After the winter we’ve had, we need no special occasion to get out of town other than to celebrate spring. These nine getaways under $200 are as beautiful as they are budget-friendly. Let nature—and nurturing innkeepers—rekindle the romance at a charming B&B overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington or in a private English garden by the sea in Portsmouth. Enjoy the travel perks of the shoulder season on your next car-free escape from NYC.
1. Hillsdale, NY
Where to stay: Inn at Green River, from $150/night. Getting there: Take Amtrak to Hudson, then call Pronto Taxi at 518.822.9500 for the 30-minute ride ($30-$40) to the inn.
2. East Haddam, CT
Where to stay: The Boardman House, from $199/king corner room. Getting there: Take the train to Old Saybrook on the Shore Line East rail service, which connects in New Haven with MetroNorth and Amtrak routes. Call the Essex Taxi Company (860.767.7433) ahead of time to pick you up at the Old Saybrook train station for a scenic 15-minute ride to the hotel.
3. Stockton, NJ 
Where to stay: Woolverton Inn, from $159/night. Getting there: Take Trans-Bridge Bus Lines Flemington/Frenchtown/ Doylestown route from Port Authority to Lambertville in 2 hours. The inn is less than a 10 minute drive from the station. Call Lambertville Taxi at 215-622-6997. Or you could rent a cruiser from Pure Energy Cycling and Java House ($12/hour or $40/day, includes locks and helmets), and pedal to the inn. See the countryside with the help of this D&R Canal Brochure/map.
4. Beacon, NY
Where to stay: Chrystie House, from $175/night. Getting there: Metro North Hudson Line to Beacon: $7.75 one way/off peak. Chrystie House is one mile from the station, so walk, bike or call West Side Taxi 845.831.7373.
5. Portsmouth, NH
Where to stay: Martin Hill Inn, from $135/night. Getting there: Portsmouth is easy to reach connecting with the C&J Bus Lines at Boston’s South Station for the 60-minute ride. To get to Boston, consult oM’s Boston Travel Guide. The entire journey from NYC takes five hours. Call Rockingham Taxi at 603.501.0960 for the five minute ride to the hotel.
6. Burlington, VT
Where to stay: One of a Kind B&B, from $175/night in a suite. Getting there: Take Megabus, which departs from 34th St between 11th Ave and 12th Ave and arrives at UVM Davis Center in Burlington six hours later. Head west along Pearl Street toward Lake Champlain, then make a right on North Ave and a left onto Lakeview Terrace to the B&B. You can also take Amtrak to Essex Junction, VT. From there, take a Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) bus 15 minutes into town.
7. Greenwich, CT
Where to stay: Stanton House Inn, $183/room 3 with a private outside entrance and patio Getting there: Catch the Metro-North Railroad out of Grand Central Terminal, riding the New Haven line. The one-way trip takes only 40 minutes. The train will let out directly at Greenwich Avenue, where taxi services are available and waiting near the train station. If you like to ride, bring your bike on Metro North (bike rentals are unavailable in Greenwich) and roll to the hotel in 10 minutes. Just make sure you have your $5 bike permit with you on the train.
8. Chadds Ford, PA
Where to stay: Pennsbury Inn and Gardens, from $147/night. Getting there: Take Amtrak to Wilmington, then a 20-minute taxi to the inn. There is almost always a taxi line waiting outside, but if you’d like to call ahead, we recommend THG Transport at 877.742.5844. Pennsbury is a 40-minute bike ride from Kennett Square in the heart of Chadds Ford.
9. Cape Cod, MA
Where to stay: Penny House Inn and Spa, from $179/night. Getting there: Visit newenglandtravelplanner.com for directions from NYC by bus or train.
Top photo: Marty
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram