There are some trips you take to relax, and others you take to feel truly alive. Our New England fall foliage vacation was emphatically the latter. For years, I had dreamed of immersing myself in the postcard-perfect, fiery landscapes of a New England autumn. This wasn’t just a trip; it was a pilgrimage to the heart of the season, a journey from the tranquil quietness of Vermont to the historic, haunted streets of Massachusetts.
Part I: Island Time on Lake Champlain
Our adventure began when Rebecca and I flew from Oklahoma City into Burlington, Vermont, picking up our rental car and heading north. Our first stop felt like a secret world: the Lake Champlain Islands. We settled into a lakeside Airbnb on Grand Isle, nestled up on the Canadian border, with deep historical roots, first home to the Abenaki Nation and later explored by Samuel de Champlain himself in 1609.
The air was crisp, and while our Airbnb wasn’t directly on the water, the property itself was stunningly scenic, wrapped in the fiery red and orange fall leaves of towering maple trees. The next day, torrential rains moved in—dumping over three inches of rain throughout the day. Since kayaking on Lake Champlain was out of the question, we pivoted and took a scenic ferry ride across the lake to New York and back, taking in the spectacular views:
- To the west: The Adirondack Mountains of New York.
- To the east: Vermont’s own Green Mountains were ablaze in a riot of crimson, orange, and gold.
This was a peaceful, almost meditative start to our journey ahead.
Part II: Glamping in the Green Mountains & a Taste of True Vermont
From the islands, we drove south, deep into the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest. Our home was a secluded, wood-stove-heated yurt in Granville, tucked away along the legendary Scenic Route 100. This was “glamping” at its finest — a perfect blend of rustic immersion and cozy comfort. At night, with the fire crackling in the stove (or trying to anyway), we were enveloped by the deep, dark quiet of the forest.
No trip to Vermont is complete without indulging in its liquid gold: maple syrup. We made an excursion to the renowned Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier. This isn’t some tourist trap; it’s an institution. The Morse family has been working this land for eight generations over 200 years. We explored the sugarhouse, sampled pure Vermont Grade A maple syrup, and treated ourselves to authentic maple creemees (the local term for soft-serve infused with fresh maple syrup).
On that same day, we also visited the Ben & Jerry’s factory and walked through the quirky "Flavor Graveyard," stopped at Smugglers’ Notch Distillery in Waterbury, visited a small horse tack shop way out in the countryside, and had an early dinner at the historic Warren Store before heading back to the yurt for the night. We ended up cutting our Granville stay short by a day to head over to Manchester, Vermont, spending a wonderful afternoon browsing through an antique store packed with historic local finds.
Part III: A Day of History and Hauntings
For the final leg of our trip, we positioned ourselves for a full day of exploration in Massachusetts. We started by driving into Boston, where we visited the fascinating MIT Museum to see the intricate Crochet Coral Reef exhibition. Afterward, we strolled through picturesque Beacon Hill, popped into the iconic Cheers Bar, and settled in for a late lunch at the Boston Sail Loft, where we enjoyed our very first lobster roll alongside a tasty bowl of clam chowder.
As the afternoon light began to fade, we headed toward our primary destination: Salem, Massachusetts. To bypass the notorious October traffic during Salem's "Haunted Happenings" festival, we parked north of town and rode the commuter train directly into Salem station.
By the time we arrived, the historic Charter Street Cemetery and the adjacent Witch Trials Memorial were closed for the evening. However, we walked the perimeter in the quiet evening light, feeling the heavy historical gravity of the grounds that commemorate the innocent lives lost during the 1692 hysteria.
From there, we walked up to the iconic Witch House (the Jonathan Corwin House). As the former home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, it stands as the only remaining building in Salem with direct ties to the 1692 Witch Trials, serving as a stark physical reminder of the dark period when Corwin investigated suspected witches in his home.
We capped off our night by attending the last tour of the Salem Witch Museum. Housed in a dramatic Gothic Revival building, the museum takes visitors through life-size stage sets and dramatic narration depicting the 1692 trial proceedings, tracing the origins of witch panics and detailing how mass hysteria swept through the Puritan community. Over the course of that full final day exploring through Boston and Salem, we logged nearly 8 miles on foot. After our evening in Salem, we drove up to our coastal Airbnb in Seabrook, New Hampshire, to stay for the night before heading back north the following day.
The Journey Home
Driving back north through the foliage toward Burlington for our flight home, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment. As we drew closer to Burlington, a light snow began spitting at us—New England's own fitting way of saying goodbye. We had chased the colors, and we had found it — not just in the brilliant autumn leaves, but in the rich history, the authentic local flavors, and the unforgettable moments across Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. We will return to this area – can’t wait for a part two!!
