Soon the leaf peepers will be out...

Soon the leaf peepers will be out in force as the spectacle of the fall foliage season gets underway in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Country inns throughout the New England states will be welcoming guests by the thousands. To assist travelers planning independent tours, a list of inns is available from New England B&B;, 1045 Centre St., Newton Centre, Mass. 02159. Telephone (617) 244-2112. Others can be obtained from New England U.S.A., 76 Summer St., Boston, Mass. 02110 (free sightseeing maps of New England states plus a travel planner).

Other Sources

--Connecticut Department of Economic Development, 210 Washington St., Hartford, Conn. 06106. Telephone (203) 566-3385.

--Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, 100 Cambridge St., 13th Floor, Boston, Mass. 02202. Telephone (617) 727-3201. (Ask for a copy of the “Spirit of Massachusetts Guide.”)

--Maine Division of Tourism, 189 State St., No. 59, Augusta, Me. 04333. Telephone (207) 289-5710.

--New Hampshire Office of Vacation Travel, P.O. Box 856, Concord, N.H. 03301. Telephone (603) 271-2666.

--Rhode Island Division of Tourism, 7 Jackson Walkway, Providence, R.I. 02903. Telephone (401) 277-2601.

--Vermont Travel Division, 134 State St., Montpelier, Vt. 05601. Telephone (802) 828-3236.

Tours

Your travel agent will help you arrange conducted/independent tours of New England. For names of California agencies specializing in New England tours, write to Jerry Di Pitro, c/o Tourco, 712 Main St., Hyannis, Mass. 02601. Di Pitro is one of New England’s major tour operators. One of his offerings is an eight-day motor-coach trip through New England for $890 (includes lodging, ground transportation, some meals).

--Tauk Tours is considered the Rolls-Royce of tour operators. A wide range of rates. Write to Tauk Tours, P.O. Box 5027, Westport, Conn. 06881. Or call toll-free (800) 468-2825.

--Yankee Holidays, 20 Spring St., Saugus, Mass. 01906. Call toll-free (800) 225-2550. A choice of day-tours out of Boston, with visits to Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. The same company is featuring a “Taste of Boston” tour with dinners at an Italian restaurant only steps from Paul Revere’s home and the Old North Church, and seafood at the renowned Skipjack’s restaurant in historic Copley Square.

--Domenico Tours, 751 Broadway, Bayonne, N.J. 07002. Telephone toll-free (800) 554-8687. Does a volume business. Prices run the scale from $189 up. An 11-day grand tour figures out to $899 (Boston to Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Vermont, Canada, Niagara, with a windup in New York). Dozens of variations. A five-day Boston-Cape Cod-Martha’s Vineyard trip will cost you $419. A total of 35 tours scheduled during September/October. Details in a 40-page fall foliage booklet.

Leafer’s Guide

For a “leaf peepers guide,” contact the White Mountains Attraction Assn., Box 176, North Woodstock, N.H. 03262. This handy little brochure tells how leaves change color and puts to rest that old wives’ tale about Jack Frost being responsible for the brilliance of autumn colors. The guide advises that the foliage season in New Hampshire generally begins in late September, continues into the first week of October in northern New Hampshire, with colors peaking in southern New Hampshire between Oct. 5 and 15.

--Country stores, a Norman Rockwell exhibition, horse farms and a maple museum are listed in a free “Vermont Attractions” guide. Copies from Vermont Travel Division, 134 State St., Montpellier, Vt. 05602.

--For a brochure highlighting the Shelburne Museum (displays a side-wheeler, steam train, period furniture, carriages, weather vanes, scrimshaw), send a post card to Shelburne, Vt. 05482.

Vermont Inns

Vermont Marble Inn, 12 W. Park Place, Fair Haven, Vt. 05743. Telephone (802) 265-8383. Rates: $75/$108. Fourteen guest rooms (three with marble fireplaces). Faces the village green on a five-acre plot. Fresh produce, home baking, an extensive wine list.

The Inn At Sawmill Farm, Box 367, Mt. Snow Valley, West Dover, Vt. 05356. Telephone (802) 464-8131. Rates: $220/$260 (two persons) with breakfast/dinner.

The Quilted Cat, Rural Route 1, Box 201A, Andover, Vt. 05143. Telephone (802) 875-2724. Rates: $80/$125.

Old Tavern At Grafton, Grafton, Vt. 05146. Telephone (802) 843-2231. Rates: $70/$120.

The Golden Stage Inn, P.O. Box 218, Proctorville, Vt. 05153. Telephone (802) 226-7744. Rates: $155 (two persons), including breakfast and dinner.

New Hampshire Inns

Covered Bridge Inn, Route 302, Glen, N.H. 03838. Telephone (603) 383-9109. Rates: $29/$39 per person, double. (The only inn in New England with its own covered bridge. Five guest rooms. Near five major ski areas. A gift shop operated by the owners contains hundreds of craft items.)

Covered Bridge House, Route 302, Glen, N.H. 03838. Telephone (603) 383-9109.

Connecticut Inns

Constitution Oak Farm, Beardsley Road, Kent, Conn. 06757. Telephone (203) 354-6495. Four rooms. Rates: $45/$55. An old-fashioned farmhouse with dairy cattle, open pasture. About a mile from Lake Waramaug (90 miles outside New York City).

Copper Beech Inn, Main St., Ivoryton, Conn. 06442. Telephone (203) 767-0330. Rates: $95/$155.

Griswold Inn, Main St., Essex, Conn. 06426. Telephone (203) 767-1812. Rates: $75/$165.

The Inn At Chester, 318 W. Main St., Chester, Conn. 06412. Telephone (203) 526-4961. Rates: $85/$90.

Old Lyme Inn, P.O. Box 787B, Old Lyme, Conn. 06371. Telephone (203) 434-2600. Rates: $95/$125.

Maine Inns

Captain Lord Mansion, P.O. Box 800, Kennebunkport, Me. 04046. Telephone (207) 967-3141. Rates: $99/$199.

Arundel Meadows Inn, P.O. Box 1129, Kennebunk, Me. 04043. Telephone (207) 985-3770. Rates: $70/$125.

Reader Recommendations

Massachusetts--Judy Klenk, Long Beach: Seekonk Pines Inn, 142 Seekonk Cross Road, Great Barrington, Mass. 01230. This is a B&B; in the Berkshire Hills. Rates: $60/$85.

California--Nina Lucewicz, Glendale: Gerarda’s B&B;, 1056 Bay Oaks Drive, Los Osos, Calif. 93402. Rate: $39 for a double with private bath.

California--Sandra Oguro, Culver City: Enjoyed Country Rose Inn, P.O. Box 1804, Gilroy, Calif. 95021-1804. Rates: $45/$125.

Canada--William Lambert, Tarzana: Enjoyed Helen’s House, 1141 Oscar St., Victoria, British Columbia. Rates: $55/$65 Canadian.

France--S. Winn, Mission Viejo: Studied French with M. & Mme. Berrebi Chatras, Les Fourches, 19130 Objat, France. “This is a charming village in southwestern France. Instruction was excellent. Home-cooked meals were delicious. Cost: 3,900 francs per week.”

New Zealand--Suzy Johnson: “The very best B&B; we discovered in a four-month trip to New Zealand was California House, 29 Collingwood St., Nelson, New Zealand. A beautiful inn. Tariffs are about $40 U.S. single, $50/$70 double.”

England--Evelyn and Matt Peasley, Huntington Beach: “The Old Rectory Inn, Woolstone, Near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 4RG, England. Rates: About $20 U.S. per person. In the heart of the Cotswolds.”