Happy is the miller who lives near the mill. So reads the script swirling over the mantel in this 1787 cottage that sits in the shadows of one of the few remaining historic windmills in Rhode Island. David Clancy and his wife, Jennifer, subscribe to the same philosophy. “Our daily commute is like his,” says […]
massachusetts
Magazine
Corn Mazes in New England
Have you been to a corn maze? Bring a sense of adventure and get ready to laugh, scream, and have fun at these New England fall farm features. Visit, for example, Marini Farms in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where an 8-acre, interactive Maze Quest opens September 12 with clues via 3-D glasses and text messages. The maze […]
Magazine
8. From the Air
That’s right… No one ever said the only way to see color was from eye level. Get the birds’ perspective: Go hot-air ballooning, skydiving, paragliding, or flying. In western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, climb into a wicker gondola with Paul Sena (413-238-5514; worthingtonballooning.com), or jump from an airplane with Dave Strickland (800-444-5867, 413-586-1889; airborne-adventures.com).
Magazine
7. It’s Not Just About the Leaves
Fall is also harvest time — that time of year when we visit New England’s apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes. Maybe best of all are the county and state fairs that celebrate the season’s bounty. This year, check out the 189th Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Massachusetts (888-781-3247, 978-887-5000; topsfieldfair.org). America’s oldest continually operating […]
Magazine
4. When You’re Thirsty
Try the season’s apple cider — celebrate Cider Day in western Massachusetts’ Franklin County (413-773-5463; ciderday.org). Or, look for fall ales, on tap or bottled. Two popular brews made in New England are Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale (Maine) and Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (New Hampshire).
Magazine
2. Soundtrack
If I had the grace of autumn / then I’d know just what to do / I’d hold on ’til the time was right / and let go with brilliant hues. — “Autumn,” from the album The Harvest by Colrain, Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Erica Wheeler
Nothing eats away at a family’s mealtime together like children’s sports. Everywhere parents hustle from practices to games — often one season merging into the next without a break — all the while hoping their kids will grab a bite while tugging on their uniforms. The Malpiedes and the Lynches of Needham, Massachusetts, know about […]
I’m standing in the parking lot of a large RV dealership south of Boston, notebook in hand, scribbling furiously as our rental agent points out every button and lever on the 33-foot Winnebago we’ve rented for a weekend of October leaf-peeping up the Maine coast. I have a bad feeling. Two hours in, and we’ve […]
Although New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Washington now supply the bulk of the country’s commercial crop, the Concord grape did indeed get its start in Concord, Massachusetts. Gold-leaf artisan, horticulturalist, and Concord resident Ephraim Wales Bull (1806-1895) spent years working with 22,000 seedlings before finding a vine worth keeping — a derivative of a wild […]
A collection of fun and easy summer vegetable recipes that put the flavor of the season’s harvest on your table. Nurtured all summer long and tended to perfection, piles of red and yellow tomatoes in every shape and size await your inspection. Neat stacks of white and golden corn nestled in silk … hard-shelled squashes […]
Yankee
Antiques: Federal Furniture
Americans are a loud bunch. We talk big. We act out. We don’t truly embrace the “less is more” mentality. Our heroes are risk takers, and we value action over restraint, boldness over subtlety. I suppose it’s inevitable that a country spawned from revolution would embrace boisterous ideals, but I fear that in doing so, […]
Massachusetts
Sterling, MA: Davis Corn Maze
You’ll need a few supplies with you while getting lost in Davis’ Mega Maze in Sterling, Massachusetts: sturdy shoes, sunblock, snacks, and either a keen sense of direction or a horseshoe in your pocket. Visitors start by viewing a three-minute introductory movie; then the trek through the labyrinth begins … Each year, this three-dimensional, eight-acre […]