The Connecticut River links four of New England’s six states along its 410 miles, starting at the northern tip of the New Hampshire/Maine border, from where it flows south between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Massachusetts and Connecticut, finally reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Long Island Sound. Like Interstate 91, its companion for much of […]
Welcome to the June 2011 edition of Jud’s New England Journal, the rather curious monthly musings of Judson Hale, the Editor-in-Chief of Yankee Magazine, published since 1935 in Dublin, N.H. Are There Any Yankees Left Today? To answer that question, one would have to arrive at a definition. And that is no easy task. . […]
APRIL 30-MAY 1: ESSEX JUNCTION, Everything Equine. Seminars, exhibits, and presentations devoted to the love of horses, featuring speakers and experts in equine science, industry, and competitive sports. Plus an equine art show, 4-H corner, and more, all at the Champlain Valley Expo. 802-878-5545; cvexpo.org APRIL 30-MAY 1: WOODSTOCK, Spring Farm Festival. A weekend packed […]
April 30-May 1: MERIDEN, Meriden Daffodil Festival. Celebrate the blooming of the 600,000 daffodils in Hubbard Park. Enjoy the parade, a juried crafts fair, food prepared by local nonprofit organizations, a business expo, and a spectacular fireworks display. 203-630-4259; daffodilfest.com May 6-7: FARMINGTON, Hill-Stead May Market. All the crafts and plants you need to start […]
You’re bound to find treasure when you hunt along the Connecticut Antiques Trail. Antiques hunter Polly Bannister describes her own experience. The broad, mile-long Main Street of Woodbury, Connecticut, is lined with remarkable historic homes built since the town’s settlement in 1673, each more beautifully restored than the next. It seems that nearly every house […]
With some 130 active dairy farms producing more than 40 million gallons of milk a year, New Hampshire has plenty of fresh stuff left over to accommodate everyone’s favorite traditional summer pastime: a trip to the local ice-cream stand. Most of the state’s dairies lie up and down the Connecticut and Merrimack river valleys, but […]
With its significant coastline and interior farmland, Connecticut suffers no shortage of great food from land and sea. But notwithstanding the state’s well-documented affection for pizza, it seems that the humble hamburger is the point of greatest pride in these parts–and it may have even been invented here. Where would American cuisine (and the U.S. […]
If you’re a young, talented musician and aspire to join a symphony orchestra one day, there’s one place where you want to summer. On a humid afternoon in late June, I’m walking across Tanglewood’s manicured grounds with a young violinist named Tema Watstein. She has long, dark hair and wears sandals and blue jeans, a […]
BEST ART ON A HILL Sculpture Barn, New Fairfield Dynamic in feeling, diverse in media, this atelier’s contemporary works reside in natural spaces both inside and out. The changing exhibit gallery was once owned by Louise Nevelson’s son. 3 Milltown Road. 203-746-6101; sculpturebarn.com BEST PEACEFUL RETREAT St. Edmund’s retreat, Enders Island, Mystic This retreat house […]
BEST BALINESE IMPORTS Agabhumi: The Best of Bali, Westport Filled with beautiful, diverse jewelry, handbags, scarves, and sandals, all fashioned far away, but a good fit here. The prices will keep you coming back for seconds. 165 Post Road East. 203-557-0188; agabhumi.com BEST GARDEN & PICNIC PARK Wickham Park, Manchester Gardens inspired by England, Italy, […]
BEST TUBING Farmington River, New Hartford The gentle rapids here provide a rollicking good ride down a 2.5-mile stretch. Farmington River Tubing provides tubes, lifejackets, and a shuttle bus from the take-out back to the starting point (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day). 92 Main St. 960-693-6465; farmingtonrivertubing.com BEST RIVERSIDE BIKING Essex Loop, Essex A […]
BEST IMPRESSIONIST SUNSETS Bee & Thistle Inn & Spa,Old Lyme All nine guestrooms in this Colonial mansion are as graceful as the works of the American Impressionists who once painted beside its backyard river. There’s also a convivial restaurant and a rare petanque court for French lawn bowling. Rates: from $170. 100 Lyme St. 800-622-4946, […]
