How to Enjoy the New England Fall Foliage by Train
Whether you are interested in a long trip or a short journey, seeing New England by train is a great option. You won't be distracted by having to drive, and the very act of train travel puts you in a romantic mood. And, oh yes, the leaves are amazing in the autumn.
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Instructions
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All Aboard!
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Book a ticket for Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express--which leaves from Penn Station in New York and travels north to Rutland, Vermont--online. If you don't mind a wait, buy your ticket in person.If New York to Vermont sounds too far for your weekend purposes, consider something simple such as Grand Central Station in Manhattan to New Haven, Connecticut. The cost is about half of what you'd pay, or even less, to get to Vermont. If you are new to the area, you'll be as enraptured by the sights of exploding colors in Westport and Darien, Connecticut, as you will the more northern sites.
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Point and click. You'll be oohing and ahhing as the train passes the golds and russets of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont. You don't want to miss any of it, so keep your camera at the ready.Remember to have it out when the train stops. At certain points, you may be able to get out for a quick look-see and you can snap some shots then.
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Add on a trip, if you have time.Consider journeying all the way up through New Hampshire toward Maine, where the real action starts each autumn. Remember, though, that since the leaves change color up there first you should only go to the far north at the early part of the season such as mid- to late September.
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Step off the train when you see a great spot, if you have plenty of time and money. You can do this if you keep a current Amtrak schedule on-hand (or have Internet access with you, such as on your iPhone).Consider staying at a bed and breakfast in Mystic, Connecticut, or Newport, Rhode Island. Both are seaside towns and the vicinity is as quaint as a "Little House on the Prairie" marathon. New England is to bed and breakfasts what Vegas is to strip clubs.
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Inspire others to come along. You can do this if you've been once and have the snapshots to prove just how gorgeous Stonington, Connecticut, is each Halloween. You might have even bought your second house there, or gone back up to Salem to Christmas shop.New England is an amazingly gorgeous place year-round, chock-full of history and tradition and yet humming with vibrancy for the 21st century.One of the best spots to see this intersection of old and new is Boston, where the rainbow of colors on the trees gracing Back Bay's cobblestoned streets will charm the whole family.
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Tips & Warnings
Take a group along on the train. Get into the bar car and make a celebration of the day.
Bring some waxed paper swatches in a bag along with a book. If you live in an area that doesn't have beautiful fall leaves, you will want to collect a bunch of them, press them between two pieces of waxed paper in a book, and send them home to your friends.
Don't forget batteries for your camera.
Don't forget your camera when you're off sight-seeing, which is easy to do when you're enchanted by your surroundings.
Make sure you bring the right clothing for the day. If you are heading all the way up to Maine, it might already be cold in September. Check the weather report. It may be raining and you don't want to get stuck without an umbrella.
