How to Get There

Getting out of Cambridge to Vermont is very easy. Follow Mass Ave. past the Quad and out to Arlington. At Arlington, turn onto Route 2 West. Follow Route 2 to the Greenfield area, where you turn off to I-91. I-91 takes you straight up to Brattleboro. An ideal Vermont route would take you in a circle starting at Brattleboro. Take the second Brattleboro exit and go through the center of town where you will see signs leading to Route 30. Route 30 takes you through Newfane and then up to Townshend. At Townshend, turn on to Route 35. Follow the route to Cambridgeport and turn to Route 121 into Bellows Falls which is on I-91. Another route from Brattleboro, along Route 9, takes you to Bennington.

The drive to and from Vermont can take slightly more than a tank of gas, depending on the tank capacity. Rental cars are difficult to get for the weekend without reservations, but it is possible to find a car with persistent calls to rental businesses in the area.

For those uninclined toward full-day trips to Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine a trip to the Arnold Arboretum might do just as well. At the end of the Red Line in Jamaica Plains, the arboretum offers a beautiful foliage display and promises some more exotic trees.