12 New England Experiences Barbie Would Love
If you’re a Barbie fan (and who isn’t right now?), get dolled up and drive your pink convertible to one of these fun New England spots for photo ops.
There is a White Room at Ladyfinger’s Tea Lounge, too, but of course Barbie fans will gravitate toward the Pink Room.
Photo Credit : Garrison InnI grew up “playing Barbies” with Lisa down the street. And I’m not sure anything in the decades since has surpassed the thrill of finding a Barbie Townhouse (with a pull-string elevator) beside our tinsel-garland-festooned Christmas tree. So, it’s a sure bet I’ll be heading to a theater to see the Barbie movie this summer. And I’ll also be keeping an eye out for even more pink and pretty New England restaurants, attractions, and hotels that invite us all to live our Barbie dream lives… or at least relish the photo ops.
Photo Credit : Douglas Friedman
For Fine Dining, Barbie Would Definitely Choose…
Contessa, on the top level of The Newbury hotel in Boston. With its pink banquettes and lush greenery, the Ken Fulk-designed restaurant has a glamorous, dream house feel and dazzling city views. The menu of chic cocktails and shareable Northern Italian-inspired dishes makes Contessa the perfect spot for date night with Ken or a boozy brunch with the girls.
Photo Credit : Kim Knox Beckius
Barbie’s Favorite New England Lobster Shack is…
Jessica’s Garden and Lobster Shack, a cute roadside find in Marlborough, Connecticut. Not only is this lobster shack pink and flowery, there’s a pond out back where she can kick back and savor a lobster roll, lobster mac & cheese, lobster salad on a grilled croissant, or other menu highlights, from hot dogs to 13 different gourmet grilled cheese creations. A berry-pink smoothie is a must.
Barbie’s Coffee Fix?
She’d love Time & Tide Coffee in Biddeford, Maine, with its retro wall graphics and pervasive pinkness including a Pink Bag coffee of the month to purchase and take home or order online. Of course, any Dunkin’ also screams ’60s and ’70s: That’s when the chain began using hot pink in its logo and color scheme.
For Afternoon Tea with Midge, There’s No Place More Perfect Than…
Ladyfinger’s Tea Lounge at the Garrison Inn in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Afternoon Tea in the Pink Room comes at a steep cost, but an open champagne bar helps Barbie justify spending the hard-earned money she makes as a ballerina, fashion designer, news anchor, eye doctor, veterinarian, and circus performer (she’s actually had more than 200 careers!).
Any Time Barbie’s Craving Asian Street Food…
It’s north again to Crispy Gai—a pastel-pink Portland, Maine, hangout—for plates of Thai fried chicken and Chinese sausage fried rice. Paired, of course, with a deep pink, Thai basil-garnished Roselle Royale for two. You can’t blame Barbie for not wanting to share the dessert sensation here: It’s ice cream sandwiched between two Fruity Pebbles cookies.
Photo Credit : The Common Man Family in New Hampshire
When It’s Time to Dish About Last Night…
Barbie and her squad will feel right at home at the oh-so-pink Tilt’n Diner in Tilton, New Hampshire. “Time to EAT” the sign outside says in big, pink, illuminated letters. The diner serves up breakfast and a big taste of ’50s nostalgia all day. It’s a place for Barbie to remember how far she’s come since she burst on the scene in 1959.
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Historic New England
If Barbie Wants a Look Farther Back in Time…
She and her travel buds will love touring Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut. Painted sherbet pink, this Gothic Revival-style summer home, built in 1846, is set amid gardens and outbuildings including one that houses America’s oldest indoor bowling alley. Four U.S. presidents have visited: It might be time for Barbie to mount a campaign… again. She’s run in all but one election year since 1992.
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
For Dream House Inspiration…
Barbie might want to take the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for a bicycle ride past the famous gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs. Hmm… The Pink House is back on the market.
For Selfies Galore…
Nothing compares to the Gallery Selfie Museum at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. In addition to sets with pink backdrops, there’s a Barbie-themed station right inside the museum. Talk about rolling out the pink carpet!
When It’s Time for Barbie to Rest Her Head…
She’ll feel right at home at the Verve Hotel in Natick, Massachusetts. This is no ordinary overnight. Everywhere she looks, Barbie will find reminders of her own 20th-century “eras.” It’s like stepping into a museum of American TV and pop culture, complete with video games to play and album cover art to snap. And, yes… there’s even a collection of Barbies and Barbie memorabilia… in the ladies’ restroom near the front entrance.
Photo Credit : Saybrook Point Resort & Marina
Once Ken Finally Proposes…
Barbie will be so surprised her friends have rented the entire peachy-pink Three Stories Guesthouse at Saybrook Point Resort & Marina for a bachelorette party to remember. With accommodations for up to 16 people, it’s a classy hideaway on the Connecticut shore in Old Saybrook, where the girls can enjoy spa treatments and dance the night away at the marina bar.
For Barbie and Ken’s Wedding Day…
The ultimate location just might be Pink House Farm in Cornwall, Vermont. This dreamy pink 1798 farmhouse on a hilltop has westward views toward New York’s Adirondack mountains. It’s well-enough hidden that perhaps the paparazzi will give America’s favorite couple some privacy now that they’ve finally decided to exchange vows… 62 years after they met.
SEE MORE:
24 Movies Filmed in New England
Guide to New England Drive-In Theaters
Pink Plastic Flamingos | A New England Icon
Where do you go in New England for that Barbie vibe?
Kim Knox Beckius
Kim Knox Beckius is Yankee Magazine's Travel & Branded Content Editor. A longtime freelance writer/photographer and Yankee contributing editor based in Connecticut, she has explored every corner of the region while writing six books on travel in the Northeast and contributing updates to New England guidebooks published by Fodor's, Frommer's, and Michelin. For more than 20 years, Kim served as New England Travel Expert for TripSavvy (formerly About.com). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and is frequently called on by the media to discuss New England travel and events. She is likely the only person who has hugged both Art Garfunkel and a baby moose.
More by Kim Knox Beckius