How New England are you?

How New England are you? Get a true insider’s guide to some of what makes our home so special from quaint Connecticut villages to the mountains of Maine

Is there a monster in Lake Champlain? Do you know what Coffee Milk is? Have you taken a tour on the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat? If so, you might be a New Englander! As the most distinct, compact region in the country, New England is full of characters, quirks, and our own little bits of history and tradition that we love to share. Yankee has changed since 1935, when Robb Sagendorph started the magazine with one typewriter and a Franklin stove beside his desk. And we’ve changed since our 75th anniversary in 2010. But much of what makes New England special has remained steady, and there are some New England essentials that you just can’t get away from if you call this place home. We have Cape Cod, the oldest continual Fourth of July parade in the country, and we get to see the sunrise before anyone else in the U.S. (although where, exactly, is up for some debate). We were Red Sox fans pre-2004. We’ve lived through the Blizzard of ‘78 and the Ice Storm of 2008, and we’ve learned our lessons about hiking during Black Fly Season! And above all, there’s nowhere we’d rather be, whether we live here, or visit as often as possible. Black flies and ice storms aside, if you really want to feel like a New Englander, here are a few more things you have to experience. New England Chowder There is some argument as to whether the creamy-style New England chowder or the clear-broth Rhode Island chowder is better. What we all agree on is that the tomato-based Manhattan chowder is, as one 1930 publication claimed, “the work of the Reds,” who seek to undermine “our most hallowed tradition.” Candlepin Bowling With an all-time high score of 245 (out of a possible 300), candlepin bowling is a game that refuses to be mastered. Some say the small balls and tiny pins make for a game of grace and precision; others claim they’re punishment from God to humble smug ten-pin bowlers. Either way, the first time you strike the two center pins–and nothing else–you should learn to laugh at yourself, because everyone else at the alley already is. Apple Pie with a Slice of Cheddar Like Fenway and the Green Monster. Like the month of March and the town meeting. These two institutions were made to be together. Visit E.B. White Country Read about Wilbur, Charlotte, and the rest of the gang from Charlotte’s Web; then visit Maine’s Blue Hill Fair, the event that inspired it all. Tour the Bones in the Closet We may not be proud of all of our history, but that won’t stop us from putting in a gift shop and charging admission. Morbidly inclined New Englanders can pick from an assortment of macabre attractions, including the Lizzie Borden B&B in Fall River, Mass.; a tour of Boston Strangler crime scenes; and pretty much the entire city of Salem, also in the curiously ghoulish Bay State. As for the other 70 actions and attractions on the list, you can read them and all the other stories in our 75th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition.

Learn what makes New England our favorite little slice of America, by checking out our 75th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition!

From fall foliage to hidden antique shops to, yes, the stupidest thing we ever said, the 75th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition gives you a look at where we’ve been–and where we’re going. With your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership, you have full access to everything in the 75th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition, including:

• A personal tale of Judson Hales first day on the job at Yankee Magazine in 1958, in Here in New England: My First Day
• A chat with man behind two of the most famous characters on television, in How Do You Become a Big Bird?: The Big Question with Muppeteer Carrol Spinney
• Where to enjoy a spectacular view of fall foliage (and where to get a mouth-watering cider doughnut), in The Top 25 Foliage Towns in New England
• A taste of a few of the several hundred varieties of apples in New England, in Knowledge & Wisdom: How to Eat Beyond the Mac

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