A grown-up’s guide to New England’s college towns

You’ve dropped your kid off at college. Now what? Freedom.

But since you’re already here, why not celebrate with a vacation amid the fall foliage?

From a cosmopolitan Boston tryst to a woodsy retreat in rural Maine, we’ve plotted sophisticated, parents-only stays in (and around) New England’s college towns.

Burlington, Vt.

If your freshmen are off to schools like the University of Vermont, Champlain College or Saint Michael’s College, this Lake Champlain escape is yours to explore for the next four years. Lucky you! There’s nothing like Vermont in the fall, so commence your day in the great outdoors by apple picking at Allenholm Farm, one of Vermont’s oldest orchards, then head to the Coot Hill/Big Hollow trail for panoramic vistas of the region. Recount the day’s adventures over spiced ciders at Citizen Cider or pumpkin ales at Burlington Beer Co.

Swing by the Burlington Farmers’ Market on Saturdays through Oct. 25 and drift off at the recently opened AC Hotel Burlington. It’s an upscale retreat a stone’s throw away from the Church Street Marketplace, a bustling dining and shopping complex, and the waterfront.

Providence, RI

This intellectual hub — Brown, RISD, Johnson & Wales and Providence College are all in PVD — comes alive in the fall. Top tours include the Providence Ghost Tour and “Parasols and Pocket Watches” (a delightful history tour). There’s also the haunted boat ride with Providence River Boat Company, and the autumn brews at Buttonwoods Brewery just north of Federal Hill.

Another quintessential fall activity? Julie Temple, a marketing manager at the RISD Museum, loves ambling along Benefit Street, one of Providence’s nicest historic stretches. “It’s the perfect mix of creativity, coffee and classic New England atmosphere,” she says.

Back on Benefit Street, marvel at the Providence Athenaeum, a library tucked inside an 1838 Greek Revival Building. For better-than-dorm-room digs, there’s the Beatrice, which occupies a restored 19th-century bank building that has a heck of a rooftop bar.

Before departing, leaf peep in Roger Williams Park or take a long, leisurely pedal on the East Bay Bike Path, indulging in Narragansett Bay views.

New Haven, Conn.

Parents of Yalies (also of University of New Haven, Quinnipiac University or Southern Connecticut State University enrollees) should kick off the empty nest chapter with a French toast latte from Atticus Market.

The Yale University Art Gallery, overlooking the historic New Haven Green and Yale’s old campus, is also a must if you haven’t. “I always start in the Renaissance art section,” says Claire Criscuolo, owner of Claire’s Corner Copia, a New Haven vegan mainstay, celebrating its 50th anniversary.

We know pizza is a tad “undergraduate,” but New Haven is officially recognized by Congress as the Pizza Capital of the US. Our vote is Frank Pepe’s, celebrating its centennial this year, or Sally’s Apizza, which has been slinging pies since 1938.

When it’s time to call it a night, post up at decidedly chic digs like the Study at Yale, with its library and art gallery on the premises, as well as Heirloom, a swanky bistro for hits like New England seafood chowder, pork chops saltimbocca and apple doughnuts.

Another boutique property, the Blake Hotel boasts an Italian hot spot, Siena Ristorante, for pasta and High George Rooftop to nurse a celebratory cocktail

Amherst, Mass.

You’ve been officially dismissed. Whether you’ve given farewell hugs at Amherst, Hampshire College, UMass Amherst, Mount Holyoke or Smith, stick around in this Hampshire County hub for a few days. The Inn on Boltwood, hitting its centennial next year, has a visiting-parents package that includes a $50 gift card to its fine dining restaurant, 30Boltwood.

While freshmen scout the best routes to class, you can select the best routes for hiking or biking Mt. Holyoke Range State Park, Norwottuck Rail Trail and Pioneer Valley. More adventurous types might want to book a full-moon paddle led by Adventure East guides. While muscles recover, museum hop at local gems like Emily Dickinson Museum, Mead Art Museum and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Whatever you do, carve out an afternoon at Atkins Farms to nosh on apple cider doughnuts, pick apples and smirk at all those parents with strollers and 18 years to go.

Boston

Dropped off your youngster at Harvard, Tufts, MIT, Northeastern, Emerson, BC or BU? Mazel tov. The otherworldly, seafood-centric tasting menu at Mooncusser is the ideal place to start your festivities before checking in at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, with a gorgeous gym and a stellar location in this burgeoning waterfront nabe. Or, stay at the Verb Hotel, a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired property with a pool that’s directly behind Fenway Park.

For a cultural stop, hit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and a walking tour of Innovation Trail, where four centuries of medical, scientific and technological discoveries collide.

Seekers of fall hues would amble around in the Somerville Community Path, the Boston Public Garden or good ole Boston Common. Autumn’s kaleidoscopic palette also shines from the waters via a Charles River Boat Company cruise.

Foxborough, Mass.

For parents heading south of Boston post-drop-off — or just wanting to check out something different near Beantown — consider Foxborough. Make your home base the Renaissance Boston Patriot Place Hotel or the Hilton Garden Inn Foxborough Patriot Place, a three-minute walk from the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium.

Explore Patriot Place for live music, shopping and dining. On any given weekend, events run the gamut from comedy shows to DJ sets to player appearances. Grab a bite at the recently opened the Harp, a restaurant with a large patio offering views of Gillette, sports trivia showdowns and an unforgettable “kickoff” bloody Mary.

Philadelphia

UPenn? Drexel? Temple? Villanova? Saint Joseph? University of the Sciences? Wherever you bid farewell to your bundle of joy, there are plenty of reasons to stick around Philly before you return home. Swap keg parties for Brauhaus Schmitz’s Oktoberfest tent on Oct. 10 and 11 at the 23rd Street Armory. From the moment you walk into the stone castle structure, your senses will be overwhelmed with the sights and smells of beer, bratwurst and soft pretzels.

Then, trade soaking up suds for culture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation (where the permanent collection features works by Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso and other greats). Its Garden Restaurant has one of the best brunches in town. Wander the Old City’s cobblestone streets past centuries-old churches and historic sites. Elfreth’s Alley, tracing its origins to 1703, is dotted with structures built between 1720 and 1836.

Harried parents will go gaga for a reservation at AKA Rittenhouse Square, perched over its namesake park and home to a.kitchen, where a late-night Paris-Brest before tucking in for the night is a must.

Acadia National Park, Maine

After the last Target run and tearful goodbye, you’re probably wondering what exactly to do if your kid attends Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College or College of the Atlantic in what feels like the middle of nowhere. The answer? They’re all within a two-hour drive of an even more majestic, isolated place, Acadia National Park.

Set up shop at Under Canvas Acadia, amid 100 acres of emerald-green spruce and fir trees along the craggy Maine coastline. There, you’ll relax in safari-style tents with private decks for breathing crisp fall air. When you’ve had enough R&R, the adventure concierge can book you for a lobster fishing tour, oyster aquaculture experience, a waterfront yoga class or a sunset boat cruise through Newbury Neck Peninsula.

You’re also about a 40-minute drive from the coastal town of Bar Harbor, the most Hallmark-y New England town you’ve ever seen.