The Best Day Trips in New England Aren’t On Any Map

Learn from the editors of Yankee, and from our readers, the best places to visit in New England.

You don’t just stumble across Greensboro, Vermont, a no-stoplight town in the heart of the remote Northeast Kingdom, miles from the Interstate, and seemingly in a world of its own. Slowed-down living in a fast-paced world. But while you don’t just land here, “once you do come, you tend to stay,” says one resident. The reasons for that hit you like a blast of fresh air as soon as you cross into Greensboro. Oh sure, pretty small towns are about as prevalent in Vermont as sugar maples, but only one is home to Caspian Lake, as clear a body of water as you’ll find in the state. In the center of town, you’ll find Willey’s Store, which you should include on your list of places to see in New England. Is it a general store, a hardware shop, a home-goods place, or a clothing boutique? Actually it’s all those things. It’s where you go for your breakfast sandwich, a gallon of latex, a new shirt, and a blender. “We’re Greensboro’s version of Walmart,” the hardware clerk said with a smile. “Only people seem to enjoy coming here.”

Greensboro’s appeal is that it embraces its size without being limited by it. Recently the town has experienced a mini-boom of sorts. But it’s managed growth, taking what’s old and making it new again. Across the street from Willey’s, a renovated gristmill is now Miller’s Thumb Gallery, a sun-drenched two-floor space devoted to the work of Vermont and New Hampshire artisans. Around the corner, another artsy stop, Galleria Catharina, resides in a retired creamery. On the outskirts of town, Shaun Hill has made the rolling farmland that’s been in his family for eight generations into Hill Farmstead Brewery, a veritable bucket-list destination for beer enthusiasts from around the world. “To me, Greensboro is paradise,” says a vacationer-turned-resident, looking out across her big field, toward her view of Wheelock Mountain. “I’ve been to a lot of different places and I can’t find any place that’s better than this.” In our Best Hidden Places in New England article, you’ll discover more little-known towns like Greensboro that we love, like a little coastal town in Massachusetts that feels like it’s from another time. Or an island off the coast of Maine, home to the state’s largest year-round island community and a thriving lobster fleet. Plus, we’ll tell you what to do when you get there—and it’s all in our Summer Destinations Special Collection. Love finding the unique nooks and crannies of beautiful coastal New England in the summer? Our Summer Destinations Special Collection reviews some of the best places to visit in New England, including food and beachside attractions that will provide all the inspiration you need to plan your next seaside vacation. With your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership, you’ll have full access to everything in the Summer Destinations Special Collection, including:

• Where to find the best beaches, in New England’s 25 Best Beach Towns.
• Where to find the best lobster this summer, in 12 Best Lobster Shacks in New England.
• A collection of last-minute summer bucket-list items in Best Late Summer Adventures.
• Discover the best pristine northern waters in Greatest New England Lakes.
• Why South County in Rhode Island is a hidden gem you shouldn’t miss this summer, in Beaches of South County, Rhode Island.
• Best places to stay for your summer vacation, in Sandcastles by the Sea: Favorite New England Beachside Lodging.
• The quaintest little-known small towns for a summer visit, in The “Upper Valley” of Vermont and New Hampshire.

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