Best time: Late spring (May-June) and early fall (September-October). Although hotter summer is my preferred time to visit (Late June-End of August).
Why: Blooming gardens in spring; crisp air, vibrant foliage, and Red Sox games in fall.
Best time: June to September.
Why: The beaches are warm, the seafood’s fresh, and the summer vibe is electric.
Best time: Fall for foliage (late September to mid-October) and summer (July-August) for festivals and hiking.
Why: Leaf-peeping at its finest, plus Tanglewood concerts and farm-to-table dining.
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS): The state’s major hub, with flights from all over the world. A quick hop on the T (Boston’s subway) or a rideshare takes you downtown.
Worcester Regional Airport (ORH): Small but mighty, great for central Massachusetts.
T.F. Green Airport (PVD): Located in Rhode Island, but often cheaper and just an hour’s drive to Boston or Cape Cod.
Many major cruise lines dock in Boston, making it a popular embarkation point for New England and Canadian itineraries. CruisePort Boston is centrally located in the Seaport District—just minutes from downtown hotels and attractions.
I-90 (Mass Pike): Runs east-west from the Berkshires through Boston.
I-95: Loops around Greater Boston and continues south.
Route 6: The scenic way to Cape Cod.
Amtrak’s Northeast Regional: Connects New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston.
MBTA Commuter Rail: Great for day trips to Salem, Lowell, Worcester, and more.
Pack Layers: New England weather can change faster than your GPS can say “recalculating.”
Book Early: Summer and fall are peak seasons — hotels, ferries, and B&Bs fill up fast.
Embrace Small Towns: Don’t just stick to Boston. Charming spots like Rockport, Concord, and Great Barrington are worth a detour.
Try the Local Eats: Clam chowder, lobster rolls, Boston cream pie, and cider donuts — it’s basically a food tour waiting to happen.
Visit Year-Round: Each season offers something different, from cozy firesides in winter to flower-filled gardens in spring.
Columbus hotel roundup because “just find something downtown” isn’t a strategy✈️
I stayed across the price spectrum on this one so I could actually compare notes. Hotel LeVeque is the splurge Art Deco lobby, marble bathrooms, and a restaurant (The Keep) worth visiting even if you don’t book a room. If you want to walk everywhere, Le Méridien puts you right in the Short North with murals and shops outside your door. And if budget’s the priority, Aloft gets you clean and modern near Ohio State without the markup.
Want a full escape from the city instead? Hocking Hills lodges and Gervasi Vineyard are both an easy drive out and worth the detour.
Not every hotel on this list is for every trip... that’s kind of the point. Full breakdown by neighborhood and budget, link in bio 🍂
Thousands of motorcycles, decades of history, and one very hot infield. 🏍️
I went into Mid-Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days expecting a bike show. What I got was closer to a small town that pops up once a year camps stretched across the hills, swap meet tables piled with parts I couldn’t name, and bikes older than some of the people admiring them parked next to restorations that looked showroom-fresh.
Fair warning: this is not a quick stop. Give yourself the whole day, wear real shoes, and don’t skip the racing watching pre-war machines and modern superbikes share the same track is worth the sunburn.
Ohio keeps surprising me. Full recap on the blog link in bio. 🔗
$165 a person and no menu, you just show up and let them decide what happens to you for the next few hours.🥂
That’s Agni. Tasting menu called Midwest Nostalgia, built around childhood food references you’ll recognize by name and not recognize at all once they hit the table. There’s a version of a McDonald’s Happy Meal in there. The fry alone takes three days to make.
Not a quick dinner. Not for someone who wants to know exactly what’s coming. But if you like handing over control for a few hours and being a little surprised at every course, this is one of the most creative meals we’ve had in Columbus. Full review, cost breakdown, and reservation tips, link in bio.
Cincinnati photo dump— Streetcars, skyline views from across the river, a hotel that’s also a 24-hour art museum, chili you’ll either love or argue about, and a food tour that made me understand the city in one afternoon. We packed neighborhoods, murals, one splurge dinner, and an underground cocktail lounge into a few days and still didn’t run out of things to do.
It’s walkable, it’s affordable compared to most city breaks, and it doesn’t get the hype it deserves.
Everything’s linked in bio where we stayed, what we ate, and exactly how to plan your own trip 🍂
A hotel that’s also a free 24-hour contemporary art museum penguins included. We booked a Corner Suite at 21c and it was massive: separate bedroom, living room, dining area, 699 square feet to spread out in. The bathroom alone had a double vanity and custom Rookwood Pottery tile that made getting ready weirdly entertaining.
The location is downtown, two minutes from Fountain Square, walkable to Boca for dinner, and close enough to hop the free streetcar into Over-the-Rhine. If OTR is where most of your plans are, you might want to stay closer to that neighborhood instead downtown worked for us, but we spent more time in OTR than we expected to.
And yes, there’s a recycled-plastic penguin sculpture that will absolutely scare you the first time you open your door and forget it’s there. Link in bio for the full review rooms, parking, walkability, and everything else before you book 🎨
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