The five shades of fall

The capital of Massachusetts and brimming with historical artifacts from its 1630s inception and onwards, Boston has aged like a fine wine. Walk the red brick road on the famous Freedom Trail that passes through 16 significant places in America’s history; ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the street entertainment and one-of-a-kind shopping at Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall Marketplace; relive the Kennedy era at the JFK museum, and get a bird’s eye view of the city from Prudential Tower’s Skywalk before coming back down to earth for a wander around Central Park’s little sister – Boston Common.

Jump behind the wheel of your hire car and drive through a sea of flaming colour as the 250km journey to Jackson winds through the landscape of White Mountain National Forest. It’s best to have an outdoorsy mindset here, with hiking, biking, kayaking and canoeing in competition to take home the title of the best way to see the fall foliage.

Crossing into Vermont, the lovely Stowe is home for a night. A playground for nature enthusiasts, hundreds of hiking trails stretch over two mountains, with the more adventuresome opting to climb to the summit of Vermont’s highest peak – Mount Mansfield. The snow may be absent during autumn in this town obsessed with winter sports, but that doesn’t mean skiers can’t get a dose of the slopes, heading to the Ski Museum to dive deeper into the history of the sport.

Heading south to the ‘prettiest town in America’, Woodstock’s charm mirrors that of its Oxfordshire namesake. It’s the perfect place to recharge from ventures into the great wide open; by day, step back in time in the Victorian mansion of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Park and Billings Farm that recreates life in the 19th century. By night, get up to date with some of the finest craft brews in the town centre.

Flanked by trees of gold and scarlet, Route 7 leads the way to Lenox, with a stop off at Hildene estate – the former abode of Abraham Lincoln’s son. Home of Tanglewood, the summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Lenox is a hive of activity for music connoisseurs, while those favouring the al-fresco head off on horseback in Kennedy Park, canoe down the Housatonic River or wildlife spot in Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

It may not be the most famous Washington in the country, but this romantic little town with its three historic districts, good food and even better hiking trails leaves an impression. Hopkins Vineyard demands a visit to sample some of the local vino, but that can be done after a day wandering the woodland for one last look at the autumn spectacle as the leaves begin to abandon the trees.