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Fall Day Trips from Boston
Scenic Fall Day Trips You Can Take by Bus or Car from Boston, Massachusetts

By Kim Knox Beckius, About.com

If you live in Boston or are visiting the city in the fall, here are some suggested fall day trips you can take by bus, or set out in your car for scenic autumn destinations within a two-hour drive of Boston, Massachusetts.

Need to rent a car? See this list of car rental companies in New England, or compare car rental rates at Kayak.com.

Fall Foliage Bus Trip from Boston (Book Direct)

Apples in the Fall© Kim Knox Beckius
Set out from Boston on a 10-hour motorcoach tour of the New England countryside this fall. The trip includes a stop at an orchard for apples and cider. Book your seat on the Fall Foliage Spectacular tour via Viator.com, priced from $58 including complimentary Boston hotel pick-up.

Boston Pilgrim's Path (Book Direct)

Plymouth Rock Picture© 1999 Kim Knox Beckius
Book via Viator.com, and a motorcoach will take you out of Boston for a six-hour pilgrimage to Plymouth, Massachusetts, the historic home of the Pilgrims. You'll be on your own to explore Plymouth's waterfront, Plymouth Rock, Mayflower II and other historic sites. Monday, Wednesday and Friday departures are available through late October. This day trip is priced from $52 including complimentary Boston hotel pick-up.

Spooktacular Salem

Salem Haunted Happenings© 1999 Kim Knox Beckius
Salem, Massachusetts, is just 25 miles north of Boston, and the spooky city where the Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692 is easily accessible via car or MBTA trains. October is a particularly good time to visit Salem--in addition to the town's normal host of bewitching attractions, you'll find a full calendar of Haunted Happenings.

America's Stonehenge

America's Stonehenge Megalith© 1999 Kim Knox Beckius
You've probably heard of Stonehenge--that mysterious collection of megaliths (big rocks) over in the old England. But did you know that New England has its own Stonehenge in Salem, New Hampshire, just a 40-minute drive from Boston? Fall is the perfect season for a day trip to this mysterious attraction.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond in Concord, MA© 2003 Kim Knox Beckius
Walden Pond covers 62 acres, but it's really much larger than that. Few bodies of water have celebrity status to rival that of this serene pool in Concord, Massachusetts. 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau is, of course, responsible for turning the pretty pond into an icon. See photos and learn how you can visit this scenic spot in the fall. It's just a 35-minute car trip from Boston in Concord, Massachusetts.

Old Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village Horse Wagon© 2001 Kim Knox Beckius
Old Sturbridge Village is a 200-acre time machine that transports visitors to the early 1800s. Within moments of setting foot inside the complex of historic buildings populated with authentically costumed "interpreters," you can't help but feel immersed in yesteryear. Old Sturbridge Village is the Northeast's largest living history museum, a place where the routines and rituals of a 19th-century New England community play out day after day, season after season. Autumn is harvest season at Old Sturbridge Village, a fascinating and picturesque time for a visit. It's an easy day trip destination from Boston, located just over an hour's drive from the city.

Davis' Mega Maze

Corn Maze Picture© 2001 Kim Knox Beckius
New England's oldest and largest cornfield maze is the 8-acre Mega Maze at Davis' Farmland in Sterling, Massachusetts. Leave Boston behind for a scenic hour and 10-minute drive to this challenging, larger than life puzzle, where you can "get lost" for a while this fall and have loads of fun in the process.

Hyland Orchard & Brewery

Hyland Orchard and Brewery Sturbridge Massachusetts Photo© 2001 Kim Knox Beckius
Hyland Orchard & Brewery, located just over an hour's drive from Boston in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, is a fun place for the whole family on weekends in the fall. Through October, Hyland hosts Music in the Fields on select weekends. Check the schedule of live concert performances online or call 508-347-7500, then pack up the kids. They'll enjoy hayrides and the petting zoo. Adults can sample beer in the barn turned brewery. Apples and pumpkins are available for picking.
Kim Knox Beckius
Guide since 1998

Kim Knox Beckius
New England Travel Guide

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