Wedged between New York and Canada, the six states that form New England provide beautiful countryside and an 800km coastline ideal for a driving holiday. Brian Johnston reports.
There are plenty of things to like about New England: red barns, fishing villages and wave-beaten lighthouses, a convoluted coastline and a rolling inland where white church steeples are slender exclamation marks against verdant forest. In autumn, maples turn scarlet on the hillsides, red ivy creeps up old walls and you can kick fallen leaves along rambling country tracks. But this diverse destination isn’t just about landscapes. New England is a snug and wealthy region with some of America’s oldest cities, a vibrant urban culture, maritime history and chic seaside resorts. Locals crack seafood and jokes as they pass pleasant weekend afternoons in breeze-cooled lobster shacks.
New England is comprised of six states in the USA’s northeast corner: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. If you’re heading north from New York, your first stop might be Rhode Island, a compact state with just 163km of coastline and a scattering of offshore islands. Newport on Aquidneck Island has a rich colonial history and architecture that reflects its golden age as a fashionable nineteenth-century resort town and sailing centre. The summer ‘cottages’ of this bygone era look more like European mansions, matched only by the sleek yachts on the harbour, which embraces the town on three sides. The 6km Cliff Walk is exhilarating for its rocky outlooks and colossal seaside mansions. After that, join well-heeled locals for a sashay past the boutiques and restaurants along Thames Street and America’s Cup Avenue.
A pebble’s skip across the water lies Martha’s Vineyard, an island of gorgeous, windblown beaches and villages of white picket-fenced houses. Oak Bluffs is a busy harbour overlooked by quaint cottages and inns. Relive your childhood on Circuit Avenue by riding the Flying Horses Carousel — the country’s oldest merry-go-round — before tucking into buttered lobster at a posh restaurant. You’re now in Massachusetts, a state characterised by forest, lakes, granite hills and valley farms that finally give way to the ocean in places such as Cape Cod, which is a kaleidoscope of shimmering ponds and beaches decorated with driftwood.
A visit to Massachusetts, however, is also the chance to enjoy one of America’s most attractive cities, Boston. Follow the Freedom Trail and learn about the significant role Boston played in the fight for American independence, then explore the attractive and easily-walked North End and Beacon Hill neighbourhoods. The city also has great shopping, excellent museums and cultural life and, with all its university students, has a vibrant nightlife too. Boston is also home to the Red Sox baseball team. A game at Fenway Park stadium, complete with razzmatazz, star-spangled banners and hotdogs, provides a great American sporting experience.
Just up the Massachusetts coast, Gloucester is a no-nonsense working town, yet made interesting by its Portuguese immigrant population and large artists’ colony. Cape Ann Historical Association, with ship models, paintings and absorbing historical photographs, provides a good insight into America’s oldest seaport.
Set your sights next on New Hampshire, a state of granite outcrops and country lanes, rivers and broad beaches. In autumn, pumpkins fatten and dahlias nod in friendly fashion from cottage gardens. New Hampshire only has 30 kilometres of coast, but there are dramatic views towards the distant White Mountains, which sailors once mistook for clouds. Turn inland and you’ll find tough, independent-minded but friendly folk, keen to talk about hunting, fishing and their dislike of big government. They live in a place of spectacular mountain scenery, which you can admire by walking sections of the Appalachian Trail.
Further to the west, Vermont is the only New England state without a coastline, but instead you get the rolling Green Mountains that run towards the Canadian border; Route 100 is a beautiful drive, especially in autumn. Towns such as Plymouth, the state capital at Montpelier, and old-money, nineteenth-century Woodstock are delightful.
Finish your exploration of New England in forest-dense Maine, whose long coastline, gazing towards strings of islands, is the best of the lot. The old port of Portland is a charming example of the coast’s pleasures: wander out along Eastern Prom Trail for fine bay views, or head to Portland Head Light, an historic 1790 lighthouse commissioned by George Washington. Rockland on Penobscot Bay is also highly scenic. The former fishing town has a new arty lease on life, with quite a reputation for its jazz and lobster festivals. It’s certainly the place to try traditional lobster bake or Maine mussels if you haven’t already been tempted.
Last stop before Canada should be Bar Harbor, a once-grand Victorian-era resort whose old-fashioned stores along meandering streets retain an air of yesteryear in spite of the increasing encroachment of souvenir shops. Enormous nineteenth-century villas nestle among the town’s trees.
Bar Harbor is the access point for the jagged coastline and granite cliffs of Acadia National Park, the only national park in New England. You might spot whales blowing in the Atlantic and eagles drifting overhead in a fitting finale to America’s beautiful northeast corner.
