52 Best Weekend Trips and Getaways from Boston
Sports & Recreation
PHOTO BY BOB O’CONNOR
7. Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
Four hours by car
Simply Gorge-ous | With the Balsams (and its legendary Donald Ross–designed golf course) still under renovation, you might want to leave the golf clubs at home on your next trek to Dixville Notch—but you can still put your footwork and grip to good use. The Dixville Notch State Park is hiker’s paradise, with trails leading through waterfalls and gorges. If the idea of a 700-foot drop doesn’t scare you off, an early-morning hike up Table Rock is well worth the sweat—and the views from the summit will help up your Instagram game, too! But if a climb isn’t your idea of fun, worry not: The 127-acre park’s lush greenery and open space make it the perfect spot for a lazy Sunday picnic.
1212 W. Route 26, Dixville, 603-538-6707, nhstateparks.org
8. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
Two hours by car
Elevate Your Lake Trip | Lake Winnipesaukee is rife with scenic views—and the scenery only improves with altitude. For especially breathtaking vistas of the White Mountains and the Ossipee Mountains, Lakes Region Seaplane Services offers plane tours from its dock in Laconia. Get ready to propel your Winnipesaukee sunset experience to a higher level.
1290 Union Ave., Laconia, New Hampshire, 603-387-7575, seaplanetours.net. Stay: Mill Falls at the Lake, 312 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, New Hampshire, 800-622-6455, millfalls.com.
9. Pine Plains, NY
Three hours, 30 minutes by car
Stable Plans | In Dutchess County, New York, bragging rights reach far past Chelsea Clinton’s nuptials—it’s also the Northeast’s unofficial horse country. Cedar Crest Farm Equestrian Center offers riding courses, taught by internationally trained instructors, that have become a celeb magnet in their own right.
Cedar Crest Farm Equestrian, 2054 Route 83, Pine Plains, NY, 518-398-1034, equestcenter.com. Stay: The Inn at Pine Plains, 3036 Church St., Pine Plains, NY, 518-771-3117, thepinesinn.com.
10. Pawtucket, Rhode Island
One hour by car
League of Its Own | General admission tickets to McCoy Stadium cost $9–$11 ($6 for kids on weekends), meaning you could see the PawSox, oh, five or so times for the price of a seat at Fenway.
One Columbus Ave., Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 401-724-7300, minorleaguebaseball.com. Stay: Christopher Dodge House, 11 W. Park St., Providence, Rhode Island, 401-351-6111, providence-hotel.com.
11. Jay, Vermont
Four hours by car
Take a Powder | If there’s one place in New England that’s sure to have fresh snow, it’s Jay Peak. The place sees more annual snowfall than any other ski area in the East, though that didn’t stop the owners from adding more than 100 additional snowmaking guns in 2010 as part of a $140 million makeover. Bring on the white stuff.
4850 Route 242, Jay, Vermont, 802-988-2611, jaypeakresort.com. Stay: Jay Village Inn, 1078 Route 242, Jay, Vermont, 802-988-2306, thejayvillageinn.com.
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