New England trip for my friends with a toddler

[triz]

Hi everyone

My friends would like to spend a long weekend (Thursday to Sunday) in New England in the third weekend of October (18th-21st).

They are flexible in term of location. They have a 2 year old toddler, so they would like a place in which they could do some easy hiking, and with a town with some restaurants/stores to conveniently stay with their kid.

I assume south VT and Western MA could be some good options to see colours in that period.

Any specific suggestion for a place to stay and some hiking suggestions doable with a toddler?

They just want to enjoy the fall atmosphere in some nice little town, and do not necessarily want to drive too much to chase the colours since they are with their little boy

Many thanks!

[ctyanky]

Hi Triz! The first thing that comes to mind is Woodstock! They would all love Billings Farm! The town is really walkable with great shops and eateries. Here is the link to Billings Farm, do check out the events, etc.:

https://billingsfarm.org/farm-museum/

Also there are trails all over the area.

Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park would be ideal! Here is the link:

https://www.nps.gov/mabi/index.htm

That is so nice of you to help them out. Let me know what you think and if this town would fit their needs. I doubt lodging would be a problem at that time. CT

[triz]

Thank you so very much CT, you are always so kind!!

[ctyanky]

Triz! Thank you for the kind words! I love helping people enjoy Vermont as much as I do! I found another awesome venue for your friends with the little one just steps away outside of Woodstock. It is the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). bm and I went there and there were lots of kids around and it was quite an adventure! Lots of raptors and reptiles and you can watch the feedings if you come at the right time. Fascinating! Here is the link! It is in Quechee. Another spot to keep that toddler busy and running around. The Nature Center is awesome!

https://vinsweb.org/

Also a cute carousel ride in Quechee Gorge Village that looks fun for the family. (The Vermont Toy and Train Museum).

https://www.quecheegorge.com/toy-train-fun/

I checked around Woodstock, many places slip into "off season rates" that weekend but it does not mean the color is gone. You can drive around the SE quadrant and still see some nice foliage. I go up to Vermont every weekend in October after my "big trip" and have been amazed at what I find on the back roads.

I'll continue to search for "kid friendly" activities in the Woodstock area but the above links will prove to be quite exciting for the family if they indeed choose the area!

CT

[triz]

Thank you so much to all of you!!

[minnesotaman]

i would say, based on my experience during the previous 17 (!) autumns in woodstock, that the color probably will be gone in woodstock by the time of your visit. there may be color still on some back roads out of town, but i would not count on it.

color or not, woodstock is an interesting place for adults to visit. as CT notes, there are places to eat, and a fair number of stores. the architecture throughout the town, especially on the green, is classic new england. there is also great domestic new england architecture across the river, on river street and on mountain avenue, which many visitors miss. small children may be less charmed, although my recollection is two year olds do not care much about where they are as long as someone is paying attention to them.

I have taken my grandchildren to the raptor center and to billings farm. i think those places are best for children who are five to ten years old. you might consider sugarbush farm, which has some farm animals that kids can see and, unlike billings farm and the raptor center, is free. so, for that matter, is the spendid woodstock green, and at a certain age there is nothing as entertaining as a pile of leaves, a few sticks, or a busy squirrel.

the thing my grandchildren like best in woodstock is the ice cream shop directly below the mountain creamery, on central street. in the event all else fails, there is a good selection of toys in the drug store, also on central street.