Want to hit the beach? Go sailing aboard a windjammer? Hike through the cool woods? Canoe across a lake? Golf on historic courses? For families and friends, couples and teenagers, nowhere can match the variety of sea and sand, mountains and lakes as the six states of New England.
CONNECTICUT
In high summer, the Connecticut Shoreline offers a series of escapes: Beaches, bays and boats. Not forgetting lobster shacks. Refreshed by the waters of Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean is pristine Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison; for echoes of the past, it has to be Old Saybrook; for family fun, try Compo Beach in Westport. Alternatively, you could head for the Litchfield Hills, New Yorkers’ favorite getaway or meander round the Quiet Corner. Or, for something different, go tubing down the Farmington River, outside Hartford.
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MAINE
The Pine Tree State is famous for its rocky shoreline, dotted with lighthouses, fishing villages and off-shore islands, but for miles of sandy beaches, families head for southern Maine. Explore Ogunquit’s dunes, the amusement parks in Saco and Old Orchard Beach and the Kennebunks; try deep-sea fishing, whale-watching or take a trip on a real lobster boat. Vacation aboard a historic windjammer, or head inland, where Maine still boasts real wilderness: Baxter State Park, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, where you can paddle 92 miles of lakes, rivers, and streams.
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MASSACHUSETTS Cape Cod or the Berkshires? Both say ‘Summer’; both are dream destinations. The ‘Cape’ has long been America’s playground, with miles of unspoiled beaches, plus handy clam shacks and ice cream parlors. Then there are the islands: Everyone from regular Joes to politicians and movie stars head for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. In western Massachusetts, the rolling Berkshire Hills are alive with outdoor festivals, from music and plays to dance. Challenge the state’s great golf courses, or scream on a family float trip down the Deerfield River.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire boasts the best of both worlds: popular seaside resorts and vast Lake Winnipesaukee, with its islands, beaches, watersports and cruises. On the ocean is Hampton Beach, with free concerts and fireworks shows, as well as sand, surf and amusement parks. On Lake Winnipesaukee, Weir’s Beach is also dedicated to summer fun: waterslides and watersports, a boardwalk and cruises through the islands. Or get away from it all by using ski resort lifts and hiking the White Mountains. It’s like being on top of the world!
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RHODE ISLAND
Whether you want to build sand castles or have teenage surfers eager to hang ten, South County’s 100 miles of shoreline are for you: miles of soft sands, plus great waves at Narragansett. Little ones love Bayview Fun Park (Misquamicut Beach) and America’s oldest carousel, the Watch Hill Flying Horse Carousel. Little Rhody has always been huge for yachtsmen. Historic Newport is known as the ‘Sailing Capital of the World’, where you can take a sunset cruise aboard a sleek 70-ft America’s Cup yacht. Or drift back in time on tiny Block Island: Think cycle rides, sheltered coves and home-made ice creams…
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VERMONT
Over 100 miles long, Lake Champlain is New England’s ‘west coast’. Swim or sail, go for a cruise or fish for lake trout. In the Green Mountains, the scenery is breathtaking, whether you play Vermont’s fine golf courses, or hike along the 270-mile Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Vermont’s back roads have always been quiet: explore by bicycle, or grab your mountain bike, and hurtle along the off-road trails. Thanks to streams and lakes galore, Vermont is the home of the American Museum of Fly Fishing.
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Photo credits: Farmington Valley Visitor Association, CT; Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland, ME; Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce/Robert Schellhammer, MA; NHDTTD/George Disario; Newport, Rhode Island CVB/Onne van der Wal/www.VanDerWal.com, RI; Vermont Tourism/Dennis Curran; Nobska Point Light, Falmouth, Massachusetts Office of Tourism
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