Northern New England College Trip: Amherst, Middlebury and Dartmouth, Plus Colby, in 4 Days
A parent-first plan for touring Amherst, Middlebury and Dartmouth by car, with Colby in Maine as an optional final leg: four days in all, a historic inn each night, official sign-ups, visitor parking, drive times, meals and things for siblings.
Dartmouth Hall, Dartmouth College (Mar 2024). Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 22, 2026. The small [S#] links open the page each fact comes from. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Check before you go. Tour times, sign-up rules, parking and seasonal closures change often, sometimes weekly. Every campus section below links to that school's official visit page and shows when we last checked it. Confirm there before you book or drive. College Visit Guides is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university. Names are used only to identify them.
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Amherst College (Amherst, MA), Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT), Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), and optionally Colby College (Waterville, ME)
Days
4: Amherst and Middlebury on Day 1, Dartmouth on Day 2, the drive to Waterville on Day 3 and Colby on Day 4. Skipping Colby? Finish at Dartmouth on Day 2.
Best base
Middlebury Inn (night 1), Hanover Inn Dartmouth on the Green (night 2), and The Lockwood Hotel in Waterville (night 3, if you add Colby)
Car or transit
You need a car. Much of the route is two-lane road through small towns and mountains.
Lockwood check-in
The person checking in at the Lockwood must be 21 or older, with valid ID.
Registration
Required at Amherst and Colby; all four schools take sign-ups through their official portals.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents touring small, rural or small-town New England colleges with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings: Amherst in western Massachusetts, Middlebury in Vermont and Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, with Colby in Waterville, Maine, as an optional final leg.[S3][S6][S8][S12]
It's four days by car with a historic inn each night. If you skip Colby, the trip ends after Dartmouth on Day 2.[S14][S16][S19]
Why this order
Start in Amherst, the closest to Boston, Hartford and New York: about two hours from downtown Boston and three hours north of New York City. A morning tour leaves the afternoon for the drive to Middlebury.[S3]
Middlebury, then Dartmouth. Middlebury to Hanover is about 1 hr 52 min, so Day 2 is short and you can arrive relaxed.[S21]
Colby last, and optional. Waterville is the farthest point: from the Hanover Inn it's about 4 hr 49 min (241.2 mi) to the Lockwood, so drive on Day 3 and tour Colby on the morning of Day 4. Families flying home can use Portland Jetport, a 75-minute drive, or Bangor, about an hour away.[S21][S12]
Tour availability varies by season.
Tour dates appear only in each school's portal. Check all four before you book the inns.[S2][S7][S10][S13]
Middlebury runs no tours during academic breaks. If no slot is open, self-guided tour maps are available at the Admissions office, or outside its front door after hours.[S7]
Dartmouth's walking tour may be canceled in dangerous weather: thunderstorms, blizzards or ice storms.[S9]
2. The suggested 4-day route
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing. Much of this route is two-lane road through small towns and mountains, and winter weather is real here. Our advice, not a school rule: add at least 30–45 minutes to every leg, more in snow.[S21][S22][S23]
Alternative order: if Middlebury has no afternoon tour on your Day 1, drive Amherst → Dartmouth instead (about 2 hr 14 min, 105.2 mi) and see Middlebury on Day 2.[S21]
Day 1: Amherst (morning) → Middlebury (afternoon)
Amherst College → Middlebury Admissions (Emma Willard House)
Colby: a campus tour led by current students and admissions counselors; pre-registration is required. Check the portal for the length and times.[S12][S13]
3. Campus by campus
Johnson Chapel in the fall, Amherst College (Oct 2004). Photo: Elizabeth Dei Rossi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
In-person campus tours and information sessions; advance registration is required. Pick a date on the portal calendar, choose a visit option, complete the form and look for the confirmation email.[S1][S2]
Groups of 10 or more need a reservation confirmed in advance; inquire at least two weeks ahead.[S2]
Getting there
About two hours from downtown Boston, two and a half from Logan Airport and three hours north of New York City. From I-91, take exit 25 (northbound) or exit 26 (southbound) onto Route 9 east, then Route 116 south.[S3]
What to know
The Beneski Museum of Natural History is on campus, and Emily Dickinson's home and the Eric Carle Museum are in town.[S4][S1]
Last checked Oct 22, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
A 30-minute information session led by an admissions or student representative, then a student-led two-mile campus tour: about 1½ to 2 hours in all.[S5]
Check in at Emma Willard House, Middlebury's Admissions Office, 10 minutes before your visit starts. Each registering student can bring up to three family members or guests. The campus is dog friendly, but dogs aren't allowed on the tour.[S5]
Visitor parking
The visitor lot next to the Admissions Office, or the lot behind the Mahaney Arts Center, a short walk away.[S5]
Getting there
About 4 hours from Boston and Hartford, 5 from New York City and 2½ from Montreal. Burlington International Airport is 35 miles away; Boston Logan is 189 miles.[S6][S5]
What to know
Accessibility: the campus is ADA accessible. Ask ahead for accommodations such as a wheelchair-accessible tour or an ASL interpreter.[S5]
No tours during academic breaks. Self-guided tour maps are online and at the Admissions office.[S5][S7]
Last checked Oct 22, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
30-minute information sessions given by admissions staff, and 75-minute student-led walking tours: 1 hour 45 minutes together. Engineering-specific sessions and tours are booked separately, through Dartmouth Engineering.[S8][S9]
Arrive at least 30 minutes early to park, walk to the Admissions Office and grab coffee in the lobby.[S9]
Visitor parking
Visitor parking is in G-Lot, about a 15-minute walk to the Admissions Office, or the Anderson Garage, about 10 minutes. Staying at the Hanover Inn? It's on the Green, so walk.[S9][S18][S22]
What to know
Tours go out in all weather, so bring layers and an umbrella; Dartmouth may cancel the walk in dangerous conditions.[S9]
Self-guided tours of the main campus, the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth Engineering and the athletics facilities.[S8]
In-person campus tours led by current students and admissions counselors, starting at Lunder House. Pre-registration is required, and you can register for more than one tour during a visit.[S12][S13]
During the semester, prospective students can sit in on select classes: the list is at the Lunder House front desk. Two student visitors per class at most; arrive 15 minutes early and introduce yourself to the professor. Colby doesn't offer admission interviews.[S12]
Visitor parking
Take I-95 to Exit 127 (Waterville/Oakland), head east on Kennedy Memorial Drive (Route 137) and follow the blue Colby signs. Turn left on First Rangeway, then left on Mayflower Hill Drive. Park in the lots behind Lunder House, reached by continuing past the Davis Science Center and turning right.[S12]
Getting there
Portland Jetport is a 75-minute drive and Bangor International about an hour. Concord Coach Lines runs buses from Logan Airport, Boston's South Station and Portland to Colby.[S12]
Contact
(207) 859-4800, admissions@colby.edu. 4800 Mayflower Hill, Waterville[S12]
Last checked Oct 22, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Overlooking the village green in historic downtown Middlebury, about 15 minutes on foot or 4 by car from Emma Willard House. Welcoming guests since 1827, with 71 individually styled rooms.[S14][S15][S21][S22]
Directly overlooking the Dartmouth Green, a couple of minutes on foot. 108 rooms.[S18][S22][S16]
Good to know
PINE Restaurant, just off the lobby, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 am to 10 pm daily.[S17][S18]
Valet parking, $34 a night. EV charging on-site.[S17][S18]
Free Wi-Fi. Accessible rooms, with transportation help through the front desk. Dogs welcome for a fee; reserve ahead. Reservations: individual.reservations@hanoverinn.com[S17][S18][S16]
Downtown Waterville, about 7 minutes by car from Colby
Why here
Night 3, if you add Colby. The person checking in must be 21 or older, with valid ID, so a parent should check in.[S19]
Good to know
Check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am. Early check-in is free when a room is ready; late check-out is $50 on request.[S19]
Free valet parking for registered guests. EV chargers on-site.[S19]
24-hour front desk, a fitness room and no pool. No resort fees. Dogs allowed in select rooms, $100 per stay. Free cancellation until 24 hours before 3 pm on the check-in date.[S19]
Colby's dining halls charge $10 per person for lunch and take only debit or credit cards, not American Express. Admissions doesn't arrange lunches; contact diningadmin@colby.edu if you plan to eat on campus.[S12]
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Beneski Museum of Natural History
Amherst College (GPS for the Dickinson Lot: 90 Dickinson St.)
Free, with more than 1,700 specimens on three floors and the world's most extensive collection of fossil dinosaur tracks. Open Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4 pm and Saturday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm. Fully accessible, with a wheelchair and walker available. Park in the Dickinson Lot.[S4]
Classrooms, galleries, the Maine Film Center and (when available) the Waterville Opera House, booked through Colby admissions. Dates still ahead in 2026 include Thursday, November 19 and Wednesday, December 16; pre-registration is required.[S12]
Drive times here are no-traffic estimates: about 5½ hours of driving on Days 1–2, plus about 4 hr 49 min to Waterville if you add Colby, and the drives to Amherst and home.[S21]
Middlebury: the lot next to Admissions or behind the Mahaney Arts Center.[S5]
Concord Coach Lines serves Colby from Logan Airport, South Station and Portland.[S12]
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Amherst, Hanover, Burlington for Middlebury, Waterville)
Spring: April averages a high of 58°F and a low of 34°F in Amherst, 58°F/35°F in Hanover, 55°F/36°F around Burlington and 54°F/32°F in Waterville.[S24][S25][S26][S27]
Summer: July averages 83°F/60°F, 83°F/61°F, 82°F/62°F and 80°F/59°F.[S24][S25][S26][S27]
Fall: October averages 62°F/39°F, 60°F/40°F, 59°F/42°F and 59°F/38°F. November is 50°F/29°F, 47°F/31°F, 46°F/32°F and 46°F/29°F.[S24][S25][S26][S27]
Winter: January averages 34°F/14°F in Amherst (about 8 inches of snow), 30°F/13°F in Hanover (about 16 inches), 29°F/13°F around Burlington (about 21 inches) and 29°F/9°F in Waterville. Dartmouth tours go out in all weather but can be canceled in blizzards or ice storms.[S24][S25][S26][S27][S9]
Siblings on tours
Middlebury allows up to three guests per registering student, and dogs stay off the tour. Colby limits class visits to two student visitors.[S5][S12]
Parent checklist
Register at all four schools before you book the inns.[S2][S7][S10][S13]
Check Middlebury's academic-break dates; there are no tours then.[S7]
Adding Colby? A parent (21 or older, with ID) must check in at the Lockwood.[S19]
Pack layers and an umbrella; Dartmouth tours go out in all weather.[S9]
After each school, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student before the next one blurs it.
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Sources
All checked Oct 22, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
