Massachusetts/Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont

On the Road: The Best of Fall in New England

Program No. 20031RJ
Discover classic New England as you photograph vibrant fall foliage, explore quaint villages, visit national parks and celebrate this region with a traditional Maine lobster feast.

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At a Glance

Journey the back roads and byways of New England to experience the best of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont during a fall foliage adventure through the region’s most picturesque countryside and into the history and culture at the foundation of Colonial America.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Climbing a few flights of stairs, standing for up to one hour, walking over paved and unpaved surfaces up to two miles over the course of the day.

What You'll Learn

  • Take an in-depth look at the ecology of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
  • Trace our nation's cultural history through the collections of American art at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and the Vermont History Museum.
  • Savor the tastes of New England with a culinary exploration of Portland, Maine and a lobster dinner.

General Notes

Please note the timing of the changing leaves varies annually and cannot be guaranteed. This program visits various northern and southern locations and the fall colors also vary geographically. Special note about the Grafton Inn: Rooms with two beds are reserved for our matched roommates with all other requests considered on a first come, first serve basis. Though all rooms are accessible by a flight of stairs, based on availability, a limited number of first floor or elevator-accessible rooms may be requested for those with mobility issues. All special requests must notify Road Scholar in advance.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
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Chris Lewey
Chris Lewey, executive director and founder of RAVEN Interpretive Programs, holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from Antioch University and attended Maharishi European Research University in France. He has taught ornithology for the National Audubon Society at their Hog Island ecology camp on the coast of Maine, where he was the director of their Joy of Birding and Breaking into Birding programs. A native New Englander and licensed Maine Guide, he has taught biology, ecology, and ornithology in both New Hampshire and Maine.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Chris Lewey
Chris Lewey View biography
Chris Lewey, executive director and founder of RAVEN Interpretive Programs, holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from Antioch University and attended Maharishi European Research University in France. He has taught ornithology for the National Audubon Society at their Hog Island ecology camp on the coast of Maine, where he was the director of their Joy of Birding and Breaking into Birding programs. A native New Englander and licensed Maine Guide, he has taught biology, ecology, and ornithology in both New Hampshire and Maine.
Profile Image of Jim McAllister
Jim McAllister View biography
Jim McAllister is a Salem historian, photographer, author and teacher, and serves as a historic consultant to the City of Salem and the Hawthorne Hotel. A graduate of Stonehill College, his photographs of Salem have appeared in numerous publications, and he is the author of “Salem: From Naumkeag to Witch City” and co-author of “Salem: Cornerstones of a Historic City.” Jim has appeared on both the “History Channel” and “Home and Garden TV.”
Profile Image of Mike Fowler
Mike Fowler View biography
Mike Fowler is a natural born teacher. He was a teacher of history and geography for more than 18 years. His love of travel and teaching led him to leave regular classroom teaching to escort and lead the young and young at heart on journeys throughout the world. Mike is excited to share in Road Scholar learning adventures in Florida and experience the dynamic culture, people, and history. He also leads Road Scholar groups in Cuba.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
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11 days
10 nights
26 meals
10 B 8 L 8 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Boston, Massachusetts
D
Hyatt Regency Boston

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Program Registration: 3:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our experienced and knowledgeable Group Leader will also serve as our Study Leader, who will provide educational content, along with a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Meals will feature local cuisine in a variety of settings. This is a Road Scholar On The Road (OTR) program. OTR journeys take participants to multiple study sites in a region with a number of overnight stays. Lectures, talks, discussions, field trips, and on-board commentary will amplify the program theme. Long or short, On the Road journeys are learning experiences that make the most of our time together. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: At a local restaurant within walking distance from the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY
2
Boston, Freedom Trail, Old North Church
Boston, Massachusetts
B,L,D
Hyatt Regency Boston

Activity note: Use of public transportation; not all subway stops have elevators. Walking up to 2 miles with frequent stops.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will explore the historic highlights of Boston, walking the fabled Freedom Trail with a local expert. There are 16 official sites along the 2.5 miles marked with a line of red brick or red paint. We will go part way, from Boston Common to the Old Granary Burying Ground, Old South Meeting House, the Old State House Museum, and Faneuil Hall.

Lunch: At a restaurant in Boston’s North End.

Afternoon: We will continue our discovery of Boston as we stroll the streets of the North End en route to the Old North Church Historic Site for a behind-the-scenes docent-led field trip. Listen and learn about the workings of the oldest set of change-ringing bells in North America. We will climb the stairs to the bell ringing chamber where the teenage Paul Revere worked as bell ringer and walk amongst the 37 tombs constructed below the floors of the Old North between 1732 and 1860. We'll learn about the construction of the crypt, view artifacts found in the crypt, and hear the history of those buried there including the Church’s first rector and soldiers killed during the Battle of Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. Outside of the church, there is time to explore the Clough House, which includes the Printing Office of Edes & Gill and Heritage Goods gift shop, before returning to the hotel by public transportation.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
3
Salem, Old York, Old Gaol, Nubble Lighthouse
Ogunquit, Maine
B,L,D
Colonial Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 100 miles; approximately 2.5 hours total riding time with stops. Walking and standing for up to 1.5 miles, approximately 2 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out of the hotel, we will board the motorcoach and depart from Boston to Salem, Massachusetts. On a mixed walking and motorcoach field trip led by a lifetime resident and local historian, we will learn about Salem’s remarkable history including details about its lucrative maritime trade, controversial witch trials, architecture, and culture as one of America’s oldest communities.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Continuing north into Maine, we visit the town of York - one of the oldest English colonial towns in America. Led by a local expert, we will visit the Old Gaol, learning about its unique and rare status as one of the few English Royal Government Building standing in America. This will be followed by a mixed walking and motorcoach tour of the town, including a stop at the iconic Nubble Lighthouse. We will then continue north to Ogunquit, Maine and check in to our hotel.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we will have a traditional lobster dinner, a specialty of New England’s Atlantic waters.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
4
Art Museum, Lobster Boat, Free Time
Ogunquit, Maine
B
Colonial Inn

Activity note: Walking up to 1 mile; standing up to 1 hour at a time. Getting on/off a lobster boat; study cruise is weather dependent, approximately 1 hour on the boat. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will visit the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, housing a permanent collection of important paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and photographs from the late 1800s to the present. Included in the collection is an extensive selection of works by artists associated with Ogunquit’s famous art colony of the early 20th century such as Edward Betts, Charles Woodbury, Hamilton Easter Field, and Robert Laurent. We will next head out on a one-hour boat cruise to learn first-hand from the captain about lobster fishing as well as to appreciate the scenic coastal views from an oceanic perspective. This is weather dependent, and there will be an alternate activity if necessary.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. You may wish to take in the spectacular scenery on a walk along the Marginal Way. Once a dirt trail with difficult terrain, the magnificent Marginal Way is now a paved footpath. Winding along the rocky shoreline for 1.25 miles from Ogunquit’s downtown area to the quaint fishing village of Perkins Cove, the Marginal Way boasts some of most spectacular coastal views in New England.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
5
From the Rocky Coast to the Granite Mountains
Bartlett, New Hampshire
B,L,D
Grand Summit Hotel at Attitash

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 140 miles along scenic routes instead of major highways, approximately 3 hours riding time. Walking up to 1 mile on cobblestone streets with frequent stops to sit. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out of the hotel and boarding the motorcoach, we’ll leave Ogunquit and head up the coast to Portland Head Light, one of Maine’s most iconic lighthouses, which has served as a beacon to ships since 1791.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time in Old Port. We will then rendezvous at a predetermined time and place to board the motorcoach and say bye to Maine’s rocky coast for the White Mountains of Bartlett, New Hampshire where we will check in to our hotel with time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: A naturalist will join us at the hotel and give a presentation on the local ecology of autumn in the North Woods with emphasis on native wildlife and the northern environment.

DAY
6
Mount Washington Cog Railway, Rocks Estate
Bartlett, New Hampshire
B,L,D
Grand Summit Hotel at Attitash

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 137 miles, approximately 3.5 hours riding time with stops along scenic byways.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll head out on the motorcoach to the Marshfield Base Station. Located in the heart of the majestic White Mountains region of northern New Hampshire, it is 6 miles east of Route 302 on the western face of Mount Washington. Even the drive along Base Station Road is beautiful; every twist and turn reveals new perspectives on the Presidential Range. Keep your eyes open for wildlife; moose and bear sightings are not uncommon along the base road! We will arrive to the Mount Washington Cog Railway, where we will take the historic train ride to the summit. The Cog is the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world. With an average grade of 25 percent, it’s also the second steepest! Wear warm clothes; it can get chilly! We will pop into the Cog Museum, which has exhibits on the history of the world’s first mountain climbing cog railway, and their steam-powered “Steam Garden.” Here, we’ll explore on our own.

Lunch: At a restaurant en route.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll head to the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH to learn from a local expert how maple syrup is produced and how conservation fits into maple sugaring. The site is home to the North Country Conservation & Education Center for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Then, we will take a one-hour walk through the estate's forest trails with our expert discussing wildlife habitat improvement and sustainable forestry practices while enjoying mountain vistas.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
7
Kancamagus Highway, Vermont History Museum
Burlington, VT
B,L,D
Courtyard Burlington Harbor

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 144 miles, approximately 4 hours total riding time with intermittent activities. Walking up to 1 mile, approximately 1 hour on maintained, unpaved trails.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: As we leave, we’ll travel along the scenic Kancamagus Highway, stopping en route for short walks to scenic overlooks, forest paths, and a covered bridge.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Crossing into Vermont, we’ll head to the mountains of the Mad River Valley. Along the way, we’ll learn about what makes Vermont such a special place with an expert led field trip to the Vermont History Museum. We will then check-in to our hotel with some free time before dinner to relax, freshen up, or get acquainted with Burlington with a walk through the welcoming, quaint streets of town.

Dinner: At a restaurant near the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
8
Shelburne Museum, Free Time
Burlington, VT
B,L
Courtyard Burlington Harbor

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 20 miles to museum, approximately 1/2 hour riding time each way. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Today we will visit the Shelburne Museum - one of the largest art & history museums in northern New England and a foremost public resource for visual art and material culture. We will get a museum tour by a docent.

Lunch: A sack lunch at the museum.

Afternoon: Free time. If you would like to explore Burlington on your own, walk through the quaint shops and restaurants of Church Street or stroll the waterfront for some scenic views. Or simply relax at the hotel. If needed, we will reschedule an activity in place the Day 4 lobster cruise activity here.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy local fare.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for our transfer in the morning.

DAY
9
Back Roads & Villages of Vermont
Grafton, VT
B,L,D
Grafton Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 137 miles along scenic routes, not major highways; approximately 2.5 hours total riding time with stops. Walking up to 1 mile, approximately 1 hour on paved roadways.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out of our hotel, we will travel south through the stunning center of Vermont, taking in the rural autumn landscapes and tiny villages along Route 100 with stops for photos.

Lunch: At a local restaurant in a quaint Vermont village.

Afternoon: We will soak in the scenery from the motorcoach as we continue to Grafton, Vermont. Upon arrival, we will check in at the inn with some time to relax and explore before dinner.

Dinner: At the inn.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
10
Organic Farm, Stone Trust
Grafton, VT
B,L,D
Grafton Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Walking up to 1.5 miles on a farm with uneven ground; wear comfortable shoes that can handle the terrain.

Breakfast: At the inn.

Morning: We will start our day by taking an educational walk through the town of Grafton. We’ll be joined by a town local for a discussion on life in this quintessential New England town. Next, we’ll head via motorcoach to Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, where we will learn – as we taste – about organic heirloom apple varieties.

Lunch: At the farm.

Afternoon: New England roads are lined with stone walls. We will learn about the art and craft of dry stone walling during a demonstration by The Stone Trust, an organization specializing in this regional iconic skill.

Dinner: At the Inn. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
11
Program Concludes
Boston, Massachusetts
B

Activity note: A motorcoach transfer is provided to Boston Logan International Airport with additional stops at South Station and the first hotel. Departure from Grafton at approximately 8:00 a.m.; driving about 130 miles, approximately 3 hours riding time; expected arrival at Logan Airport by approximately 11:00 a.m. We recommend scheduling onward flights and travel no earlier than 1:30 p.m.

Breakfast: At the inn.

Morning: We will check out of the hotel and transfer via motorcoach to Boston. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






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