Best of New England Fall Travel: Best Places to See Foliage in New England, Best Fall Drives in New England, Things To Do In Maine, Things To Do in the Berkshires, Things To Do in Vermont, and More!
Best of New England Fall Travel: Best Places to See Foliage in New England, Best Fall Drives in New England, Things To Do In Maine, Things To Do in the Berkshires, Things To Do in Vermont, and More! [easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,pinterest,google,mail,print,more” sharebtn_style=”icon” counters=0 style=”icon” point_type=”simple”] Table Of Contents: Best Places to See Foliage In New England […]
Best of New England Fall Travel: Best Places to See Foliage in New England, Best Fall Drives in New England, Things To Do In Maine, Things To Do in the Berkshires, Things To Do in Vermont, and More!
Fall in New England is more than just beautiful leaves. It encompasses a variety of experiences, from apple picking and browsing farmers’ markets to visiting unique shops and, of course, sampling great food. But picking the right autumn destination is no easy matter. To guide you to the perfect fall experience, we’ve put together this list of ten of our favorite foliage towns.
KENT, CONNECTICUT
Set in the heart of Connecticut’s stunning Litchfield Hills region, Kent offers the full foliage experience: farm stands and covered bridges, the waterfalls and antiques stores that provide the eye candy, framed by the colors of our most glorious season. All of these things Kent has in abundance, in a perfect blend of uncommon natural beauty and culture that might shame cities 10 times its size (just shy of 3,000 people).
To bring home a little of that artistic sensibility, visit Heron American Crafts Gallery (heronamericancraft.com) for artisanal wares from around New England and beyond. Look for the shadow-box sculptures of Tomas Savrda, which we guarantee are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. The profusion of art in town offers a constant counterpoint to the artistry of nature. Across the Housatonic River, the natural area of Macedonia Brook State Park is carved into the side of Cobble Mountain, where Revolutionary-era residents dug iron ore out of the hills and fashioned it into cannonballs to fire at the British. Kent’s other big natural draw tumbles 250 feet down from the hills in a series of cascades known collectively as Kent Falls.
Don’t miss: Mountain View Farm (mountainviewfarmkent.com), which boasts an enviable vista along with a bevy of organic produce. There, you can meet Maria LaFontan, who works the land here with her husband, Vincent and now farms eight fields of pumpkins, squash, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, and other crops, along with raising a flock of chickens. It’s also one of the few places in Connecticut where you can purchase certified organic maple syrup.
BETHEL, MAINE
Maine’s mountain gem boasts scenic drives through Evans Notch and a covered-bridge driving tour of the area. On fall weekends, Sunday River Ski Resort’s “chondola” in nearby Newry whisks visitors 1,000 feet up North Peak to the ultimate picnic ground. Don’t miss: Bethel’s townwide Annual Harvest Fest & “Chowdah” Cookoff, where local restaurants compete for bragging rights.
MANCHESTER, VERMONT
The second-highest peak in southern Vermont, Equinox Mountain offers unbroken views stretching miles to the surrounding ranges—a painter’s palette of gold and crimson by the first week of October. In mid-summer the town hosts the annual Southern Vermont Art & Craft Festival, which draws artisans from around the Green Mountains. Don’t miss: Northshire Bookstore (4869 Main St., Manchester Center; northshire.com), the independent bookshop/café you might have created in your dreams.
WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
The ultimate college town, sheltered in the arms of Massachusetts’ highest mountain (Mount Greylock, in nearby Adams), Williamstown’s mix of eclectic architecture and inviting quads can’t help but inspire lofty thoughts. The drive up Mount Greylock affords dizzying views of the Berkshires and the Taconic Range, but the favorite hike for Williams College students is the two-mile pitch up to Pine Cobble, a quartzite outcropping with a panoramic view of “the Purple Valley” and church spires below. Don’t miss: the stunning Impressionist collections at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (225 South St.; clarkart.edu).
MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT
The 16-mile “Trail Around Middlebury” provides an ideal walking route where families can soak in the atmosphere of this vibrant college town. Here the fall foliage harmonizes with the brick architecture and the roaring falls of Otter Creek, with eclectic shopping and restaurants along the way. Don’t miss: the A&W Drive-In (1557 Route 7; awrestaurants.com), where frosty root beers and fried onion rings from one of New England’s last car-hop restaurants perfectly complement the crisp fall air.
The Middlebury College campus and the surrounding Town of Middlebury are particularly scenic in the fall.
Credit: Brett Simison
The Middlebury College campus and the surrounding Town of Middlebury are particularly scenic in the fall. Credit: Brett SimisonCAMDEN, MAINE
The view from the forested slopes of Mount Battie straight down to the forest of masts in Camden Harbor is one of the most dramatic in New England—and never more beautiful than in fall. For a closer look at the trees, hike nearby Mount Megunticook or Bald Rock Mountain. Don’t miss: the crispy cider doughnuts at Boynton-McKay Food Co. (30 Main St.; boynton-mckay.com).
WAITSFIELD, VERMONT
Iconic barns and hillside farmlands carpet this narrow valley between Green Mountain ranges, reflected in the rushing currents of the Mad River. The town has two covered bridges, including the Great Eddy (a.k.a. Big Eddy), the second-oldest operating covered bridge in the state. Saturday mornings bring local residents out for fresh produce, crafts, and music at the weekly Waitsfield Farmers’ Market on the Green. Don’t miss: the gourmet pizzas at American Flatbread (46 Lareau Road; americanflatbread.com).
CONWAY/NORTH CONWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE
There may be no better way to see foliage than by train, and the Conway Scenic Railroad is just the ticket, wending its way through White Mountain clefts and over trestles lit by the colors of fall. Restaurants and outlet shopping ensure that you won’t sacrifice comfort for beauty. Don’t miss: the hike to Diana’s Baths (off West Side Road on the Bartlett town line), a chain of waterfalls and swimming holes enveloped in foliage.
SANDWICH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Sandwiched between the loon-rich shores of Squam Lake and the forested foothills of the White Mountains, the village offers plenty of hiking trails, driving routes, a covered bridge, and an inviting downtown. Don’t miss: the Sandwich Fair (603-284-7062; thesandwichfair.com), with midway rides, livestock competitions, and more.
RANGELEY, MAINE
The lakes of Maine’s western mountains hold up a succession of mirrors to some of the state’s best fall foliage. The must-stop viewpoint in the area is at a small turnout on Route 17, aptly named Height of Land, from which a panorama of five lakes and countless forested mountains stretches in all directions. Don’t miss: the annual Maine Forest Museum Apple Festival (rangeleymaine.com), where visitors can press their own cider while watching artisans “whittle” away with chainsaws.
Fall Comes to Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills
Explore the lovely rolling landscape that makes up Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, where “keeping it as is” is more than a phrase — it’s a way of life.
The Connecticut of your mind’s eye comes into sharp focus in the Litchfield Hills, the area roughly bounded by Route 8 to the east, Massachusetts’ Berkshire County to the north, and New York State to the west. Travel the hill towns in fall and you’ll see those mind’s-eye images in living color: the Litchfield town green, its Greek Revival Congregational Church, and the stately mansions of North and South streets; forest- and farm-ringed Lake Waramaug, an unspoiled jewel straddling New Preston, Kent, and Warren; downtown Kent, the people’s choice for leaf peeping; Kent Falls, the state’s most heart-stoppingly beautiful cascade; the covered bridge over the Housatonic in West Cornwall, an architectural marvel in 1864 and a photographer’s favorite subject today; and Bear Mountain in Salisbury, 2,316 feet high, the state’s tallest peak and an incomparable outlook yielding panoramic vistas.
Tanner Hill Road, Warren, Connecticut, overlooking Lake Waramaug.
Credit: Erik Rank
Tanner Hill Road, Warren, Connecticut, overlooking Lake Waramaug. Credit: Erik Rank
Yes, the Litchfield Hills are blessed with true natural resources—but locals have safeguarded them. Chief among them in the early days was Alain White, scion of an old Litchfield family and a student of botany. In 1908, while fishing with a friend on Bantam Lake, he mused, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to preserve this lake, river, and countryside as we see it?” He began buying up land; in 1913 he created Litchfield’s White Memorial Foundation, a 4,000-acre nature preserve, and went on to donate land that became the basis of the state park system. “The best thing we can do for the public,” he said, “is to keep this as it is.”
“Keeping this as it is” is the key to the region. Over 200 years ago, the Hopkins family started a farm that in time became Hopkins Vineyard, overlooking Lake Waramaug in Warren. According to Hillary Hopkins Criollo, hers is one of few Centennial Farms in the state, in an area that remains virtually unchanged. “People like to keep things the way they are around here,” she says, noting the strict zoning laws.
In 1972, maestro Skitch Henderson and his wife, Ruth, bought The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford, which they grew into a cooking school, gourmet kitchenware/food store, and art gallery; it’s now the Hunt Hill Farm Land Preserve. And in 1999, two successful New York businessmen, George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis of Manolo Blahnik footwear, bought an old spread in Litchfield that they renamed Arethusa Farm and nurtured into one of the top dairy-cow breeding businesses in North America. Meanwhile, the partners have become active members of the community. Residents of the Litchfield Hills today are a mix of families who’ve been here, often farming the land, for years; people who’ve found a new way of life here; creative types; and weekenders, many from New York. Among those who’ve settled here is Dr. Mark Ruchman, an ophthalmic plastic surgeon who lives in Washington, Connecticut, and practices in Southbury, Trumbull, and Lakeville. He and his wife, Sharon, grew up in the New York suburbs and met as graduate students at Yale. Then, he recalls, “on Columbus Day 1975, we took a drive and came upon the Washington Green. The leaves were changing, and it was achingly beautiful: the Green, the Congregational Church, the Green Store with its old-fashioned soda fountain. We felt we’d walked through a time warp into a Norman Rockwell painting, a place that was beautiful, peaceful, and clean.”
Autumn color blankets fields and farmsteads on Rabbit Hill Road.
Credit: Erik Rank
Autumn color blankets fields and farmsteads on Rabbit Hill Road. Credit: Erik Rank
They purchased a home in this town of few traffic lights, surrounded by families whose roots go way, way back: the Gunns, who founded The Gunnery School and the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum; the Van Sinderens, who lived in what is now the Mayflower Inn and donated some 650 acres along the Shepaug River to the Steep Rock Association; and the Averills, who since 1746 have owned the town’s largest orchard, where the Ruchmans pick apples every fall. Bottom line: The Ruchmans have lived here all their married life, raised their family here, and never want to leave. Their friends outside these hills, meanwhile, remain “dumbstruck that this Brigadoon-like sanctuary still exists.”
Weekenders also have a profound impact on the area. Take Susan Swatzburg, a New York interior designer whose family purchased a onetime stable, which over time she’s transformed into a showplace home. “I sank my toes into the sand and said I was never leaving,” she says. She loves the stability of the area, the craftsmen whose families have been here for generations, the farm stands, the little shops, the opportunity to live where she can see, do, smell, and touch things, including animals. At the Goshen Fair, she says, she’s “in heaven.”
Wherever you go in the Litchfield Hills, at times it can be hard to know, unless an accent gives it away, who has been here for generations and who has fallen in love with the land later in life. They live together, and struggle together, to keep this corner of Connecticut a land apart, as if the noise and clamor of the 21st century had pulled up to a gate and stopped right here against the soft hills. It’s never easy, and not everyone wants the gates closed. But there’s probably no better spokesman for that passion for the land than Bill Hopkins of Hopkins Vineyard, whose family has farmed here for generations. His daughters work with him now, and there are grandchildren who profess a tie to the farm. They’ll never sell, he says. “We’ve had this land [since 1787],” he adds. “We ought to be able to hold on to it.”
Left: Arethusa Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut. Right: The Hopkins Inn in Warren, hosting travelers since 1847.
Credit: Erik Rank
Left: Arethusa Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut. Right: The Hopkins Inn in Warren, hosting travelers since 1847. Credit: Erik Rank
Best Fall Drives in New England
Best Foliage Drives in New England
So many wonderful drives, so little time. To select these tours, we went to the real road warriors — the Federal Highway Administration. They’ve established a program, National Scenic Byways, that recognizes and preserves roads with beautiful vistas, historic sites, access to public lands, and other qualities that make them more than just a Sunday drive. Throw in spectacular fall color, and you’ve got a perfect day-trip.
Vermont: Through the Notch
The 18-mile stretch of Route 108 that connects Stowe and Jeffersonville via Smugglers’ Notch is a destination in itself, as well as a way to get from one town to another during the spring, summer, and fall. It starts out looking like any other easily negotiable Vermont road, but after it courses past the resort-area businesses that trail north out of Stowe and leaves behind the ski area, it’s easy to see why no plow dares make the passage in winter.
Steep slopes crowd close once you reach Mount Mansfield State Forest, and Route 108 narrows to a blacktop corkscrew of a road with a 16 percent grade. On the Stowe side, there’s access to the resort’s gondola and auto road to Mount Mansfield’s summit, along with picnic and camping spots. Near the crest of the notch, where the dark walls of Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak loom above the road, you can pull over and hike to Sterling Pond, the highest pond on the Long Trail. Here it’s never fully daylight, especially beneath the 1,000-foot rise that lofts to the stark rock formation called Elephant’s Head. Did smugglers really use this route more than two centuries ago to secretly transport supplies to the Canadian-based British army? If not, they should have: Not only is it the most direct way through the northern Green Mountains, but it’s also crammed with rocky nooks and crannies.
Vistas broaden after you navigate the sharp summit turns, and the road straightens on the way down past Smugglers’ Notch ski resort and into Jeffersonville. Now you’re in northern Vermont, where things are just a bit more rustic, and even a sizable ski area isn’t beset by bistros and boutiques. Take time to enjoy it before you make that drive back to the other side of the notch.
New Hampshire: Mountains at Every Turn
The most dramatic way to enter the White Mountains region is to follow I-93 and Route 3 north through Franconia Notch, then head east along Route 302 to Route 16. The 75-mile winding drive is one of sweeping views, turnoffs to logging roads and hiking trails, babbling brooks, waterfalls, and covered bridges.
Just north of Lincoln, the road narrows between the majestic peaks of the Franconia and Kinsman Ridges. Cannon Mountain’s rocky face drops down to Profile Lake, over which the Old Man of the Mountain once presided.
Here Franconia Notch State Park offers much to explore, including the Basin’s glacial potholes, the granite walls covered with moss in the Flume, and the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC’s) Greenleaf and Lonesome Lake high-mountain huts. The Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway’s 15-minute ride whisks you to within a short walk of the 4,200-foot summit, where on a clear day you can see into Vermont, New York, Canada, and Maine.
After the road skirts the Twin Mountains, the grand Mount Washington Hotel — a fixture of the landscape since 1902 — comes into view. Stop here, if only to walk the wraparound porch and take in the magnificent view of the namesake mountain.
Now the road widens, edged by wildflower meadows and boggy ditches — a favorite habitat of moose — before narrowing again through Crawford Notch. Just before starting the descent to the Mount Washington Valley, you come to the AMC’s Highland Center. New trails crisscross the property, introducing visitors to hiking basics and the concept of ecological stewardship. Inside, mountaineering photos by Bradford and Barbara Washburn rival big-city exhibits.
At about the halfway point of this scenic tour, The Notchland Inn’s Tudor-style roofline pokes up out of the colorful foliage of the 778,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. Turn up the drive and discover a refined retreat in the wilds of New Hampshire. The dining room serves a five-course meal most nights, and afterward you can relax with a book or work on a puzzle next to the Gustav Stickley fireplace.
For most of the remaining drive, the road parallels the Saco River and the Conway Scenic Railroad. In Bartlett, a side trip takes you along Bear Notch Road to several stellar viewpoints. Or continue on Route 302, looking for the slopes of the Attitash ski area. Take the scenic chairlift to the top of the mountain for stunning autumn views.
Back on the road, a southbound Scenic Railroad train whistles. The first billboards in 25 miles appear, and the number of businesses increases as the blacktop winds into Glen, North Conway, and Conway. Here there are myriad options for a bite to eat and a little shopping while still being able to see the mountains. End your tour by taking East Side Road through Conway’s Saco River covered bridge before heading home. Or, if you haven’t gotten enough of the mountains, complete a 110-mile loop by following the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112) back to Lincoln.
Connecticut: A Natural Gentility
As you drive along Route 169 in the eastern part of the state, it soon becomes clear why this section of Connecticut is called the Quiet Corner. This route, located just off I-395, offers 32 miles of pure, uninterrupted tranquillity.
In Lisbon, weathered-clapboard home-steads appear around every bend. Stone walls flank the road to the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury. (Prudence Crandall was a prescient white woman who educated black girls from 1833 to 1834 before a club-wielding mob brought an end to her school.)
Back on Route 169, giant trees cast long shadows on faded red barns. The apple orchards and hiking and biking trails just off the road beckon.
Continuing on, you soon reach the town of Brooklyn, settled in the 1600s. Pass the Brooklyn Fairgrounds, site of the oldest agricultural fair in the country. For a special treat, visit The Golden Lamb Buttery, part of a 1,000-acre estate just off Route 169. For dinner, try the roast duckling — the house specialty — which is so tender it falls off the bone.
Twenty-six miles from the start of your trip, in Woodstock, stands Roseland Cottage, a resplendent raspberry sherbet-colored Gothic Revival house with maroon trim and dark-green shutters. The cottage was built by Henry Bowen, a local boy who moved to New York and struck it rich. He and his family returned to the cottage every summer, and their original furnishings are still on display here.
Massachusetts: Where Time Stands Still
If you could survey the generations of Cape Cod visitors and draw a composite picture from their most lasting impressions, the result would almost certainly be a sketch of Route 6A, Old King’s Highway (named after the cart path that early settlers used to travel to and from Plymouth Colony). This section of the Cape is iconic and timeless, a single 40-mile canvas of demure white clapboards and weathered cedar shingles. You can see it in your mind’s eye: the saltbox homes and sharp-steepled churches, the beaches lapped by placid surf, the vintage motel cottages, the ice-cream and fried seafood stands.
A good place to begin is the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. The unsurpassed collections of Americana housed here on 100 landscaped acres set the tone for the journey ahead. Continuing east, you pass so many signs for antiques and art galleries that you may suspect every resident sells things out of his or her garage. Around the halfway point, in Yarmouth Port, stop at the Edward Gorey House to browse the original artwork and personal effects of its famous and prolific namesake, whose darkly humorous illustrations are an antidote to everything sentimental.
Cape Cod Bay is largely invisible from the road except in glimpses across the occasional salt marsh, but if you take nearly any left-hand turn, you’ll find a beach. The best beaches are in the town of Dennis. For excellent panoramic views of the bay’s ever-changing light, visit the Scargo Hill Observation Tower, a small stone observation platform built in 1902 on the area’s highest point of land (106 feet).
The penultimate town, Brewster, tempts weary travelers with numerous attractive bed-and-breakfasts, many of which were 19th-century sea captains’ homes. Before you know it, the arching boughs over the winding blacktop yield to bustling Orleans, where Old King’s Highway ends.
Maine: Land of Moose and Rivers
Calling the Old Canada Road (Route 201) a scenic byway does a small injustice to this 78-mile drive between Solon and Sandy Bay Township, along the Canadian border. It’s not just scenic (think moose) but also grandly historic. Benedict Arnold led troops through this wilderness on his spectacularly ill-fated mission to sack Quebec in 1775. A more lasting trail was blazed in the 19th century by Maine farmers who discovered a better market for livestock and produce in Canada than on their own coast.
The trip north today remains an excursion from the pastoral into the pine forests. You start out flanked by rolling farmland, then climb steadily into commercial timberland, the lair of moose. Logging trucks soon share the winding road with old school buses that ferry white-water enthusiasts to some of the most popular rafting in the East. Head with Raft Maine to The Forks (named after a river juncture) to get splendidly soaked on the Kennebec or Dead Rivers.
One don’t-miss detour from The Forks is the hike to 90-foot Moxie Falls, one of Maine’s highest cascades. It’s just over a mile from the trailhead, which is two miles east of the river on Lake Moxie Road.
Continue your drive past Parlin Pond and the Appalachian Trail to the town of Jackman (“Last Gas in the United States”), one of Maine’s famed fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling outposts. Just south of town is Attean Lake Lodge, a family-friendly resort on a densely forested island.
Continue along route 201 towards Canada, all the while plotting detours for the trip home.
Things To Do In Fall
The Bold Coast Trail
The Bold Coast Trail in Maine—a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir—may be off the beaten path, but when you find it, you won’t soon forget it.
It was a small lighthouse that eventually guided me back: jutting out into Maine’s Cutler Harbor, a stubby green-and-white tower that served as a reminder that I needed to turn back for home. For three hours I’d been moseying through a patchwork of woods and meadows, tiptoeing close to dazzling rock-walled cliffs and losing myself in the endless expanse of a soft blue Atlantic. It had been some time since I’d even seen another hiker, and, except for the occasional fishing boat laconically crossing the water in the far distance, I seemed to have the entire Gulf of Maine to myself.
Washington County–the easternmost county in the United States–can fool you like that. This isn’t a region you casually decide to visit. Up and up you go, way past Portland, past Bar Harbor even, through undiscovered little towns with million-dollar views, before landing just south of the Canadian border. Here, amid all the woods and water, the crush of summer crowds and the parade of traffic are refreshingly absent.
The Bold Coast Trail includes stunning vistas of the Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: Kindra Clineff
The Bold Coast Trail includes stunning vistas of the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: Kindra Clineff
But it’s the area’s Bold Coast Trail, a pristine and at times solitary trek along rugged ocean cliffs and through forests of spruce and fir, that offers the best escape. Your wait to hit the trailhead comes down to how fast you can lace up your hiking boots.
Its isolation is due in part to the fact that the trail isn’t all that old or well known. After decades of ownership and logging by the Hearst Corporation, this 2,200-acre swath of coastal land came under state control in 1989. Five years later, a small band of builders spent the spring and summer months camping and constructing the trail. They cleared forest paths, laid out stone steps that gave access to lookout points, stamped out routes through small fields, and built campsites above the rocky beach. When they were ready, National Guard helicopters delivered the cedar planks that would go to create walkways through the bogs.
The resulting trail network is laid out like a figure 8: The full loop covers almost ten miles, while the shorter version is just about half that. Neither walk could be classified as easy, but if you’ve got the stamina, the longer one is a worthy goal. For a little more than three and a half miles you follow the coast, soaring above the water in places, finding your footing along the bony beachscape in others. Stopping points abound, from the pink sea rose, lupine, and other wildflowers dotting the land, to the offshoot pathways that lead visitors to the edge of the earth. Below, waves crash into the shore; to the right and the left, slabs of giant rock rise hundreds of feet.
Of course, a visit here is a commitment–not just of time but of mindset. The Bold Coast’s beauty lies in its lack of polish. It’s raw and untamed. There are no fences or signs blaring “Caution!” to warn of the dangers its steep cliffs impose. Nature, as it’s found here, hasn’t been groomed or reduced to some pretty painting for visitors to come and gaze at. Instead, the scenes encourage interaction: to pause to smell the wildflowers, to get a little muddy, to work up some sweat, to dangle your feet atop a bluff. It’s a bold idea, indeed, but if you can slow down enough to do it, you may just discover that there are still vacation spots where you truly can still get away.
Best of Portland
Portland is the largest city in Maine and its historic Old Port has never looked better. Here’s a list of some of our favorite things to do in Portland, Maine plus our picks for where to eat, shop, and stay in the area.
BEST THINGS TO DO IN PORTLAND, MAINE
Best Studio Tour
Winslow Homer Studio, Prouts Neck
After a major restoration, the Portland Museum of Art has opened this American master’s studio to the public for small-group tours departing from the museum’s campus.
Museum location: 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148; portlandmuseum.org
Best Bay Tour
Lucky Catch Lobster Tour
Cruise Casco Bay aboard the Lucky Catch, and in addition to learning all about lobsters, participants can help haul, bait, and set traps and perhaps even catch dinner.
170 Commercial St. 207-761-0941; luckycatch.com
Best Bay Tour | Lucky Catch Lobster Tour
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Best Bay Tour | Lucky Catch Lobster Tour Credit: Aimee Seavey
Best Shopping Adventure
Reny’s
Whether you’re shopping for souvenirs, school supplies, brand-name clothing, housewares, food, toys, or personal necessities, find them at Reny’s, a Maine-grown department store with wallet-friendly prices.
540 Congress St. 207-553-9061; renys.com
Best Historic House Museum
Victoria Mansion
Widely considered the most magnificently ornamented dwelling of its period remaining in the country, the mid-19th-century Victoria Mansion retains about 90 percent of designer Gustave Herter’s original furnishings. Jaw-droppers include a 6-by-25-foot stained-glass ceiling window, mind-boggling trompe l’oeil wall and ceiling flourishes, and the dizzying colors and patterns of the Turkish Smoking Room.
109 Danforth St. 207-772-4841; victoriamansion.org
Best Historic Lighthouse
Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth
In Fort Williams Park, just 4 miles from downtown Portland, Maine’s oldest lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington, guards the harbor. Visit the museum in the keeper’s house and picnic in the park.
Tethered to the mainland by a causeway, 100-acre Mackworth was deeded to the state by Governor Percival Baxter. Borrow a map from the gatehouse and follow the easy 1.5-mile perimeter trail for great views of Casco Bay. Kids love Baxter’s pet cemetery.
Let daylight fade to night while cruising by lighthouses, forts, and islands on a two-hour sail aboard the historic windjammers Bagheera and Wendameen, both elegant ocean schooners built in East Boothbay.
Maine State Pier, 56 Commercial St. 207-766-2500; portlandschooner.com
BEST PLACES TO EAT IN PORTLAND, MAINE
Best Breakfast
Hot Suppa
Scratch-made breakfast specialties—such as rave-worthy corned-beef hash, biscuits and sausage gravy, French-style omelets, and burritos—draw the faithful to this venerable brick Victorian in the city’s West End. Breakfasts: from $5.
703 Congress St. 207-871-5005; hotsuppa.com
Best Fine Dining
Back Bay Grill
It’s not the trendiest restaurant in town, but white-tablecloth elegance combined with professional service makes Back Bay Grill a perennial favorite for a special evening. The nightly changing menu might include grilled filet mignon or lavender-marinated duck breast. Entrées: from $18.
65 Portland St. 207-772-8833; backbaygrill.com
Best Patisserie
Portland Patisserie and Grand Cafe
Find Paris in Portland at Steve and Michelle Corry’s classic pâtisserie, serving pastries, cakes, and tarts, of course, but also crêpes, croissants, quiche, sandwiches, salads, and other light fare in a bright and airy, order-at-the-counter spot in Old Port. Baked goods: from $5.
46 Market St. 207-553-2555; portlandpatisserie.com
Best Ice Cream
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
Oh my! Crazy rich, crazy good, crazy flavors. Try “Bay of Figs,” “Cinnamon 7 Layer,” lavender–white chocolate, blackstrap–banana, and other small batches of deliciousness. Ice cream: from $4.50.
51 Exchange St. 207-210-3432; mdiic.com
Best Farm-To-Table Dining
The Well at Jordan’s Farm, Cape Elizabeth
Gaze over the Spurwink River and Marsh while dining al fresco. Chef Jason Williams offers a four-item menu drawn from the farm’s bounty. Cash only.
Traditional French bistro fare–Nicoise salad, onion soup, cassoulet, dessert crêpes–plus daily cheese and charcuterie plates and a raw bar are the draws at this unpretentious Arts District restaurant.
190 State St. 207-553-7044; bistropj.com
Best Neighborhood Restaurant
Caiola’s
Chef/co-owner Abby Harmon elevates traditional comfort foods, drawing from local sources to create the daily Mediterranean-accented menu at this cozy West End restaurant.
58 Pine St. 207-772-1110; caiolas.com
Best Downtown Hotel | The Press Hotel
BEST PLACES TO STAY IN PORTLAND, MAINE
Best B&B
The Danforth Inn
New owners have revitalized this 1823 Federal mansion, updating it with a mix of period and contemporary Asian-accented art and antiques. The inn’s justly acclaimed fine-dining restaurant serves authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. Rates: from $210.
163 Danforth St. 207-879-8755; danforthinn.com
Best Downtown Hotel
The Press Hotel
The full-service Press Hotel’s décor takes its cue from its home in the former headquarters of the state’s largest newspaper. Fronting on Congress at the head of Exchange and Market streets, the location is ideal for exploring the city. The hotel’s Union restaurant earns raves. Rates: from $175.
119 Exchange St. 207-808-8800; thepresshotel.com
Best Island Inn
Inn on Peaks
Walk off the ferry, and it’s just steps to the Inn on Peaks on Peaks Island, where each suite has a water view, a gas fireplace, a Jacuzzi, and a private deck for taking in sunset views of Portland’s skyline across the harbor. Rates: from $135.
33 Island Ave. 207-766-5100; innonpeaks.com
Best Beachfront Family Escape
Inn By The Sea, Cape Elizabeth
A pool, boardwalk, onsite butterfly and bunny preserves, kids’ programs, lawn games, and a dog-friendly policy make family vacations easy at this seaside inn.
Built around a courtyard in an enviable Old Port location one block off the waterfront, the hotel pampers guests with handsome updated rooms and suites, a cozy lounge and restaurant, and concierge and spa services.
468 Fore St. 888-798-9090, 207-775-9090; portlandharborhotel.com
Best Island Escape
Chebeague Island Inn, Chebeague Island
Only 15 minutes by ferry from the mainland but a world away, this meticulously renovated seaside inn blends simple charm with contemporary style and a topnotch dining room.
61 South Road. 207-846-5155; chebeagueinn.com
Maine Lobster Boat Tour
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be on a Maine lobster boat? Last fall, I had the pleasure of participating in a “Lobster Immersion” experience with the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, and a commercial Maine lobster boat tour was just one of the many activities on the lobster-filled agenda.
I already knew (don’t we all?) that Maine was famous for its lobster (in 2013, 85% of the lobster caught in the United States was in Maine), but some of what you’ll also see on a lobster boat tour is proof of the commitment to sustainability from both the state of Maine and those involved in the industry. For example, did you know that Maine lobsters of acceptable size (more on that later…) are 100% hand-harvested from small day boats, one trap at a time? And that there’s not just a statewide trap limit, but trap limits within individual lobstering zones? No factory farming here…
Left: Hauling up a lobster trap. Right: A breeding female lobster with her cache of eggs.
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Left: Hauling up a lobster trap. Right: A breeding female lobster with her cache of eggs. Credit: Aimee Seavey
We boarded the Lucky Catch, part of Lucky Catch Cruises, in Portland, Maine, and headed for the waters of Casco Bay.
Once we got out to sea, we learned how to set a new lobster trap. This required a net bag and trusty stock of bait fish. Also, rubbery aprons and gloves, which were appreciated.
Then, we motored to one of the Lucky Catch’s traps. In Maine, new commercial lobstermen (and lobsterwomen) must apprentice with veterans to learn the regulated, sustainable practices. You can’t just decide to be a commercial lobsterman and then start doing it — you’ve got to learn the ropes and rules!
Maine has minimum and maximum size restrictions to protect both young lobsters and the large, healthy breeders. Lobstermen carry a handy gauge that measures the lobster from the eye socket to the rear of the body shell (where the tail starts). Lobsters measuring less than 3-1/4 inches or more than 5 inches go back into the water. Unlucky lobsters between3-1/4 inches and 5 inches go into the on-board tank, and later, into your belly.
Many people think the best lobsters in the world come from Maine, and credit the pure Gulf of Maine seawater with giving the meat a special flavor. In particular, “New Shell” Maine lobsters (lobsters that have shed their old shells and grown new ones) are especially prized for their sweet meat and thinner shells, which are easier to crack. Peak harvest for New Shell lobsters runs from roughly June through November.
On the tour, we also learned one way to tell the difference between male and female lobsters.
Lobsters have feathery appendages called swimmerets (or pleopods) on their undersides. These swimmerets help the lobster swim, but where they’re located is also where the female carries her eggs. The first pair of swimmerets (the pair closest to the head) are soft on a female, but hard and bony on a male.
It can be beneficial to be a female in the lobster world. Breeding females (meaning female lobsters carrying eggs, as seen in the photo below) must be returned to the ocean in all US and Canadian waters so they can continue having babies. This practice is one of the best protections of a healthy future for the lobster industry, and is strictly followed.
When the breeding female is first caught by a commercial lobsterman, she’s also given a “v-notch” on her tail flipper to identify and protect her as a known breeder. That way, even when her eggs have hatched, the notch will tell other lobstermen of her breeder status, so they’ll know to put her back. This notching practice dates back to the early 1900s!
Our lady lobster did not yet have a v-notch, so Captain Dave gave her one. It is always on the first tail flipper to the right of the middle flipper.
Some of the lobsters in our traps were young things and went back into the ocean (phew!)
Most traps also contain a lively variety of marine life that have made their way inside and then couldn’t get out. Some common visitors include rock crabs, snails, starfish, and hermit crabs.
If a lobster met the size criteria, its claws were banded with a handy lobster claw band tool, and then it went into the on-board tank. Banding the claws not only protects the lobsterman, but the other lobsters. Lobsters don’t normally eat one another, but in captivity, with limited food and cramped quarters, well, they might…if they can. Thus, the bands.
After all of our traps had been checked and re-set, we motored back toward Portland with a few extra scuttling lobsters on board. Mission complete!
The lobster boat tour experience left me with a deeper understanding of why a lobster dinner is such a treat. Yes, lobster is expensive, but it has to be in order to compensate for the labor and loss it takes to get it. The Maine lobsters on our plates have been hand-harvested from a wild environment following a strict set of size requirements. This often means that most of what comes on board in the trap goes right back into the ocean (including what’s left of the bait, much to the seagulls’ delight). How many other industries can claim such commitment to sustainability?
Equally impressive are the incredibly hardworking Maine men and women, many of them part of multi-generational lobstering families, doing the harvesting. Maine has more than 5,600 independent lobstermen, making it (no surprise) is the largest lobster-producing region in the world. In 2014, they brought in more than 120 million pounds of lobster! In fact, the industry brings more than 1 billion dollars to the state’s economy each year. No wonder lobsters are everywhere in Maine — not just on menus, but license plates, at the annual Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, and on every kind of souvenir.
Here at Yankee, we also weren’t surprised when Boiled Lobster was crowned the winner in our 2015 Favorite New England Foods Bracket Challenge. The only thing we can’t seem to agree on is whether the tail or claw meat is better.
Fryeburg, Maine
In the foothills of the White Mountains is a town whose personality comes to life in a fair to remember.
The Fair is everywhere, even where it isn’t.
On Main Street, Fryeburg’s public library is “Closed Due to Fair Traffic,” a masterful synopsis of the vehicles stretching to the horizon. (Too bad we’ll miss the library’s Hopalong Cassidy tribute to creator/resident Clarence Mulford.) A quarter mile away, Weston’s Farm posts a “Welcome Fair Business” sign; George Weston has just returned from helping kids with 4-H. The Congregational Church Thrift Shop (closed) invites you to “Come See Us at the Milking Parlor.” And Ray Ryan, owner of Spice & Grain, is leaving his natural-foods store to play electric guitar in a small gazebo near the harness-racing track.
All in all, the Fryeburg Fair is omnipresent. It runs for eight days at the beginning of October, and on this particular Saturday, the previous day’s rain has polished the Maine foliage, the sky is scrubbed blue, and traffic is funneling toward the 185-acre fairgrounds just beyond the village center.
If you walk there (“It’s exactly a mile from here to the gate,” says Margaret Cugini, innkeeper at Main Street B&B), you’ll avoid the logjam and see a few more Fryeburg highlights. Fryeburg Academy, a brick-wrapped private school that’s been around since 1792; local students can attend free. A wide, pleasant Main Street with a few fine restaurants tucked around large antique homes. Creative parking in action: Those who live close enough to the Fair sell lawn space and bottled water.What you won’t see (though you may hear grumbles) is a place called Evergreen Spring, the source for Fryeburg’s clear tap water—the very same water that Poland Spring buys, bottles, and sells.
On the one hand, Fair Week may not be the best time to ask, “Could You Live Here?” It’s not as if 300,000 people descend on Fryeburg (population 3,349) routinely. But this once-a-year event—the largest fair in Maine, and second-largest in New England—reveals something about Fryeburg. This town knows how to celebrate farm life and good times. Hard work pays off in blue ribbons, and spectators gather to cheer skillet tosses or place their $2 bets at the track. Clint Black performs to record-breaking crowds. And somehow a little village pulls off something monumental, year after year, with great good grace. That says everything we need to know.
Since March 1851, the Fryeburg Fair has grown to become the state’s largest agricultural event.
Credit: Tristan Spinski
Since March 1851, the Fryeburg Fair has grown to become the state’s largest agricultural event. Credit: Tristan Spinski
The Setting
Fryeburg, settled in 1763, bumps up against New Hampshire, with 750,000-acre White Mountain National Forest in its backyard. The Saco River snakes through, with beaches and calm waters perfect for paddling (rent at Saco River Canoe & Kayak). You can see Mount Washington and a full panorama from the top of Jockey Cap, after a 15-minute scramble up the hill behind Quinn’s Jockey Cap Motel & Country Store on Route 302. This pretty foliage road-way meanders to Bridgton, crossing Moose Pond below Shawnee Peak, the longest-running major ski resort in Maine. Just off Main Street, farmland spreads along Route 113, a State Scenic Byway that passes Weston’s Farm.
Social Scene
The stately brick of Fryeburg Academy holds a diverse student body of tuition-free locals and international students. “I was looking for a beautiful setting and a community with a school that would bring people to town,” says Cugini, who opened her B&B in 1997–98 and also works at the Academy’s library. The school’s 380-seat state-of-the-art Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center hosts live performances as well as the Met Opera’s HD Series, and The Pace Galleries of Art display curated exhibits. Daniel Webster taught there, too, so the
provenance is good.
Eating Out
The Oxford House Inn, owned by Natalie and Jonathan Spak, a Culinary Institute of America–trained chef, transforms local produce into memorable meals such as butternut-squash fried rice with curry korma. “We’ve been here eight years,” Natalie says. “Town has been very welcoming.” And no wonder. The vegetable fritters are outstanding in a little puddle of sauce. And the apple–cranberry skillet crisp is a happy no-brainer. For casual goodness, 302 West Smokehouse & Tavern is buoyed by good vibes and a friendly Cheers atmosphere, plus a smoky chicken Caesar that would be a go-to favorite.
Shopping
Weston’s Farm, a fifth-generation beauty, fulfills all the aesthetic requirements of a bustling farm stand, with Maine-made gifts, mounds of gourds and squashes, and super-friendly banter. But it’s also woven into the fabric of Fryeburg: George Weston’s family has been here for 215 years. “I was born in the yellow farmhouse,” he nods at the house next door, “and my mother, who’s 104, still lives there.” Son John spearheads the organics and is a Nordic ski coach at Fryeburg Academy. Naturally, its ski trails crisscross their fields. “I like to think we’ve been good stewards of the land,” George says. “That I’m passing it on to my son in good condition, and he’ll do the same.” A few more shops, like Spice & Grain and Trumbulls Hardware, serve the locals, and Northeast Gems specializes in locally mined gemstones. Just 10 miles away, bargain hunters flock to Settlers Green Outlet Village in North Conway, New Hampshire, for tax-free shopping at more than 60 outlet stores.
Resident Perks
Besides four gloriously beautiful seasons in an area sought after by vacationers, hikers, and shoppers—plus pure spring tap water and a free private-school education for your teenagers—it’s obvious: the Fair. You don’t have to be a farm expert to appreciate a soulful look from a Jersey cow, chow down on fried-onion blooms the size of dinner plates, or covet multicolored alpaca yarns. But sometime during the eight-day extravaganza, maybe thank the West Oxford Agricultural Society for hosting 300,000 folks, maintaining 3,000 campsites, and making it all look easy.
Factoids
You’ll find evidence of one-time resident Admiral Robert E. Peary on top of Jockey Cap, where a bronze monument identifies the surrounding mountains using the explorer’s original survey from when he lived in Fryeburg in 1878–79. Hopalong Cassidy’s creator lived here, too, in 1904, and Spaulding Gray attended Fryeburg Academy, where Daniel Webster taught—and wouldn’t that have been an interesting overlap?
Getting Your Bearings
For a small town, there are multiple cozy options, including Main Street B&B (mainstbandb.com); the Admiral Peary Inn (admiralpearyinn.com); and the Oxford House Inn (oxfordhouseinn.com).
Visiting Stockbridge, MA and the Norman Rockwell Museum
Even if you’ve never visited the tiny western Massachusetts town of Stockbridge, chances are you’ve probably sung its name a time or two (or more) thanks to James Taylor’s popular 1970 lullaby “Sweet Baby James.” The song includes the line “The first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston,” and when I heard him sing it recently in New Hampshire, a great cheer went up from the crowd at the line, as I’m sure it does every time he sings for a New England audience.
130 miles west of Boston, in fact, and tucked into the Berkshire hills, Stockbridge represents to many the very best of small-town New England. What began as an Indian mission prospered to a resort town with the most famous Main Street in America thanks to a memorable Norman Rockwell painting. While still maintaining its rural village feel, Stockbridge draws throngs of visitors each year — in my case for the chance to eat lunch in one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating historic inns (The Red Lion Inn) and tour a museum dedicated to a beloved American artist (The Norman Rockwell Museum).
We parked on Main Street and followed our grumbling stomachs to the historic gem, the Red Lion Inn, for lunch. The Inn (originally named Inn at the Sign of the Red Lion) was founded in 1773, making it older than America itself. Throughout its history the Inn has had several names, but has always been identified by the red lion. Former guests include five presidents and numerous other notable figures, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The facade is a bit peculiar with its four stories of windows in various shapes and sizes, but when you consider the Inn has stood and operated (and grown) continuously from the same spot for over two centuries, you only feel humble appreciation for the opportunity to walk up the steps of its large, wide front porch and (if it’s nice outside) settle into a rocker or (if it’s cold) head inside to settle next to the fire in the lobby, which has the feel of a living room parlor from the 1800’s.
Today, the Inn has 125 guestrooms ranging from B&B with a shared bath, to deluxe suites. A working Birdcage elevator lends historic charm, as do the “telephone booth rooms” wallpapered with Saturday Evening Post covers, and Staffordshire china above the doorways. Guests and visitors have the option of three different dining options — the upscale main dining room or intimate wood-paneled Widow Bingham’s Tavern on the main level, or the lower-level Lion’s Den Pub.
Craving pub food with local cider and beer on the side, and mindful of our wallets, we opted for the Lion’s Den Pub, and were instantly pleased with our choice. The low tin ceilings were painted dark red, and booths with plush backs ran the perimeter of the room, snuggled up to tables. We were seated next to a crackling fire (a REAL fire!) that made the whole experience deliciously warm and intimate.
The meal was great, too. We started with herbed cheese, seed crackers, and fruit with our drinks (Berkshire Brewing Company beer and Johnny Mash hard cider) before enjoying sandwiches — a grilled veggie panini for me and a “day after Thanksgiving” style sandwich for him.
Full and warm, we headed back out to wander past the seven buildings on Main Street that former resident Norman Rockwell made famous.
Norman Rockwell lived in Stockbridge from 1953 until his death in 1978 at the age of eighty-four. He loved the town, and it loved him back. As proof of this, the Norman Rockwell Museum was founded in 1969 with the help of Norman and his third wife, Molly. The museum’s current home, built in 1993 and just a short ride from Main Street, is set on 36 scenic acres and houses the largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art in the world.
Right away I sought out one of my favorite Rockwell paintings, 1948’s The Gossips from the March 6 Saturday Evening Post — its most popular Rockwell cover in thirty three years. Apparently inspired by a personal experience, Rockwell didn’t feel comfortable going ahead with the idea until he included his wife and himself in the “gossip chain.” Naturally, he is the final one to hear the gossip, and gives the original whisperer a piece of his mind.
Wandering through the main level took us past the museum’s permanent collection, main gallery, sports gallery, and display of The Four Freedoms. These were some of my favorites.
Visiting Stockbridge, MA, and the Norman Rockwell Museum
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Visiting Stockbridge, MA, and the Norman Rockwell Museum Credit: Aimee Seavey
The Four Freedoms series was painted in response to a World War II speech by President Franklin Roosevelt, in which he described four principles for universal rights: Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear. Originally published by the Post, the paintings then went on tour to sixteen different US cities to raise money for war bonds.
In 1963 Rockwell ended his relationship with the Post and began working with Look magazine, which allowed him more creative freedom in pursuing depictions of social issues. Here, photographs of the model and the dress she wore from his iconic 1964 civil-rights-inspired painting The Problem We All Live With are on display (the painting itself hung in the White House from July – October 2011 at President Obama’s request). It shows six-year-old Ruby Bridges on her way into an all-white public school in New Orleans on November 14, 1960 in the midst of racial desegregation, a thrown tomato smearing the wall behind her.
The lower level of the Norman Rockwell Museum has a jaw-dropping exhibit dedicated to Rockwell’s 323 covers for The Saturday Evening Post over the 47 years he worked with them. Arranged chronologically, the framed covers fill three of the room’s walls, while on the fourth, a short but thorough documentary on the artist’s life runs on a loop. It’s a terrific display, and when seen all at once it’s fascinating to observe how Rockwell’s style grew and changed over the years, as the nation he so lovingly and faithfully painted did as well.
I’ve always had a history-nerd soft spot for the original Rosie the Riveter cover from May 29, 1943, so I sought her out right away. In truth, I could have spent hours looking at the covers, but it was getting late.
Outside, a path winds behind the museum and takes visitors to Rockwell’s original Stockbridge studio, transported to the museum property and open to visitors from May through October. Along the way, climbing structures done by Rockwell’s son Peter decorate the grounds.
Visiting Stockbridge, MA, and the Norman Rockwell Museum
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Visiting Stockbridge, MA, and the Norman Rockwell Museum Credit: Aimee Seavey
I could also check out the Berkshire Botanical Garden for a springtime woodland walk and picnic, take in a summer concert at nearby Tanglewood, tour sculptor Daniel Chester French’s home Chesterwood, enjoy a performance from the Berkshire Theatre Group, or relive the Gilded Age with a summer tour of 44-room historic “cottage” Naumkeag. Whew! For one small town, Stockbridge certainly has a lot to offer, topped with friendly folks and stunning scenery. I’ll definitely be back!
The Mohawk Trail
Since New England’s first official “scenic tourist route” opened on October 22, 1914, millions of drivers have discovered that once you meander along the 60-plus miles of the Mohawk Trail, the road’s personality makes it much more than a way to get from one place to another. It becomes the reason to go.
The silver Saab convertible in front of me is emblazoned with a bumper sticker that boasts, “I Love Elvis.” But it could also say something like “I Like Driving Slow” or “I’m Afraid of Going the Speed Limit.” You see, we’re going a few ticks under what the law allows, poking along a stretch of quiet country beside the Deerfield River. Not that I mind the pace. In fact, I’m more than happy to take my time.
The view from Luce Road in Williamstown, east of the town center, takes in rich farmland and forested slopes.
Credit: Carl Tremblay
The view from Luce Road in Williamstown, east of the town center, takes in rich farmland and forested slopes. Credit: Carl Tremblay
The Mohawk Trail inspires that. This is a road of endless curves, postcard-ready views, small towns, and intriguing side roads. Interstate 90 it’s not. Nope. The Mohawk, one of the oldest scenic byways in the country, doesn’t so much blast around territory as bring you into it, slicing through Berkshire villages and some of the most scenic beauty in all of New England, maybe the country.
Officially a 63-mile portion of Massachusetts Route 2 between Millers Falls and the New York border, the Mohawk is at its most elemental level a 42-mile two-lane link between Greenfield and Williamstown. But its history and allure give it a legacy few roads can match. For centuries, the Mohawk served as a main Native American footpath for tribes living between the Hudson and Connecticut River valleys. Its beauty and utility continued even after the arrival of European settlers. By the mid-1800s it had became the domain of horses and wagons, many of whose passengers marveled at the beauty and the sometimes imposing terrain. “Often it would seem a wonder how our road was to continue, the mountain rose so abruptly on either side,” wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1836.
In 1912 construction began on converting the Mohawk stagecoach road into something that could accommodate America’s newest obsession: the automobile. Its completion two years later came with all the fanfare of an inauguration. On October 22, 1914, nearly 300 automobiles and 1,800 people gathered at Whitcomb Summit, high above the little town of Florida, for a daylong celebration of speeches, food, and picture taking. It wasn’t the road we use today—it was still gravel and just wide enough for a single car—but its arrival helped usher in a new era of travel and daytripping. Motels and cottages, restaurants, and kitschy shops soon sprang up along the roadside. You didn’t just drive the Mohawk Trail—you went to it.
It continues today. There’s a restless quality to the road—it has no single identity. You’re on a mountain. You’re beside a river. You’re in a small town. You’re passing through farmland. You can buzz along at 50 mph, or just let yourself get lost, meandering off on some inviting side road.
I did. Just outside Shelburne I ventured off the beaten path, climbing up and up until I reached Davenport Maple Farm, where amid the rolling pastures, stately maples, stone walls, and grazing cows I felt as though I’d parked myself in a painting.
Looking west along the Mohawk Trail as it climbs into the rolling Berkshire Hills between Shelburne and Charlemont, Massachusetts.
Credit: Carl Tremblay
Looking west along the Mohawk Trail as it climbs into the rolling Berkshire Hills between Shelburne and Charlemont, Massachusetts. Credit: Carl Tremblay
But more than just a place to visit, the Mohawk Trail, and the region around it, is also a home. On an early-September afternoon last year, I veered off the main road again and onto Zoar Road in Charlemont. North of there in Rowe, at a bend in the land known as Zoar Curve, sits an old white-clapboard Cape and a converted chicken coop, now housing Zoar Books & Gallery. “Unique Pre-Loved Books” was the promise, and so I had to stop.
Outside, one of the home’s owners, Bonnie Lee Nugent, was chugging behind an old lawnmower, while her husband, Dale Bulmer, was flipping through a few paperbacks in his shop. Fronted by the meandering Deerfield and a pair of train tracks where the original Mohawk stagecoach road had once run, the property seemed like the perfect place to stop venturing wherever you’re headed and settle in for an afternoon.
That’s sort of what Bonnie had done. She’d bought the property in 1968, and with her first husband, fixed up the old place and raised two sons. They fished and swam the Deerfield, looked for moose and deer, and when the big train rumbled by waited eagerly for the engineer to whistle a hello.
“When we looked at it, the place hadn’t been lived in for two years and I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know,’” recalled Bonnie as we sat on the porch looking out at the river. “And then the train goes by and my two little boys are jumping up and down, waving. The engineer and brakeman leaned out the window and waved back, smiling and pulling on the whistle. My boys just look up at me with these wide eyes. ‘Can we live here?’ they asked. What could I do? But it ended up being a fun place to live.”
Still is. Even after all these years, Bonnie cherishes where she lives and being on the Mohawk Trail.
“I love it here,” she said, glancing out at the river. “It’s heaven.”
Prettiest Fall Foliage Villages in Vermont
Vermont recently declared itself home of the World’s Best Foliage. With forest covering three-quarters of the state and the highest percentage of maple trees in the country, it’s easy to see why. “No one does foliage better than Vermont,” said Governor Peter Shumlin. Here are ten of the prettiest fall foliage villages in Vermont.
PEACHAM
The white spire of the Congregational Church stands out amid the blazing orange, red and yellow leaves bedecking the hills around this teeny Northeast Kingdom village – population 732 – settled in 1776. peacham.net
MANCHESTER
Nestled at the foot of Mount Equinox in the picturesque Battenkill River Valley, the town is a favorite for fall foliage lovers who also crave fine dining, luxe accommodations, golf and shopping galore. visitmanchestervt.com
WOODSTOCK
Peak foliage colors light the hills surrounding the Green, the town’s manicured central square rimmed with historic 18th and 19th century homes and white-spired churches near the winding Ottauquechee River.
woodstockvt.com
WARREN
A covered bridge, waterfall and historic rural village with an old-timey general store provide the quintessential New England setting for foliage aficionados in the Mad River Valley. warrenvt.org
DORSET
Maple-covered hillsides attract visitors to this quiet and historic community – chartered in 1761 – tucked into the tranquil landscape of southern Vermont. Marble extracted from former quarries that are now popular swimming holes adorns the all-marble church on the village green. dorsetvt.com
NEWFANE
Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian architecture line the streets and town common of this village in southern Vermont, where the covered Williamsville Bridge highlights the bucolic and vibrant autumn landscape north of Brattleboro. newfanevt.com
STOWE
Flaming red, orange and yellow foliage enliven Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, towering above this historic and vibrant community known for its outdoor recreation, boutique accommodations and places to dine. Located in a fertile valley in the north-central region, Stowe is so much more than skiing and snow.
gostowe.com
ARLINGTON
Perched alongside the Battenkill River in the Taconic Range, close to the New York State border, this small town – complete with red covered bridge and hillsides ablaze with autumn’s colors – was once home to artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell, who captured its scenic beauty and the faces of the local community in his work. arlingtonvt.org
CRAFTSBURY COMMON
Breathtaking foliage abounds amid the pastoral farmlands and white picket fences of this picture-perfect town in the Northeast Kingdom, home to Sterling College. townofcraftsbury.com
GRAFTON
Art galleries, restaurants and shops enliven the restored historic buildings of this small village, tucked amid vivid and colorful foliage in the undulating hills of southern Vermont. graftonvermont.org
Jenne Farm
The story goes that some 60 years ago, when Floyd Jenne Sr. traveled from Reading, Vermont, to New York City–a distance that can’t be measured merely in miles–he arrived at Grand Central Terminal, looked up, and saw a massive photo of his farm spread across the walls.
His surprise can’t have been greater than the awe that a first-time viewer experiences standing on the rising hillside above Jenne Farm. Except that few who venture out here are completely unprepared. Most come with a purpose. Most know exactly why they’ve come, and some even know precisely where they’re going to stand.
Jenne Farm is the most photographed farm in New England, possibly in all of North America. And maybe even, as Rebecca Gibbs in Thorton Wilder’s Our Town might say, in the Western Hemisphere. Chances are, you’ve seen it, too–been there, in a sense.
The Most Beautiful Places in Vermont | Jenne Farm
Credit: User Submitted/Steve Hirsch
Jenne Farm Credit: User Submitted/Steve Hirsch
In winter, spring, summer, and fall–the last most of all–photographers descend like cows coming down from pasture to set up their equipment in the well-worn tripod marks at the top of the knoll. Cameras click, documenting the rise and fall of light on the idyllic scene. But despite the hundreds, maybe thousands, of calendars and postcards and bits of advertising and star turns in films like Forrest Gump and Funny Farm, nothing prepares you for the downward sweep of land and the tidy cluster of tumbledown red buildings burrowed into pillows of hills. In a landscape brimming with farms, Jenne Farm rises to the top, like cream on fresh milk.
Floyd Jr. was the last Jenne to live here; other members of the extended family live here now. Floyd Jr.’s sister, Linda Kidder, has been trustee of the 460-acre spread since 2003. She grew up here, until she was 18, and remembers when the photographers began to descend, in the mid-1950s, after students at a local photography school started snapping shots of the 1813 farm, built by her forebears. The photogenic setting soon caught the eye of Life magazine, Vermont Life, and, of course, Yankee. “It was pretty overwhelming,” she recalls, standing beside an enclosure of Herefords wading in mud. An attractive woman on the verge of retirement, her eyes linger over a landscape that lives in her blood; Jennes have been on this land since 1790. “[People] would come by the busload and mill around,” she recalls. “We always had beagle puppies, and they’d ask me to hold one of the puppies, take my picture, and give me nickels, dimes, and quarters.”
In her late teens, when all the postcards began appearing, Linda realized what a special place it was. “It’s not as pretty as it was 20 years ago,” she sighs. In fact, the outhouse collapsed a few years ago, and another small barn is decidedly swaybacked. In the face of entreaties from developers, she keeps the farm going with a herd of beef cattle and a maple-sugaring operation. “I’m glad we can keep it,” she muses, “but it needs a lot of work. It’s still a beautiful place.” Hundreds of photographers click their cameras in agreement each year, as the sugar maples burst with color.
And somewhere out there, tucked into a photo album, hanging on a wall, or hidden away in an old shoebox, are photos of a 10-year-old Linda Jenne, holding a beagle pup, against this backdrop of unparalleled beauty. The world’s moved on since then, but there’s still a little corner of peace and tranquility at the top of Jenne Road that feels as though you’ve just drifted back in time, to a piece of heaven on earth. You can even take a picture of it.
From Woodstock, drive south on Vermont Route 106, through South Woodstock; then follow the road up Reading Hill. There will be a small sign on the right-hand side and a sign for Jenne Road.
Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom
The observatory stands at the crest of a broad, pillowy meadow in the village of Brownington, in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. No, it isn’t that sort of observatory–not a concrete dome with a telescope aimed at the stars. It’s a platform at the top of a flight of wooden stairs, and instead of a view of the heavens, it offers simply a heavenly view.
Look to the north, if you’re not too distracted in the near and middle distances by the autumn colors sneaking across the border from Canada a little bit earlier here. That’s the southern tip of Lake Memphremagog, with the hills of Quebec beyond. Off to the southeast stand the twin pillars of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor, hemming in the deep glacial gouge of Lake Willoughby. In every other direction, the rumpled terrain of Vermont’s loneliest and loveliest corner sprawls to the horizon.
At the foot of Prospect Hill (whoever named this gently sloping meadow gave it a promotion) stand the ten or so structures, dating from the early years of the 19th century, that amount to almost all there is of Brownington Village. There’s the classic white Congregational church, with its ancient and somnolent graveyard; the Samuel Read Hall House, with its chaste, foursquare Federal-style architecture … and a four-story granite structure as adamantine as any monolith left by receding glaciers: the Old Stone House, built Lord-knows-how in the 1830s by the Rev. Alexander Twilight, America’s first black college graduate, as the dormitory for his Orleans County Grammar School.
To imagine why a village of this size and sleepiness needed such a building, you must climb the observatory stairs again and look down through time as well as distance. Brownington was once a bustling town–a way station on the stage route between Boston and Montreal–and not today’s Yankee Brigadoon. The Old Stone House is now a museum and headquarters of the Orleans County Historical Society, but in a very real sense the village itself is the museum; seven of the ten buildings you see are the Society’s property. It’s the conserved attic of the Northeast Kingdom, and its rooftop is that little wooden observatory, with its transcendent vista over all creation.
Whenever my wife, Kay, and I want to visit Vermont as if we didn’t already live here, we head for the Northeast Kingdom. In a state where landscape and character alike so often seem to have been matted, framed, and hung on the wall for all to admire, the Kingdom just is. It’s a name that fits a world apart, and it comes with a story of its origins. Local newspapermen used it in the early 1940s, but it was Vermont’s legendary Senator George Aiken who first gave “Northeast Kingdom” widespread currency.
As for the region’s true boundaries, who wants to split hairs? Some offer a neat delineation, drawing a line around the three counties of Orleans, Caledonia, and Essex, but the eastern reaches of Franklin and Lamoille counties ought to be tossed in as well. The Northeast Kingdom begins where most people would sooner do their big-ticket shopping in Newport or St. Johnsbury than in Burlington. It is the Vermonter’s Vermont.
Never mind the county borders. The Northeast Kingdom truly begins where you find people like Keith and Lori Sampietro, who found the hilltop of their dreams just outside Montgomery Center and made a home for themselves and 19 Alaskan husky sled dogs there, creating a guide service called Montgomery Adventures.
Even up here, though, winter doesn’t last all year, so the Sampietros have found a way to turn the huskies’ work-is-play attitude to the advantage of autumn travelers in the Kingdom. Keith, who seems like a man who could knit you a stove if you gave him steel wool, fashioned a sled on wheels out of an engineless two-seater go-kart and now offers rides along the nearby Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail and, occasionally, the back roads that lace his hilltop. We watched one day as he hitched 10 of his eager, yelping dogs to the sled, and then we took off for a surprisingly fast ride through the outback.
We’d have loved to enlist the dogs for a run east from Montgomery to Lowell, along Route 58, the Bayley-Hazen Road. Ascending from Montgomery Center to the narrow defile of Hazen’s Notch (in Westfield, near the Lowell border), it’s a remnant of a military road built during the Revolution for a second invasion of Canada that never came off. Today it serves as a back door leading deep into the Kingdom. It’s a door that slams shut when snow flies, as no plow ventures through the Notch, and it’s best traveled during those early weeks of autumn when it tunnels beneath a canopy of color.
Take Route 58 past Lowell, with its brave little bandstand on a vest-pocket common, across the fields of a lofty plateau, and into Irasburg, where the common is bigger than the village around it. Just across I-91–one of the least-traveled sections of America’s Interstate network–head northeast out of Orleans to reach that observatory-crowned meadow in Brownington. When we scan those vistas, the magnetic draw is always toward those sugarloaf peaks, Pisgah and Hor, to the southeast, flanking the far end of Lake Willoughby in Westmore. Even though you can’t see the lake from Prospect Hill–even if you didn’t know there was a lake between those mountains–you’d somehow know that they had to be guarding a secret special place.
The narrow, five-mile-long lake is just that. Once promoted as “the Lucerne of America,” Willoughby long ago did boast excursion steamers and lakeside hotels, but that stab at Swissness faltered in favor of the old Northeast Kingdom character of this landlocked fjord. There’s a beautiful desolateness about Lake Willoughby on a bright early-fall day–after the summer camps along the eastern shore have closed, after the anglers have mostly finished with their pursuit of the big lake trout and salmon that swim its 300-foot depths–fall, when the water is piercingly blue and nearly boatless. Yet it’s still early enough in the year to take out one of the WilloughVale Inn’s kayaks and work up an appetite with a mile-long paddle from the northeast shore toward the big bend in the lake, where Pisgah and Hor loom into view. If we want a heftier appetite, we’ll take on Pisgah itself, via either the North or South Trail leading from Route 5A along the lake–although the gentler South Shore Trail to the base of Mount Hor will usually do just fine.
The Kingdom’s most distinctive trails, though, aren’t about hiking. East Burke, 10 miles south of Lake Willoughby, is the mountain-biking capital of New England. It’s the headquarters of Kingdom Trails, a 100-mile-plus network of old cart and logging roads, meandering country byways, and single-track roller-coaster rides for cyclists. A good number of the trails are on and around Burke Mountain, the peak that dominates this corner of Vermont, well removed from the state’s main cordillera, the Green Mountains farther to the west.
The map of this segment–which also incorporates the ski area that has trained many a U.S. Olympian–is littered with ominous black diamonds. As in skiing, black diamonds are the indicators that say, “Stay away if you don’t really know what you’re doing,” and here there’s even a trail marked by a triple black diamond. Since we weren’t going near the thing, we could afford to laugh at a caveat that read, in part, “… cliffs, drops, and obstacles. Full body armor and helmet with face mask required.”
Yes, well, maybe some other time, when our body armor is out of the shop. For now, we were pleased when Tim Tierney, Kingdom Trails’ executive director, told us that a six- or seven-mile network of relatively easy trails would take us from the village to a viewpoint called Heaven’s Bench, and that East Burke Sports, right across the street, rented bikes and helmets. And Heaven’s Bench? There was a bench, and the view was almost a rival to Brownington’s Prospect Hill: mountains and meadows and lavish lacings of color.
Kayaking on Lake Willoughby
Credit: Corey Hendrickson
Kayaking on Lake Willoughby Credit: Corey Hendrickson
There’s a cliché about the Northeast Kingdom that says that it’s rough, rugged, remote–hardscrabble, even. There are places up here where all of those things hold true. But when you take a slow drive down Darling Hill Road from East Burke, as we did one late afternoon, the sense is of trundling through a very mannered shire indeed.
A century ago, much of this countryside was the property of Elmer A. Darling, a New York hotelier whose Vermont cows put butter on his city guests’ tables, and this stretch still seems a squire’s domain. The Inn at Mountain View Farm incorporates Darling’s one-time creamery; farther south, in Lyndonville, the Stepping Stone Spa offers a menu of massages and even something called a “Vermont Maple Sugar Body Polish”–the perfect finish, no doubt, to one of those days when it feels as though life has put you through a waffle iron.
On meadows behind the spa, Belted Galloway cattle graze beneath the shadow of the ethereally beautiful Chapel of the Holy Family. It was privately built yet is open to all, and on an afternoon when we were the only visitors, hidden speakers filled this small yet soaring space with Gregorian chant. It was as if we’d taken a back road into the Middle Ages, into a kingdom that lay not to the northeast but to a point entirely off the compass.
If our most recent autumn exploration of the Kingdom began with dog-traveled dirt roads in the hills above Montgomery, it ended in a rutted track sloping down to the Connecticut River in the hamlet of Lower Waterford. Overhead, light filtered through the dappled leaves as if through stained glass.
We tarried at the river’s edge, with New Hampshire barely a stone’s skip across the water, then strolled back up to where the great white columns of the Rabbit Hill Inn, our night’s lodging, stood just ahead. This sumptuous property, where travelers have been sheltered since 1795, is a place that belies any rough-edged image that might still stick to the Northeast Kingdom.
But we know better than to think about the Kingdom in terms of its image. It’s just the place where we go, when, as Vermonters, we want to see Vermont.
Best of Burlington, VT
On the shores of Lake Champlain, Burlington is Vermont’s largest city and a favorite tourist spot for quirky Green Mountain culture. Here’s a list of some of our favorite things to do in Burlington, Vermont, plus our picks for where to eat, shop, and stay.
BEST THINGS TO DO IN BURLINGTON, VT
Best Boating
Community Sailing Center
Sail or paddle the waters of beautiful Lake Champlain from this conveniently located downtown boathouse. Craft available include dinghies, kayaks, paddleboards, and sailboats of various sizes and designs.
The last of Burlington’s movie palaces has been beautifully restored to its Art Deco splendor and now serves as the region’s most distinguished venue for an eclectic schedule of big-name music, theater, and dance. It’s also home to the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, led by the renowned Jamie Laredo.
153 Main St. 802-863-5966; flynncenter.org
Best Tourist Hot Spot
Church Street Marketplace
Turning downtown’s main drag into a pedestrian mall created Vermont’s liveliest shopping, dining, and people-watching scene. Boutiques, bars, and buskers line this strollable four-block stretch, and eateries offer plenty of sidewalk seating. On summer Saturdays the action spills over into nearby City Hall Park, site of a bustling farmers’ market.
2 Church St. 802-863-1648; churchstmarketplace.com
Best Lakeside Biking
Burlington Bikepath
Lake and mountain views abound. Head to North Beach, onward to rustic Charlie’s Boathouse, or up the Causeway through Colchester to the Island Line and Champlain Islands. Or just meander along the Burlington waterfront south to Oakledge Park. Rentals and maps at Local Motion.
1 Steele St. 802-652-2453; localmotion.org
Best Children’s Bookstore
The Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne Village
This award-winning shop, owned by former teachers, features more than 40,000 titles and knowledgeable staffers who have seemingly read every single one. Makes its home in the former Shelburne Inn.
More than 70 live species and 100 interactive exhibits depict the ecology, culture, and history of the nation’s sixth-largest lake.
Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, 1 College St. 802-864-1848; echovermont.org
Best Gift Shop
Vermont Gift Barn, South Burlington
You’ll find a full array of Vermont-made things, from maple syrup to pottery to furniture, at this unique shop, housed in (you guessed it) a real barn.
Line up with locals for a table at Burlington’s most popular breakfast spot. It’s worth the wait for moderately priced ham’n’egg alternatives such as “Bucket-o-Spuds” (home fries with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream, and scallions), the smoked-salmon plate, and gingerbread pancakes. Not that you’ll need lunch, but that’s served here, too.
169 Cherry St. 802-651-8834; pennycluse.com
Best Fresh Vermont Fare
Hen of the Wood
Award-winning chef Eric Warnstedt and his partner, William McNeil, who still operate their popular establishment in Waterbury, have once again created restaurant magic in their chic new spot next to the Hotel Vermont. The menu features an ever-changing but always sophisticated selection of locally sourced foods, including the signature hen-of-the-wood mushroom toast for which the restaurant is named.
55 Cherry St. 802-540-0534; henofthewood.com
Best Cheap Eats
Artsriot Truck Stop
America’s food-truck mania has hit Burlington’s hippest neighborhood. The South End, home to numerous artists’ studios and galleries, is the scene for a Friday-night convergence of more than a dozen mobile vendors, serving up everything from burgers to tacos to homemade desserts. It all happens behind ArtsRiot Gallery, where jugglers, DJs, and musicians add to the fun.
400 Pine St., 802-540-0406; artsriot.com
Best French Fries
Al’s French Frys
It’s really all about the spuds at Al’s–freshly cut, quickly blanched, and double-fried. A local institution since the late 1940s, Al’s was named one of “America’s Classics” by the James Beard Foundation.
Light bistro dishes range from Southern fried chicken to sweet-potato yellow curry to pan-roasted duck breast with BBQ peach glaze. In the solarium, gaze up to watch the night sky, or catch the changing local art on the walls.
15 Center St. 802-862-9647; dailyplanet15.com
Best Crepes
Skinny Pancake
With savory crepes featuring local apples and Cabot cheese, or sweet ones such as the “Choco-Monkey” (Nutella and banana slices), Skinny Pancake suits most tastes. Elaborate dinner crêpes (such as Thai veggies and noodles) are available Thursday through Saturday evenings; brunch crêpes on weekends.
60 Lake St. 802-540-0188; skinnypancake.com
Best French Fries | Al’s French Frys
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Best French Fries | Al’s French Frys Credit: Aimee Seavey
BEST PLACES TO STAY IN BURLINGTON, VT
Best Boutique Hotel
Hotel Vermont
Downtown Burlington’s first new independent hotel in a century is just a short stroll from both Church Street and the lakefront and offers bright, airy, modern accommodations without boutique minimalism. Vermont wood and stonework are everywhere, and farm-to-table cooking is featured at the hotel’s Juniper restaurant.
41 Cherry St. 802-651-0080; hotelvt.com
Best Bed & Breakfast
The Lang House
Burlington’s neighborhood of grand Queen Anne Victorian homes begins right where downtown ends. This 1881 beauty has been transformed into a posh B&B, whose 11 rooms still display the home’s lavish original craftsmanship while incorporating all the modern conveniences. The two rooms in an 1851 carriage house, set well back from the street, have a country-cottage feel.
360 Main St. 802-652-2500; langhouse.com
Best Lakefront Dining
One Of A Kind B&B
Book well in advance: This tiny lakefront turn-of-the-20th-century lodging, just a short walk from downtown, offers a two-room suite in the main house, and a small separate cottage. Both are sun-filled and offer wonderful water views. Described by owner/artist Maggie Sherman as “eclectic vernacular Victorian with a bit of Arts and Crafts,” the property has lovely gardens and provides guests with an in-room breakfast.
Deep in the Champlain Valley, estate gardens have been carved into the wild, creating a 26-acre Certified Wildlife Habitat. Whimsy and creativity add to the unique charm. Accommodations are in a contemporary post-and-beam.
693 Lewis Creek Road. 802-482-2118; thehiddengardens.com
Best Downtown Walking Value
Bel-Aire Motel
Family-owned and -operated, this cheerful motel sits on the back side of a trendy South End family park. Gardens compliment the red-white-and-blue décor. Rooms are basic, well-kept, and just a 10-minute walk from downtown.
111 Shelburne Road. 802-863-3116; belairevt.com
…and More
Best Fall Food Festivals in New England
Here are our picks for the Best Fall Food Festivals in New England. Plan a road trip, see the foliage, and bring your appetite to these fun food events!
Boston Local Food Festival
The Rose Kennedy Greenway in MA
bostonlocalfoodfestival.com
Boston’s newest and greenest food festival — celebrating the joys of eating local and promoting local farmers, restaurants, and specialty foods. Events include a seafood throwdown competition, chef and instructional demonstrations, music, tastings, and community crop shares.
Cranberry Harvest Celebration
The A.D. Makepeace Company Headquarters at Tihonet Village
http://www.cranberries.org/festival/festival.html
This fun family event features cranberry bog tours, helicopter rides, pony rides, cooking demonstrations, juried crafters and artisans, musical performances, games for children and much more.
What the Fluff?
Somerville, MA
flufffestival.com
The annual celebration of all things Fluff honors Archibald Query, who invented marshmallow Fluff in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1917. Activities include cooking contests, games of “Blind Man’s Fluff,” a marshmallow toss, Fluff-inspired cocktails, and more.
Marshmallow Fluff
Credit: Aimee Seavey
Marshmallow Fluff Credit: Aimee Seavey
Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival
Riverfront Park in CT
http://www.crvchamber.org/apple-harvest-festival
A top festival in the nutmeg state, featuring live music, 150+ craft booths, pie eating contest, pie bake-off, amusement rides, pony rides, family entertainment, road races, beer garden, and petting zoo.
Wellfleet Oysterfest
Throughout downtown Wellfleet, MA
wellfleetoysterfest.org
Featuring local cuisine, educational lectures, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, children’s activities, live music, road races, walking tours and the popular annual Oyster Shuck-Off competition, where hopefuls compete for the $1,000 cash prize and super shucker bragging rights.
Franklin County Cider Days
Throughout Franklin County, MA
ciderdays.org
Calling all apple lovers! Featuring orchard tours, cider-making, fresh and hard cider tastings, workshops, Harvest Supper, amateur cider competition, craft marketplace, and much more of everything apple.
The Conway Scenic Railroad
The Conway Scenic Railroad runs vintage equipment from the old round-house in North Conway, New Hampshire. From late spring to mid-December, some of the trains go south down the valley to Conway. The other trains run north to Glen and Bartlett through what an 1890 edition of Sweetser’s White Mountains described as “the broad intervales of the Saco River.”
A Conway Scenic Railroad train heads through New Hampshire’s Crawford Notch, amid dramatic scenery.
Credit: Jim Salge
A Conway Scenic Railroad train heads through New Hampshire’s Crawford Notch, amid dramatic scenery. Credit: Jim Salge
I live five miles north of Glen and I’ve been through those intervales 10,000 times or more, but I’d never seen them this way until I rode the Scenic Railroad up the valley. I’d seen them from the road or from the tops of the mountains, but now I was a tourist on my home ground. I was riding the train through the backyards of people I knew. I was seeing their woodsheds and their children’s swings as landscape.
The serious work of another age began at Bartlett. The long climb through Crawford Notch to Bretton Woods and Fabyan Station was the most famous grade in the Northeast; it was so steep that when steam locomotives ruled the rails, as many as five helper engines were put on in Bartlett. Our train was a lightweight by those heroic standards: just a coach, a first-class car, and an observation car with open sides and outward-facing bench seats. Now I easily remembered the slight posting motion when seated, matching the bump-thump bump-thump of the rails, and the swaying sailor’s gait when negotiating the aisles. I also remembered, with some slight difficulty, how to stay calm while crossing a trestle 94 feet above a rushing stream, and so narrow that it seemed to have no visible means of support.
Crawford Notch pinches tighter and tighter, and the railbed climbs steadily up its west wall. The ornate language of Sweetser’s day strikes us as quaint and improbable, but his description of the ride through Crawford Notch still rings true: “When we entered the Notch, we were struck with the wild and solemn appearance of everything before us.” Sweetser’s elevated cadences have retired to the archives, but I was grateful to the Conway Scenic Railroad for giving me a new view of the place where I live.
Best of Newport, Rhode Island
Located just 23 miles south of Providence, and 61 miles south of Boston, the seaside city of Newport, Rhode Island thrives with beauty and culture, not to mention plenty of good things to eat and places to stay.
Here’s a look at our picks for some of the best things to do, plus where to eat, shop, and stay in Newport, Rhode Island.
BEST ATTRACTIONS IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLANDBEST NEW MUSEUM
AUDRAIN AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM
“I think of them as moving sculptures,” says director David de Muzio of the collection he curates: some 200 rare cars, from an 1898 steam-powered Crouch to “the latest and greatest supercars.” Every four months, a new exhibition spotlights about 15 of these drool-worthy vehicles, owned by real-estate moguls Nick Schorsch and Bill Kahane, who renovated the 1902 Audrain Building for offices but quickly recognized its potential as a showroom of dreams.
222 Bellevue Ave. 401-856-4420; audrainautomuseum.org
BEST INTERACTIVE ATTRACTION
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME
In a city filled with “look, but don’t touch” attractions, this architecturally magnificent sports shrine engages an interactive generation. Gutted to the walls for a complete overhaul, the hall reopened in May 2015 with vibrant galleries and multimedia marvels, including a Roger Federer hologram. Plus, you can participate in clinics or book time on the grass courts where 1881’s first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships were played.
194 Bellevue Ave. 401-849-3990; tennisfame.com
BEST ALL-AGES BOAT TRIP
FISN’N TAKES ADVENTURES LOBSTER TOURS
Help bait traps, band claws, and learn the intimate details of lobster courtship rituals. Captain Rob DeMasi, one of Rhode Island’s last lobstermen, offers a 90-minute lobster-boat excursion—an authentic look at commercial lobstering in one of New England’s most scenic and historic bays.
Bowen’s Wharf. 401-619-4431; northeasternlobstertours.com
BEST HARBOR TOURS
GANSETT CRUISES, Newport
Board the M/V Gansett, a beautifully rehabbed wooden lobster boat, for a 90-minute narrated tour showcasing the area’s top coastal sites, plus a complimentary taste of Del’s lemonade, a quahog stuffy, or a coffee cabinet.
150 Bowens Landing. 401-787-4438; gansettcruises.com
Best All-Ages Boat Trip | Fish’n Tales Adventures Lobster Tours
Credit: Alex Gagne
Best All-Ages Boat Trip | Fish’n Tales Adventures Lobster Tours Credit: Alex GagneBEST FOOD TOUR
NEWPORT GOURMET TOURS, Newport & Providence
From crepes to cocktails, burgers to baguettes, these chef-run walking tours take you behind the scenes at some of the finest kitchens and specialty shops in Newport and Providence. Call for a reservation.
401-787-4058; newportgourmettours.com
BEST BEER (AND RUM) TASTING
COASTAL EXTREME BREWING COMPANY, Newport
Peek in on production, then sample the goods. Taste three Newport Storm brews, or if the hard stuff is more your speed, sip through three stages of Thomas Tew single-barrel rum (raw spirit, cask-strength aged rum, and final product).
293 JT Connell Road. 401-849-5232; newportstorm.com
BEST FOOD & DINING IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLANDBEST CAFE
CRU CAFE
Russell Morin Catering’s multisensory cuisine is the talk of Newport’s most-exclusive parties. Not invited? Be wowed by the flavors—and affordable prices—at the company’s new casual eatery. Breakfast, lunch, supper, and BYOB Sunday-brunch menus are revamped weekly to highlight local ingredients. Don’t miss the Bellevue blend: a collaboration with Rhode Island’s Custom House artisanal coffee roasters.
1 Casino Terrace. 401-314-0500; crucafenewport.com
BEST RAW BAR
MIDTOWN OYSTER BAR
In oyster lovers’ heaven, icy platters are heaped with glistening molluscs freshly plucked from local waters; crispy fried oysters and remoulade jazz up juicy burgers; and even the beer is brewed with oysters. You can behave and bide your time, or savor these divine creations now. With two bars, two decks, high-ceilinged dining rooms, a marble raw bar, and oyster stout—crafted by Harpoon—on tap, Midtown is where shellfish devotees congregate.
345 Thames St. 401-619-4100; midtownoyster.com
Best Raw Bar | Midtown Oyster Bar
Credit: Angel Tucker
Best Raw Bar | Midtown Oyster Bar Credit: Angel TuckerBEST BRUNCH
STONEACRE PANTRY
“Refreshing” it says in the brunch menu’s top-left corner. The heading refers to beverages like lemon–elderflower spritzer. But that single word encapsulates midday meals served Saturdays and Sundays, indoors and out, at this homey yet sophisticated restaurant. Handcrafted dishes like lemon–ricotta pancakes with rhubarb and whipped crème fraîche reflect the owners’ mission to sustain local farms.
515 Thames St. 401-619-7810; stoneacrepantry.com
BEST BYOB RESTAURANT
THAMES STREET KITCHEN, Newport
It’s all in the family at TSK. Chefs Chad Hoffer and Tyler Burnley, along with their wives–twin sisters and front-of-the-house managers Julia and Anna Jenkins–have created the ultimate elevated neighborhood BYOB. The menu is small, but the food (from striped-bass ceviche to fried chicken with French toast) is as fun as it is creative.
677 Thames St. 401-846-9100; thamesstreetkitchen.com
BEST AL FRESCO DINING
THE LAWN AT CASTLE HILL, Newport
The most scenic place in the state to grab a G&T and watch the water has upped the proverbial ante with the addition of an official moniker and a special al fresco menu. The view is even better when your belly is full of New England favorites such as clam chowder, lobster rolls, and just-shucked oysters.
590 Ocean Drive. 401-849-3800; castlehillinn.com
BEST SEASIDE SPIRITS
FLUKE WINE, BAR & KITCHEN, Newport
With almost 40 rums alone, it’s clear that Fluke means business with its bar program. From classic cocktails to seasonal house signatures, nonalcoholic sippers to a wine list that’s as deep as it is varied, Fluke has every beverage base covered.
41 Bowens Wharf. 401-849-7778; flukewinebar.com
BEST LODGING IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLANDBEST B&B ALTERNATIVE
GILDED
With a courtyard styled like the Mad Hatter’s croquet party, a fringy chandelier dangling over the white-lacquered billiard table, a jewel-toned library, and 17 funky guest rooms, this newcomer is a visual feast. So is the daily spread of breakfast tapas. If historic inns’ intimacy and formal décor aren’t your thing, this posh, irreverent boutique hotel is your anti-B&B.
23 Brinley St. 401-619-7758; gildedhotel.com
BEST GOURMAND GETAWAY
BOUCHARD INN & RESTAURANT
Hospitality power couple Sarah and Chef Albert Bouchard possess that je ne sais quoi that transforms a mere meal or a stay into a memory. Even as their Newport empire has expanded, their flagship French restaurant exudes unparalleled warmth and creativity. With a bellyful of filet de boeuf aux brie, retire to one of 14 rooms upstairs or steps away, and dream until fresh-baked pastries arrive.
505 Thames St. 401-846-0123; bouchardnewport.com
BEST HOTEL MAKEOVER
NEWPORT MARRIOTT
A $35 million renovation has catapulted Newport’s largest hotel into the upper echelon of seaside places to stay. All 320 rooms underwent high-tech, yacht-chic makeovers, but it’s the lobby’s swings, fountains, and Plank Bar; Mainsail restaurant’s boat-shaped booths and waterside two-tops; and Skiff Bar’s wicked martinis, bacon pops, and ceiling raining nautical rope that are attracting spirited crowds.
25 America’s Cup Ave. 401-849-1000; newportmarriott.com
BEST (TEMPORARY) LUXE LIVING
VANDERBILT GRACE, Newport
Rarely does a hotel score a trifecta like this: good food, posh accommodations, and a stellar view. With a menu overseen by The White Barn Inn’s Jonathan Cartwright, tastefully refurbished rooms, and a rooftop lounge that floats above the city, it’s a romantic retreat for the Gatsby crowd–and those who want to dream for the weekend.
41 Mary St. 401-846-6200; vanderbiltgrace.com
BEST DESIGNER HOTEL
THE ATTWATER, Newport
Self-described as “Newport unconventional,” the Attwater recently underwent a total renovation. If your weekend in Newport is half as fun as these rooms–bold fabrics, sleek furnishings, ultramodern accents–you’re in for a treat.
22 Liberty St. 401-846-7444; theattwater.com
BEST HOSPITALITY
LA FARGE PERRY HOUSE, Newport
The best of both worlds: high living with down-home hospitality. Innkeeper Jennifer Balch goes the extra mile, from booking coveted dinner reservations to fixing a healthy breakfast on request, to make guests feel like VIPs.
24 Kay St. 401-847-2223; lafargeperry.com
Best of New England Fall Travel: Best Places to See Foliage in New England, Best Fall Drives in New England, Things To Do In Maine, Things To Do in the Berkshires, Things To Do in Vermont, and More!
Best of New England Fall Travel: Best Places to See Foliage in New England, Best Fall Drives in New England, Things To Do In Maine, Things To Do in the Berkshires, Things To Do in Vermont, and More!
The most dramatic way to enter the White Mountains region is to follow I-93 and Route 3 north through Franconia Notch, then head east along Route 302 to Route 16. The 75-mile winding drive is one of sweeping views, turnoffs to logging roads and hiking trails, babbling brooks, waterfalls, and covered bridges.
As you drive along Route 169 in the eastern part of the state, it soon becomes clear why this section of Connecticut is called the Quiet Corner. This route, located just off I-395, offers 32 miles of pure, uninterrupted tranquillity.
I’d love to know the peak season for foliage in all these different areas.
Do you have a concise map with that information on it anywhere?
This is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for a lovely guide. So much to see!