Peak Season

The Cat 468 Commercial St. Portland, Maine 877-359-3760 www.catferry.com Schedule: The Cat leaves Portland for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, at 2:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday and returns from Yarmouth to Portland at 9 a.m. Friday-Sunday. Yarmouth is in the Atlantic time zone, one hour ahead of Portland. Rates: Adults pay $198 round- trip, seniors (60 and over) $180, and children ages 6-13 $138, including $20 in port and security fees, in peak season, June 23-Sept.

Speaking to visitors inside Faneuil Hall, Dianne Donnelly often concluded tours she gave as a National Park Service ranger by saying: "If these walls could talk, I think what they would say is: ‘Ugh, another ranger talk. When will this talk be over? We've heard so many.' " Colleagues said that adding a self-deprecating twist at the end was characteristic of Ms. Donnelly, whose love of history made her a natural for her work. "She had a knack for it; she was a real teacher," said Bill Foley, chief of commercial services for the Boston National Historical Park.

Sugarbush Resort 1840 Sugarbush Access Road Warren, Vt. 800-537-8427 sugarbush.com Adult full-day lift tickets $66 midseason, $70 holidays; children 7-18 $59/$65. Holiday periods are Jan. 13-15, Feb. 17-25. Clay Brook offers standard hotel-style rooms for $279 (mid season) up to a five-bedroom suite for $1,699 (peak season); reservations 802-583-6300 . Nearby Sugarbush Inn has 42 guest rooms for $99- $179 per person, per night, including lift ticket; reservations 802-583-6100 . Directions : Sugarbush is about 180 miles or 3 1/2 hours from Boston.

GILFORD, N.H. - In winter, Gilford’s focus shifts from boats and beaches on Lake Winnipesaukee, the state’s largest lake, to skis and snowboards at Gunstock Mountain Resort. About 100 miles from Boston, the Lakes Region town contains a handsome village, a rural charm with plenty of stone walls and lovely vistas, and convenient strip malls. A break from the bustle of summer, winter is a bit more mellow. STAY There’s no slopeside lodging at Gunstock, but plenty of nearby beds.

EATON, N.H. -- Mucky roads, unpredictable weather, and wet ground that sags beneath your feet. It must be springtime in New England. Come March, receding snow transforms the landscape into a soft, sloppy mess. New Englanders call this metamorphosis "mud season," the period of recovery between the long, brutal winter and the warm summer ahead. But with no banner activity to accompany it -- think leaf-peeping in the fall or skiing in winter -- mud season brings a serious lull in tourism.

PORTLAND, Maine - Lobstermen in the '90s and earlier this decade went like gangbusters in August, catching Maine's signature seafood, making it the number one month to catch lobsters. But lobstermen now get their biggest hauls in the fall, and October has emerged as the top lobster-catching month. Even catches in November, typically a fraction of those in August, have exceeded August's in two of the past four years. The shift in the peak season has created angst among lobstermen, especially those who stand to finish in...

It's now dark at 5 p.m., and the chill has returned. It is, after all, November in Massachusetts, and there's nothing we can do about it. But there are perks that come with the arrival of the cold season: The tourists have gone home or, at the very least, found a ski slope to call their own. Those who spent the summer flocking to Cape Cod and other waterside spots have departed. Even the leaf-peepers have, for the most part, retreated. For you, that means there are deals to be had, especially where there's water.

Speaking to visitors inside Faneuil Hall, Dianne Donnelly often concluded tours she gave as a National Park Service ranger by saying: "If these walls could talk, I think what they would say is: ‘Ugh, another ranger talk. When will this talk be over? We've heard so many.' " Colleagues said that adding a self-deprecating twist at the end was characteristic of Ms. Donnelly, whose love of history made her a natural for her work. "She had a knack for it; she was a real teacher," said Bill Foley, chief of commercial services for the...

Repairs to the aging Sagamore Bridge during the spring have slowed traffic leaving Cape Cod to a crawl most nights and backed it up for miles on Sundays, culminating in a Mother's Day morass when the stalled line of cars stretched past multiple exits on Route 6 and triggered all-day gridlock on nearby Route 6A. "Whoever conceived of this plan should be fired," said Anne Kilguss, a Boston social worker and psychotherapist with a second home in...

The drive between Boston and Cape Cod can be 60-plus miles of nightmare, depending on the time of day and road conditions, as surprised commuters discovered on Mother's Day, when construction allowed only limited access to the Sagamore Bridge. That work should wind down by the end of the month, but seasonal slowdowns await. So it's disappointing that a plan to extend weekend service on the MBTA's Middleboro commuter rail line to Hyannis this summer has been shelved for now. The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's decision to wait until next year seems...

PORTLAND, Maine - Lobstermen in the '90s and earlier this decade went like gangbusters in August, catching Maine's signature seafood, making it the number one month to catch lobsters. But lobstermen now get their biggest hauls in the fall, and October has emerged as the top lobster-catching month. Even catches in November, typically a fraction of those in August, have exceeded August's in two of the past four years. The shift in the peak season has created angst among lobstermen, especially those who stand to finish in the red without a strong close...

Sugarbush Resort 1840 Sugarbush Access Road Warren, Vt. 800-537-8427 sugarbush.com Adult full-day lift tickets $66 midseason, $70 holidays; children 7-18 $59/$65. Holiday periods are Jan. 13-15, Feb. 17-25. Clay Brook offers standard hotel-style rooms for $279 (mid season) up to a five-bedroom suite for $1,699 (peak season); reservations 802-583-6300 . Nearby Sugarbush Inn has 42 guest rooms for $99- $179 per person, per night, including lift ticket; reservations 802-583-6100 . Directions : Sugarbush is about 180 miles or 3 1/2 hours...

It's now dark at 5 p.m., and the chill has returned. It is, after all, November in Massachusetts, and there's nothing we can do about it. But there are perks that come with the arrival of the cold season: The tourists have gone home or, at the very least, found a ski slope to call their own. Those who spent the summer flocking to Cape Cod and other waterside spots have departed. Even the leaf-peepers have, for the most part, retreated. For you, that means there are deals to be had, especially where there's water.

The Cat 468 Commercial St. Portland, Maine 877-359-3760 www.catferry.com Schedule: The Cat leaves Portland for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, at 2:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday and returns from Yarmouth to Portland at 9 a.m. Friday-Sunday. Yarmouth is in the Atlantic time zone, one hour ahead of Portland. Rates: Adults pay $198 round- trip, seniors (60 and over) $180, and children ages 6-13 $138, including $20 in port and security fees, in peak season, June 23-Sept.

BRIDGTON, Maine -- In winter, the brick-trimmed sidewalks of Bridgton aren't exactly rolled up, but the laid-back rural life gets even slower. In summer, this Lakes Region town, about 40 miles northwest of Portland, is alive with music in the Big Kahuna Cafe or Hollywood's latest on the screen at the drive-in. But now? Those popular places and others are closed, and skiers, snowshoers, ice fishermen, and snowmobilers have replaced the summer people at places such as Highland Lake, Moose Pond, and Long Lake.

EATON, N.H. -- Mucky roads, unpredictable weather, and wet ground that sags beneath your feet. It must be springtime in New England. Come March, receding snow transforms the landscape into a soft, sloppy mess. New Englanders call this metamorphosis "mud season," the period of recovery between the long, brutal winter and the warm summer ahead. But with no banner activity to accompany it -- think leaf-peeping in the fall or skiing in winter -- mud season brings a serious lull in tourism.

Soft-shell crabs are prized by chefs and everyone who loves seafood. And they’re outstanding right now. “They’re the best I’ve remembered in years,’’ says Jasper White, founder of the Summer Shack seafood chain. “The crabs have been fatter, juicier.’’ They are blue crabs that crawl out of their muddy hibernation to shed their hard shells and grow another one. While it takes several days for a crab to lose its hard shell, its shell is soft — and the belly full from scavenging for the occasion — for only three to four hours.

BRIDGTON, Maine -- In winter, the brick-trimmed sidewalks of Bridgton aren't exactly rolled up, but the laid-back rural life gets even slower. In summer, this Lakes Region town, about 40 miles northwest of Portland, is alive with music in the Big Kahuna Cafe or Hollywood's latest on the screen at the drive-in. But now? Those popular places and others are closed, and skiers, snowshoers, ice fishermen, and snowmobilers have replaced the summer people at places such as Highland Lake, Moose Pond, and Long Lake.