The hum of the expectant crowd dies immediately as the lights go down in the packed auditorium. The cherubs and goddesses looming from the dome overhead retreat into the shadows. The curtain parts, and the opening band kicks into a short set. The vibration of the thin wood floor urges the audience to the edges […]
Travel
Massachusetts
Bound Brook Island
Looking for an easy walk? This one at Bound Brook Island is in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Turn off Route 6 onto Pamet Point Road, next to the gas station that Edward Hopper painted. (Look for the sign for the Atwood Higgins House.) Bear left at the first Y you come to. Then take a right onto […]
New England
Six Degrees of Separation from Sugarbush Resort
I have three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, which means everyone I know has four degrees, except for my friend Lydia who is the link for me and is two degrees away. The trivia game bearing Bacon’s name is based on the the phenomenom that claims everyone is six degrees from every other human […]
New England
Favorite New England Farm Stands
Photo/Art by Brenda Darroch Seasons matter in New England, and the best harbinger is what’s available at your local farm stand. Farm stands come in many varieties and sizes, from apple orchards to year-round markets. The ones highlighted here are three- or four-season spots, with spring seedlings, summer veggies, fall fruits, and winter seafood. Most […]
Connecticut
The Book Barn, Niantic, CT | Family Day-Trip
Is The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, the most unusual bookstore in New England? [slideshow post_id=”94917″] Nestled in a wooded corner of Niantic, Connecticut, is a playground like no other. Little girls pick through garden paths searching for big, apathetic cats to cuddle; boys chase one another around a wooden fort; and an energetic dog […]
New England
Weekend: Stowe Spas
Stowe, Vermont, is known for action: skiing in winter and biking, hiking, fishing, and horseback riding in summer and fall. But for simple relaxation in a beautiful place, come here in early spring when the crowds melt away with the snow. When Stowe Mountain Lodge opens this April, this town of just 4,400 or so […]
New Hampshire
Adventure: Indoor Skydiving
When I returned home with my son — Henry, age 11 — from an outing at SkyVenture New Hampshire, my wife greeted us at the door. “Did they let you do the jump with the thunderstorms and all that rain?” she wondered. I looked at Patty closely: “You thought I was going to take Henry […]
New England
Canoeing: New Hampshire
At the junction of Routes 16 and 26 in Errol, Northern Waters Outfitters rents canoes. Grab one and put in north of town on Route 16 to find out why Umbagog was named a National Wildlife Refuge. A short paddle on the Androscoggin River brings you to a deserted island, where atop one dead pine […]
New England
Biking: Massachusetts
We’re big fans of the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail, especially when you take it in bits and pieces. But to be frank, the actual ride, even after the route’s recent refurbishment, can be a real yawner for kids. It’s a former railroad line, straight with very little grade. We like the ups and downs […]
New England
Camping: Acadia National Park in Maine
Most parents gauge the growth of their children by penciling their heights against the bedroom wall. My wife and I can tell the kids are getting on in years by what they accomplish at Acadia each summer. We start by setting up camp. Acadia’s more popular campground, Blackwoods, sits off the congested Park Loop, so […]
New England
Mountain Biking: Vermont
We make an annual pilgrimage to the Northeast Kingdom to bike the 100-plus-mile web known as the Kingdom Trails. We pedal across fertile green pastures, past immense red barns still standing from the early 1900s, and sweep up and down on soft forest trails dusted with pine needles, all within arm’s length of fragrant spruce […]
New England
Rafting: Massachusetts
The Deerfield River surges in the Berkshire towns around Charlemont. Power company dam releases cause rapids to tumble down two stretches of the river: the exhilarating Class IV rapids of the Dryway and the mellower Class II and III rapids farther south, in the deep pools of Zoar Gap. But you don’t have to own […]