If you're heading for that area, we strongly suggest that you do your planning at mysticcountry.com. Mystic Country's Web site is magnificently designed, and its enormous wealth of information is well presented and complete to the slightest detail. It offers a trip planner and itinerary, as well as great places to stay and a wide range of things to do and see categorized by: Attractions, Family Fun, Lodging, Outdoor Adventures, Entertainment, Shopping and Events. It even offers a podcast and specialized areas on the site that cover both Southeastern Connecticut and the Western part of Rhode Island. For a great time in a high quality region, we recommend a visit to mysticcountry.com as the first step on your journey to a memorable vacation.

Fall is that magical time of year when God and Mother Nature team up to paint the countryside in colors so vibrant and rich that one wishes the season will never end. But end it does, and if you come up to see the splendor too early or too late, you'll miss what is one of nature's greatest spectacles and our favorite time of the year at NewEnglandTimes.

We've checked with our old-timer friends, and watching nature as they have, they say that this year's fall will be particularly vibrant. They're happy to give us their forecasts, but how they decipher them is a closely guarded secret like the methodology used by the Farmer's Almanac to pretty accurately predict the weather a year in advance.

In the coming weeks, we will be publishing a series of tours along roads less traveled; roads that will give you some precious time communing with the great outdoors and enjoying views of mountains and hills awash in color. We'll be writing about ways you can ride the peak as it travels South from Maine's pristine forests to Connecticut's shores. We'll tell you where to go, where to stay and the best perches from which to spy the most colorful spots the season offers. So check back soon to plan your New England getaway or vacation for this fall. You won't be disappointed.

Everybody has different tastes and things or conditions that make them happy. While a B&B may be ideal for a romantic getaway, it may not be for the "nuclear family," Mom, Dad, 2.3 children and Bubba, your Chihuahua. A hotel, motel, large inn, camp ground or rented house may be far more suitable and compliant with your budget. Given today's gas prices, most of your budget will go to that (see story below).

I'm not saying there aren't B&B inns out there who have no objections to kids and the dog, but the majority don't and some have stringent rules. One in Vermont insists that guests not sit on the bed. Since most people sit before they lie down, I guess at this inn, you have to dive into bed. But you need to take into consideration not just where you want to go, but where to stay, what amenities (besides the chocolate on the pillow are available and what points of interest might be nearby.

It takes some research to make your decision. to read more about how to select the right place to stay, check out What's the Best Place to Stay for you and your family. You may be pleasantly surprised at how little it can cost depending on what's perfect for you.

The slump in housing prices for both new and existing housing nationwide have reached the region and pricing here is on the slide. It's a good time to get out of the city and visit your vacation home or come telecommute in some of the most beautiful places this country has to offer

Featured Real Estate
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For frequently updated Vermont real estate listings, visit our sister site, www.nehomes.com, the Web site of Real Estate Guide magazine.