A Fall Weekend in Sturbridge, MA

Sponsored by Discover Central MA

There’s more to the town of Sturbridge than you might notice from a quick drive through—more than enough, in fact, to fill a weekend getaway for couples or a group of friends. With independent shops, a trio of craft breweries, fine dining and historic attractions, the Central Massachusetts town is full of surprises.

A love of history brings many visitors to Sturbridge, where they can immerse themselves for a few hours in a bygone era at Old Sturbridge Village. There’s a reassuring sense of peace and purpose in its rhythms of mid-1800s daily life. Sturbridge is a fitting location for re-creating the past, as the town has a long history of its own. You can sense this in the Sturbridge Common Historic District, a space laid out by town founders in 1738. The militia trained here during the Revolution, military supplies were gathered and a cavalry company was raised to serve with George Washington’s Continental Army. Veterans of that war rest in the Old Burial Ground, opposite the Common.

The historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes the 1838 Greek Revival Town Hall and the Greek Revival and Federal buildings that line Main Street and a handful of adjacent side streets. The oldest is the Publick House Historic Inn, a tavern that has been the focal point of the Common’s southern side since 1772, and a welcome stop for early travelers on the old Boston Post Road.

Long before the Boston Post Road, Sturbridge was crossed by Native American paths, and a Nipmunk site is also listed on the National Register. At Tantiusques Reservation you can follow a trail to the remains of a mine where the Nipmunk extracted graphite to make ceremonial paints. In Opacum Woods, another of the town’s many public reserves, the Blue Trail leads through hemlock woods to a rock shelter used by Native Americans.

Visitors with a hankering for more things past can lose themselves for hours browsing in Sturbridge Antique Shops, on Route 20. More than 75 dealers from all over New England fill two floors with antiques and vintage collectibles. Here and at Past To Present Antiques, also on Route 20, you might find postcards of stereoscopic views of old New England scenes, Victorian silver, Art Deco jewelry, tin kitchen utensils or antique dolls. From early American primitives to mid-century furniture, it’s likely to be here.

Whether you’re redecorating a room, shopping for gifts, provisioning your wine cellar or jazzing up your look with a little bling, you’ll find something in Sturbridge’s independent shops. Stop at Best Bib & Tucker for unique leather clothing, shoes and accessories, including motorcycle gear. Give your home a lift with country primitives or faux flowers from The Handmaiden Décor and stop at REB Products in Sturbridge Marketplace, for a selection that ranges from handbags and scarves, to beads, charms, and Swarovski crystal. Find contemporary jewelry in sea glass and mixed metals, and reproductions of 1920s jewelry at Sadie Green’s Curiosity Shop.

Wine Buyers Outlet is a one-stop shop for things food and drink, from wines and wine accessories to local artisanal and imported cheeses and fine chocolates. On Saturday afternoons from 1-5pm they host free wine and cheese tastings.

Walk through landscaped gardens to the gallery of Sturbridge Pottery, where Gary and Ann Malone create stoneware and porcelain bowls, pitchers, mugs, and vases finished with their own distinctive high-fire glazes. The works of a number of other talented local craftsmen are featured at Chickadees, a gallery of stained glass art, jewelry, original photography, needle arts and garden décor, including bird baths and houses. Find custom craftsmanship at Fine Lines Furniture, where furniture and accent pieces are built to order, and at Girouard Guitars, designers and makers of custom electric guitars in exotic woods.

Works by potters and tinsmiths using authentic tools, designs, and methods of the mid-19^th century are sold at the Old Sturbridge Village Gift Shop, amid books, home décor, toys and foods with a New England theme. If admiring all this fine craftsmanship inspires visitors to try their own hand, Old Sturbridge Village offers workshops for adults and children, teaching woodworking, tinsmithing, textile crafts, blacksmithing, basket making and decorative arts.

Join a “Sewcation” weekend or class at Sturbridge Quilting and Sewing Center and buy quilting supplies, patterns and fabrics, plus yarns and other needle arts supplies at The Quilt & Cabbage, on Route 20. Brush-It-Off Paint & Sip Bar offers classes in painting, or just a walk-in place to practice in the company of a local artist; canvas, brushes and supplies are furnished.

When it’s time for a break, remember that Sturbridge is on the Central Massachusetts Craft Beer Trail, and three breweries create different brews and offer different experiences in their taprooms. Rapscallion Brewery is a pet-friendly place where weekly live music accompanies flights, pints or pitchers of small-batch beers, and there are free weekend tours at 2pm. Enjoy live music at a taproom in a 150-year-old mill, or a beer garden overlooking a river, at Altruist Brewing Company, whose dozen or so drafts range from India Black to American IPA. Homefield Brewing uses locally grown hops and fruits for their single-batch beers, and extends that farm-to-table philosophy to the foods they serve in their taproom.

The same local ethic is evident at Cedar Street Grille, in its list of nearly a dozen New England beers on tap and as many more on the bottle list. The menu features plenty of small bites and tapas to accompany the brews, and a few well-chosen main dish options such as baked stuffed shrimp. In relaxed barn-loft surroundings, The Duck has been a local favorite for decades, with namesake specialties like lobster-deviled duck eggs and poutine with hand cut fries and duck confit. Chefs at adjacent Avellino share the cooking experience with dinner guests through an open kitchen, as they transform seasonal ingredients into Italian favorites.

Those who were drawn to Sturbridge by an interest in history can savor traditional Yankee pot roast or New England lobster pie by the six-foot fireplace in the authentic 18^th-century surroundings of the Tap Room at the Publick House Historic Inn. No need to travel far to sink into a luxurious room for the night, as the Publick House has guest rooms, too. More rooms await in the nearby 1789 Oliver Wright House, part of the Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges, which also offers modern lodgings with individual entrances.