As for many travelers, COVID-19 put a hold on everything related to travel. We canceled our trip to the Midwest, put our annual Florida trip on hold, rarely went home to Pennsylvania, and well…you know how it goes.
When it came time for Fall, we knew we couldn’t let this pandemic hold us back any longer. My goal is to visit all the mainland states before I’m 30! At this rate, I might not make it. So, we said, “F**** it! We’re going to the New England states to see the fall colors as planned.” And so we did. AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!
I was a little concerned how the travel restrictions might prevent us from crossing certain borders or visiting certain states, but honestly it didn’t really put a damper on our travels at all. The only hiccup was when we were going to stay in Rhode Island, we found out we couldn’t unless we wanted to quarantine for 2 weeks and that wasn’t possible. Other than that, we were as careful as possible and tried our best to not come into contact with too many people.
The first Friday of October, we took off to New Haven, Connecticut. We made a pit stop at the smallest church in Oneida County, which was so adorable and made for a great pit stop to stretch our legs. When we arrived in New Haven, we made ourselves comfortable in this beautiful renovated 1800’s Airbnb and visited the beach and lighthouse.
We grabbed dinner at Zeneli Pizzeria and brought back dessert from Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop. Both places were so delicious. We loved the little street of Italy in downtown New Haven. It was so charming and really felt like we stepped into Italy out of nowhere.
The next morning, we woke up early and continued our drive to Mystic, The Cliff Walk in Rhode Island and then Boston. The Cliff Walk was incredible. So much beauty and is a real must-see if you are in the area. We were planning to stay in Rhode Island, but due to the COVID restrictions, we couldn’t stay overnight and had to continue to our hotel in Boston.
We stayed at the FOUND hotel in Boston. They weren’t kidding when they said it was “dorm room size”, but it had everything we needed for one-night and was in the best spot to walk and see everything we wanted to. We arrived early evening, so we did a self-guided walking tour of the city stopping to see the site of the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Sam Adams statue, and so much more. It was a nice stroll where we ended the evening at State Street Provisions for some hot toddy’s!
The next morning we drove to Salem for breakfast and so we could tour for a little while before continuing to Portland. It was only about a 20 minute drive from where we were staying, which was really nice. Salem was PACKED in October though. So many fun happenings and things to see around Halloween time. I’m so happy we visited for this time of year when Salem is flourishing.
We ate at a little restaurant called Dotty’s and Ray’s Restaurant. The people that worked there were so nice and they really made you feel like a local. We then toured the streets of Salem, saw the Witch House, The Ropes Mansion, and the House of Seven Gables. We even visited the site of Proctor’s Ledge (for all of you American Horror Story fans).
Once we left Salem, I of course had to show Shane Portland. Portland is one of my favorite cities and it will always have my heart. I visited the year prior for a Wanderful conference and met some amazing people. It was a trip that I will cherish forever. So, when I knew we were heading that way, I had to give Shane a “short” experience with the time we had. We toured a few of the famous lighthouses and then had dinner at Duckfat – a restaurant with some of the best food I’ve ever had in my entire life – that isn’t even an exaggeration!
We finally ended up at our Airbnb in Freeport, 20 minutes North of Portland. This place was amazing. It was in the middle of the woods, within walking distance to a beautiful pond. The host was beyond accommodating. He even gave us a tour of the trails in the woods the next morning before we left. Definitely a place we want to return to someday.
Before leaving Freeport (after our hike) the next morning, we went to the Desert of Maine. This is definitely a place you must visit before it’s gone. I say that because every year the sand is disappearing, so it won’t always be there. It’s been around for about 200 years now and was discovered by a farmer who thought he could grow crops there. The sand which came from glaciers appeared and quickly overtook his farm. Now it’s served as a unique destination for so many travelers.
After spending the morning in the desert, we drove to our last destination – a treehouse in the middle of nowhere Vermont. What an incredible experience! It was the perfect end to our trip. The treehouse is built by hand and it’s the perfect way to glamp and be one with nature.
Sadly, the next morning we headed home. We are so grateful that after the year we had we were able to travel again and it was the perfect road trip for a long weekend.
