An Autumn Pilgrimage - The USA in the fall

You haven’t truly experienced autumn until you’ve experienced a New England autumn. Time your visit just right and you won’t know what’s more dazzling – the colours or the history…

In November 1620, after 60 long days at sea, the Mayflower landed on the shores of Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts. And the rest, as they say, is history. Standing on the shores of Cape Cod today, breathing in the salty sea air and gazing across the rolling sand dunes, you can take in a landscape not too different from the one the first European pilgrims saw as they stood on Plymouth Rock. The quaint seaside towns, white churches and historic lighthouses are, however, more recent additions. Nowadays, your time in this genteel setting might be filled with paddling in the pond-calm waters, whale-watching, or soaking up some culture in America’s oldest active art colony in Provincetown.

Unique New England

From Maine’s rugged coastline (known for it’s shipbuilding past and as the setting for most of Stephen Kings novels) to Martha’s Vineyard (summer playground of presidents and celebrities, and location for the filming of Jaws), New England’s present and past are all mixed up and have had a huge impact on our popular culture.

Now consigned to history, during the 18th and 19th century, whaling was one of the most lucrative businesses and an important part of the New England story. Every year, hundreds of ships headed out to sea, inspiring the novel Moby Dick. During the 1800’s the wealthiest families in America such as the Astors, Vanderbilts and Roosevelts built incredible, opulent homes in Newport Rhode Island. These Newport Mansions can be visited today for a glimpse into this Guilded Age. JFK is arguably New England’s most famous son and his shadow falls all over New England. He married Jackie in Newport and lived on Cape Cod, but his story is best told at the JFK library which covers his life and times including the Cuban missile crisis, the civil rights era, the space programme, and his assassination.

Living History

History is everywhere you turn in New England. The states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island sat at the very heart of the country’s colonial past. You only have to walk Boston’s Freedom Trail – past the churches, meeting houses, and battlegrounds which tell the story of the American Revolution – to understand its critical role in the nation’s founding. These days, Boston is famously forward-thinking. There’s far more to hold your interest here than the quaint cobbled streets and historic icons – although those features are certainly charming. Discover dynamic contemporary art, music and theatre scenes, picturesque parks and river walks, a buzzing student energy (Harvard University is just across the water in Cambridge) and sports events galore. Doing as the Bostonians do and letting loose as you cheer on the Red Sox or Patriots is a must!

Colours Everywhere

Arriving in November, those first Europeans that stepped off the Mayflower would have been bowled over by a blaze of fiery reds, oranges, purples and browns. And that same spectacle still draws people to New England from all over the planet.

From the urban parks in Boston, Newport and Providence to the wilds of the state parks, you’re in for a real visual treat here. The carnival of colours is nothing short of dazzling. Head in to rural Vermont and sample it’s delicacies of maple syrup and locally brewed cider, all while touring through it’s Green Mountains at their most beautiful in the fall.

We’d be hard pushed to single any one place out as the home of New England’s best autumn foliage, but New Hampshire’s White Mountains are strong contenders. Drive along the scenic Kancamagus Highway, through the hillsides and valleys blanketed in flaming red maple leaves, and on into Franconia Notch State Park to witness the seasonal extravaganza at its most flamboyant.

A Whole New World

Four centuries on from the sailing of the Mayflower, it’s no surprise that New England is very different. It really is a whole New World. But when autumn arrives in this eastern corner of the United States, the temperatures still begin to fall, the leaves still begin to turn, and nature does the same dance it’s done for thousands of years. We recommend booking yourself a front-row seat