holiday trip

My husband and I are thinking about spending our holiday (christmas and new years%26#39;s) on the east coast. we have never really explored the area and are at a loss for where to start.

What we%26#39;d like to do is fly into one city and do a driving loop of the east coast, staying in 3-4 towns over 8-11 days. We really just want to relax, explore some cute little towns, maybe do some wine tasting, horseback riding, skiing. I read a long time ago about places where you can go help colect sap and make syrup - is that true? My husband is interested in Providence and Mystic, I would like to see some mountains and stay mostly in Vermont or Maine and maybe go up to Quebec.

If any one can help with some reccommendations of places to stay (off the beaten path, romantic but not too pricey), things to do, and in particular what staes and towns we should visit I would really appreciate it.

Also, are we crazy to consider doing this over the holidays? I don%26#39;t mind the cold but I don%26#39;t want everything to be closed to to risk massively bad weather.

Thanks so much!

holiday trip

At the risk of sounding disloyal to Maine, I have to say that Quebec City around Christmas is almost magical.

Your timing is wrong for maple syrup. That is around March.

I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;re crazy to think about coming to New England at that time of year. Having lived in Chicago for 14 years, I can tell you that your chances of massively bad weather are not a lot different.

I%26#39;m not an expert on where to go for wine tasting, horseback riding or skiing, so I%26#39;ll let others chime in there.

holiday trip

I would recommend a day or two in Portland. It has great restaurants, at least two wine bars (probably a lot more) and is a very nice city to walk around in. During the holiday season, the narrow-gauge railroad runs from the Old Port area out along the Promenade. If it is a nice day, cruise the bay on the ferry boat that serves the islands.