Eco Itinerary
ECO: 14-Day Itinerary
Experience New England’s natural wonders—and travel in ways that help protect them—on a “green” itinerary filled with wildlife encounters, biking and hiking, working farms, and locally crafted food and drink.
DAYS 1 & 2: MASSACHUSETTS
Learn more about visiting Massachusetts
Lodging ideas: Archer Hotel (Burlington), Ocean House Hotel at Bass Rocks (Gloucester)
Commuter rail service links Boston to the North Shore, which is a favorite launching point for New England’s iconic wildlife activity, whale-watching. See these gentle giants up close with 7 Seas or Cape Ann Whale Watch, both in Gloucester, or Newburyport Whale Watch.
In Ipswich, get a rare look at another awe-inspiring species, gray wolves, at the nonprofit sanctuary Wolf Hollow. Or take a guided kayak expedition through salt marsh and tidal creeks at the Crane Wildlife Refuge, part of The Trustees’ 2,100-acre Crane Estate. The Trustees also owns Appleton Farms, where you can hike the trails, help with farm chores, and shop for local food.
Make time in Newburyport to visit Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center before venturing into the adjacent Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. Near the New Hampshire border, the non-GMO Cider Hill Farm offers pick-your-own flowers, berries, peaches, and apples.
For more ideas like these, check out the green itineraries at www.visitma.com/eco.
DAYS 3 & 4: MAINE
Learn more about visiting Maine
Lodging ideas: Inn by the Sea (Cape Elizabeth), Meadowmere Resort (Ogunquit), Nonantum Resort (Kennebunkport)
Portland Paddle leads multiday kayaking adventures on the 375-mile Maine Island Trail, but just a few hours is all you need to take one of their Casco Bay island-hopping tours. Alternatively, soak up the bay’s beauty from Portland’s Eastern Promenade, a 78-acre park filled with native plants and wildlife. Then celebrate local seafood with one of the oyster farm tours highlighted on the Maine Oyster Trail, and taste the ocean-fresh bounty at Portland restaurants like Eventide Oyster Co. and Fore Street.
Reconnect with nature at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment in Freeport, where you can camp, rent bikes and kayaks, and sign up for activities as diverse as forest bathing and elderberry syrup making. Finally, head to Penobscot Bay for a wind-powered ride on a Maine windjammer, or to the Acadia region to spy humpbacks and other whales with Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co.
DAYS 5 & 6: NEW HAMPSHIRE
Learn more about visiting New Hampshire
Lodging ideas: The Glen House (Gorham), Huttopia White Mountains (Albany), Lumen Nature Retreat (North Woodstock), Mountain View Grand (Whitefield)
Appreciate nature’s majesty with a bird’s-eye view of the White Mountain National Forest. The 1.3-mile Gondola Skyride at Loon Mountain is the longest of its kind in the state; Cannon Mountain’s Aerial Tramway leads to a 4,080-foot summit and jaw-dropping vistas. Ride to the top of the Northeast’s tallest peak on a Mount Washington Cog Railway biodiesel train, or hop into a tour van operated by the Mount Washington Auto Road, whose fleet runs partly on propane autogas and whose base lodge features LED lighting and eco-friendly HVAC systems.
New Hampshire’s largest land mammal is the moose, and the best way to see this key species in the wild is with local guides like Pemi Valley Moose Tours and Gorham Moose Tours. Nature lovers should also check out The Rocks in Bethlehem, a 1,400-acre forest reservation where you can hike, take private tours, and learn about everything from moose and bears to maple syrup.
For some fresh-harvested flavor, dine in Littleton at the farm-to-table eatery Tim-Bir Alley or at Schilling Beer Co., which makes its pizzas with seasonal local ingredients. Summer through fall, find organic produce, artisan bread, and more at the Sunday Littleton Farmers Market.
DAYS 7-9: VERMONT
Learn more about visiting Vermont
Lodging ideas: Hotel Vermont (Burlington), Madbush Falls (Waitsfield), Swift House Inn (Middlebury), Waitsfield Inn (Waitsfield), Sterling Ridge Resort (Jeffersonville)
Begin in Burlington, the first U.S. city to get all its electricity from renewable sources and which aims for carbon neutrality by 2030. It’s also a rail-travel destination, with Amtrak service from New York City on the Ethan Allen Express (which makes four other Vermont stops, including Middlebury).
Rent a bike from Local Motion to glide along the Island Line Trail—a 14-mile path that hugs the waterfront before following the Colchester Causeway out onto Lake Champlain—then pedal to the colorful South End Arts District, site of the summer Burlington Farmers Market. Or spend time strolling the Church Street Marketplace pedestrian mall; nearby City Hall Park hosts the BVT Market, a celebration of local artists and makers, on summer Saturdays.
Beyond the city limits, two scenic valleys invite exploring. To the east is the Mad River Valley, home not only to fine ski areas but also to agritourism gems such as Knoll Farm (PYO blueberries, Icelandic sheep) and Hartshorn Organic Farm (organic produce, maple syrup, and more). South of Burlington is the Champlain Valley, where you can visit UVM’s Morgan Horse Farm, bike or hike the 16-mile Trail Around Middlebury, or go fly-fishing with Middlebury’s Green Mountain Adventures.
And when you get thirsty, Vermont’s world-class breweries have you covered literally from A to Z, with favorites spanning The Alchemist to Zero Gravity.
DAYS 10 & 11: CONNECTICUT
Learn more about visiting Connecticut
Lodging ideas: Hotel Marcel (New Haven), Saybrook Point Resort & Marina (Old Saybrook)
In the Litchfield Hills, book a private tour at Bella Alpacas Farm Sanctuary, which turns the wool from its herd of rescued alpacas into socks, hats, and mittens you can buy. For dinner, look to Litchfield’s Community Table for upscale fare that highlights ingredients from local farms.
Then it’s off to the shoreline, which you’ll follow east to Rhode Island. Load up on road snacks at the Wooster Square Farmers Market in New Haven, including delicacies prepared by the immigrants and refugees of Sanctuary Kitchen. And set aside time for a nature outing with Old Lyme’s Black Hall Outfitters, which offers guided kayak tours through the Great Island Salt Marsh, part of a 52,000-acre national estuarine research reserve.
DAYS 12 & 13: RHODE ISLAND
Learn more about visiting Rhode Island
Lodging ideas: Graduate Providence (Providence), Forty 1° North (Newport)
Enjoy a fun twist on green transportation at Portsmouth’s Rail Explorers, whose tandem and quad bikes are set on railroad tracks alongside Narragansett Bay; pedal the six-mile route at your own pace. Then get out onto the ocean by hopping aboard a nature or seal watch cruise with Save the Bay. For dinner, choose from seafood favorites like Midtown Oyster Bar, The Landing, and The Lobster Bar—they all serve oysters from local farms such as Charlestown’s 401 Oyster Company.
On day two, experience one of New England’s loveliest coastal walks at Napatree Point Conservation Area in Westerly, a 1.5-mile sandy peninsula in Block Island Sound. It’s an uncrowded oasis, though you may spy surfers offshore and birds soaring above.
DAY 14: BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Learn more about visiting Boston
Lodging ideas: Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston Marriott Long Wharf, Seaport Hotel
Finish your trip with a day in Boston, where you can appreciate two major environmental successes: Boston Harbor and the Charles River, once nationally infamous for their pollution before undergoing multibillion-dollar cleanups. See the sparkling results on a two-hour Boston Harbor Lighthouse Cruise, followed by a stroll or bike ride on the Charles River Esplanade or a river kayak tour led by Paddle Boston.
Itinerary created in partnership with Yankee Publishing. DATTCO Coach & Tour is Discover New England’s transportation partner.
