On Bruce Ware’s porch above the shores of Lake Champlain, I lower myself into a deep wooden chair and lean back. “The way you’ll know a real one is the height of the chair off the ground, and where your knees come up to,” Ware tells me. “In some, where the angle is wrong, they’ll […]
The largest lighthouse museum in the United States is right here in New England, thanks to the 2007 merger of Rockland’s Maine Lighthouse Museum with the collections of the American Lighthouse Foundation, an advocacy and preservation organization, formerly based in Wells, Maine. Paintings, photographs, artifacts, lectures and presentations, and more. 1 Park Drive Rockland, ME […]
Now in its 20th year, Lighthouse Depot in Wells, Maine, offers two full floors of everything and anything associated with lighthouses. (There’s also a new branch store in Rockland, plus a thriving mail-order business.) Service jackets? Check. Kitschy earrings? Yep. Requisite coffee mugs? Of course. “Artistically sculpted” toilet handles? Why not? Plus furnishings, books, DVDs, […]
Bag the fall foliage view with an easy cruise up to elevation and sites that set your sights over sweeping landscapes.
ATTRACTIONS Best Store to Woof About: PLANET DOG, Portland Portland earns kudus as a dog-friendly town, and Planet Dog (motto: “Think globally. Act doggedly.”) earns raves for its environmentally friendly pet products (check out the Orbee-Tuff Ball), commitment to animal causes, and pet programs. 211 Marginal Way. 207-347-8606; planetdog.com Best Chance to Land Dinner: LUCKY […]
ATTRACTIONS Best Recreation Path: LAMOILLE VALLEY RAIL TRAIL Stretching 92 miles from St. Johnsbury to Swanton along an old railbed, this gentle trail traverses a wide variety of landscapes, often following the scenic river. Surfaces vary; cyclists should use mountain bikes. 802-644-5750; lvrt.org Best Jam Session: VERMONT JAZZ CENTER, Brattleboro Jazz improv in Vermont? This […]
ATTRACTIONS Best Historic Walking Tour: PORTSMOUTH HARBOR TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS TOUR, Portsmouth Delve into the city’s rich past on this hour-long walking tour of Colonial residences and historic landmarks, and hear the stories of early townspeople (merchants, politicians, and laborers) who helped build it into a four-star destination. Call for seasonal schedule. Reservations recommended. Greater Portsmouth […]
ATTRACTIONS Best Rainy-Day Walk: ROGER WILLIAMS PARK BOTANICAL CENTER, Providence New England’s largest garden conservatory is still expanding its outdoor displays, but its 12,000 square feet of indoor tropical and subtropical plants, complete with palm trees, waterfalls, orchids, cacti, and many other exotic blooms and fragrances, transport visitors to a southern paradise. 1000 Elmwood Ave. […]
ATTRACTIONS Best Boutique Art and Science Center: BRUCE MUSEUM, Greenwich It’s a small but mint venue that mounts extraordinary exhibitions that often go on to tour nationally or internationally. On view through May 24, Innovations in the Third Dimension: Sculpture of Our Time (Rodin, Calder, Nevelson, Moore); through June 14, Dinosaurs: The Art of Reconstruction; […]
LODGING Best Compound: BREADLOAF MOUNTAIN LODGE AND COTTAGES, Cornwall Bridge Under the same ownership as Housatonic Meadows Fly Shop next door, yet far different. This 1780s lodge has been brought into the 21st century, with five lushly landscaped hillside cottages featuring cathedral ceilings, luxe baths, and dreamy sleeping porches. Rates: from $295. 13 Route 7. […]
DINING Best Catch: FISHERMAN’S CATCH, Wells It’s completely understandable why locals would rather keep the Cardinali family’s off-the-beaten-path chowder and fish joint a secret. This salt-marsh-view restaurant is renowned for its light, crispy, fresh fried fish as well as for its generous lobster rolls–but don’t even think about skipping dessert. The freshly baked blueberry pie […]
DINING Best Inn Breakfast:STONE’S THROW INN, Narragansett The lavish multicourse breakfast put on by hostess Pam Flavin includes fresh fruit and yogurt, followed by cooked-to-order omelets, baked-apple French toast, or Belgian waffles, with a choice of toppings, plus bacon, sausage, or ham–all served inside a 1902 Victorian cottage within walking distance of the expansive wraparound […]
