10 Best New England Summer Getaways

New England in the summer is hard to beat! The beaches, the mountains, the Red Sox games, the seafood & the weather make New England come alive in the summer (although I’m a big fan of fall and winter too) there is just something special about New England in the summer.

There’s a bunch of great places in New England to visit in the summer, I try to stay in this area as much as possible during the summer, because I hate to miss any of it. I’ve narrowed down my favorite places to visit during summer in New England.

Jump To:

• Portland, Maine
• Acadia & Bar Harbor, Maine
• Ogunquit, Maine
• Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• North Conway, New Hampshire
• Burlington Vermont
• Salem, Massachusetts
• Newburyport, Massachusetts
• Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• Newport, Rhode Island

Maine

Portland

Portland is one of my favorite cities to visit in the summer! It’s a short drive from Boston, has amazing food, tons of awesome bars & breweries, and is so pretty just to walk around all the winding streets lined with old brick buildings! Some of my favorite recommendations for Portland are:

• See Portland Head Light
• Grab drinks by the water & catch some live music at The Porthole
• Get donuts at the Holy Donut
• Check out a few breweries. My top picks: Bissel Brothers, Shipyard & Liquid Riot
• Head to the speakeasy at Blyth and Burrows
• Barhop on Wharf Street. My top pick: Bonfire

Acadia/Bar Harbor

Acadia is a long drive from Boston, but it’s so beautiful up there and definitely worth a trip! The hikes and views are stunning! Some of my top recommendations for a trip to Acadia are:

• Hike Cadillac Mountain (preferably for sunrise- this is the first place in the US where the sun rises daily!)
• Check out the Gorham Mountain trailhead & Thunder Hole
• Drinks at the Thirsty Whale
• Seafood at Geddy’s
• Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (for sunset)

Ogunquit

Ogunquit is a tiny coastal town in Maine that’s a great spot to spend a weekend. There’s tons of cute shops, bars and restaurants surrounded by those quintessential rocky New England coast line views! Some of my top Ogunquit recommendations are:

• Walk Marginal Way
• Check out Ogunquit Beach
• Head to some of the best bars: Maine Street, The Front Porch & That Place
• Do some shopping on Main Street & Shore Road
• Take a drive to the Cliff House for dinner or drinks

New Hampshire

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is one of my favorite cities to take a weekend trip to. It’s close to Boston, small & walkable, but with tons of things to do, and I love the rustic look & feel with the working harbor and all the old brick buildings and streets! Most times I go to Portsmouth we spend about 85% of the day just wandering, eating and drinking. Some of my top recommendations are:

• Drinks on the water at Lazy Jack’s
• Exploring the shops on Congress & Market Street
• Prescott Park
• Rooftop drinks at the Envio Hotel
• Dinner on the water on Bow Street (Top picks: River House or Surf)

North Conway

My family heads to North Conway at least once every summer, spends most Thanksgivings there, & snowboards there in the winter. So, I’m a little biased when I say this is one of my favorite places not just in New England, but anywhere! Which makes it hard to trim down to a few recommendations, so you can check out my full summer guide to North Conway here. My very top picks would be:

• Spend a day at White Lake
• Brave the natural rock slides at Lower Falls
• Get bar pizzas and hear some live music at the Shannon Door
• Hike in to Diana’s Bath
• Swim at Jackson Falls
• Explore the shops in Downtown North Conway, especially Zeb’s
• Drive or hike up to Cathedral Ledge!

Vermont

Burlington

Burlington, the town where the University of Vermont is located, is a great summer weekend trip spot. It sits right on the beautiful Lake Champlain and has lots of great breweries for weekend exploring! Some of my top Burlington recommendations are:

• Spend a day at a beach on Lake Champlain
• Visit the Ben & Jerry’s flagship shop. They were founded in Burlington!
• Explore the UVM campus
• Do some shopping on Church Street
• Check out some breweries (Top picks: Zero Gravity, Switchback)

Massachusetts

Salem

Salem is a unique town not far from Boston, most known for the infamous Witch Trials, but it’s actually a great spot to spend a day or a weekend. It’s a cute coastal town with nice views, bars & restaurants, and plenty of Witch-y things to explore, if that’s what you’re interested in. Some of my top recommendations in Salem are:

• Beers at Notch Brewing
• Explore Salem Willows Park
• Visit the House of Seven Gables
• Grab dinner downtown (My picks: Finz for seafood on the water or Howling Wolf for Mexican!)
• Take the Salem Ferry into Boston – it offers some of the best views of the stunning Marblehead neck coastline

Truthfully, I find all the witch museums/attractions a bit tourist-y and not totally worth it BUT if you want there are tons of options for that stuff, like:

• The Salem Witch Museum
• Witch History Muesum
• Witch Trials Memorial

Newburyport

Newburyport is another Massachusetts coastal town on the North Shore that’s a good spot to spend a day exploring! Some of my top recommendations in Newburyport are:

• Spend the day on the beach at Plum Island
• Drinks with views at the Deck
• Walk the boardwalk at Waterfront Park
• Catch some live music at the Grog

Cape Cod

Cape Cod, located South of Boston, offers a different experience than Salem and Newburyport. The towns in Cape Cod are filled with houses covered in weathered gray shingles versus the brick building and working coastlines of many of the north shore towns. The one thing that is great whether on the North Shore or in the Cape is the beaches! Cape Cod consists of many towns and beaches, some of my top picks are:

• Falmouth – a town located at the beginning of the Cape with a great downtown area and several beach options, some of my favorite spots in Falmouth are:
  • Shipwrecked – beach bar and restaurant with an awesome patio view
  • Old Silver Beach
  • Anejo – great Mexican food & margaritas
  • Chart Room – awesome patio for drinks on the water with the best mudslides!
  • Day trip to Martha’s Vineyard
• Welfleet – a town located near the end of the Cape with some of the most stunning beaches. Some of my top recommendations in Welfleet are:
  • Cahoon Hollow Beach
  • The Beachcomber
  • The Drive-in Theatre
• Dennis – located in the middle of the Cape Dennis has some of the top rated beaches in the Cape
  • Mayflower Beach
  • Sesuit Harbor Cafe – known for having the best Lobster Rolls
  • Kream n Kone – the best fried seafood on the Cape!

Rhode Island

Newport

Newport is another great oceanside town to visit in New England. It’s known for it’s infamous mansions lining the coast, but the downtown has a fun, casual vibe that makes for a great weekend trip. Some of my favorite things to do in Newport are:

• The Cliff Walk
• Explore the coast by taking Ocean Drive
• Head to Easton’s or Atlantic Beach
• Catch some live music at Pelham (One Pelham East)

If you check out any of these recommendations let me know what you think, or if you think I missed any must-see New England summer spots let me know! Check out my travel guides by destination here