Weekends with Yankee Unlocks the Best of New England in New 13-episode Travel & Lifestyle TV Series

BOSTON [March 7, 2017] – “Weekend” warriors, take heart! With New England as one of the nation’s favorite tourist destinations, the iconic Yankee magazine and public media powerhouse WGBH have teamed up to launch Weekends with Yankee, a captivating 13-episode documentary series this spring. The half-hour series taps into Yankee magazine’s extensive behind-the-scenes access to the region’s six states, transporting viewers nationwide on an insider’s exploration to experience the best of New England—from spectacular natural landscapes and breathtaking vistas to signature attractions and the hidden gems known only to locals. Weekends with Yankee will premiere on public television stations nationwide starting in April 2017 (check local listings). Viewers will be guided by Emmy® Award-winning TV travel host, world-class explorer and author Richard Wiese, as well as Yankee magazine Senior Food Editor and award-winning cookbook author, Amy Traverso, who will share the local flavors, traditional tastes and recipes, and contemporary cuisine that make up New England’s bustling food and dining scene. Viewers will also meet colorful local characters and celebrated artisans of the region, including chefs Barbara Lynch and Jeremy Sewall, undersea explorer Barry Clifford, fly fishing author and artist James Prosek, and Vermont Creamery owner Alison Hooper. “I’ve spent most of my life traveling the world, but the Weekends with Yankee series has really shown me there are so many rich experiences and amazing adventures to pursue right here in my native New England,” says Richard Wiese. Weekends with Yankee celebrates the entire New England region, from urban to rural, popular spots and under-the-radar locations, rich history and diverse traditions, adventures in the wild, the coast, fall foliage, food, art, winter activities, and so much more. Viewers will be transported over stunning scenic tree-top vistas, will be taken out to sea, and will enjoy unfettered access to the very best destinations as only Yankee can offer. In Season One, viewers will accompany Weekends with Yankee on these journeys and more:

• Travel north to a rocky cove near Acadia National Park for an authentic Maine clambake with Richard Wiese and Amy Traverso, along with the co-owners of three acclaimed Portland restaurants: Eventide, Oyster and Hugo’s.
• Ascend Mount Washington on the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway —to the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, at 6,288 feet tall.
• Harvest sweet bay scallops from Cape Poge Bay off Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard from aboard the 36-foot fishing vessel Payback, and learn how to catch shellfish with Shellfish Constable Paul Bagnall.
• Fly fish the Mill River in Easton, Conn., with renowned angler, artist and author James Prosek.
• Whip up a fresh take on oyster stew at the Portsmouth, N.H. outpost of Row 34 with Chef Jeremy Sewall, Traverso and Wiese.
• Accompany renowned Chef Barbara Lynch on a food-lovers tour of Boston’s historic South End neighborhood to make a couple of her favorite dishes, including boudin blanc, a white veal and pork sausage.
• Experience Providence’s Waterfire festival, which illuminates the city with a light show, and go to the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest two-day rowing event in the world that takes place annually on the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge, Mass.
• Uncover the world’s only authenticated pirate ship at Expedition Whydah in West Yarmouth, Mass., with undersea explorer Barry Clifford, and reveal never-before-seen artifacts.
• Get up close to Connecticut wildlife and encounter a Great Horned Owl, one of the most powerful birds in the world.
• Visit popular attractions such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Mass.; Phillip Johnson’s private residence at the Glass House in New Canaan, Conn.; the Elms in Newport, R.I.; and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.
• Travel to the historic Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vt., which was the setting of the film, The Cider House Rules.
• Visit Vermont’s Shelburne Museum, home to a land-bound lighthouse and a land-bound boat, the Ticonderoga Steamboat.
• Travel to Martha’s Vineyard for a look at the historic gingerbread cottages.
• Go lobstering in Ogunquit, Maine, considered by Yankee as “the best beach town in New England.”
• Search for moose aboard a bush plane on Moosehead Lake in Maine.

“Weekends with Yankee immerses viewers in an authentic experience full of stunning visuals and engaging content with stories relatable to people all across the country,” says Laurie Donnelly, Executive Producer of the series and Director of Lifestyle Programming, WGBH Studio Six. “For more than 80 years, readers from all over the United States have looked to Yankee magazine’s experts as their pipeline to the best travel, food, home and lifestyle stories of New England,” said Brook Holmberg, publisher of Yankee.  “We are very excited to take this expertise to national television with the launch of Weekends with Yankee, with Richard Wiese and Amy Traverso taking viewers on an insider’s exploration of the region, from the most popular to the least-known destinations, and from city to country, and of course, the iconic New England coast.” The series companion website weekendswithyankee.com will be launching to coincide with the broadcast premiere and will feature additional program resources, including recipes, video clips and information about the chefs, artisans and locations featured on the series. Follow the series on Twitter at @YankeeMagazine and #weekendswithyankee. Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston’s Studio Six. Executive Producer: Laurie Donnelly (Rare – Creatures of the Photo Ark, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, Sacred Journeys). Senior Producer: Anne Adams (Simply Ming, Moveable Feast). Series Director: Rennik Soholt (Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie). Director of Cinematography: Alan Weeks (The Amazing Race, Life Below Zero). Series funding for Weekends with Yankee is provided by New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development, Visit Maine, The Vermont Country Store and Cross Jewelers. About Yankee Based in Dublin, New Hampshire, Yankee: New England’s Magazine was founded in 1935 and is the iconic American magazine covering the finest that New England has to offer. Covering classic New England travel destinations, food traditions and home and lifestyle stories with stunning photography and artwork, Yankee has featured many notable American writers in its pages such as Robert Frost, John Updike and Stephen King. With a total circulation of nearly 300,000 and a total audience of 1.8 million readers, the magazine is published by Yankee Publishing Inc. (YPI), a family-owned, independent company. YPI also owns the nation’s oldest continuously produced periodical, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and McLean Communications. For more information about Yankee magazine visit its online home: www.newengland.com. About WGBH WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, Masterpiece and Antiques Roadshow, as well as lifestyle and children’s series. WGBH also is a major supplier of programming for public radio, and a leader in educational multimedia for the classroom, supplying content to PBS LearningMedia. WGBH is a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to those with hearing or visual impairments. More info at www.wgbh.org/. About Richard Wiese Richard Wiese is the host of Weekends with Yankee on public television.  As a world-class explorer, Richard brings a seasoned travelers curiosity and appetite for discovery to his role as the series host and expert guide through New England.  In addition to Weekends with Yankee, Wiese is the host of the Emmy Award-winning television series Born to Explore with Richard Wiese. Wiese is author of the guidebook, “Born to Explore: How to Be a Backyard Adventurer,” and was named the youngest person to become president of The Explorers Club in 2002. Wiese has traveled to all seven continents and has participated in numerous expeditions and projects including in two expeditions to Antarctica, cross-country skiing to the North Pole, and participating in the largest medical expedition ever conducted on Mount Everest. Wiese lives in Weston, Connecticut and is a graduate of Brown University. About Amy Traverso Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Salon.com, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Traverso is the author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook,” which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category. Traverso lives in the Boston area and is a graduate of Smith College. Press contact: Eddie Ward Roslan & Campion Public Relations (212) 966-4600 / eddie@rc-pr.com ###