BEST COTTAGE RENTAL Kagels Cottages, Narragansett Early-20th-century waterfront cottages nest by a salt pond. Steeped in 63 acres of farmland and views of the Ram Island bird sanctuary, it’s clear why this has been a family business since the 1920s, hosting five generations of families: There’s no reason to leave. Rates: from $1,100 per week. […]
BEST POND-TO-PLATE Matunuck Oyster Bar, East Matunuck Dine a stone’s skip from where the oysters are cultivated by the bar’s owner. Try the “Buck a Shuck” ($1 oysters and littlenecks) from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays. No reservations, but it’s worth the wait. Entrées: from $13.95. 629 Succotash Road. 401-783-4202; rhodyoysters.com BEST EXOTIC MENU Los […]
BEST DAY PADDLE Batten Kill Canoe, Arlington Plan a two-hour or two-day paddle down the beautiful Batten Kill with the able assistance of the folks at Batten Kill Canoe, who are familiar with every nook and cranny of the river known as “the Valley of Vermont.” Photo Credit: Carl Tremblay Maps for every level of […]
BEST MAINE MEXICALI Loco Coco’s Tacos, Kittery Transplanted Californians think they’ve been transported home when they sink their teeth into the burritos, enchiladas, and tacos served at this Cal-Mex restaurant, where some of the recipes have been passed down for generations. Choose from self-serve, dining room, or lounge seating. Entrées: from $6.95. 36 Walker St. […]
BEST RAFTING Deerfield River, Franklin County Outfitters haul their yellow rafts to the banks of the Deerfield River in the spring and summer months to tumble down two stretches: the exhilarating Class IV rapids in the Dryway and the family-friendly Class II and III rapids farther south, in the deep pools of Zoar Gap. Zoar […]
BEST MOVIE HOUSE Beacon Cinema, Pittsfield The city’s Kinnell-Kresge building is classic 1918, but inside, a new six-screen, all-digital theater features the Met Opera “Live in HD” as well as art films, sports broadcasts, and first-run movies in surround sound. Hot hits may appear on all screens at once–in 3D. A vintage escalator accesses the […]
BEST CUPCAKE Shabby Chic, Windham The confections here are works of art and taste equally divine. Dive into the moist decadence of, for example, “Vanilla Cranberry Swirl,” “Salted Caramel,” or “Cinnamon Pear,” topped with clouds of flavored butter cream ($3.25 each). 4 Cobbetts Pond Road. 603-898-2442; shabbychicwindham.com BEST ORGANIC FINE DINING The Rustic Leaf Bistro, […]
Christine Chitnis is a Providence-based writer, photographer and environmental educator with a talent for bringing her images to life by focusing on color and texture. Her writing has appeared in Country Living, Time Out New York, Edible Rhody and The Washington Post, among many other local and national publications. Christine first picked up a camera […]
From swan boats in Boston to sugaring in Vermont, generations of New Englanders know the traditions that mark the change of season.
From the upstairs room where I’m writing this, I can look out across a 30-acre pond to the broad shoulder that slopes southward off the summit of Mount Cardigan. The summit itself–a bare, gray, granite dome–towers above west-central New Hampshire but is blocked from my view by smaller Hoyt Hill, which butts between us in […]
Experience the frozen fun of the annual Dartmouth Winter Carnival in Hanover, NH from photographers Christian and Jonathan Kozowyk.
Edie Vonnegut and her husband, John Squibb, combined art, practicality, and frugality to make the Cape Cod barn of her childhood into their own home.
