Despite the drought conditions in the Midwest, the New England rain this summer was adequate and the projections for the fall foliage is that it will be a spectacular show. Yankee Magazine keeps an updated Foliage Map on the Internet so you can time your visit to any given area. In addition, individual state organizations keep other maps.
Once you take a look at the maps and figure out when you would like to go, get planning NOW. You are at most 4-6 weeks away from peak foliage enjoyment, and lodging reservations are going to be difficult the longer you wait.
Combine your trip with one of New England many festivals for a wonderful time.
September 28-30 Manchester Fall Arts and Crafts Festival Manchester, Vermont
September 30-October 7 Fryeberg Fair Fryeberg, Maine
October 1-6 North East Kingdom Fall Festival Walden, Cabot, Plainfield, Peacham, Barnet and Groton, Vermont
October 6 Manchester Apple Festival Manchester, Maine
October 6-7 Living History Days Orono, Maine
October 6-7 Warner Fall Foliage Festival Warner, New Hampshire
October 6-7 Sunday River Fall Festival Bethel, Maine
October 6-7 Boothbay Harbor Fall Festival Boothbay Harbor, Maine
October 6-8 Chowder Days Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
October 6-7 International Oktoberfest Newport, Rhode Island
October 6-8 Connecticut Renaissance Faire Hebron, Connecticut
October 13 Wolfe’s Neck Farm Fall Festival Freeport, Maine
October 13-14 Wellfleet Oysterfest Wellfleet, Massachusetts
October 20 Keene Pumpkin Festival Keene, New Hampshire
Many many more!!!
customtripplanning 
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas and the advice. New Englnad certainly is on our wish list, but we won’t be going this year. What we’re planning to do is a road trip, taking our bicycles with us, up to Missouri [Rhineland, verty likely], with some stops in between, to ride some rail trails: parts of the Katy trail up there in Missouri, and other trails in/around Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas, St. Louis, Memphis and Little Rock. We’re in the planning stages as yet, so let’s hope it’ll come to pass.
Best regards from southern Texas,
Pit
Think I might be heading south instead of east this year…. yet to be determined.