Maine & Massachusetts

For Mass. Leaf color peaks usually around mid-late October. Need two hard frost, and little wind or rain for the maximum color. Some years are just fantastic, other years not quite as good, but always a great show.

Well, I can offer some advice for Massachusetts. Stay far away from Fall River.
in the passed 10 years sense I left its gotten pretty bad with drugs/crime and all around neglected"attractions" such as battleship cove.
just my $0.02

Heritage Plantation (History - and a great antique car museum ) on Cape Cod in Sandwich -- Nickerson State Park (Great Park, no hookups) in Brewster (Cape Cod - swimming, fishing, biking, boating) ... Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth Mass (History 1600s)... Old Sturbridge Village (History 1800's) --

Sweetwater Campground in Brewster has HU it's central to the Cape sights, but a lot of small sites - so check size.

Falmouth (Cape Cod -- Fishing village, Oceanographic Institute -- if you have kids, do the OceanQuest voyage.

Salem Village (Witches) Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary (Wildlife - North of Boston.

September is early for the leaf-colors ... I agree = mid-October best.

If you like mountain summit drives or hikes I recommend Mt Greylock in western MA and Mt Wachusett in central MA. Both provide amazing views.

Where to start...

MA: Historical: Concord and Lexington (Old North Bridge, Lexington Green, towns themselves), Lowell, MA: Lowell Historical National Park (mill history), Boston: Freedom Trail.
Museums: Too many to list but the Museum of Science for a start.
Fun stuff: Again, so much to list. Cape Cod, Boston (Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall, Duck Boats, Swan Boats), N.E. Aquarium.
ME: Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, beaches, LL Bean in Freeport, Baxter State Park, all the little coastal towns, antiquing, outlet malls.

Give us an idea of what you like to do-that will help.

Hi again, September 12th to the 28th is "the BIG E" fair in west Springfield ma.
its a great time.. Used to go every year.
here is their site
http://thebige.ntelligentsystems.com/m/

This is good stuff this is what I'm looking for keep it coming.

August is blueberry picking time in Maine. The Bangor State Fair runs from the end of July to the beginning of August and is the largest state fair in Maine. Sailing, whale watching, and all kinds of cruises are in full swing. Premium spots fill up fast that time of year as it's a short season. Many locals head out during August before the kids head back to school.

September is the start of fair season in MA. There are lot of small fairs-some are just town-wide events such as Yankee Doodle Weekend right here in Billerica but are well worth the time. September is also apple picking season. NOTHING beats a Massachusetts Macintosh right off the tree! Labor Day weekend is a very popular weekend for camping so you might want to consider reservations somewhere. After that the kids are all in school so there's usually no problem getting a spot. The north shore towns of Gloucester, Rockport and Newburyport are just about perfect in September. Still lots of water-based activities, shopping, fairs and street festivals going on.

You are lucky to have scheduled September in MA, because the Brimfield Show is 9/2-9/7; biggest antique show in New England!
No matter what you see or what you do; stop for liquor in New Hampshire, do not travel on Labor Day Weekend, and stay away from Cape Cod on the weekends!

Mike24

A little help from you on the types of things you like to do, would help a lot. There's sooooo much to do here in New England. Do you like history? The Freedom Trail in Boston. Duck Boat tour of the city. Like nature? The Cape Cod National Seashore. Sports? Red Sox and Patriots will both be active in Sept. NBA Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Newport RI, Salem, Gloucester areas of MA. All loaded with touristy and historical things to do.

Nantucket / Martha's Vineyard - Nice ferry ride and terrific sightseeing on either island.

I could go on and on.........