Summer in New England: plan now for a warm-weather escape top the mountains of Vermont, Maine's largest lake, or a laid-back retreat off the coast of Rhode Island

Travel America, March-April, 2002 by Diane Bair, Pamela Wright

Where to stay? Newburyport is home to guest houses and B&Bs, not big hotels. Try the gracious, Federalist-style Clark Currier Inn (978-465-8363; www.clarkcurrierinn.com).

Contact: Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry, (978) 462-6680; www.newburyportchamber.org.

A Blast from the Past on Block Island. Victorian charm, lovely beaches, and all the outdoor fun an active vacationer might imagine--that's the allure of Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. Oh, yeah, and very few cars. Don't bother to bring one; your bike will do. If it rains, there's always the taxi service! Reachable by ferry from the Rhode Island mainland, Connecticut, and New York, seven-mile Block Island is decidedly laid-back. No fast food restaurants, no noisy nightlife. The pleasures here are the old-fashioned sort: riding your bike 'round the hilly island to Mohegan Bluffs, climbing a path to gaze out over the Atlantic, or enjoying Mother Nature's handiwork along Clay-head Nature Trail.

More than two-thirds of the island is undeveloped, and you'll get a sense of New England's past as you wander by seaside farms and gardens. Fishing, shellfishing, and kayaking are among the other possibilities, but allow plenty of time to loll at the beach. You'll shop a little (no chain stores here), eat a lot (try Eli's for dinner, it's great) and relax--just what one is supposed to do on vacation! Block Island has numerous old hotels, inns, and B&Bs; we like the Blue Dory, all Victorian sweetness, on a side street in Old Harbor. Call (800) 992-7290 or (401) 466-5891.

Contact: Block Island Chamber of Commerce, (401) 466-2982; www.block island.com.

Loose as a Moose in Maine. Imagine a landscape of sapphire waters and pine-shrouded shores ringed by rugged mountains. That's Moosehead Lake. No wonder visitors are instantly smitten with this place. At 40 miles long and 10 miles wide, with 420 miles of shoreline, Maine's largest lake is surprisingly undeveloped. Base yourself in Greenville, on the southern tip of the lake, where outfitters offer rafting trips, boat tours, and float plane rides. Cruise aboard the S.S. Katahdin, a 1914 steam vessel, now the floating Moosehead Marine Museum. Or rent a boat; you'll have a grand time exploring the lake and its many islands. Looming in the distance, seeming to sprout from the middle of the lake, is Mt. Kineo, made entirely of green flint. The Abenaki Indians sought its flint to make arrowheads and tools.

Keep an eye out for moose. More than 10,000 moose live in the Moosehead region, we're told. The best time to see them is early morning or twilight, when they come out to feed in the lake's swampy areas.

There are several places to stay in and around Greenville, but since you're doing the outdoor thing, why not go camping? Rustic Lily Bay State Park (207-695-2700), eight miles north of Greenville, is gorgeous, with a small beach and canoe rentals.

Contact: Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce, (888) 876-2778; www. mooseheadlake.org.

New Hampshire's Great Lake. Want to be where the action is? In New Hampshire, that's "Winni," otherwise known as Lake Winnepesaukee. The centerpiece of central New Hampshire's Lakes Region, Winni is the state's largest lake, encompassing 72 square miles and more than 280 miles of shoreline. The population of Wolfeboro--the closest thing to a classic New England village on the lake, claiming to be "the country's oldest summer retreat"--swells from 5,000 to 25,000 in season.