I went to Blithewold thinking it would be a quick stop. I stayed way longer than planned. This keeps happening to me and I am starting to think it is not a coincidence.

Boston spring finally showed up and I went outside immediately and stayed there. A Friday walk through the Arnold Arboretum at peak cherry blossom season that turned into way more than a quick stop.

I have now seen the northern lights three times this year. Twice right here in Massachusetts. I still cannot fully believe that sentence is true.

Not every fall season is a showstopper. Vermont in 2025 was quieter than usual. But it was still Vermont in the fall, which means it was still beautiful in ways that are hard to explain to someone who has not driven those roads in October.

Fall in New England was not its best self in 2025. I went to New Hampshire anyway. Early mornings on the Kancamagus, fog over the mountains, and one tourist interaction that made me feel like a true New Englander.

I did not plan to spend as much time at Bass Hole Boardwalk as I did. That happens a lot with the spots I like best. Here's what I found on a moody July day in Yarmouth Port.

Whale watching off the Massachusetts coast is one of those New England experiences that hits all the right notes: peaceful, exciting, and awe-inducing. It’s equal parts boat ride and brush with the wild. The ocean doesn’t disappoint.

If you spend enough time in New England you start to feel personally owed a moose sighting. And then one day you are driving a road you have traveled hundreds of times and something moves at the tree line.

I went to The Butterfly Place in Westford on a regular August afternoon and left feeling like I had been selected. Two butterflies landed on me. Unprompted. I am choosing to believe this means something.

I booked the Save the Bay Seal Watch Tour thinking it would be a fun afternoon. I did not expect it to end up being one of my favorite things I have done in Rhode Island.

We drove to the Canadian border to watch the sky go dark in the middle of the afternoon and I would do it again immediately, even knowing what the drive home was going to look like.

Boston in early spring does this thing where it gives you one perfect week and then takes it back. Magnolia season is that week.

I made a classic rookie mistake and drove the Kancamagus Highway during peak fall foliage season. I would do it again without hesitation.

Most people drive right past Flume Cascade without realizing it is there. That is exactly what makes it worth stopping for.

There are fall drives and then there is Crawford Notch in early October with fog sitting low over the mountains. They are not the same category.

The weather was not cooperating. Cloudy, foggy, light drizzle coming and going. I got out of the car anyway. Silver Cascade in Harts Location, NH is worth it every time.

If you are driving through Franconia Notch in October and you do not stop at The Basin, I need you to turn around. I know that sounds dramatic. I stand by it.