New England recommendations

Parent Cafe
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<p>This is somewhat of a daydreaming post-- just gathering opinions for the time being-- no immediate action planned, but thinking ahead as I hurtle through middle age…</p>

<p>After years of visiting Cape Cod each summer, I’ve seen many people spend summers there, get to know the area well, and eventually retire there. The idea of feeling at home someplace BEFORE picking up and moving there appeals to me very much. In fact, starting this summer, I’m considering trying to visit one or two places each year. I love my home, and am in no hurry to leave, but once youngest graduates HS that’s probably what will happen. In the meantime, am hoping other CC’ers might have some favorite New England towns or areas that might make for nice visits for the kids and me.</p>

<p>For the record I love Cape Cod (Brewster and Orleans) but the summer crowds and bridge bottlenecks are a drag. Having a city near (but not too near) would be nice. Earthy crunchy feel with liberal bent a plus, but not required. Love mountains (but don’t ski), love the water, (but don’t boat). Far north and ME, though lovely, would probably be a bit too far. Current considerations are Newburyport, Northampton, lower NH… any other suggestions? Lower NE suggestions welcome too, since we’re near NYC. Thanks</p>

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<p>I’m interested in this too. My DH and I would like to retire somewhere with seasons, even a little snow, yeah I know that’s weird. Our DD has been in NE for college, and we have really enjoyed visits there.
Ideally, if I was “rich”, I’d have a warm house and a cold house, but I don’t see that happening.</p>

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<p>Same here-- I love four seasons. I’m not necessarily crazy about severe winters, but I can handle winter cold better than summer heat.</p>

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<p>Peterborough NH is pretty nice. Cute shops, nice art scene, Macdowell Colony to provide a little culture. My brother’s family even drives to Boston to go to the theater.</p>

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<p>I love the area around Dartmouth–Norwich and Woodstock VT in particular. Having the college there is great for culture and taking classes. Very good, stable economy too. Bar Harbor area on the Maine coast and some of the cute town closer to civilization like Kennebunkport. The area around Stowe Vt. is nice. I also like Block Island RI and Nantucket.</p>

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<p>Perhaps the first place I’d consider is Cape Ann is less overrun by tourists, though it certainly has tourist areas (like Bearskin Neck in Rockport). Not a lot of sand beaches, more rocks, but a lot of housing options, ranging from working class in Gloucester up to the some of the most expensive houses in the US in the pretentiously named Manchester-by-the-Sea. (An exception for a sandy beach is Crane’s Beach, which is beautiful - look up Trustees of the Reservation.) One advantage of Cape Ann over Cape Cod is that you have many restaurant choices, much easier access to culture and are much closer to Boston - which is connected by commuter rail. The towns are also much more historic, from Marblehead - birthplace of the American Navy - to Salem, which technically isn’t really on Cape Ann.</p>

<p>Other choices:</p>

<p>Portsmouth, NH area, indeed the entire 30 or so miles of seacoast from Newburyport, MA to Portsmouth. Nice little town with good restaurants and lots of history - you should visit Strawberry Banke - and only an hour or so from both Boston and Portland. Lots of housing choices. Lots of communities, from the honky tonk of Hampton Beach to the nature refuges near Newburyport - which, btw, is a beautiful town.</p>

<p>Portland, ME. A great little city. Has somewhat of a slacker vibe akin to the smaller Burlington, VT. Lots of restaurants, tons of them, easy day trips up and down the coast. Only 2 hours from Boston. </p>

<p>I picked these places because they’re near or on the ocean and are close to Boston with no Bourne Bridge delays and more to eat than clam shacks - though the best clam shacks are in Ipswich & Essex on Cape Ann - see The Clam Box, Woodman’s, etc. I excluded Bar Harbor because it’s a long way up. Kennebunkport is, IMHO, overrun with tourists in a small, even tiny area. It’s pretty along the coast and places like York, ME are nice without the congestion. </p>

<p>If you want inland, the question becomes near lake or not, because that is what drives property values. There are some nice small towns like Bethel in Maine, if you like to ski and hike.</p>

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<p>Agree that Cape Ann area is very nice. My brother lives in Gloucester and it’s a great place to visit.</p>

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<p>Some people like Ogunquit, Maine… Spelling?</p>

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<p>Consider the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts – Williamstown (where Williams College is), Lenox, Pittsfield.</p>

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<p>Tiverton RI, Little Compton RI and Westport MA area. where Mass meets RI at the most eastern point. Lots of ocean, nice towns with mom+pop shops and restaurants.</p>

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<p>Thank you! Will haul out my New England map after dinner. May try to visit a few of these this June or July-- am looking forward to having something to look forward to :)</p>

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<p>I’d add a 2nd to considering parts of Rhode Island along the coast. Even towns like Middletown - next to Newport - but I prefer the coast farther west. The advantages are very close to Providence (and the airport), close to Mystic (and the casinos), lots of charming towns. Even places like Wickford, which has a huge art festival, are less overrun than the equivalents in MA. As you move farther west, the coast is less crowded.</p>

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<p>Agree with Lergnom. Especially look into the stretch near Charlestown. It’s easy to get to off I-95 yet still nowhere near developed than even Misquamicut or Point Judith/Narragansett. You also have the advantage of caching Amtrak NE corridor service in Westerly or Kingston.</p>

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<p>Check out Wells Maine.</p>

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<p>If you’re going to look at Northhampton (which I love) be sure to check out Amherst and Shelburne Falls as well. I’ve met several people who live in Nashua, NH and like it.</p>

<p>I also very much like Cape Elizabeth and Portland, ME.</p>

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<p>Thanks again, all-- great info for summer and beyond. May even consider some of these for Parents Weekend in the fall - the place we usually stay in Medford is already sold out, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of a drive as long as we’re at least somewhat close.<br>
I definitely want to take advantage of some side trips during this summer’s drive to the Cape, as it will be the first time in several years that we won’t have the three dogs in tow–</p>

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<p>While Mehfud has a certain “can’t get there from here” quality (as you probably know), Both Gloucester and Ipswich are no more than 45 minutes away. Ipswich is a particularly nice place in the fall (although need to work around Topsfield fair).</p>

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<p>Once we get near campus we rely on the subways. We learned the hard way one year while staying in Cambridge near MIT-- think it took us 45 minutes to go about a mile… we could have walked faster!</p>

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<p>Some other places to consider: Cohasset/Hingham on the South Shore; Beverly, Newburyport on the North Shore. We, too, love Cape Ann.</p>

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<p>Another vote for Cape Ann-- will definitely try to check it out. Have a cousin in Newburyport, so may start there and work our way along the coast to Brewster. Definitely still interested in NH, which will remain a possibility for the fall. OR- am almost wondering if we should consider NH for the summer and the coast for the fall? Do these coastal areas get anywhere near the traffic Cape Cod does in the summer? I think we’ll be able to avoid Saturday driving, which should help.</p>