlpool.com
Don’t fall in! For the very brave, the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, a reportedly 7-foot wide disturbance in the Bay of Fundy and a killer of many a mariner, can be viewed from nearby Deer Island, New Brunswick, or from ferries deporting from Eastport, Maine.
Castle in the Clouds
City: Moultonborough, N.H.
Address: 455 Old Mountain Rd.
Website: castleintheclouds.org
Want to see spectacular Arts and Crafts architecture up close? The former Lucknow estate, later christened Castle in the Clouds, now operates as a museum and is a masterpiece to explore. Over 28 miles of trails, waterfalls, and mountains can be hiked or experienced atop one of the Castle’s stable of horses.
