1

As a Vermonter I'm partial to that state. And it is beautiful in October with the maples and oaks in full color. You will need a car. Public transport is virtually non-existent. If you spent a few days in Montreal, you could head down into VT and hit my island, North Hero, for a bit of boating, then spend a day or two in Burlington. If you're into mountains, head east out of Burlington on route 15 to Smuggler's Notch and Stowe. Then motor south on route 100 for more foliage, small towns with white churches, country inns, and splendid foliage. Route 100 will take you to Massachusetts. I'll let some else guide you from there.

2

I’m more of a MidAtlantic guy so I’m not really experienced with a lot of New England destinations.

As an avid hiker myself, I couldn’t go to Maine without climbing Kathadin in Baxter State Park.

NH’s Mount Washington is also said to be a “can’t miss” destination, though when you get to the top, you’ll find people who simply drove up the other side.

October is too late for bluefishing around here (I live just south of New England) the striped bass (yum) are still running. I think it might be blackfish and tautog season too, I’d have to check to know for sure. Anyway, all three of those are “hit or miss” species, so if you’re the kind who’d get upset about coming back empty handed, well, mentally prepare yourself.

I’m into history so I really enjoyed Boston and Plymouth. I’ve heard there are some good microbreweries in Boston, but I couldn’t tell ya first hand. There’s always Samuel Adams, the microbrewery that made it big.

3

Many of the summer resorts close by October 1st. That includes Cape Cod, Massachusetts. There will be lots of "leaf peepers" in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, so make reservations for accommodations early. You will need to rent a car. I recommend that you drive up the coast of Maine and see the fishing villages. Especially plan a few days on Mount Desert Island -- Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor (fishing village) and Acadia National Park's hiking trails. There are opportunities to take a ferryboat out to the outer islands from Northeast Harbor. The highest peak along the East Coast is there for watching migrating birds. Try the delicious lobster and clam chowder in the restaurants. It is probably too late to see the many species of whales in the Bay of Fundy, along the Maine/Canadian border. The night temperatures in October were dropping into the 20sF degrees when I was there in 2009.

4

A number of years ago I did a very nice trip taking the ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth Nova Scotia, driving around to Halifax and then to the Bay of Fundy to watch teh tidal bore come in. Very nice trip.

5

OOOO Bay of Fundy!!!!
That's like bucket-list stuff

6

I second Burlington -- terrific little city. Not my thing, but I understand it has a good beer scene, and I ate at a good restaurant that specialized in local microbrews. But beyond that in Vermont, try Montpelier. Very small, very charming. It's the smallest state capital in the United States, which is reason enough to visit if you ask me (and that's pretty much why I visited, so I put my money where my mouth is). Obviously it's not the kind of place where you spend four days, but it's only about a 45-minute drive from Burlington. It's the kind of place that has no less than three independent bookstores in its tiny downtown. When I was there, I saw three teenage girls ride onto the main street on their bikes, lean their bikes against the wall of a drugstore and walk away. There's some fun hiking in the area, too!

Boston obviously, but Salem comes to mind, too. It's the Halloween capital of the country (and therefore the world, as I understand other countries could generally care less about Halloween). Because you'll be traveling in October, that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tolerance for witch cosplay and general holiday kitsch. But I can guarantee you an interesting experience. It's a really nice old town with a lot of great history if you can look past the witch obsession (which you won't be able to, at least not in October). If you get sick of it all, one of New England's best museums, the Peabody Essex, is downtown.

7

Have you seen this recent thread? It has some good advice, before, it ahem, digresses into other issues.

"Should I go to Canada?" is hopelessly vague. Even around New England, you are talking about a huge and diverse area. "Should I go to Montreal?" is very different than "Should I go to the Bay of Fundy?" Even with those specifics, how does one answer? I'm Canadian and I love Canada so of course I would say yes. I would rank many places in eastern Canada higher than their US counterparts, e.g. Montreal over Boston...but it's so subjective! Certainly given your interests in food, wine, beer, bars, jazz then Montreal is a top destination...but, there are also many other places...(Eastern Townships, Quebec City, Bay of Fundy, Cape Breton Island, Halifax, South Shore, etc, etc, etc, etc.)

8

OK. So should I goto Nova Scot.... Halifax, Bay of Fundy? What else is close enough to drive to from Maine and worth seeing? I'll end up dumping my rental somewhere and flying home anyway.

9

October should be OK for foliage at lower elevations and/or toward the coasts. It's a bit late for whale-watching. Hotels around the region will be booked, often by bus tour groups.

What is "worth seeing" in the Maritimes depends on your interests. There's history, coastal scenery, small picturesque towns including the World Heritage site of Lunenberg, a couple of national parks. Or none of those, if they don't ring your bells.

There has not been any Maine/Canada ferry service for a few years now, so don't assume it will be available when you travel. That means from Maine you have to drive through the province of New Brunswick to get to Nova Scotia. Check a mapping site for drive estimates before you get overly ambitious.

10

Pretty much everywhere in the world, there are 2 high tides and 2 low tides everyday (meaning high and low tides are roughly 6 hours apart.)

In the NE corner of the Bay of Fundy, the tide rises (or falls) almost 50 feet during that 6 hour period. Just seeing that would be worth the visit IMO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Fundy

11

So bay of fundy is too far of a drive from maine? Because of the complicated route?

12

How far is too far for you? And from where in Maine? If you look at a map, you'll see that Maine borders New Brunswick so I'm not sure what you mean by a complicated route. The previous poster was meaning that if you wanted to travel from somewhere in Maine to Halifax you'll have to go through New Brunswick. If you look at a map, you will see that the Bay of Fundy is on the way.

You'll get better advice on this forum if you ask specific questions and do a little homework yourself (e.g. you can easily find the driving distances and directions from wherever you may be in Maine to the Bay of Fundy using Google Maps.)

13

I did check Google maps. It won't show me a route. That's why I asked. I thought I had to drive around to Nova Scot which is a 7 hour drive.

Anyone?

14

Well, just taking a shot in the dark.

Bangor Maine to Truro, NS CA is 6 hours by car
map
but I don't really know where on the Bay is the best spot to view he tide, the trees etc.

Hmm try this link
http://goo.gl/maps/IXO9t

Edited by: LongIslandBob