Summer days are numbered once the eighth month of the year rolls around. So before daylight hours contract, there’s a chill in the morning air, and the kids head back to school, make plans to live like August is the best month in New England. Because many New Englanders will tell you… this is true. 

Even if it’s been decades since you went back to school, the pressure’s on to have interesting experiences to share when you’re asked: What did you do on your summer vacation? From fresh things to do in Boston this August (ever been to a pickleball parlor?) to Cape Cod’s less-touristy spots, Yankee always knows the answers to this assignment, and we love it when you copy our homework like this Mainer did!

So here are my top August weekend (and a few midweek) New England event picks. I’ll also give you the lowdown on August travel deals that have caught my eye and tell you how to attend a tasty Yankee-sponsored weekend event at Spruce Peak.

Weekend of August 3-4, 2024

Maine Lobster Festival | Rockland, ME

Opening July 31 and serving up fun straight through August’s first weekend, the Maine Lobster Festival is as much about entertainment as it is about delicious crustaceans. Bands and indie artists take the stage, and Saturday’s big parade is always something to see. Here’s a hint from me: If you find a food stand dishing up smoked shrimp, you have to try it.

Charlestown Seafood Festival | Charlestown, RI

While we’re talking about the ocean’s bounty, southern New England has its own celebration of seafood this weekend. Head to the Charlestown Seafood Festival, which runs Friday through Sunday, for everything from chowder and raw oysters to lobster rolls and fish and chips. There’s non-stop entertainment and a fireworks display on Saturday night. You can even park your RV and spend the entire weekend indulging.

Opera North’s “Into the Woods” | Cornish, NH

If you haven’t been to scenic Blow-Me-Down Farm for an Opera North performance this summer, the first weekend in August’s your last shot. Northern New England’s celebrated opera company is staging the beloved Sondheim musical “Into the Woods” August 1-4, and Saturday is Family Day featuring art activities, free shaved ice, and photo ops with Milky White.

River Fest | Skowhegan, ME

Get active this weekend at River Fest, which kicks off with Wednesday evening’s glowstick paddle and runs through Saturday’s fireworks spectacular. Skowhegan is poised to become Maine’s next great hub for outdoor recreation with the development of a whitewater river park in the heart of downtown, and this festival features a host of events including a 5K fun run, a lobster bake, and inflatable kayaking through Skowhegan Gorge.

Weekend of August 10-11, 2024

Craftsmen’s Fair | Newbury NH

It’s the 91st year for the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s annual Craftsmen’s Fair, held at Mount Sunapee Resort. And this is actually the second and final weekend of the event’s nine-day, August 3-11, run. Featuring handcrafted goods across all media, it’s an opportunity to shop or to simply be inspired by the creativity of hundreds of the League’s juried members.

Made in Connecticut Expo | Berlin, CT

Connecticut’s new state slogan is “Make It Here,” and all of the vendors at the Berlin Fairgrounds this weekend have taken that initiative to heart. The Made in Connecticut Expo showcases more than 300 makers of handcrafts, art, food and beverage products, apparel, pet supplies, and more, plus Connecticut authors and growers. Bring a shopping tote and finish your holiday list while Santa’s still on summer vacay.

Mass Tax-Free Weekend

Speaking of getting a jump on your holiday (and back-to-school) shopping, August 10 and 11 is Massachusetts Tax-Free Weekend, when most items priced at up to $2,500 are exempt from sales tax. Keep your eye out for retail promotions statewide that add to the 6.25% savings shoppers will realize by timing their purchases just right.

Weekend of August 17-18, 2024

Jurassic Park in Concert | Lenox, MA

You’ve never seen Jurassic Park like this! Spread out a dino-rific picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood, and view the movie on large screens as the Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, plays the iconic score by John Williams.

Balloon Glow and Laser Show | Guilford, CT

Grab your camera (and tripod!). This next-level hot air balloon event is quite the spectacle, with laser beams and balloons aglow. From 5 to 10 p.m. on both Friday, August 16, and Saturday, August 17, the Balloon Glow and Laser Show also offers craft shopping, DJ and live music, activities for kids, and tethered balloon rides. Purchase admission tickets online in advance.

Weekend of August 24-25, 2024

A Taste of New England | Stowe, VT

Yankee is once again teaming up as media partner for A Taste of New England at Spruce Peak Resort. This immersive culinary weekend featuring top New England chefs kicks off Thursday, August 22, with “Dinner by Design.” You can buy tickets for one event, like Friday evening’s sampling extravaganza with a cast of star chefs, or for all of them. Saturday night’s Chef Collaboration Dinner is an extraordinary feast, featuring five courses prepared by five chefs, expertly paired with selections from the Withers Winery. Sunday’s Food & Beverage Showcase is more Vermont-focused, with delectable gourmet foods and beverages to sample and purchase.

Rhode Island Statewide Scavenger Hunt

Ready for the rush of a Rhode Island-wide quest? Whether you’re a life-long Rhode Islander or visiting the smallest U.S. state for the first time, you’re invited to participate in this weekend’s Rhode Island Statewide Scavenger Hunt. Register a team of one to five players (kids can play, too!), and spend two days on the hunt for both hidden and iconic Rhode Island treasures. The event begins in Providence, and there are prizes at stake, so brush up on your knowledge of Little Rhody with these stories and Weekends with Yankee video clips.

New This Month in New England

Wequassett Supper on the Bay Series | Harwich, MA

Cape Cod’s Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, one of Yankee‘s Best of New England honorees for 2024, has a new outdoor, waterside dining experience for foodies this summer. On August Thursdays (and Thursday, September 5), you can enjoy Supper on the Bay, featuring themed dishes showcasing the Cape’s bounty and the creativity of Wequassett’s culinary team. Whether you choose a Mediterranean menu, the Seaside Summer Fish Feast, or a Peruvian odyssey, each memorable meal features a cocktail reception, paired wines, and live music. And the view isn’t the only thing that sparkles: A partnership with famous Vermont glassmaker Simon Pearce ensures the community table’s one of the prettiest you’ll ever see.

August’s Best Travel Deals

Dine Out Boston

Boston’s annual summer dining promotion makes August 4-17 the best time of the year to eat out in the city. Dine Out Boston participating restaurants (there are more than 175!) offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at set prices that typically reflect a savings over a la carte pricing, and chefs step up their creativity for these meal deals.

Pickles + Pickleball at Basin Harbor | Vergennes, VT

If you’re like me, you’ve been saying all summer: I need to learn how to play pickleball! Or maybe you’re way ahead of me, and you’re already obsessed with the game. Either way, Basin Harbor’s got a Pickles + Pickleball package for you that includes a pickleball clinic, one hour of daily court time, equipment rental, and some local pickles for a healthy snack. Package rates start at $405 per night, double occupancy. Lake Champlain’s rejuvenating breezes are included free.

Yankee Out & About in August

Yankee Editor Mel Allen will speak on “The Joy of Writing About Others” and read some favorite pieces he’s written during the Bay Path University Summer Writing Residency, August 9-10 in Beverly, Massachusetts. Attendees, including many who have been his students, are traveling from as far away as California to participate and learn from writers including several others who have graced Yankee‘s pages with their words over the years. This year’s seminar has sold out, but you can email Leanna James Blackwell at ljblackwell@baypath.edu to be added to the waitlist.

And join me August 1 for the Masters of the Telecaster concert, part of Madison Beach Hotel’s summer-long Grassy Strip Music Series in Madison, Connecticut, or in Stowe the weekend of August 23-25 for A Taste of New England (details above).

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