New England

One of New England's greatest natural resources is seasonal change. Every fall the trees fling off that staid New England green and deck their boughs with flaming reds, light-bending yellows and ostentatious oranges. We're talking about the changing of the guard from summer to fall, better known as leaf-peeping season. Vermont is the star of the fall foliage show. Drive north on historic Rte 100 to ogle the array of colors on the slopes of Killington Peak and Mt Mansfield, and among the bucolic hills of the Mad River Valley.

The best introduction to revolutionary Boston is the Freedom Trail. This walking trail winds its way past 16 sites that earned the town its status as the cradle of liberty. The 2.5-mile footpath follows the course of the conflict, from the Old State House – where British regulars killed five men in the Boston Massacre – to the Old North Church, where the sexton hung two lanterns to warn that the British troops would come by sea. Follow the redbrick road through American revolutionary history.

Acadia National Park is where the mountains meet the sea. Miles of rocky coastline and even more miles of hiking and biking trails make this wonderland Maine's most popular destination, and deservedly so. The high point (literally) is Cadillac Mountain, a 1530ft peak that can be accessed by foot, bike or vehicle. Early risers can catch the country's first sunrise from this celebrated summit. Later in the day, cool off with a dip in Echo Lake or take tea and popovers (buttery, hollow muffins) overlooking Jordan Pond.

Come summer, culture beckons in the Berkshires. At the renowned Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, you can spread a blanket on the lawn, uncork a bottle of wine and listen to great musicians of every stripe – from the Boston Symphony Orchestra (one of America's finest) to James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma. The setting of meadows and lawns, once part of a Gilded Age estate, is as sweetly refined as the music. Nearby, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Jacob's Pillow offer equally compelling summer celebrations of theater and dance.

The White Mountains are New England's ultimate destination for outdoor adventures and inspiring landscapes, with 1200 miles of hiking trails and 48 peaks over 4000ft, including Mt Washington (6288ft), the East Coast's highest summit. Franconia Notch is a perfect starting point, with trailheads for dozens of different hiking routes, an aerial tramway that whisks passengers to the top of Cannon Mountain, and the spectacular rush of water through Flume Gorge. It's a destination for all seasons, with opportunities for hiking and biking, skiing and snowboarding, sitting fireside and sitting lakeside.

Nowhere is more closely associated with this crustacean than Maine. The mighty lobster was once so plentiful it was fed to prisoners and used for fertilizer; now the state symbol is deservedly esteemed as a delicacy. Crack the shell of a freshly steamed lobster with drawn butter at one of Maine's many summertime lobster pounds. Or catch (and eat) your own on board a do-it-yourself lobster boat. Either way, don't forget to tie on a plastic bib – Maine's most endearing and enduring fashion statement.

Newport's fabulous mansions are vestiges of the 19th-century capitalist boom when the region's bankers and businesspeople built their summer homes overlooking the Atlantic. Now managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County (www.newportmansions.org), the mansions offer a glimpse into a world of unabashed wealth, and include grand homes modeled after an Italian Renaissance palace, an English manor and a Parisian château. See them all from the Cliff Walk, a narrow footpath that snakes along the ocean's edge, offering stunning views all around.

Summer in New England is humid, so it's no surprise that the region's entire population flocks to the coast for cool ocean breezes. Fortunately, it's a long coastline. In Massachusetts, the island of Martha's Vineyard is ringed with beaches, which means plenty of sea and sand for everyone. At Aquinnah Public Beach, the cliffs of Gay Head radiate incredible colors in the late-afternoon light, attracting serious sun worshippers and photographers. Alternatively, Katama Beach is best for good old-fashioned sand and surf.

New England is speckled with pristine lakes, which beckon visitors for relaxation and recreation throughout the year. In summer, families flock to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for warm-weather fun – swimming, sailing, playing miniature golf, cruising to small villages on an official USPS mail boat, learning about local wildlife at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center or catching a drive-in movie at Weirs Beach. Rangeley Lakes in Maine, Lake Champlain in Vermont and dozens of smaller lakes offer more natural attractions, from summer camping and kayaking to winter ice fishing.

Explore the rugged coast of Maine the old-fashioned way – on board one of the grand, multi-masted windjammers that fill the harbors of Camden and Rockport. These majestic sailing ships offer cruises around the islands and coves of Penobscot Bay, all under the power of the wind. Feel the breeze through your hair and the spray on your face as you sail the high seas, stop for a lobster roll for lunch, venture a quick dip in the afternoon, and dine as the sun sets over the rocky Maine coastline.

New England cuisine is a treat, thanks in part to the abundance of fruits, vegetables and dairy products that come from local farms. Depending on the season, visitors can pick their own apples, cherries, berries and pumpkins or purchase direct from the grower at farm stands throughout the region. In winter, locals tap the 'sugarbush' for the incomparable flavor of maple syrup. Vermont is leading the regional movement toward artisanal cheeses, with a Cheese Trail mapping the route between dozens of local producers.

From the Five Colleges to the Seven Sisters (well, four of them), New England is crowded with colleges and overrun with universities, making for a dynamic, diverse student scene. More than 100 institutions of higher education are located in Boston and its environs. But Boston is only the beginning of this college tour. Providence, RI, New Haven, CT and Hanover, NH are home to their own Ivy League institutions, while smaller towns around the region are dominated by lively, leafy campuses of their own.

With scenery to match the Green Mountains, pre-Colonial villages worthy of any movie set, and the finest food, culture and music in Connecticut, Litchfield Hills attracts a sophisticated crowd of weekending Manhattanites and celebrities escaping the limelight. No wonder it’s often described as ‘the Hamptons for people who like privacy.’ Give yourself some time here and you’ll be rewarded with classical concerts in Norfolk, hearty breakfasts in Kent's Colonial-era farmhouses, vintage car races at Lime Rock Race Track and fly-fishing worthy of Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It.

Nothing matches the thrill of spotting a breaching humpback or watching a pod of dolphins play in a boat's wake. Off the coast of Massachusetts, Stellwagen Bank is an area of 842 sq miles of open ocean rich in marine life. This National Marine Sanctuary was designated to conserve the area's biological diversity and to facilitate research and other activity. Educational and informative whale-watching cruises are offered from Boston, Plymouth, Barnstable, Provincetown, Newburyport and Gloucester. Onboard staff ensure that these rides do not interfere with the animals in any way.

The Appalachian Trail runs more than 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine, passing through 14 states en route. If anyone is counting, 730 of those miles and five of those states are in New England, creating ample opportunities for hikers to tackle a piece of it. Western Massachusetts offers access to the rolling hills of the Berkshires, while Vermont promises the pastoral splendor of the Green Mountains. In New Hampshire and Maine, the AT traverses the alpine peaks of the White Mountains, with its northern terminus at Mt Katahdin.

From Charles Bulfinch to Henry Hobson Richardson to IM Pei, the world's most renowned architects and designers have left their mark on the cityscape of Boston. See the city's signature buildings clustered around Copley Square, including the Renaissance Revival Boston Public Library, the Richardsonian Romanesque Trinity Church and the modernist John Hancock Tower. Of course urban design is much more than just buildings. Some of Boston's most striking features are its green spaces, including the city's newest innovation in urban design, the Rose Kennedy Greenway.