12 Best Places to Live in New England | Things to Eat, See, Do

After you’ve gotten the bird’s-eye-view of our 2024 “Best Places to Live” towns, discover our editors’ picks for the best places to eat and things to do while you’re in New England.

Warren, RI: Up-and-Coming Food Town

Taste It: If we have to pick just one of Warren’s many worthy dining options, it’s Bywater, for its spicy crab pasta, $1 oyster nights, and fine aperitivo cocktails. bywaterrestaurant.com

Try It: Get your hands dirty at Mudstone Studios, where you can learn pottery skills like wheel throwing and hand building. Pet lovers can learn to sculpt animal portraits or make Fido’s food and water bowls. mudstonestudios.com

Inside Tip: Hope & Main hosts maker/farmers’ markets and community parties all year round, with live music, tasty bites, and drinks aplenty. makefoodyourbusiness.org

Resident Perk: A resident pass to the town beach is just $20 per year. townofwarren-ri.gov/town_government/departments/parks_and_recreation/warren_dog_park.php

North Conway, NH: Adventure Town

Taste It: Fuel up for the day at Frontside Coffee Roasters, then later enjoy live music, pizza, and beer at one of the state’s oldest microbreweries, Tuckerman, in Conway. frontsidecoffee.com; tuckermanbrewing.com

Try It: Have a pro from Cathedral Mountain Guides show you the ropes on a summer rock climb or an ascent of a frozen winter waterfall. cathedralmountainguides.com

Inside Tip: Just eight miles north of North Conway lies Jackson’s famous cross-country ski terrain, as well as the classic ski area Black Mountain, imbued with the region’s rich Alpine history. jacksonxc.org;blackmt.com

Resident Perk: When the White Mountain National Forest’s 1,200 miles of hiking trails is a backdrop to daily living, you can spend a lifetime exploring and never retrace your steps. fs.usda.gov/whitemountain

Marblehead, MA: Coastal Town

Taste It: The oyster appetizers at French/Mediterranean bistro 5 Corners Kitchen will keep you busy until the delectable cod with roasted cauliflower floats your way. 5cornerskitchen.com

Try It: There’s no better place to learn how to sail, either with the Marblehead rec department or private sailing schools. marblehead.org/harbors-waters/faq/how-can-i-learn-sail

Inside Tip: Climb the stairway to Old Burial Hill, the c. 1638 resting place of early residents, for stunning views of the harbor. oldburialhill.org

Resident Perk: Ice skating and pick-up hockey on frozen Redd’s Pond, the town’s former reservoir, make for a memorable winter day. marblehead.org/about-marblehead/pages/hidden-town-jewels

Manchester, VT: Culture Town

Taste It: Savor a vibrant little silo of salmon wrapped in spinach and phyllo at the Silver Fork, a tiny Caribbean/Euro-flavored boîte that’s been rated a top spot in the U.S. for date night. thesilverforkvt.com

Try It: In late spring, the garden at the historic Hildene estate is a riot of peonies waiting to be weeded by volunteers. Have a hankering for hawking instead? Raise your arm and sign up at Green Mountain Falconry School. hildene.org; greenmountainfalconryschool.com

Inside Tip: Orvis’s famous fly-fishing school offers free basic lessons. orvis.com

Resident Perk: Explore a shopping smorgasbord of high-end designer outlets, where Eileen Fisher rubs elbows with Ralph Lauren, and J. Crew nods to Armani. manchestervermont.com/shop

Brunswick, ME: College Town

Taste It: Ask any Bowdoin student for their favorite eatery, and chances are it’s Wild Oats Bakery and Café (especially popular: its vegetarian and vegan options). wildoatsbakery.com

Try It: Walk in the footsteps of Longfellow, Hawthorne, and Harriet Beecher Stowe on Bowdoin’s beautiful campus, then explore its hidden-gem Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. bowdoin.edu

Inside Tip: Midcoast Maine growers congregate twice weekly from May to November on the town green; a Saturday winter farm market continues at the Fort Andross Mill Complex. brunswickfarmersmarket.com

Resident Perk: Bowdoin’s dining hall food is a perennial “best in the nation” winner, with cuisine from around the world and chef specials for students and local foodies alike. bowdoin.edu/campus-life/dining/index.html

Great Barrington, MA: Eco-Minded Town

Taste It: Prairie Whale owner Mark Firth raises pigs, sheep, and chickens, guaranteeing the provenance of such dishes as polenta with house-made sausage and poached egg. prairiewhale.com

Try It: Ski local at Ski Butternut, with 22 trails, tubing, a ski school, and $25 Friday passes. skibutternut.com

Inside Tip: The Berkshire International Film Festival takes over downtown for four days in early summer, but the BIFF is also a year-round resource that welcomes volunteers. biffma.org

Resident Perk: Your pick of Tanglewood (Lenox), summer home to the BSO; Jacob’s Pillow (Becket); and Berkshire Theatre Group (Stockbridge). Plus: music at Arlo Guthrie’s namesake center at the Old Trinity Church. bso.org; jacobspillow.org; berkshiretheatregroup.org; guthriecenter.org

Wickford, RI: Historic-Architecture Town

Taste It: Boats gliding to and from the marina set the scene at Wickford on the Water. Which to choose: the warm Wickford Lobster Roll or a taco packed with beer-battered fish, veggies, and mango salsa? wickfordonthewater.com

Try It: See those paddlers darting like minnows around the harbor? You can join them by renting a kayak or SUP from the Kayak Centre, which also offers tours and classes. kayakcentre.com

Inside Tip: Day-trippers can sail into town, tie up for a few hours, and stroll the tributaries of wobbly little streets that run, inevitably, down to the sea.

Resident Perk: A front-row seat to the Wickford Art Festival, the longest-running event of its kind in New England. wickfordart.org

Kent, CT: Remote-Work Town

Taste It: The Villager is the diner you want on your doorstep, where American and traditional Mexican fare merge and neighbors become friends. villagerkent.com

Try It: Sleep “aboard” a 19th-century baggage car turned cozy cottage. It’s one of the Kent Collection’s enchanting accommodations, perfect for overnighting while you scout real estate. kentcollection.com

Inside Tip: Philanthropist Anne Bass’s love for Kent, preservation efforts, and eye for natural beauty live on, particularly at Rock Cobble Farm. Find heirloom produce, flowers, plants, meats, and cheeses at its seasonal Community Farm Stand at Kent Barns. rockcobblefarm.com

Resident Perk: Like a scene from Gilmore Girls, town meetings here attract a crowd. Your voice will definitely be heard. townofkentct.org

St. Albans, VT: Revitalized Small City

Taste It: Born from a popular food truck, The Drake serves up a bounty of lunch and dinner options, craft cocktails, and local beers that, like the Main Street scene, will encourage you to linger. thedrakevt.com

Try It: Explore the grandeur of Lake Champlain with a pontoon boat rental from the St. Albans Bay Marina. stalbansbaymarina.com

Inside Tip: Discover a trove of books on Vermont history amid the 35,000 new, used, and rare titles at the Eloquent Page. theeloquentpage.com

Resident Perk: Locals get their swim on at the year-round City Pool at Hard’ack for half the entrance price that nonresidents pay. stalbansvt.myrec.com

Chester, CT: River Town

Taste It: The morning go-to is Simon’s Marketplace, a gourmet general store and central gathering spot. Come evening, order the melty cacio e pepe at Grano Arso, which raises comfort food to new heights. simonsmarketplace.net; granoct.com

Try It: Plunge into breezy Cedar Lake, just 2½ miles from downtown, or cast your line into Pattaconk Lake in Connecticut’s second-largest state forest, Cockaponset. chesterct.org/parks-recreation-commission/pages/parks; portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Forests/Cockaponset-State-Forest

Inside Tip: Painter Leif Nilsson holds concerts in his Spring Street Studio & Gallery during winter; in summer, the music moves outside into his backyard. nilssonstudio.com

Resident Perk: Free music lessons, you say? Chester Fife & Drum Corps is always looking for more players to join its ranks. chesterct.org/about-chester/pages/chester-fife-drum-corps

Damariscotta, ME: Picture-Perfect Town

Taste It: Take a seat at Newcastle’s Shuck Station, and ask to taste the river. Some 80 percent of Maine’s oysters are grown in the clear, salty-sweet Damariscotta, and soon you’ll be served a dozen—three varieties—on crushed ice. theshuckstation.com

Try It: Register for Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s oyster gardening program, and learn to tend your own bivalves over the course of a two-year session. coastalrivers.org/oyster-gardening

Inside Tip: Furnish your place for a song at the Miles in Motion Thrift Shop. Deals are even wilder during summer’s third-Saturday rummage sales at the MMHL Drop-Off. facebook.com/mmhlthriftshop; mmhldropoff.com

Resident Perk: Enjoy The Lincoln County News home delivery for less than $4 a month, and know everything that’s happening (even this week’s divorces). lcnme.com

Exeter, NH: Walk-to-Everything Town

Taste It: At the casual cafe Laney & Lu, don’t miss the spiced-ginger-pear smoothie bowl. Meanwhile, hot-spot Otis features a five-course tasting menu, where a forkful of scallops is trimmed with fennel and orange. laneyandlu.com; otisrestaurant.com

Try It: Kayakers can launch into the Squamscott River from the town boat landing beside the Phillips Exeter boathouse.

Inside Tip: On Monday nights in July, Exeter blocks off the streets around the bandstand for concerts by one of the oldest brass bands in the country.

Resident Perk: In your backyard is the Louis I. Kahn–designed library on the Phillips Exeter campus, which is open to the public on select dates and draws architecture tourists from around the world. exeter.edu/academics/library/about