9 Of The Quietest New England Towns
New England encompasses almost the entirety of the northeastern corner of the United States, and with that, many of the nation's most beautiful landscapes can be found within its borders. From its extensive Atlantic coastline to its heavily forested, mountainous interior, this region is an idyllic place for some much-needed peace and quiet should you need it.
Today, we will recommend the best small towns here you can visit where solitude is valued and crowds can be avoided. Whether you want to embark on an outdoor adventure or simply seek to explore a cozy downtown center you've never been to before, here are nine destinations for you to appreciate throughout New England.
Grafton, Vermont
Grafton, with a population of fewer than 700 residents, is truly a quiet escape in the expansive countryside of southern Vermont. The town’s historic dowtown core is lined with white-clapboard homes, a small selection of amenities, and the Grafton Inn, which has welcomed guests since 1801! You can learn more about Grafton's past just down the street at the Grafton Historical Society.
Get a taste of the local flavor and find out all the buzz about Vermont's famous cheese at the Grafton Village Cheese Company. This renowned spot is known for its small-batch, cave-aged cheddar that is made using milk from local farms.
You can also pay a visit to the Grafton Nature Museum or walk through the nearby Grafton Trails & Outdoor Center to experience the area's idyllic landscapes. In the winter, this greenspace also transforms into a hotspot for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. For outdoor enthusiasts, the nearby Mollie Beattie State Forest provides tougher hiking trails for those looking for a more strenuous adventure.
Monhegan Island, Maine
What better way to find some real peace and quiet than on an island escape? Monhegan Island is one of the most isolated destinations in New England, located about 10 miles off the coast and housing a year-round population of fewer than 200 residents. Accessible only by boat, the island has no cars, paved roads, and few modern commercial developments.
You can arrive by ferry from Boothbay Harbor, Port Clyde, or New Harbor and navigate the village on foot, where picturesque, weathered cottages line Monhegan's narrow pathways. With its remoteness, the island has been an artists’ retreat for over a century, with various studios throughout. The Monhegan Museum of Art & History is a nice locale and is housed in a former lighthouse keeper’s quarters for you to enjoy the community's creative offerings.
Beyond the village, Monhegan Island's network of hiking trails leads to a number of viewpoints, including a 160-foot cliff at White Head, one of the highest ocean cliffs in Maine. Furthermore, Lobster Cove, with its rusted shipwreck remains, provides another quiet place to watch the Atlantic surf.
Princeton, Massachusetts
Princeton rests in central Massachusetts and is best known as the gateway to Mount Wachusett. Wachusett Mountain State Reservation is notable for offering year-round recreation, with summit trails providing views that can stretch all the way to Boston on clear days! In winter, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area operates one of New England's most popular skiing destinations, while the surrounding reservation features miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails.
Just a stone's throw west of town, the Massachusetts Audubon Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary is another pleasant greenspace to be enjoyed. Featuring over 1,130 acres of conserved land, with pathways passing through meadows, wetlands, and old-growth forests, it is a truly relaxing destination where you can easily find some solitude in nature.
In the town center, the Princeton Historical Society maintains the former public library as a museum. It now preserves a collection of artifacts from the town’s colonial past, if you're interested in learning more about this historic community. History buffs may also like a visit to the nearby Redemption Rock, a large glacial boulder that marks the site where Puritan colonist Mary Rowlandson was released from captivity in 1676.
Strafford, Vermont
Strafford is exemplified by its longstanding history and charming, old-timey architecture. For example, the Strafford Town House, built in 1799, remains a main attraction in this small community and is still used for town meetings and events to this day.
There is also the Justin Morrill Homestead, the former home of the namesake senator who created the land-grant college system. This is a cool example of Gothic Revival architecture and is open for tours, while also featuring wonderfully landscaped gardens around it. It is also notable as being one of the first National Historic Landmarks, designated in 1960.
The Elizabeth Mine Trail blends history and nature into one experience and leads to the site of an abandoned copper mine that once played a major role in the region’s economy. The hiking path passes through lush woodlands before reaching a viewpoint overlooking the open-pit excavation. Less than ten minutes from the village, the Strafford Nordic Center is another scenic area, and maintains miles of cross-country skiing trails in winter and serves as a hiking and mountain biking area during warmer months, too.
Whether you're here for the history, the sights, or both, Strafford is an excellent choice for a quiet yet enriching experience in New England today.
Norfolk, Connecticut
Norfolk rests in the Litchfield Hills of northern Connecticut and is surrounded by seemingly endless forests and three state parks. The town green is its main centerpiece, and a great place to start your trip here, as many of Norfolk's historic buildings, including the Norfolk Library and the Whitehouse-designed Congregational Church, can be appreciated close by.
Music has played a central role in Norfolk’s identity since the late 1800's too, when the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival was founded. Concerts are still held at the Music Shed, a real hidden gem of a venue and an early 20th-century performance hall that is as beautiful as it is fun to enjoy a show in.
Nearby outdoor spaces for you to find some more adventure in include Haystack Mountain State Park, where a stone tower at the summit provides unbeatable views into Massachusetts and New York. On the other hand, Campbell Falls State Park features a secluded waterfall along the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. In winter, the Great Mountain Forest offers groomed trails for cross-country skiing for added year-round activity.
Jackson, New Hampshire
Jackson is a true East Coast mountain town. Set in the lofty White Mountains, it is a nature lover's paradise, surrounded by an unending selection of quiet, uncrowded spots for you to discover.
A covered bridge marks the entrance to this remote community, where small inns, locally owned shops, and other interesting destinations, like the Jackson Historical Society’s museum, welcome you.
Outdoor recreation is, of course, central to Jackson’s appeal and likely the reason you are in this wild region of the state. Local attractions like the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation maintain an extensive network of cross-country skiing trails in winter, while summer visitors can hike up Jackson Falls, a series of cascading rock pools along the Wildcat River. The nearby Tin Mountain Conservation Center offers yet more wooded paths and nature programs focused on public wildlife education, too.
For an easier, yet just as scenic outing, go for a drive along Carter Notch Road, which leads to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s historic lodge at the base of Wildcat Mountain.
Deer Isle, Maine
Deer Isle is a charming coastal town linked to the mainland by a narrow suspension bridge, offering access to its harbors, extensive waterfront, and miles of foot trails to be explored throughout.
Stonington, the island’s southern village, remains one of Maine’s most active lobster ports, where you can watch from the shore as fishing boats return with their daily catch. The Deer Isle-Stonington Historical Society Museum provides further insight into the area’s maritime history, a highly recommended landmark to see if you're in this corner of the island.
Deer Isle's rugged coastline is perhaps best explored at Shore Acres Preserve, where trails weave through spruce forests and open onto rocky ledges overlooking Penobscot Bay. Another option is Crockett Cove Woods, a moss-covered forest known as the “fog forest,” which creates an almost otherworldly landscape shaped by the island’s distinct coastal climate.
Kayakers and canoeists can paddle through the Deer Isle Archipelago as well, getting a unique view of this chain of small, forested islands with secluded beaches and abundant birdlife, from the water.
Tiverton, Rhode Island
Tiverton sits along the banks Sakonnet River and offers an escape for city dwellers in the otherwise compact state of Rhode Island. Here, you will discover the comforting charms of the Tiverton Four Corners district, a preserved 18th-century village with galleries, artisan shops, and the understandably long-standing Gray’s Ice Cream.
Many choose this town for its accessible beachfronts, with locales like Fogland Beach providing a quiet alternative to Rhode Island’s more crowded coastal spots. Nearby, the Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge is another nice place to spend some time outdoors, with trails through its salt marshes and viewpoints over the river for birdwatchers and landscape photographers alike. Be sure to also stop by Weetamoo Woods, a 650-acre forest, with many more miles of hiking paths through the remnants of colonial-era farms.
Tiverton’s fertile countryside has also led this community to be renowned for its produce in modern times. Pick some up at Simmons Farm, where you can also explore its fields, interact with animals, and purchase fresh dairy products. For wine lovers, nearby Sakonnet Vineyard provides tastings of locally produced wines in New England's oldest vineyard.
Cornish, New Hampshire
Cornish is most well-known for its covered bridges and connection to the Cornish Colony, a community of sculptors, painters, and writers that flourished here in the early days of the 20th century. The centerpiece of this artistic legacy is Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, the former home and studio of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The park is home to bronze casts of his most famous works, wooded trails, and even summer concerts on the estate’s grounds, making it an all-around ideal spot for the creative-type people out there. Nearby, Blow-Me-Down Farm, once part of the Saint-Gaudens estate, has some worthwhile scenic walking paths and periodic art exhibitions as well.
Cornish is also home to the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States. The Cornish-Windsor Bridge, spanning the Connecticut River, has connected New Hampshire and Vermont since 1866 and still stands for your viewing and travel pleasures today.
For a nice outdoor retreat, the trails at Winslow State Park are very easily accessible and lead to Mount Ascutney’s summit, offering unobstructed views across the Connecticut River Valley. This park is also a highly recommended destination to go for leaf peeping in the fall, as its forests simply explode with color for a brief time in the later months of the year.
Find Adventure and Solitude in New England
Whether roadtripping along the coast, hiking the mountains, or learning about a historic village, each town mentioned here is sure to provide you with long-lasting memories, minus the crowds of more popular destinations. New England, overall, is an incredible place filled with contrasts, from busy cities like Boston to its sparsely populated mountain ranges in the interior, so wherever you go, you need not worry about finding fun things to see and do while traveling within its borders.
