Boston · Month comparison

November vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs November at #8. Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

Plymouth Plantation living history Massachusetts

November

#8 of 12 months

Strong option

Thanksgiving in Plymouth (30 min south, original 1621 site) — the most authentically American week.

  • ↑Plymouth Plantation living history museum at peak Thanksgiving programming
  • ↑Tree lighting on Boston Common (Sat after Thanksgiving)
October foliage on Boston Public Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

  • ↑Foliage on Comm Ave, Public Garden and the Common at world-class peak
  • ↑Salem (30 min north) Haunted Happenings runs all month
FactorNovemberOctober
Weather score
5
10
Value score
7
4
Crowd score
7
4
Events score
7
10
Atmosphere
8
10
Avg high temp10°C17°C
Monthly rain100mm110mm
Daily sunshine5hrs7hrs

November trade-offs

  • ↓Pre-Thanksgiving travel days (Wed/Sun before/after) — Logan chaos
  • ↓First snow possible late month

October trade-offs

  • ↓Salem and foliage day-tripper traffic clogs every northbound road
  • ↓Hotel rates spike for Head of the Charles weekend
  • ↓110mm rain — wettest autumn month
See all 12 months for Boston →November in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Boston. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →