Historic Towns, Cities and Other Places in New England Not To Be Missed

Stonington Borough, Conn.

Main Street home in Wickford Village.

Wickford Village dates back to 1769 and features the largest concentration of owner-occupied Colonial and Federal homes in the United States. It's a beautiful section of North Kingston, filled with more than 50 shops, nice restaurants and refreshing coastal views. Wickford Village is also a huge "arts" town!  Read more on Wickford Village 

Perhaps the most classic traditional Vermont town, Newfane Village consists of a classic town green, the famous Four Columns Inn, churches with tall white steeples and some of the most beautiful old homes you'll ever see. Most of Newfane Village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with more than 60 buildings in the Historic District. Greek architecture is the most dominant type of architecture in this charming town. Read more on Newfane Village

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Dover, N.H. By Jon Platek - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Downtown Portsmouth, N.H.

By Daderot - Own work, Public Domain, Link

Located off the manic Silas Deane Highway outside of congested Hartford, Old Wethersfield, founded in 1634, feels like a million miles away from the hundreds of thousands of people that live in this region. Named by "Old House Magazine" as one of the nation's best "old house" neighborhoods, Old Wethersfield has 50 houses predating the Revolutionary War, 100 going back before the Civil War and an additional 150 homes before the turn of the 19th century! These aren't your basic, old run downs homes; most have been extremely well-preserved. Add a leafy look to the village, a classic village green, and a nice downtown Main Street with antique stores, galleries, a tavern and cafe, and you have a perfect, little village that reminds you that you are officially in New England. Read more on Old Wethersfield

Acorn St., Beacon Hill in Boston.

Where does one begin with the history of Boston? The history is so rich. I'd start with a tour of the Freedom Trail, which comprises historic museums, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks (including the Boston Common with the spectacular Public Garden), ships and historic markets. Boston is truly one of the great cities of the world -- you'd be hard-pressed to find a city that offers such a wonderful combination of the historic and modern. Read more on Boston

Stay at a historic Boston hotel

Old Port District, Portland.

I remember Portland, Maine being underwhelming in the 1970s -- too many run-down areas and not enough to do. Years later, it is one of the most likable cities in New England. An incredible effort to revitalize has made the city a destination, as well as a desirable place to live. Particularly impressive is the Old Port District with its shops, restaurants, cafes and car on cobblestones streets with beautiful 19th century brick buildings everywhere you look. What a difference a few decades makes! Read more on the Old Port District

Stay at a historic Portland inn

Entertainment in front of the Buckman Tavern in Lexington.

Historic scene in Bristol.

Bristol features a downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beautifully-tree-shaded and with lots of great dining options and small town stores, you'll find a remarkable historical concentration of "commercial enterprises, civic buildings, churches, mills, sailors' shacks and slave-traders' mansions," as stated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Also check out scenic, expansive Colt State Park and Coggeshall Farm where you'll learn about traditional agricultural practices in a series of historic buildings. South of town is the  45-room English-style manor, Blithewold, considered New England's finest garden estate. Read more on Bristol  Stay at a historic Bristol bed and breakfast

Thames St. in Newport.

Newport is known for its mansions, ocean, bustling downtown, the Cliff Walk oceanside walk, Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals and America's Cup annual sailing regatta. It's a world-class vacation destination that somehow has held onto its leisurely feel and historical integrity despite all the tourist growth. It's a must-see small city when visiting New England. Read more on Newport

Stay at a historic Newport hotel

Approaching downtown Plymouth.

Yes, we all know that Plymouth is the place that the Pilgrims landed in 1620. Nearly 400 years later, the Pilgrim Culture is dominant in Plymouth with Plimoth Plantation outdoor museum, Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower II (a replica of the famous ship) and Pilgrim Hall Museum, but the town is so much more than just that.  Main Street is lively and full of shops and restaurants while parallel Water St. features beautiful Plymouth Harbor and numerous seafood restaurants. The feeling is laid back and friendly, more like a small town than a city. Add some stunning sea captains homes and you've got one of the nicest, most interesting walking towns in all of New England. Read more on Plymouth

Stay at a historic Plymouth bed and breakfast

Ames Free Library and Oaks Ames Memorial Hall in North Easton.

As part of Easton, North Easton Village was settled in 1694, incorporated in 1725 and later became famous for the Ames Shovel Company. The Company provided shovels for the Union Pacific Railroad which opened the west! Oliver Ames was perhaps the best-known of the family -- he was the Massachusetts governor from 1887-1890. But it was famed architect H.H. Richardson who gave North Easton Village its "look," with late 19th century Romanesque-style buildings like the Ames Free Library (currently being renovated), Oaks Ames Memorial Hall (for meetings), The Old Colony Railway Station (current home of the Easton Historical Society) and the Ames Gate Lodge (I think it is still owned by the Ames Family). Beautiful churches complement the area including the Gothic revival style of the Ames built Unity Church. Read more on North Easton

Downtown Littleton.

Littleton, a historic New England mill town beautifully situated at the edge of the White Mountains near Vermont, could have been just another dying New England industrial community but, fortunately, has employed a vision to make the most of its modest, rural location.

The downtown is surely one of New Hampshire's best examples attracting businesses that have ultimately attracted visitors and pleased residents looking for a full service town center. With a movie theater, toy and book store, Chutters candy shop, a classic in town diner aptly called the Littleton Diner, a furniture store, a post office filled with character, a 100-year old Opera House, the historic Thayer's Inn and restaurants popping up all over the place, Littleton is more than a stop along the way. It's, on one hand, picturesque with its typical New England big, white churches and mountain views, and on the other, a town with a downtown that has nearly all of its storefronts filled -- unusual in this tough economy. There's also a new walking bridge that provides residents and visitors a scenic downtown river walk. Coming from the green, but often regressing suburbs of Boston, we thought, "Why can't we have a downtown like this?"

Littleton, in fact, has done such a great job with its town center that in 2003, The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center recognized Littleton for its outstanding achievement in the revitalization of a downtown! Stay at a historic Littleton inn

Essex, Conn. By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

A former shipbuilding town dating back to the 1600s, Essex looks refined and perfectly manicured today, but that polish doesn't take anything away from its authentic historical New England small town look and feel. With the old, sprawling Griswold Inn (one of the oldest continuously operated inns in the country) as one of its "anchors," Essex has a timeless quality that hasn't pandered to modern chains and cookie-cutter architecture. What's more, there are 14 miles of sidewalks that allow you to stroll through this relaxing, picturesque community. Essex has all the small town bells and whistles required to make it a special vacation destination: a tree-lined downtown with specialty shops and restaurants, big old historic homes up near the sidewalk,, and a pleasing park with gazebos and picnic benches leading to wonderful, relaxing views of the Connecticut River. Read more on Essex