Yankee Magazine May/June 2020

63 /// Float Your Boat

Hop a scenic ferry, catch a wildlife cruise, sail away on a classic schooner— and discover a whole new way to soak up New England this summer.

80 /// Welcome to Cambodia Town

On a few blocks in Lowell, Massachusetts, lies one of the nation’s richest outposts of Khmer culture and cuisine. By Julia Clancy

88 /// A Necklace of Coastal Gems

A celebration in photographs of Maine Coast Heritage Trust and its 50-year history as a conservation game-changer.

96 /// Adrift in Time

Modern life seems far removed from a Massachusetts island community like no other. By Erick Trickey

More Contents home

28 /// It’s Summer Inside

South African–born designer Mally Skok mixes and matches influences from around the world in her vibrant Lincoln, Massachusetts, home.

38 /// Open Studio

The college town of Keene, New Hampshire, has a bona fide Instagram star in Sarah K. Benning, who’s taking embroidery to the next level.

42 /// House for Sale

For the first time since it was founded nearly four decades ago, one of New England’s most beautiful orchards is ripe for a new owner.

48 /// Recipe for Success

How a top Maine chef stepped back from her acclaimed Portland restaurant to open a lakeside snack shack and reboot her life.

56 /// In Season

Pistachio swirl strawberry shortcake puts a whole new spin on a classic summertime dessert.

60 /// Local Flavor

At the Blue Oar in Haddam, Connecticut, the river views are superb, the burgers are great, and the vibe makes you want to linger.

10

DEAR YANKEE, CONTRIBUTORS & POETRY BY D.A.W.

12

INSIDE YANKEE

14

FIRST PERSON

Time spent on an island can change you forever.

16

FIRST LIGHT

A standing ovation for small-town summer theater. By

20

KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM

The long reach of Yankee ingenuity, and witty words from Massachusetts native son Mike Birbiglia.

22

UP CLOSE

How Maine’s humble Furbish’s lousewort went from supposed extinction to cause célèbre.

26

5 QUESTIONS WITH... Martha’s Vineyard “starchitect” Patrick Ahearn.

184

LIFE IN THE KINGDOM

Car ownership puts a father and son on a new road.

EDITORIAL

Editor Mel Allen

Deputy Editor Ian Aldrich

Managing Editor Jenn Johnson

Senior Food Editor Amy Traverso

Home & Garden Editor Annie Graves

Associate Editor Joe Bills

Senior Digital Editor Aimee Tucker

Associate Digital Editor Katherine Keenan

Contributing Editors Kim Knox Beckius, Ben Hewitt, Rowan Jacobsen, Krissy O’Shea, Julia Shipley

ART

Art Director Lori Pedrick

Photo Editor Heather Marcus

Contributing Photographers Adam DeTour, Megan Haley, Corey Hendrickson, Michael Piazza, Greta Rybus

PRODUCTION

Director David Ziarnowski

Manager Brian Johnson

Senior Artists Jennifer Freeman, Susan Shute

DIGITAL

Vice President Paul Belliveau Jr.

Designer Amy O’Brien

Marketing Specialist Holly Sanderson

CORPORATE STAFF

Maintenance Supervisor Mike Caron

Receptionist Linda Clukay

Accounting Coordinator Meg Hart-Smith

Facilities Attendant Paul Langille

Staff Accountant Nancy Pfuntner

Credit Manager Bill Price

Executive Assistant Christine Tourgee

YANKEE PUBLISHING INC.

ESTABLISHED 1935 | AN EMPLOYEE-OWNED COMPANY

President Jamie Trowbridge

Vice Presidents Paul Belliveau Jr., Jody Bugbee, Ernesto Burden, Judson D. Hale Jr., Brook Holmberg, Sandra Lepple, Sherin Pierce

Editor Emeritus Judson D. Hale Sr.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Andrew Clurman, Daniel Hale, Judson D. Hale Jr., Joel Toner, Cor Trowbridge, Jamie Trowbridge

FOUNDERS

Robb and Beatrix Sagendorph

Publisher Brook Holmberg

ADVERTISING

Vice President Judson D. Hale Jr.

Media Account Managers Kelly Moores, Dean DeLuca , Steven Hall

Canada Account Manager Françoise Chalifour

Senior Production Coordinator Janet Selle

For advertising rates and information, call 800-736-1100, ext. 204, or email NewEngland.com/adinfo.

MARKETING

ADVERTISING

Director Kate Hathaway Weeks

Manager Valerie Lithgow

Associate Holly Sloane

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Roslan & Campion, 212-966-4600

NEWSSTAND

Vice President Sherin Pierce

NEWSSTAND CONSULTING

Linda Ruth, PSCS Consulting, 603-924-4407

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe, give a gift, or change your mailing address, or for any other questions, please contact our customer service department:

Mail

Yankee Magazine Customer Service

P.O. Box 422446

Palm Coast, FL 32142-2446

Online NewEngland.com/contact

Email customerservice@yankeemagazine.com

Toll-free 800-288-4284

To order additional copies, contact Stacey Korpi at 800-895-9265, ext. 160.

Yankee occasionally shares its mailing list with approved advertisers to promote products or services we think our readers will enjoy. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please contact us.

Yankee Publishing Inc., 1121 Main St., P.O. Box 520, Dublin, NH 03444 603-563-8111; editor@yankeemagazine.com

200 Years of Discoveries . When you have time to spend time together, you find moments worth treasuring. Experience everything that has made Maine uniquely Maine for over two centuries.

ON THE WATER

Use our Instagram hashtag, #mynewengland, for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!

Want more of the best of New England? Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on all of our latest travel tips and recipes, share your local knowledge with other readers, and see stunning images from photographers around New England.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @ YANKEEMAGAZINE

JULIA CLANCY

This former chef tapped into her food background for two features in this issue: “Recipe for Success,” a story about a renowned Maine chef’s lakeside snack shack [p. 48], and “Welcome to Cambodia Town,” which saw Clancy exploring a vibrant Lowell, Massachusetts, neighborhood [p. 80] in between sampling its culinary treats, such as Phnom Penh noodles (which she admits she still craves).

TONY LUONG

As a first-generation American himself, Luong felt “moved and honored” to photograph the people who live and work in Lowell, Massachusetts’s Cambodian enclave [“Welcome to Cambodia Town,” p. 80]. The Connecticut native, who also photographed our Peddocks Island story [“Adrift in Time,” p. 96], has had his work published in The Atlantic, Dwell, Time, The New Yorker, and Wired , among others.

MARIA BURTON

Before she was a photographer, Burton was a charter boat captain and sailing instructor, which made her a shoo-in for this issue’s nautical celebration [“Float Your Boat,” p. 63]. “The most challenging part was getting all the elements—wind direction, light and sun, boat direction—to align,” says the Rhode Island resident, who not only managed to capture a great cover image but also styled the entire shoot.

ERICK TRICKEY

A Boston freelance writer and journalism instructor, Trickey was visiting Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor in 2016 when he took a left instead of a right and stumbled onto a small group of summer cottages.

“I was struck by the sight of people living in decadesold houses on an island that’s now a public park,” says Trickey, who delves into the history and uncertain future of this community in “Adrift in Time” [p. 96].

SARAH WINCHESTER

“Bright, lovely, collected, and fun, just like the woman herself” is how this Boston-based photographer describes the Massachusetts home of designer Mally Skok [“It’s Summer Inside,” p. 28]. Winchester, who specializes in interiors and fine art photography, opened her own studio in 2009 after years in the corporate world as a creative director, brand manager, and in-house photographer.

EDGAR ALLEN BEEM

A lifelong Mainer, Beem says he was glad for the chance to write about Maine Coast Heritage Trust [“A Necklace of Coastal Gems,” p. 88]—partly because he’d recently finished a book on the environmental movement in Maine, and partly because he still remembers the days “when MCHT was just a handful of bright young people working out of an office in Northeast Harbor village.”

Untapped Potential

I eagerly scanned “Eight Ways to Make the Most of Maple Season” [March/ April] to find where in Rhode Island folks were doing their own sugaring and was greatly disappointed to find we weren’t mentioned. We don’t have statewide open houses as do the other New England states, but Rhode Island does have a few places that hold open hours during sugaring season. A quick Google search brings them up, and a mention in Yankee would have been a nice boost for these small artisans. I’m sure I’ll see them listed next time!

• Spring Hill Sugar House, Richmond

• Chepachet Farms and Sugar House, Chepachet

• Charlie’s Sugar House, Coventry

Karon A. Hartshorn

North Providence, Rhode Island

Double Visions

What a treat it was to read two very special articles in the March/April issue: “Hope on Any Given Day” by Sophfronia Scott, and “The Unfinished Journey of João Victor” by Mel Allen, with photos by Dana Smith. They were food for the mind, heart, and soul.

Since I live near Newtown, Connecticut, and a family member knew one of the young students killed at Sandy Hook, I was especially touched by Sophfronia Scott’s personal account of the journey of her son, whose friend was killed that day. And the inspiring account of João Victor was of particular interest because I’m a retired teacher and I’m so aware of the many issues that asylum seekers face. Bravo to Yankee for featuring two such important stories.

To Have and Hold

Even though I subscribe to the online version of Yankee , I want the paper issue in hand so I can tear out recipes, beautiful photos, and articles to send to friends and relatives. And I can keep

PORCH CHIMES

In case we didn’t know it’s June, The neighbors’ cheery tinkle-tune

Reminds us with its summer song, The way it will all summer long.

—D.A.W.

the articles I want to read again and again for inspiration, for laughter, for the brief moment of being on vacation again, remembering and appreciating the many gifts that New England offers. I will always be a Yankee magazine subscriber. Thank you for a wonderful travel experience in every issue.

Guiding Lights

I’m used to seeing pictures of one of my childhood homes, Portland Head Light, in magazines, TV commercials, and paintings. But I was happily surprised to see another childhood home in your January/February issue, Annisquam Light [“Connect with New England”]. The picture even included the house! My years spent at Annisquam as a child of the Coast Guard lightkeeper were some of the best of my life. Thank you, Yankee, for reviving my sweet memories!

The Calm After the Storm

am writing this on an evening in late March. The daylight has lengthened, so now when I come home after work I can walk along the river that flows through the heart of my New Hampshire town, or down the path beside the lake where bikers and dog walkers stroll and see the sky turn red at sunset. Springtime is just around the corner, and on the warmest days the air holds the promise of summer. Right outside my door, the crocuses are up and the daffodils are almost ready to bloom.

Each year at this time, with the land greening all around, we here at Yankee ship our summer travel issue to the printer, confident that we are showing New England at its finest, the New England that so many want to know. This year, however, we are all unsettled, the ground shifting beneath us, and chances are good that by the time you hold this issue in your hands, we will likely still be feeling unsettled. But I know this: During my four decades at Yankee , I have seen New England endure two deep recessions, a terrorist attack that began partly in Boston and Portland, wars that sent tens of thousands of New Englanders to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a bombing at our cherished Boston Marathon, and always, through it all, the people who live here tapped into the resilient spirit that defines this region.

One day I found myself in Caribou, Maine, known as the coldest spot in a state that does not fear cold. There, a woman told me a story that had been passed down through her family like an heirloom. The date was February 13, 1861. It was 36 degrees below zero with a vicious wind, she said, when a mailman named Bubar was preparing for his rounds. He trekked by snowshoe 12 miles to the town of Presque Isle, collected his load of mail, and started back. When the wind forced him to stop, he cut down a cedar tree and kept a fire going all night to stay alive. “The next day,” the woman said proudly, “he brought the mail.” In my career I have gotten to know many Bubars—tenacious people who do not flinch in the face of adversity.

Though always an antidote to routine, travel can also be the calm after the storm. In these days of hunkering down, I hope you will look through these pages and remember that beauty awaits: the fascinating places to see, the wonderful people to meet. Dream a little about seeing puffins and whales, lighthouses and dramatic lakes. They will be here when you are ready.

On Islandness

The memory of being surrounded by ocean can last a lifetime.

nly once in this life have I stayed up all night, and it was not in ritual celebration, or social imbroglio, or romantic ramble, but because I was about to depart an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and I loved that little island, with its foxes and beach plums, its gnarled tough brief forests of pine and cedar, its heather and bayberry, its seals and salamanders, and I knew I would never be back, not as a besotted resident, and I felt very much like I was leaving a long lean quiet unassuming friend. So I spent the night walking along the beach, and just before dawn I curled up at the very end of the bouldery jetty, where a burling river tumultuously entered our mother the ocean, and there I watched the sun slide over the lip of the world, and tried to remember every single hilarious and poignant and amazing moment that island had given me.

Seals bobbing up like cheerful bald uncles in the river near the lighthouse, and night herons groaning out of the trees on their way to work at dusk, off to their nightly winnowing of the frog population; bluefish pursuing prey into the shallows along the beach with such violent fury that you could almost hear them snarling and gnashing and cursing and slashing; deer sleeping in tiny hollows beneath black pine and black oak; friends of various shapes and sorts and styles, from dear to casual; our one policeman, who knew everyone on the island all too well, all too well , as he said; snow drifting across the road in tendrils and dervishes; blackflies and greenheads descending in their zillions, ravenous for blood and snickering at the latest product guaranteed to fend them off, as if anything but torch and armor would suffice to battle a blackfly intent on poking a dozing essayist.

Only once, for a year, did I live on an island, and all these years later I begin to think that we should all live on an island, at least once, at least a little while, just to have done so, to have

been detached from the pompous main, the arrogant majority. To live on an island is somehow to acknowledge and salute the small, the isolate, the humble; on an island there is no question that you are at the whim and mercy of the sea, with which there is no serious argument, it being far more powerful and patient than the most obdurate rock. An island is itself a temporary battlement, thrust into the air only for a moment in the much longer story of the ocean, from which came all things, and to which all things return; but to perch on that narrow turret for a while is to be powerfully reminded that empires and nations and countries and cities finally are small, and the ocean is immense, a profligate language of which we know only a few words, a story we are just beginning to read, as awed and amazed as children.

Islands are owned by the sea and loaned to people; islands are us, small and brave and temporary. It says something piercing of human beings that island residents love their stony ships, and are proud of their independence from the larger land, and they depart their islands with reluctance; much as we love the fragile vessels into which we are born, and think ourselves utterly different from all other such beings, and mourn the time when we too depart the earth, to sail into the stars, as what we were washes eventually back into the sea.

Two or three times in the first years since I walked off that jetty that morning I went back to that island, and spent a day strolling the beach, and sipped ale in the pub, and drove along the only road, watching for a flash of foxes; but some part of me knew that I did not live there any more, that I was a guest, and no longer a resident; and I stopped going. But this morning, thinking of that long lean quiet unassuming friend, I feel not sadness, that I left, but joy, that the island is resident in me. I hope and pray that it will always be so.

Donate a car… Change a life!

Pass your keys to a family in need.

Donate online: GoodNewsGarage.org

Donate toll-free: 877.GIVE.AUTO (877.448.3288)

Donate your unneeded vehicle to Good News Garage and help a New England neighbor in need!

5,000+ cars have been awarded to local families since 1996.

Free Towing, Tax Deduction

Adam Falcon, CFA, has deep roots in New England. He grew up in Hancock, NH, attended grade school and high school in NH, and later graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine. Professionally, he has served as CIO

bank trust divisions, and has co-founded Princeton Asset Management, LLC, which specializes in providing asset management to trust assets.

If you want better service, the opportunity of superior returns, or are an irrevocable trust

award-winning returns. Learn how Princeton can manage your trust assets superior to how they are now.

First LIGHT

Show Time

Summer theater in New England creates treasured memories for both audiences and performers.

When twilight begins to fall before a performance at a summer playhouse, local townspeople are likely to be picnicking outside. This is vacation season. The stage fare tends to be on the lighter side—a famous comedy, perhaps, or a musical, or a classic drama like Our Town. But for the countless young actors nurtured by seasoned professionals at a summer theater, this is their sacred ground. Often they will have rehearsed one play in the morning and performed another at night. Their days and nights blur, and they will be exhausted. Afterward, though, newcomers and Broadway veterans alike will remember the intimacy, the sense of family in the theater company and in the village where locals housed and fed them and told them they were terrific.

My wife grew up in a town with a summer theater, and she remembers the magical spell that was cast just before each show began. When the audience filed into the old barn that served as the theater, there were candles burning in holders at both sides of the stage. After everyone had settled, a local youngster would grasp the long handle of a candle- snuffer and walk across the stage, extinguishing the flames, then knock three times on the wall. This signaled to the audience and the actors backstage that the play was about to start, and the world of Peterborough, New Hampshire, would fall away and a new one unfold.

My friend Tim, a former high school English teacher, has appeared in 15 productions by the Peterborough Players. He talks about being onstage with the famed actor James Whitmore, who over the years came back to the Players many times, never forgetting that it was here that he began his celebrated career. “He taught me to pay attention to everything onstage,” Tim says. After one performance, Whitmore soaked up the applause, then said to the audience, “I hope you understand what a treasure you have here.”

This feeling remains today, whether the theater is in Peterborough or Tamworth, New Hampshire, or Ogunquit or Madison in Maine, or Stockbridge or Great Barrington in Massachusetts. Or in any of New England’s several dozen summer-theater towns, including where I was on a late July evening last year: Weston, Vermont, sitting in the bandstand on the town green watching people strolling across the lawn toward the Weston Playhouse. In the city you go to see a show— that is the purpose. But in a place like Weston, a village of fewer than 600, you participate in a timeless ritual.

Of all the summer theaters in New England, few are so immersed in the community as the Weston Playhouse, the state’s oldest community theater. A former church, the white-columned Greek Revival building stands on the edge of the green, so handsome that The Boston Globe called it “the most beautiful theater in New England.” In Weston, the playhouse is more than a source of entertainment, more than a cultural institution. Since its first production in 1937 (featuring a 24-yearold Lloyd Bridges in Noel Coward’s Hay

Fever ), it has become a generational touchstone. Parents take their children, who grow up and then take their own children. It becomes a family heirloom that belongs to all.

Shortly past 7 that July evening, I walked into the theater. People milled around, talking to neighbors; out-oftowners looked at the photos on the lobby walls, images from past plays with faces of actors they might know from television, or movies, or Broadway. The roll call of stars

Cooper performed there in 2012, followed by Audra McDonald, winner of six Tonys, a few years later.

A warm Vermont night waited just

who have appeared across the New England summer-stock landscape reads like a Hollywood Hall of Fame: Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Celeste Holm. At the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts, there’s a poster of a young Gwyneth Paltrow in 1991. Bradley

beyond the Weston Playhouse doors, but when I stepped into the 300-seat theater it was 1906 in the Oklahoma Territory, and for two hours the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! fills the room with song and dance and surprising pathos. Today, the musical asks the question “Who is an outsider?” Susanna Gellert, the playhouse’s artistic director, told me. “Oklahoma! to me is the American musical that answers how does America come together. It doesn’t let anyone off easy. It shows conflict and disturbance. We want to make it a new play for today.”

The 2019 season was Gellert’s first as Weston’s artistic director. She had come from Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn, New York, with a daunting mission: to fill the shoes of three legends. Creative directors Malcolm Ewen, Tim Fort, and Steve Stettler had for three decades created a reputation throughout New England and

The playhouse is a generational touchstone. Parents take their children, who grow up and then take their own children. It becomes a family heirloom that belongs to all.

beyond with Weston Playhouse’s musicals and dramas. The time had come, they said, for new energy, new vision. Before they stepped down, they left the legacy of a new year-round theater just up the road, at Walker Farm, where playwrights could showcase new work, where Vermonters could come in from the cold and hear music and sit so close to the actors they could almost touch them.

Gellert told me that when she holds auditions in New York for the playhouse, “I tell them cell phone service is spotty. There are no big grocery stores or shopping centers. But I say, ‘You will spend your summer where it’s so beautiful and you’ll be able to focus on your work and not what critics may write.’

“And,” she added, “I say, ‘You will get to know your audience in a way that you have never done before.’”

Months after I saw Oklahoma!, I wrote to Philip Stoddard, a New York–

based actor who had played Jud Fry, the troubled ranch hand whose longing for the lovely Laurey ultimately leads to his tragic end. I wanted to know what it meant to have been in a town where lights go out when the show is over each night.

He wrote back: “Being embedded in the quiet, slower pace of a rural community led me to artistic discoveries of simplicity and depth—qualities that are often overlooked when living in a metropolis…. I’ve had thrilling expe-

riences of performing in front of large crowds in major cities, but … my experiences of performing in small towns and villages are some of my most cherished memories.

“When I look into the audience and meet the eyes of a stranger, and even for a brief moment, connect beyond subject and object—we realize there’s actually nothing separating us…. A decade from now, I’ll still remember the impossibly clean air, the lush tree-lined hillsides sprawling forever, and the simple, human moments of connection when we breathe and listen together.”

If you would like to experience summer theater in New England, look for our guide to classic small-town venues at newengland.com/summer-theater.

Apartment and cottage living at Piper Shores offers residents fully updated and affordable homes, with all the benefits of Maine’s first and only nonprofit lifecare retirement community. Located along the Southern Maine coastline, our active, engaged community combines worry-free independent living with priority access to higher levels of on-site care—all for a predictable monthly fee. Call today for a complimentary luncheon tour.

Elements of Surprise

Revealing the little-known origins of life’s essential ingredients.

It is not widely understood that water, earth, fire, and air are all products of Yankee ingenuity; all were, yes, invented. The intent here is to inform and thereby further the appreciation of the four major elements and of the stalwart people who labored to bring them forth (too many to list here, but they know who they are).

house idly tapped his spoon on a clamshell; the first spark was struck, and flames quickly traveled across his shirt sleeve before jumping to the nearby calico curtains. The patron’s first thought was, “I’ve just invented ‘ouch.’” But in his excitement he arbitrarily yelled, “Fire!” The word caught on quickly, as did fire itself.

Something was needed to fill in the spaces, so a suitable product was duly put together by an underpaid Hartford tinkerer and distributed under the generic name air. Balloons gained new popularity when filled with air; they’d previously been dragged along the ground uninflated, causing considerable boredom.

There is a fifth element, often overlooked, that should be mentioned here: pet hair. Its purpose, though unknown, must be essential, as it seems to cover everything in creation. Presumably God has a plan that involves legions of bald cats and dogs. If this is the case, Chihuahuas must be just below the angels … and angels should watch where they step.

—Adapted from “Who Would Have Thought to Make Water Wet and Fire Hot?” by Jackson Jodie Daviss, September 1983

(born June 20, 1978, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts). By the time he was 30, this comedian, actor, and author had survived cancer, a car accident, and a fall from a secondstory window, all of which have become part of his comic storytelling. Birbiglia’s latest challenge: becoming a parent, which he describes in his newest Netflix special “ The New One.” His book of the same title debuts May 5, meaning it’s likely to show up on the reading lists of other hapless new dads this Father’s Day (June 21).

“Comedy is tragedy plus time, but the time is different for everybody.”

The Plant That Persisted

How Maine’s humble Furbish’s lousewort went from supposed extinction to cause célèbre.

One summer day in 1880, an amateur botanist and painter named Kate Furbish was walking along the St. John River in northern Maine when she found a plant she’d never encountered before. The river was known for its rare flowers, but this one, a member of the common lousewort family, had somehow been overlooked by the world of botany. Almost as surprising as its discovery was that it eventually was named Pedicularis furbishiae (Furbish’s lousewort), a remarkable honor for a woman scientist at the time.

Over the course of four decades, Furbish sketched and painted more than 1,300 Maine plant species, and yet her work might be all but forgotten today if it hadn’t been for that little lousewort. In 1965, Congress authorized a massive hydroelectric project that would flood 55 miles of the St. John River in order to send power to Boston and Connecticut. Dubbed the DickeyLincoln Dam, it was the largest energy project ever envisioned for New England and was championed by Maine’s leading politicians. And when a global oil crisis hit in the early 1970s, the time to build the dam had seemingly arrived.

In 1976, the Army Corps of Engineers hired botanist Charles Richards to survey the proposed flood region to ensure the dam would not run afoul of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. No one had seen Furbish’s lousewort for decades; it was thought extinct. So when Richards found it growing where the dam would drown it, environmental battle lines were drawn.

“Flower Power Stops Electric Power,” the headlines read. Famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey began one show by saying, “Can you believe it, folks? In Maine they want to stop a dam to save a flower.” An Indiana congressman fumed, “A thousand years from now we may have a nation of louseworts and nothing else. As far as anyone knows, they’re not good for anything.”

The Furbish’s lousewort issue sparked a demand for writing “common sense” into the Endangered Species Act, and in 1978 Congress amended the law to grant exemptions for projects “in the public interest.” Weighing in on the controversy, a National Fish and Wildlife botanist said ruefully, “For the first time we may consciously render a species extinct because it doesn’t fit our master plan. I wonder where we’ll stop.”

But the furor provided time for Maine to reconsider the costs and benefits of the dam, and by the early 1980s it was the dam, not the flower, that was dead. Furbish’s lousewort continues to grow wild along the river, and today nature lovers can visit the Kate Furbish Preserve in Brunswick, her legacy also rescued by the plant she found on a summer walk. —Mel Allen

INTRODUCING EMERALD LUNA

COMING SPRING 2021

Emerald Waterways adds to its fleet of award-winning ships the new Emerald Luna, which will sail the Rhine, Main and Danube. Keeping with our exceptional Emerald VALUE promise, all gratuities, meals and daily excursions are always included.

For the latest offers, visit emeraldwaterways.com/offers

The EmeraldEXPERIENCE

From the Danube to the Moselle, and the Rhine to the Rhône and Douro, our inclusive promise ensures complete peace of mind and memorable experiences, both on board and on shore.

Pool and Evening Cinema

This sanctuary of calm features floor-toceiling windows and a retractable roof. Enjoy endless views of the picturesque landscapes as you take a dip, and on some evenings the space is transformed into an evening cinema complete with popcorn and plush seating.

Activity Managers

Our Activity Managers organize the Emerald ACTIVE program, which includes a range of daytime on-board classes such as yoga and Pilates, along with on-shore bicycle and hiking tours and more.

Reflections Restaurant

On the Vista Deck, you’ll find the Reflections Restaurant, the center point of our on board dining experience. Accommodating tables of two to ten, floor-to-ceiling windows present excellent views of the river, while the menu celebrates seasonal and regional flavors.

Patrick Ahearn

Catching up with the celebrity architect and Weekends with Yankee guest.

Patrick Ahearn may have grown up in suburbia—Levittown, Long Island—but he made his name in the 1980s as a leading player in the revitalization of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Today he’s best known for helping to transform the Martha’s Vineyard community of Edgartown from a slightly down-atthe-heels tourist spot into the penultimate New England seaside village. Look for him on the new season of Weekends with Yankee, where he takes us on a walking tour of some of his most noteworthy island projects.

Q What are the origins of New England architectural style?

A When the Pilgrims arrived, they had to adapt English designs to a colder winter with more snow, so the steep pitch of the roof became a signature design element. The indigenous material was wood … and glass was difficult to get or make, so windows were small. Then they needed a large center fireplace to heat the house. So there’s your basic saltbox design. And if the farmstead grew, then maybe the barn was eventually incorporated into living space and they built another barn. So the ensemble of buildings we think of as classic New England architecture is really reflective of 400 years of history, of uses changing.

Q How did you get started working with traditional architecture?

A After grad school, I moved to Boston and ended up working in the Architects Collaborative, founded by Walter Gropius. So I know how to do modern houses…. [But] in Boston there was this rich architecture, albeit falling into disrepair. Beacon Hill was filled with rooming houses; Newbury Street was a ghost of what it is today. I started looking at these abandoned houses in Back Bay and saw you could make condominiums out of them so young people could afford to buy into these neighborhoods.

Q What drew you to Martha’s Vineyard?

A My wife knew James Taylor’s father, Ike, and when we visited with him on the island, we went to look at real estate. I found a little house in Edgartown that was in foreclosure. For the first five years, it was just a retreat. But I began to understand the community and saw an opportunity to get rid of the T-shirt shops and neon lights and revive it as a commercial and residential district. Since then, I’ve done more than 200 houses in 12 square blocks.

Q How did you achieve a coherent look among that many projects?

A It’s complicated. Zoning dictates design. But I don’t give

up—that’s my Long Island upbringing. If it’s not plan A, then it’s plan B, or C, or D. I also try to represent what’s best for the town. It’s not just about what the client wants, but the collective whole. What’s the style of the houses on the block? What’s the right scale for the streetscape? How can you allow a neighbor to retain their water view without compromising the design?

Q Can you describe your perfect day on Martha’s Vineyard?

A [Laughs.] Not having to go in front of the zoning board.

Season four of Weekends with Yankee , which features our interview with Patrick Ahearn as well as conversations with other notable New Englanders, premiered this spring on WGBH, WGBY, and New Hampshire PBS. To search your local listings, go to newengland.com/ weekendswithyankee.

South Africa is just one influence in it’s summer

Among the vibrant tableaux in Mally Skok’s Massachusetts home is this room done up in her “Brimfield Pink” pattern, inspired by a plate she once spotted at the famed Brimfield Antique Show.

OPPOSITE : The designer with Isabella, one of her beloved dachshunds.

designer Mally Skok’s vibrant home.

HEY ARE SUCH DIVAS , HAVE YOU NOTICED ?!”

TThe two dachshunds, Rosie and Isabella, are scrambling at my feet, and this declaration rises and falls in an animated South African accent. Mally Skok is fairly seismic, her presence vigorous and enlivening—no surprise to the many clients familiar with her Mally Skok Design fabrics and wallpapers. Her collections evoke India, Africa … or a sudden plunge into fuchsia petunias. If Mally herself were rendered as a paint chip, no single color would do. A palette, most definitely, would be required.

We’re roaming through her home—the one she designed and built 20 years ago with her husband, David, in Lincoln, Massachusetts—admiring the view over Farrar Pond. This is a house where even the air has room to spread out and breathe. The ceilings are high; the windows drop to the baseboard, “like English country homes, making little pools of light,” she says. The wide entrance hall straddles the house, front to back—step past the main door and you see all the way through to the backyard.

It is the antithesis of the sad little 1970s house that once sat here, though Mally did try to save that one. “I said, ‘I can fix this—no problem!’” she exclaims. “South African–style, we

think we can fix everything. I hate waste, I hate throwing things away.”

But when the dwelling proved unsalvageable, she suddenly had designer’s carte blanche. “I’d never designed a house from scratch, because I come from this make-do part of the world. When you start doing the work, it’s so interesting what you’ve filed away subconsciously.” She nods toward the foyer. “I realized I love houses that when you walk in the door, you can see the garden on the other side.”

This “map in your brain,” as Mally calls it, also determined the flow of living room/dining room/hallway-in-the-middle, “like the old Dutch farmhouses in South Africa.” The butter-yellow kitchen has what Mally describes as “un-kitchen-cabinet areas.” The color has gone in and out of fashion, and she doesn’t much care (nor does she remember what it’s called). A warm copper sink glows in the center island, and potted foxgloves bring the outside in. She definitely wanted a pantry—again, like those country houses—and it is burnished

The kitchen’s vintage transferware and Turkish rug are part of the intricate mix of textures and colors that runs through Skok’s home. OPPOSITE : A table setting featuring playful plates and bowls from Mally Skok Design’s Robberg Collection.

with a brilliant shade of eggplant by Farrow & Ball. A huge fan of that paint maker, she notes, “There’s so much pigment, that’s why they’re expensive. The paints have got depth.”

But the memory map doesn’t stop here. Each room vibrates with evidence of a life well traveled. Born in Cape Town, Mally was 6 when her family moved to Johannesburg, so “Africa plays a big part in my world view.” It’s also where an overriding strength formed. “My dad died of a heart attack when I was 11 years old,” she says. “I think it’s part of my ‘don’t sweat the small stuff,’ because I know what something really bad is, and it’s that. It’s not that you don’t like the color of the chairs you ordered.”

From there, it was off to London and finally to Concord, Massachusetts, which was supposed to be temporary, but when she and David walked this property, “it was a life-shifting moment,” she says. “We decided to make a go of living here. And much as I love London and England, it doesn’t really matter where you live. You make your own little bubble.”

Her bubble is a mix of “high and low,” spanning continents and costs: a $10 pillow from a

market in Morocco; Brimfield chairs covered in Mally Skok fabric; baskets made by the Himba, Namibian nomads; a child’s seat flashing an ikat pattern from Turkmenistan. There are also a few large pieces from her London days, bucking the current trend away from antiques. “I think it’s quite nice to have a bit of brown furniture in a room,” she says. “Everyone is throwing it out. It’s so sad, when you think about the craftsmanship. Plus, your eye is drawn to something that’s darker and more nuanced. It anchors a room.”

At the moment, though, I’m enjoying a free fall through color and the threads of creativity that weave through rooms decked out in Botswana trees and trails of turquoise flowers. “It’s never enough pattern for me!” she says gleefully, and then recounts how she got to this point, a collection that includes (at last count) 108 fabrics and 44 wallpapers, as well as furniture and tableware. It was 2007, during a trip to India with her sister, Julia. Mally was already deep into her own interior design firm (still is), but “there we were in the marketplace, and I kept buying fabrics. My sister suddenly said, ‘Why don’t you have your own line?’ When we got back, I just started painting—how I saw Indian patterns, through my lens. The first pattern I ever did is still our best-seller—it’s called Julia.”

So I meet a few more fabrics: Nichola, named for a friend; Gabriella, for the youngest of Mally’s three grown children; and Emmie,

LEFT : The influence of Africa can be seen again in the family room, which features woven Malawian chairs. BELOW : This headboard and chair are done in Skok’s “Jessie” pattern, named for her eldest daughter; at the foot of the bed is a throw that Skok purchased in Morocco during a trip with her sister.

inspired by her mother. They sit on shelves alongside Mally’s own versions of traditional textiles: ikats, suzanis, and Kuba cloth. “Everything has an emotional connection. I don’t just design something for the sake of it,” she says. “They live in my brain for a long time. And I can honestly say I still like them all. They’ve got such different things to say.”

She reaches down to give Rosie’s head a rub. “My home is my palette,” Mally says, surveying a scene that is bold, and nuanced, and graceful. “You can’t go wrong if you follow your own instinct and heart. Some people don’t realize they’re not living a comfortable life. It’s your heart. It’s your house. Be fearless, don’t listen to your mother-in-law! It has to feel right for you .”

house. Be fearless ... it has to feel right for you.”

SUMMER TRAVEL essentials

2020 Summer Giveaway

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN —

$1,000 Emerald Waterways Voucher toward a 2021 European River Cruise and a Souvenir Travel Wine Glass, Appleseed’s Anchor Tote, Victoria Anchor Stretch Bracelets, Lobster Scarf, and $100 Appleseed’s Gift Card

Emerald Waterways – with one of the newest river ship fl eets in Europe and a brand-new ship set to launch in 2021 – is recognized for outstanding value, innovative design and exclusive onshore experiences. Favorite summer cruise getaways are on the Rhine from Frankfurt to Basel, and a deep dive into wines and food along the Rhône in the south of France with a renowned guest wine expert.

emeraldwaterways.com

Moving the Needle

Sarah K. Benning is making embroidery new again.

et us follow the thread.

More precisely, the multitude of threads—aka embroidery floss. Fanned out in front of me, these colorful little skeins are the product of DMC, a famous French manufacturer since 1746, delivering 489 shades of possibility.

The filament in question is a silky shade of green, spiked through the eye of a needle that resembles a tiny saber, gripped with confidence by Sarah K. Benning, embroidery superstar. Benning, 29, has just delivered six hand-embroidered illustrations for The Washington Post ’s end-of-year book recommendations. It was a tight deadline, and she was sewing round the clock.

And not for the first time. “I’ve pretty much worn my fingerprints away on my stitching hand,” she says. We are ensconced in her cheery studio in Keene, New Hampshire, a space that feels more like a homey living room, with a cherry-red sofa that doubles as a giant pincushion. Plants engulf us. Scattered on the coffee table,

bamboo embroidery hoops encircle still more plants—Benning’s hallmark. Prickly cactuses, plump succulents, ferns, and leafy philodendrons, crowding to the edges of the fabric. Others feature figures outlined in black thread, engulfed by jungle scenery. Pinpricks of Oriental rugs. Each image rendered in vivid stitches, one stab at a time, going out to a vast audience that includes half a million Instagram followers. There are no shortcuts.

In 2013, when Benning opened her first Etsy shop online, she was freshly sprung from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She’d fled to Albany, New York, where her partner (now husband), Davey, was in school; there, she found work as a nanny and began selling one-of-a-kind greeting cards that were drawn, collaged, and stitched. “I was a bit burned out [after

graduating],” she admits. “It seemed like an easy way to keep making things and be creative but without making very serious art.”

Those greeting cards evolved into stitching on fabric but still mostly featured text or geometric patterns— until her houseplants began to die. “Our apartment was tiny, old, and north-facing,” she says ruefully. “The plants I moved in with didn’t survive that winter. As they died off, I started stitching memorial pieces. That’s how it all began.”

And that’s when she noticed interest was picking up on Instagram every time she posted these designs. When the young couple left Albany to teach English on the island of Menorca, off the coast of Spain, she took her business with her. And it blew up, in a good way.

“I think part of it was the narrative of us doing this wild thing, moving to Menorca and living this sort-ofidealistic bohemian life,” she says of her work’s meteoric rise on Instagram. “Reality wasn’t always that perfect; there were occasions that were very challenging or lonely, but they were great motivators for my work.”

Plus, the Mediterranean climate opened up “a whole new inspiration of landscape and plant life,” she says. Nostalgia also began to creep in. “I started incorporating more interior scenes—I was craving a homier space,” she explains. “We were living in a totally functional apartment, but it was furnished with cheap beach-style stuff. I started putting rugs and furniture into my work as a response to that.”

When the teaching gig ended, they were ready to find a place to settle down in the U.S., with a bona fide

Online Extra!

Find additional photographs and behind- the-scenes details from our visit to Sarah K. Benning’s studio at sarah-k-benningnewengland.com/ , and keep your eyes peeled for our Instagramforthcoming story.

studio where Benning could continue doing artwork but also with room to contain their burgeoning DIY business: embroidery kits for do-ityourselfers and digital PDF patterns. They looked in Baltimore (where Benning is from) but also in Keene, where Davey went to high school. This rambling 1873 Victorian, within easy walking distance of Keene’s downtown, was “love at first sight,” she says.

Last autumn Chronicle Books released Sara Barnes’s Embroidered

Life: The Art of Sarah K. Benning, with enough luscious close-ups of Benning’s work to convert anyone who still equated embroidery with crossstitch samplers. Benning uses the phrase “contemporary embroidery,” and there’s little doubt that she is bringing a fresh sensibility to a venerable craft.

“To me, these are illustrations in thread,” she says, picking up one of the Washington Post commissions, pointing out how she has portrayed the light source. It feels like a new direction to her, and it’s exciting.

“In my mind, embroidery was this very crafty activity. It wasn’t the same thing as art,” she says, remembering back. “Over time, those lines became super-blurry. Now I feel this is my artwork.”

To see more of Sarah K. Benning’s work, go to sarahkbenning.com.

Yankee likes to mosey around and see, out of editorial curiosity, what you can turn up when you go house hunting. We have no stake in the sale whatsoever and would decline it if offered.

The Apple of Our Eye

A New Hampshire original and a longtime Yankee favorite, Alyson’s Orchard is ripe for a new owner.

ust outside the classic New England village of Walpole, New Hampshire, on a hillside overlooking the Connecticut River Valley, sits a scenic 364-acre property known near and far as Alyson’s Orchard. And it has been a focal point of Susan Jasse’s life since she and her husband, Bob, bought this land in the 1980s. “My hope is that someone who already knows this property, who sees its value to the town and as a special destination, will want to pick up what we’ve done and continue it,” says Susan as she shows me around this place that she is both eager and reluctant to sell.

Bob Jasse was a business executive when he first spied this former cow farm—from the air, in fact, while flying home to Boston from a ski vacation. As Susan and I drive past row after row of heirloom apple trees, it takes some effort to imagine the open fields that Bob had first seen.

In a 1995 interview with The Boston Globe, Bob explained his attraction to the land as a location for a country escape and an apple orchard. “It was virgin ground. It never had apples,” he said. And since the land was a drumlin—a gentle hill formed by the movement of glaciers—its slopes improved drainage and created an airflow that made spring frosts less damaging to crops.

Today the property has 50 acres devoted to fruit production: 46 varieties of apples as well as peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and berries. “Bob’s first crop was all McIntosh,” Susan says with a laugh as we roll past signs for one heirloom variety after another. “We really had no idea what we were doing. It took a while, but luckily we got some good advice.”

In the early days, Susan explains, they saw the property mainly as a weekend retreat. They even had an airstrip built so they could fly up from Boston. (Although seldom used these days, that 1,300-foot runway is still legal and maintained.) But before long the Jasses made Walpole their home—first living where the orchard’s events center is now and later building a house nearby. Bob passed away in 2008, and the house they shared is not included in the sale, as Susan will continue living there.

The orchard was named Alyson’s for the youngest of Bob’s seven children (from his first marriage), who died as an infant. As Susan and I tour the hillside, the names of buildings, swimming holes, and vistas transform the landscape into a family album of sorts. Ilze’s Point of View. Rachel’s Pond. Eliza’s Playground. Robert’s

Hall. Every bit of the property, it seems, has a story to tell.

In autumn Alyson’s bustles with families who come to pick their own apples, but fruit is just one part of the operations here. About 20 years ago, in an effort to make the property more financially sustainable, Susan suggested adding an events venue where she could put her skills as a chef to use. Though it was slow going at first, today Alyson’s is one of the region’s most sought-after destinations for weddings, hosting nearly 50 a year. Past clients have included the daughter of Walpole’s most famous resident, filmmaker Ken Burns. Weddings are currently booked through 2021, and honoring those commitments is a condition of the sale. Susan is confident that once a new owner gets a taste of the events side of the business, they’ll want to keep it going. “We see people at their best, at such a joyous time. And those memories become associated with this place. We get many visitors who return

“Did

In Our Time

for a walk down memory lane.”

The two houses included with the property currently provide lodging for wedding parties and other overnight guests. The 1860 Caleb Foster Farmhouse has two wings, each with a full kitchen, dining and living areas, and three to four bedrooms and suites. Next door is the rustic Rochambeau Lodge, a converted

Dear Reader,

The drawing you see above is called In Our Time. It is completely composed of dots of ink. After writing the poem, I worked with a quill pen and placed thousands of these dots, one at a time, to create this gift in honor of the the love of two of my dearest friends.

Now, I have decided to offer In Our Time to those who have known and value its sentiment as well. Each litho is numbered and signed by hand and precisely captures the detail of the drawing. As an anniversary, wedding, or Valentine’s gift for your husband or wife, or for a special couple within your circle of friends, I believe you will find it most appropriate.

Measuring 14" by 16", it is available either fully-framed in a subtle copper tone with handcut double mats of pewter and rust at $145*, or in the mats alone at $105*. Please add $18.95 for insured shipping. Returns/exchanges within 30 days.

My best wishes are with you.

Sextonart Inc. • P.O. Box 581 • Rutherford, CA 94573 (415) 989-1630

All major credit cards are welcomed.

Please call between 10 A M -5 P M Pacific Standard Time, 7 days a week. Checks are also accepted. Please include a phone number.

*California residents please include 8.0% tax

Please visit our website at www.robertsexton.com

barn with eight bedrooms and amenities including a sauna and a wood stove. Either the lodge or part or all of the farmhouse could be easily converted into a private residence; there’s also ample space to build a new home on the property.

That said, this is a House for Sale story that isn’t so much about houses. No matter how nice these dwellings are, they could never wrest attention away from the unquestioned star of the show at Alyson’s: the beautiful rural New Hampshire landscape.

“It means a lot to me that we are part of this town—I love Walpole,” Susan says, as we pass tracks in the snow left by a neighbor walking a dog. “I’m excited to pass the orchard on to someone who can hopefully build on this great foundation, and I’m even more excited that I’ll still be nearby and don’t have to say good-bye.”

Alyson’s Orchard is being listed for $3.2 million. For more information, contact Penelope Seaver at Coldwell Banker, 603-608-6258, or email penny.seaver@nemoves.com.

“...And when we grow old I will find two chairs and set them close each sun-lit day, that you and I–in a quiet way– may rock the world away.”

“I’m excited to pass the orchard on to someone who can hopefully build on this great foundation,” says Susan Jasse.

The oldest structure on Maine’s Sabbathday Lake is a 600-square-foot clapboard shack painted butter yellow. It sits on a piece of land first used by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing—better known as the Shakers—for a private swimming hole in 1783, the same year that Great Britain conceded American independence. Beyond the shack—past the picnic tables and pool noodles, across the basin of the lake—you’ll find only modest houses with spare lawns. There are no mammoth waterfront estates, or billboards, or speedboats upending the peace. And it’s here, in the old yellow shack, that one of the state’s most lauded chefs “blew up my career,” as she puts it, to run a snack bar.

Before coming to Sabbathday Lake, Krista Kern Desjarlais had spent decades in the restaurant business, training in such top kitchens as Gotham Bar & Grill, Le Cirque, and Guy Savoy. In 2007, she opened a restaurant in Portland called Bresca, and over the next six years she racked up accolades and was a frequent James Beard Award semifinalist (and in 2011 a finalist) for best chef in the Northeast.

“We were a big deal in a small space,” she says. “It was all happening, and at the same time I was falling apart physically.” At 43, Kern Desjarlais was pregnant with her first child and still clocking 18-hour days in the kitchen. She suffered chronic migraines. And not long after her daughter, Cortland, was born, the family moved from Portland to New Gloucester, meaning every double shift was capped by a 40-minute commute home.

“The industry is so hard on everybody,” Kern Desjarlais says, “and we’re not a fairy tale. I shut Bresca down. I got myself home. I got things together with my family.”

Meanwhile, she discovered that a seasonal snack shack right down the road from her home was in need of a new owner. She closed Bresca in May 2013 and opened Bresca & the Honey Bee that Memorial Day weekend.

The move may have left Portland foodies scratching their heads, but Kern Desjarlais was too busy making shrimp burgers and homemade ice cream to pay any mind. As for her menu, “I

To plan the menu, “I thought about what my mother packed for picnics when we were kids,” Kern Desjarlais says.

thought about what my mother packed for picnics when we were kids. It wasn’t frozen burgers or cheese fries—it was homemade food.”

Seven years after shuttering Bresca, Kern Desjarlais is overseeing another big deal in a small space, albeit one with a walk-up order window and a three-acre dining room of woods and shoreline. Ingredients are sourced from local farms and Kern Desjarlais’s sizable garden. Ice cream is churned in small batches from local milk, and Cortland, now 9, often helps out at the order window, serving up flavors like blackberry chocolate chip and Sorrento lemon into lacy cones. Almost everything is made from scratch: The “Pig in a Blanket” hot dog is wrapped in homemade brioche, and sandwiches come on fresh-baked sourdough. Even the spreads—herb-packed pistachio pesto, roasted red pepper relish—are house-made.

Kern Desjarlais has also added a second restaurant to her portfolio: In 2016 she opened the Purple House in North Yarmouth, a 1950s cottage turned bakery whose season runs October

through May. Her Montreal-style wood-fired bagels fast became the new cult carb, and in 2017, Bon Appétit named the Purple House one of the 50 best new restaurants in the country.

Kern Desjarlais makes it all work by keeping a limited schedule. Her hours are Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. As with Bresca, she has found that when the food is good, customers will work around your hours.

“Many people in this industry are talking about getting healthy,” Kern Desjarlais says. “I don’t think I’d still be in this career if I had ‘stayed the path.’ Focusing on my health and my family—that’s what helped me maintain and stay in the business.”

Between Bresca & the Honeybee, the Purple House, and parenthood, Kern Desjarlais is undeniably busy. But she has achieved what few chefs would have thought possible 10 years ago: success on her own terms. The art of enduring as a chef, or even as a lakeside snack shack, is about knowing when to hold steady … and when to blow things up.

WEEKEND SALAD

We love the bright colors and unexpected mix of ingredients in this salad. Peaches lend color and sweetness, radicchio adds a bitter edge, and the edamame and feta help make this dish substantial enough for a lunch entrée.

FOR THE DRESSING

¹⁄

3 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons minced shallot

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon honey

¾ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD

6 cups Bibb lettuce

2 cups radicchio and/or Belgian endive leaves

1 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb

1 cup shelled edamame or fava beans

1 cup sliced fresh peaches

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

First, make the dressing: Whisk the orange juice, vinegar, shallot, oregano, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually add the oil, whisking constantly until the dressing emulsifies. Set aside.

Next, assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, radicchio, mint, and oregano. Add the fennel, edamame, and peaches, along with ½ cup dressing; toss gently to combine. Top with feta and serve. Yields 4 to 6 servings.

HERBED SHRIMP BURGERS

Though these herb-scented burgers are easy to whip up in your food processor, you’ll find they’re a bit more delicate to cook than beef patties. Whether you’re using a grill or a stovetop, the trick is to fry them in an oiled cast-iron skillet, laid either directly on the grill grate or over a burner.

1¾ pounds cooked shrimp (31 to 40 shrimp per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed

1 piece ginger, about 1 inch long, peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon sliced Fresno or jalapeño chili

¼ cup chopped scallions

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Canola oil, for grilling

Toasted burger buns and lettuce, for serving

Sweet Soy Chili Mayo, for serving (recipe on next page)

In a food processor, combine a third of the shrimp with the ginger, garlic, and chili. Puree, scraping down

the sides as needed, until the mixture begins to form a paste, about 30 seconds. Add the scallions, cilantro, basil, shallot, lime juice, salt, and remaining shrimp; pulse at 3-second intervals until coarsely chopped. Form into four 3-inch-wide, 1-inchthick patties, about 1 cup of mixture each. Chill 1 hour.

Heat a grill to medium and set a large cast-iron skillet directly on

the grate (alternatively, you can set a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop). Brush burgers with oil. Add a thin layer of oil to the skillet, then add the patties. Cook until browned on both sides, turning gently, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean plate.

Spread buns with Sweet Soy Chili Mayo and top with shrimp burgers and lettuce. Yields 4 servings.

SWEET SOY CHILI MAYO

Use this tangy-spicy sauce on grilled foods, fried foods, blanched vegetables … anything that benefits from some creamy deliciousness. The type of chili sauce you use will alter the flavor considerably, but it will all be good.

½ cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon gochujang, sriracha, or other chili sauce

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

Whisk together the ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Yields about ²⁄3 cup.

BLACKBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

You can make this delicious ice cream all year round using fresh or frozen berries. The key to great flavor is to run the puree through a sieve without pressing too hard on the solids (the seeds are quite tannic and you don’t want to extract that flavor).

1 pound blackberries, fresh or frozen

1½ cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

¼ teaspoon table salt

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 cup bittersweet dark chocolate (preferably 56% to 64% cocoa content), roughly chopped

Puree the berries in a food processor. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, gently pressing the solids through with a rubber spatula.

Combine the cream, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until bubbles just begin to form around the edge (do not boil). Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until pale and

Our

best-selling

sea life earrings in sterling silver

Capture the beauty of the sea with our sterling silver drop earrings. Awash with exquisite details, a myriad of sea creatures shine in an openwork design.

$59

Plus Free Shipping

Sterling Silver Sea Life Drop Earrings

3 4" wide. Hanging length is 11 2". Leverback. Also available in gold over silver. Item #922577 Shown larger for detail.

Ross-Simons Item #913615

To receive this special offer, use offer code: BEACH175

1.800.556.7376 or visit ross-simons.com/beach

Pistachio Swirl Strawberry Shortcakes

Put a fresh spin on a classic summer dessert.

mong the great fruit pairings—cherries and chocolate, pears and walnuts, apples and cheddar—is the lesserknown marriage of strawberries and pistachios. Both are sweet, though to different degrees, and the richness of one balances the acidity of the other. To extend the nuptial metaphor, they complete each other, producing their own unique flavor: a heady fruity nuttiness that I can’t resist.

The best thing about this combination is that it needs no ornament. All you do is make a simple dough (I use cornmeal for an additional sweet-nutty flavor) and layer it with finely chopped pistachios, sugar, and butter, then roll and slice the biscuits like cinnamon buns. The rest is exactly like a standard strawberry shortcake, only better.

FOR THE BISCUITS

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

²⁄ 3 cup yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

¾ cup raw (unsalted) shelled pistachios

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

A SunSetter retractable awning doesn’t just create shade. At the push of a button, it creates a cool and comfortable outdoor space that quickly becomes the center of daily life, whether you’re sharing a casual outdoor breakfast for two, playing a board game with the grandkids, throwing a party, or just relaxing with a book or tablet.

More than 800,000 families nationwide have taken life outdoors with a SunSetter awning. We invite you to join them. Call now, and for a limited time save $200!

Cool Shade in Seconds! Keeps Deck up to 20° Cooler Shades Indoor Rooms, Too Saves Energy, Cuts A/C Bills Protects from Passing Showers

Wide Range of Sizes & Colors

Quality Built in the USA

5-Year Limited Warranty

Low Factory-Direct Prices

America’s Best Awning Value

FOR THE TOPPING

2 pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced

¼ cup granulated sugar

1¼ cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 375° and set a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, 1½ tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Add the cream and stir with a spatula until a cohesive dough forms. Set aside.

In a blender, pulse the pistachios with 1½ tablespoons sugar until finely ground, with some peppercorn-size pieces remaining. Add the butter and pulse to combine, scraping the sides with a spatula as needed.

Dust the counter with flour. Press the dough out into a rough rectangle, sprinkle with flour, and roll an even 12-by-9-inch rectangle with the long side facing you.

Spread the pistachio mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the top. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up around the filling like a jelly roll. When you get to the top, lightly press the seam to seal. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll crosswise into eight equal portions; arrange these, evenly spaced, on the baking sheet. Press each lightly to flatten it a bit. Transfer to the oven and bake until fragrant and just golden at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, stir the strawberries with the granulated sugar and let sit until they soften and release their juices, at least 20 minutes.

Just before serving, whip the cream with the powdered sugar to form soft peaks. Carefully slice the biscuits in half crosswise, and spoon some strawberries and whipped cream over each bottom half. Top with the other half and serve with extra strawberries and whipped cream on the side. Yields 8 servings.

Neat, simple and extremely versatile, Tropic is an everyday sandal that will effortlessly complement your warm weather wardrobe. Available in a wide range of colours and prints, the minimal upper features a simple ankle strap with an adjustable buckle fastening and secure wide front strap. The soft, microfibre footbed combines with the flexible sole to keep feet cool and cushioned as you tread lightly through your day.

Available in US Sizes: 5-11 including half sizes. Also available in four fittings Slim (Black, Navy, Tango Red), Standard, Wide (Black, Navy, Tango Red) & Extra Wide (Black, Tango Red)

INCREDIBLE COMFORT

Every Hotter style is expertly designed and created to offer the perfect balance of style and comfort. Incorporating an array of innovative features – hidden adjustability, exceptional cushioning and a wide range of size options – each pair we make ensures that every step is joyful and effortless.

A WIDE CHOICE OF FITS

We now offer our widest selection of fits ever. With a choice of whole and half sizes from 5 to 11, as well as four width fittings – Slim, Standard, Wide and Extra Wide – you’re sure to find your perfect pair in our collection.

DISCOVER MORE ONLINE

Head over to hotterusa.com on your computer, tablet or smartphone and explore our full collection of beautiful footwear, purses and accessories. Take a closer look at your favourite styles and order with confidence for delivery direct your door.

The Blue Oar

At this Connecticut riverside hideaway, the views are superb, the burgers are great, and the vibe makes you want to linger.

he Connecticut River runs 410 miles from northern New England to Long Island Sound, but nowhere is it more of a presence than in its namesake state. It flows showily under the Victorian porches of the Goodspeed Opera House and through nearby Essex, where the marinas are stocked with pleasure cruisers and the Connecticut River Museum tells its long history. Farther upstream, ferries that were established before the American Revolution still operate in Hadlyme and Glastonbury.

Here the river is more than just a byway— it’s a destination lovely enough to make you question your default preference for oceans and lakes. And just 10 minutes up the road from the Hadlyme ferry, the Blue Oar dangles another lure: a seasonal riverside restaurant where diners can watch the sunset and catch a cool breeze off the water.

Finding it is a minor adventure down a steep hill to the river’s edge (word to the wise: use the facilities at the Midway Marina next door before heading down to the restaurant). At this point, you’ll second-guess your directions, but look to the left and you’ll see a white picket fence, a flood of twinkle lights shining on the water, and picnic tables painted in Caribbean pastels. Grab a seat and settle into the soft murmur of no-wake boats pulling up to the docks and, above that, the one-drop rhythm of Bob Marley on the stereo. Savvy diners bring tablecloths, flowers, and candles to dress things up. Otherwise, it’s a casual spot. You might come straight from

the beach, feet still prickling from the shells, and feel right at home.

To order, go inside the main building, which sits on stilts above the river and provides some of the only sheltered dining on a wraparound porch. This building was once a storage shed for the marina, before owners Jody and Jim Reilly converted it into a kitchen and takeout counter in 1997, and it could easily pass for a lagoon-side fish shack in St. Croix. As you place your order, take note of the cakes and tortes in the dessert case. They’re made by a pastry chef in Middletown and can sell out, so be sure to put your name on one. And don’t forget to BYO wine and cash.

Then it’s just a matter of waiting for the young, often casual staff to bring your food. But you shouldn’t mind the time. The river flows by, your cares drift away, and the sky turns pink, then purple, then blue.

Oh, and the food, you ask? It’s just as good as it needs to be. The burger is great. There’s a quirky hash of scallops, potatoes, peppers, and bacon that seems as if it shouldn’t work, but it does, and the sautéed mussels with herbs and white wine are addictively snackable. Stick with simple things—and know that the “tortilla chips” are made with flour, not corn. (Some of us would’ve appreciated a warning.)

More than anything else, notice how good this place makes you feel and how beautiful the river is as the moon rises over the hills on the opposite bank. One late summer night, a family at a nearby table is dropping a small bunch of blackeyed Susans into an empty ginger ale can. “Someone gave them to us,” the mom marvels. “They were leaving and they passed them on to us. Wasn’t that nice?” Such is the power of a place to inspire—and we go with the flow.

16 Snyder Road, Haddam, CT. 860-345-2994; blueoarct.wixsite.com

• Hundreds of Yankee’s favorite travel ideas in one go-to guide

• Where to eat, stay, play, and explore

• Full-color photos and a wealth of insider tips

• Perfect for a day trip, weekend getaway, or vacation

“NAUSET LIGHT”

Also known as Nauset Beach Light

Forrest Pirovano’s painting “Nauset Light” shows the lighthouse as seen from the north

Nauset Light, the most well-known and photographed lighthouse on Cape Cod, is located within the boundaries of the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham, Massachusetts. It was erected in 1923 to replace The Three Sisters which were decommissioned and relocated to a small field nearby. Painted red and white as an aid for daytime identification, this picturesque lighthouse is an iconic symbol of Cape Cod and can be seen on MA license plates and Cape Cod Potato Chip bags. This beautiful limitededition print of an original oil painting, individually numbered and signed by the artist, Forrest Pirovano, shows the lighthouse and its keeper’s house in the morning sun.

This exquisite print is bordered by a museum-quality white-on-white double mat, measuring 11 x 14 inches. Framed in either a black or white 1½ inch deep wood frame, this limited edition print measures 12¼ X 15¼ inches and is priced at only $149. Matted but unframed the price for this print is $109. Prices include shipping and packaging.

Forrest Pirovano is a Cape Cod artist. His paintings capture the picturesque landscape and seascapes of the Cape which have a universal appeal. His paintings often include the many antique wooden sailboats and picturesque lighthouses that are home to Cape Cod.

FORREST PIROVANO, artist

P.O. Box 1011

• Mashpee, MA 02649

Visit our studio in Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod

All major credit cards are welcome. Please send card name, card number, expiration date, code number & billing ZIP code. Checks are also accepted.…Or you can call Forrest at 781-858-3691 …Or you can pay through our website www.forrestcapecodpaintings.com

FloatBoatYour

HOP A FERRY, CATCH A WILDLIFE CRUISE, SAIL AWAY ON A SCHOONER—AND DISCOVER A WHOLE NEW WAY TO SOAK UP NEW ENGLAND.

Windjamming for Beginners

This year marks the 120th sailing season for Victory Chimes , the largest sailing ship in the country and the grand dame of the Maine windjamming scene. But it’s only the second season for 32-year-old Sam Sikkema, owner and captain of this 127-foot floating National Historic Landmark. Before buying Victory Chimes in 2018,

Sikkema sailed and worked on several other historic ships, including Mystic Seaport’s 1841 whaler, the Charles W. Morgan . Throughout this summer and into early fall, Sikkema and his crew will lead some two dozen trips, ranging from three to six nights, along Maine’s coast. We caught up with the captain as he prepared for the season.

Let’s start with the basics: What is a windjammer?

It’s not necessarily a kind of ship, but rather a kind of trip that goes out for multiple nights and explores areas that you normally can’t get to. It’s a bit like going on a camping or hiking expedition, but on a really cool old ship with some great, interesting people.

So why is windjamming associated with historic ships?

When the business started, it began with these old schooners. And as time wore on, people thought they were interesting, and windjamming became a way to preserve these vessels and keep them working. You can use a newer vessel—it just won’t have the same character.

What’s special about Victory Chimes?

In the late 19th century there were more three-masted schooners built in this country than any other kind of sailing vessel. It was the most successful type of cargo ship ever developed and essentially created the [shipping] backbone of North America, hauling cargo up and down the East Coast for 100 years. And today Victory Chimes is the only one left that still sails.

When you have a vessel like this tied up at the dock, it’s a very static thing—there’s no human connection to it. When we actually take people out on the water and show them a little bit about what it was like to use

What kind of person is a windjammer trip for?

We have things that appeal to a very broad audience. If you’re an experienced sailor, I think there’s a lot you’d enjoy about going on a windjammer, [since] people can help out if they want. Yet even if you’re not interested in boats, it’s enjoyable because there’s more than just boats going on. We’re moving during the day, but every night we anchor in a secluded cove, where we stay and cook dinner, hang out. We also have small rowboats and sailboats we use to explore. We’re in this amazing cruising ground off the coast of Maine, an archipelago of almost 3,000 islands, but some of them are quite remote—you can’t see a lot of this coast except from the water. Part of what we’re doing is getting people out to see something they wouldn’t see driving up Route 1.

What do you begin to see from passengers as the trip goes on?

A three-day trip is great, but with the longer trips, there’s something about that third night— people start

How to get your jam on.

Windjammer day sails and private charters are off ered at a goodly number of New England ports. However, the beating heart of the windjammer scene is in Rockland and Camden, Maine, where the best-known boats make their home. Among the salty stars:

ANGELIQUE

This modern (c. 1980) version of a 19th-century fishing trawler stands out in a crowd thanks to its vivid maroon sails, which evoke traditional “tanbark” cotton sails.

MARY DAY

The first schooner custom-built to carry passengers is also a nimble racing competitor that won the 43rdannual Great Schooner Race last year.

GRACE BAILEY

Built in 1882 to haul lumber, this venerable coaster also carried Maine granite to New York to build Grand Central Station.

STEPHEN TABER

The oldest documented sailing vessel in the U.S. in continuous service sports the same paint scheme as it did in 1871.

For more information, go to sailmainecoast.com or mainewindjammercruises.com.

The Puffins Will See You Now

ITS CELEBRITY INHABITANTS MAKE ONE TINY MAINE ISLAND THE HOTTEST TICKET AROUND.

Blame it on the beak, that striped spectacle of orange, yellow, and black. Or maybe the adorably plump shape that evokes a mini penguin. Whatever the reason, the Atlantic puffin is a bona fide wildlife star. Just ask Coca-Cola, which gave the bird a leading role in one of its most successful TV spots a few years ago, in which a puffin struggles to open a bottle of Coke before putting that flamboyant bill to work.

Atlantic puffins enjoy such a high profile, in fact, that getting a seat on a boat to go see them can be a tall order. At Bold Coast Charter Company, which operates out of Cutler, Maine, all of the puffin cruises for 2020 were sold out by the first week of January.

“We’ve seen a steady increase in demand for this tour over the years,” confirms Bold Coast’s Andy Patterson, the only U.S.-based tour captain permitted to bring folks ashore at Machias Seal Island, a major nesting site for Atlantic puffins.

I count myself among the lucky few as I make my way at dawn to Cutler’s small harbor, where I find Patterson waiting with a dozen or so bleary-eyed bird lovers. At 7 a.m.,

it’s anchors aweigh, and we head out on his 40-foot boat, the Barbara Frost.

We glide past working lobster boats returning with their morning haul, and then past salmon farming nets that extend out from the harbor into the Atlantic. This is the Maine shoreline north of Bar Harbor, where summer estates give way to lighthouses standing sentinel above powerful tides and rugged coast. Our destination is about a dozen miles out, at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy: a tiny unspoiled sanctuary for the largest puffin colony in the Gulf of Maine.

Technically part of Canada (and not without controversy over its governance), Machias Seal Island is the Atlantic puffins’ southernmost major nesting site. Though there are smaller colonies farther south— places like Eastern Egg Rock in

Muscongus Bay and Matinicus Rock in Penobscot Bay— visitors can view those puffins only from the sea. But if you come to Machias Seal Island on a specially permitted cruise like Patterson’s, and if the weather allows, you can actually climb onto the seaweed-slick rocks and see puffins up close.

After an hour’s ride, we arrive just offshore from the lowlying island and transfer to a small skiff for the landing. Hundreds of seabirds are soaring overhead, searching the waters for breakfast. Some have hooded black heads, like Batman’s; these are the razorbill auks. Others, with their clownish beaks and parrotlike eyes, are unmistakably Atlantic puffins.

The puffins may be rotund, but wow, are they fast, especially when skimming over the sea at speeds of up to 55 mph in pursuit of herring and hake. However, they’re not known for graceful landings on the water, and this is the cause of much merriment for our crew, who hoot and holler at every tumbling splash-down.

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

The eastern part of Machias Seal Island is also thick with Arctic terns, the puffins’ more aggressive neighbors who keep predators like seagulls away from the eggs of all the island’s nests. If you stray off the main path after landing, you may well be startled by the sharp click-click-click of an irate tern swooping a foot above your head.

After a brief orientation in the middle of the island, we are led to small enclosed observation blinds where we set up shop and watch the puffins return with their catch, some passing within a few feet of our hiding place. The time goes quickly, and after about two hours we reluctantly have to say good-bye to the island.

As we begin heading for home, the Barbara Frost glides around a small hump of land known as Gull Island, where harbor seals can be seen bobbing in the waves. By then, though, most of us are oblivious, lost in sharing our close-up photos of puffins with one another. —Steven Jermanok

BOOKING IT

• When to see puffins: Mid-May through mid-August

• Ballpark cost: $160 for an on-island visit; $40 for a cruise

• Tour companies: Only Maine’s Bold Coast Charter Co. ( boldcoast.com) and New Brunswick–based Sea Watch Tours ( seawatchtours.ca) land on Machias Seal Island, and when tickets go on sale in January, both sell out fast. But several companies offer viewing opportunities from the water, especially at Eastern Egg Rock in Midcoast Maine. For an overview of options, see the Audubon Project Puffin website ( projectpuffin.audubon.org/puffin-tours).

Critters Ho!

GRAB YOUR BINOCULARS AND CLIMB ABOARD FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE ANIMAL ADVENTURE.

LOONS

OVERVIEW CAPTAIN/CREW OPERATOR

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center / Loon Preservation Committee (Holderness, NH)

RiverQuest (Haddam, CT )

OSPREYS

Two worthy nonprofits join forces for this pontoon boat trip on Squam Lake, where the first major efforts to protect NH loons began in the 1970s.

The lower Connecticut River is a hot spot for wildlife-watching, and RiverQuesthas been cruising it through all seasons in search of all kinds of critters for almost 20 years.

BALD EAGLES

Sea Venture Custom Boat Tours ( Bar Harbor, ME )

Maine Seabird Tours (Vinalhaven, ME )

SEABIRDS

Though he offers itineraries for any interest, owner Winston Shaw has special cred when it comes to spotting our national bird: He’s founder of the Coastal Maine Bald Eagle Project.

The son of the late ecologist Bill Drury, a renowned expert on Eastern seabirds, award-winning guide John Drury has avian expertise in his blood.

SEA CREATURES

Dive-In Theater with Diver Ed (Bar Harbor, ME )

WHITE SHARKS

Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) / Captain John Boats (Cape Cod, MA)

Maine Quest Adventures (Medway, ME )

MOOSE

There’s nothing else quite like this 20-year-old interactive cruise, during which passengers watch live onscreen as “Diver Ed” explores underwater and collects sea life to bring aboard for a closer look.

Though AWSC has long offered elite charters ($2,500 for up to five people), this year it’s debuting an affordable alternative that’s more like a whalewatching cruise—sign us up!

Born and raised with Baxter State Park in his backyard, Millinocket native Bryant Davis has decades of experience finding the local four-legged celebrities.

WILDLIFE

GRAB BAG

ELC Outdoors (Errol, NH )

Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown (Provincetown, MA)

WHALES!

WHALES!

WHALES!

New England Aquarium (NEAQ) / Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) (Boston, MA)

New England Eco Adventures (Kennebunk, ME, & Hampton Beach, NH )

This cruise on Lake Umbagog is right in the middle of a wildlife refuge that straddles two kinds of forest habitats, so you can see species native to either.

Since New England has no shortage of worthy whale-watching cruises, these are a mere sampling: Dolphin Fleet , the oldest on the East Coast, has 45 years’ experience; NEAQ/BHC has four catamarans that are among the biggest and fastest in the country; NE Eco Adventures uses rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) to help reduce the carbon footprint of whale-watching.

A Squam Lakes Natural Science Center naturalist is your pilot and guide, with help from a Loon Preservation Committee biologist.

Married founders Mark and Mindy Yuknat: He’s a captain with more than 7,800 cruises under his belt; she’s a state-certified naturalist.

Captain Shaw is a Maine native, naturalist, and Registered Maine Guide who’s logged more than 50,000 miles by boat in the greater Mount Desert Island area alone.

Drury is a Maine seabird ecologist who became a charter captain after years spent ferrying researchers and gear to Seal Island and Matinicus Rock.

Skippering the Starfish Enterprise are Captain Evil (aka Edna Martin) and Diver Ed (aka Martin’s husband, Ed Monat, a former Bar Harbor harbormaster and Smithsonian marine ecologist).

Captain Russ Burgis is a Plymouth native who’s been running whalewatching trips at Captain John Boats for 20-plus years.

Co-owners and Registered Maine Guides Bryant and wife Sherry run moose-spotting pontoon boat cruises on Millinocket Lake (they also offer canoe, kayak, and van options).

Trips are led by various ELC staffers, including river manager Eric Souther, who first got the Umbagog pontoon boat tours started back in 2011.

Dolphin Fleet and NEAQ/BHC both have captains and crew with decades of experience in whale-watching, as well as New England–trained naturalists who help narrate the adventure and collect scientific data. NE Eco Adventures, founded in 2018, taps into the experience of Captain Gary Grenier, a veteran of Maine whale-watching for 15-plus years.

Loons, mallards, double-crested cormorants, kingfishers, great blue herons, bald eagles, hawks, hooded mergansers, common mergansers.

Ospreys, bald eagles, hawks, ducks, and other wildlife including foxes, deer, and coyotes.

Bald eagles, ospreys, belted kingfishers, black guillemots, loons, blue herons, black-backed gulls, laughing gulls, and many more.

Razorbills, puffins, Arctic skuas, great cormorants, black guillemots, Arctic terns, eiders, Wilson’s petrels, and many more.

Sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, lobsters, sand dollars, sea snails, anemones, worms, urchins, jellyfish, sponges, barnacles, scallops, mussels, and many more.

Seals, sea turtles, and various whale and bird species—and with luck, white sharks (though sightings are not guaranteed).

Moose, bald eagles, deer, otters, rabbits, loons, ducks, foxes, and many more.

Any of the 200-plus bird species that live in the refuge (including loons and bald eagles), plus beavers, moose, deer, and other wildlife.

Humpbacks, finbacks, minke whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, blue whales, pilot whales, harbor porpoises, and many more.

Once spied on Squam: a juvenile redthroated loon, a species that spends most of its time in Arctic regions.

A RiverQuest cruise once spotted a gray seal in the water near Lyme— rather unusual for this ocean swimmer.

Mola molas, aka ocean sunfish, one of the heaviest known bony fishes in the world (up to 2½ tons).

An ancient murrelet, which hails from the northern Pacific Coast; south polar skuas and long-tailed skuas.

Rat-tailed sea cucumbers and giant sunflower sea stars (2 feet wide, with as many as 10 arms).

Loons are long-lived—the oldest NH loon, which dwells on Lake Umbagog, is nearly 30 years old.

Using their rotating outer talons like opposable thumbs, ospreys position their caught fish head-forward for better aerodynamics in flight.

For nearly four decades Shaw has conducted an independent study of Maine’s coastal bald eagle population, encompassing 650 miles of shoreline and 150 islands.

One of Drury’s biggest lures: the chance to see the famous lone redbilled tropicbird that has returned annually to Seal Island since 2005.

Monat has been dive-bombed underwater by a white shark look-alike known as a porbeagle shark, and a monkfish once swallowed his arm (no harm done).

Ninety-minute cruises offered June–August. $27/$23 kids. nhnature.org

Three-hour osprey cruises offered July 15 and 18. $40. (Note: RiverQuest has many other types of cruises, including osprey/eagle trips in spring.) ctriverquest.com

Custom cruises offered early June–October. Hourly fee based on number of passengers (six maximum); see website for details. svboattours.com

Custom cruises offered May–early November. $90 per hour (six passengers maximum). maineseabirdtours.com

Schedule and prices for 2020 were still TBA at press time, but typically the two-hour cruises are offered Memorial Day–Labor Day; see website for latest info. divered.com

Right whales, basking sharks, and mola molas. Last year a white shark was seen feeding on a whale carcass in Cape Cod Bay.

The Canada lynx, common in its namesake nation but a rare threatened species in the U.S.

Sharks have multiple rows of teeth that continuously replace one another— making their mouth something like a fearsome conveyor belt!

Cruises may include a stop at the c. 1907 Ambajejus Boom House, the only such structure that survives from Maine’s great logging era.

Black bears and bobcats.At the northern end of Lake Umbagog is a massive swath of floating peat (750 acres) that has been designated a National Natural Landmark.

North Atlantic right whales, white sharks, beluga whales, sei whales, sperm whales—even manatees.

One of the NEAQ staff’s favorite bits of trivia to share: Whale poop is a key ocean fertilizer, and thanks to their deep dives, whales disperse those nutrients throughout the water column, from the ocean floor to the surface.

Four-hour Saturday cruises offered mid-July–late September. $95. (Note: Departs from Provincetown.) Advance purchase strongly recommended. atlanticwhiteshark.org

Two- or three-hour cruises offered July–August. $49/$29 kids; reservations required one to two weeks in advance. mainequestadventures.com

Three-hour cruises offered early June–late September. $60/$45 kids. 603-215-0002; elcoutdoors.com

Dolphin Fleet: Approx. four-hour cruises offered mid-April–October. $53/$35 kids. whalewatch.com

NEAQ/BHC: Approx. four-hour cruises offered March–November. $53/$35 kids. bostonharborcruises.com

NE Eco Adventures: Three-hour cruises offered late May–mid-October. $99. newenglandecoadventures.com

Water World

CRUISE SHIPS CAN TRANSPORT YOU IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU THINK.

Some summers ago, I sailed the shoreline of New England aboard the America, an American Cruise Lines ship that carried fewer than 100 passengers—small enough to get to know the other people on board as if we were all residents of the same little neighborhood, big enough to stay steady in the swells. I was with my mother, not my usual traveling companion. She had grown up on a Caribbean island, and the sea had always been her place of peace and happiness. That winter my father had died, and I wanted to not only show off to her the New England where I had settled, but also nudge her back into a world where people smiled and where scenery took your breath away; where instead of the night being a time of loneliness, it was when you could stand on deck and see stars shooting across the sky.

I discovered that it doesn’t matter whether a cruise ship is large or small: When its whistle blows while departing one port and again when arriving at a new one, your heart beats faster. I have friends who speak of cruise ships as if they’ve found the perfect vacation—the security of a floating hotel, the freedom to roam when they come ashore. They describe their dinners with the captain, the all-inclusive cocktail hours, and the luxury of gliding from meal to meal as if in a culinary dream. They talk about the entertainment, the attentiveness of the crew, and how a day seems to dissolve as the land disappears and the ocean is everywhere around you.

All of that is true. But I have long forgotten what we ate (though I am certain there was fresh seafood—lobster and clams and everything else you’d expect when living with the Atlantic out your window), or what the cabin looked like, or the names of any of the good people we met. Instead, I remem-

ber seeing islands grow more distinct as we grew nearer; standing on the deck, tight to the railing; the crowd onshore waiting to see us step off; and a feeling not so different from the first day at a new school, that here is a place just waiting to be discovered.

Our weeklong New England islands cruise began on the Connecticut River. We passed Gillette Castle, high on its palisade in East Haddam, and a flotilla of harbor swans at Essex; right before entering Long Island Sound, we got a peek at Katharine Hepburn’s seawallsheltered home. On Block Island, we walked on beaches and through a wildlife refuge that was a riot of beach roses. We put ashore on Martha’s Vineyard, with its famously colored clay cliffs, and walked the cobblestones of Nantucket Town. In Newport we visited Hammersmith, where Jackie Kennedy grew up and where she danced with her husband on their wedding night. That was an especially poignant moment, as my mother was not simply touring a historic home—she was stepping into a story both romantic and heartbreaking, a story that in a different way she herself was emerging from.

Just a few years later, during my mother’s final days, we rented a house on the Connecticut shore and put her bed by the window looking out to the sea. I had taken many photos of our cruise with my Instamatic, and together we relived the time when a ship called America was able to carry her to places where sadness slipped away and she slept to the sound of waves lapping against the hull. —Mel

American Cruise Lines continues to offer weeklong cruises of New England islands, as well as many other destinations across the U.S. For details, go to americancruiselines.com.

COUCH TRIPS

Who needs a boat when you have a TV?

A visit to the Mayflower II plays a starring role in season four of Weekends with Yankee, which landed on public television stations across the country this spring. But it won’t be the first time that Yankee’s TV show has taken a nautical turn. Among the ready-made adventures from past seasons:

EPISODE 104: “CELEBRATING TRADITION”

Hoist the sails and dig into a gourmet feast on the Maine windjammer J&E Riggin

EPISODE 107: “LAND AND WATER”

Set out on New Hampshire’s Squam Lake in search of the magnifi cent loon.

EPISODE 202: “INTO THE WILD”

Feel the thrill of the chase during a shark research expedition off Cape Cod.

EPISODE 301: “ADVENTURE”

Visit a puffin colony with the man who almost single-handedly brought the birds back to Maine.

EPISODE 302: “THE NEXT GENERATION”

Soak up a perfect summer day on a ferry ride to the Isles of Shoals.

EPISODE 306: “LAND AND SEA”

Join the crew of a classic racing yacht in Newport, Rhode Island.

Episodes are available to subscribers at weekendswithyankee.com or by purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

To find out where to watch the new season, use the station finder on weekendswithyankee.com.

Lake Escapes

JOIN THE INLAND CROWD.

It’s only right that New England’s grandest lakes have equally grand cruising options. On Winnipesaukee, for example, the 230-foot-long Mount Washington cuts an imposing figure; Champlain, meanwhile, is home to Vermont’s only cruise ship, the triple-decked Spirit of Ethan Allen

One of the most enduring of these lake voyagers is the Katahdin , or “the Kate,” as it’s affectionately known. The 115-foot bluff-bowed steamer rolled out of Bath Iron Works in 1914, toward the tail end of the steamship era on Maine’s Moosehead Lake. During the 19th-century heyday, as many as 50 steamers plied the waters of Maine’s biggest lake, ferrying passengers, livestock, mail, supplies, and equipment.

Of that mighty fleet, only the Katahdin remains. A group of residents saved it from being scuttled in the 1970s, turning it instead into the star attraction of the new Moosehead Marine Museum. Recently outfitted with its first new engine since the 1950s, the Katahdin is back this summer for a slate of cruises that range from a three-hour jaunt to Sugar Island to an all-day run to the head of the lake, in Seboomook. Along the way, passengers are treated to a narrated history of the region. And as with the Katahdin ’s fellow cruisers on Champlain and Winni, there will be an opportunity to linger, have a meal, and discover why generations have been drawn to the sparkling waters of New England’s lakes, for both work and play. —

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

Though it was converted to diesel power decades ago, the Katahdin still gives travelers a taste of the steamship era on Moosehead Lake.

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

The View from the Cheap Seats

HIT THE WATER WITHOUT GETTING SOAKED ON THESE SUPERBLY SCENIC (AND AFFORDABLE) FERRIES.

Aferry can be more than a way to get from point A to point B if you add C: creativity. Hop a ride on one of New England’s trusty water buses, and you can explore places that few realize are open to daytrippers, or simply sit back and savor the change of perspective that being on the water provides. With a fresh breeze tousling your hair, a cool drink in your hand, and sparkling blue water all around, you can imagine yourself on a cruise vacation for a few hours— and your wallet will barely notice.

Boston Harbor Islands Ferry Boston, MA

Think of the ferry boats departing from Boston’s Long Wharf on summer and fall days as your command ships for an island-hopping escapade. Six of the 34

islands and peninsulas that make up Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park are accessible via Boston Harbor Cruises ferry service. In 20 minutes, you can be hiking, picnicking, or swimming on Spectacle Island; in 45 minutes, you’re exploring Georges Island and the intriguing ruins of Fort Warren. Inter-island ferries connect to Peddocks, Lovells, Grape, and Bumpkin Islands, each with historic character and the kind of natural beauty that’s so rare in an urban setting. 617-2274321; bostonharborcruises.com

Burlington–Port Kent Crossing Burlington, VT

The best reason to hop a Lake Champlain Ferries vessel in Burlington isn’t to shave a half hour off the drive time to Port Kent, New York. It’s to spend an hour (or two, if you go

round-trip) on New England’s largest lake, admiring the graceful maneuvers of birds and boats as well as the natural skyscrapers of two mountain ranges. The Adirondacks will magnetize your gaze, particularly if you time your westward voyage for sunset, but remember to pivot or you’ll miss equally enchanting Green Mountain views. Train your eyes on the lake surface, too: Snap a photo of rumored lake monster Champ, and you’ll earn lifelong fame. Tip: If you’re crunched for cash or time, opt for the Charlotteto-Essex option a half-hour south. The shorter crossing costs about half as much. 802-864-9804; ferries.com

Casco Bay Mailboat Run Portland, ME

Pack lobster rolls, whoopie pies, and Maine-brewed beers in a cooler, and

park your worries on land. For the next three hours you can be a carefree “stowaway” on one of Casco Bay Lines’ daily, year-round voyages to deliver mail, freight, and residents to five major islands. In the summer (or any time there’s an ample crowd aboard), you’ll get a narrated tour as you pass lighthouses, watch lobstermen haul traps, and edge up to islands where communities seem from another century. Chat up the captain and crew: Most have deep ties to these islands and wilder stories than your average mail carrier. 207-774-7871; cascobaylines.com

Providence-Newport Ferry Providence, RI

Operated by the private ferry company Seastreak, the Rhode Island–built catamaran Ocean State glides beneath the Providence River Bridge and out into Narragansett Bay three or four times daily in summer and fall. Some passengers have firm plans in Newport, but many do not, since free parking opens the door to spontaneity and the allure of an exhilarating boat ride on a sunkissed day is irresistible. For a true mini vacation, take a cocktail from the bar up to the deck for the best views of lighthouses, islands, and the stunning array of sailboats and yachts that is Newport’s signature. The ferry deposits you in the midst of waterfront shopping and dining, so you can chart your own adventure until the hourlong return trip. 800-262-8743; ridethebayri.com

Star Island Ferry Rye, NH

The staff and summer guests at the Isles of Shoals’ last remaining hotel, the Victorian-era Oceanic, arrive on Star Island viathe passenger ferry Uncle Oscar —and it can whisk you there, too. Take a three-hour “walkabout” trip for a guided tour of these 43 ruggedly fetching acres, or opt instead to catch the first ferry out and the last back, allowing whim and wonder to guide your exploration in between. Discover the island museum in a wee cottage, let kids pat scallops in the marine lab’s touch tank, have a lobster roll or burger at the Gosport Grill. Some serenity seekers find rocking in chairs on the hotel’s vast porch diversion enough. 603-9645545; uncleoscar.com

Thimble Islands Ferry Branford, CT

The Thimble Islands Ferry Service is both Uber and U-Haul for residents of these almost exclusively private pinkgranite islands—which means that when you board with a dozen locals and their particular cargo, you’re in for some interesting conversations as well as a close-up look at tony island digs. The ferry also provides seasonal passage to the only Thimble open to the public, southernmost Outer Island. At this wildlife refuge, volunteers greet picnic-toting passengers and guide them toward the five-acre island’s interactive features: tide pools, enormous glacial boulders, and an education center with microscopes for examining teeny creatures and binoculars for observing shorebirds. If you’ve asked the captain to pick you up in two hours, you may find that’s too soon. 203-889-8365; thimbleislandsferry.com

BEACON SEEKIN’

Choice cruises for lighthouse buffs.

Nothing captures the romance of the coast quite like lighthouses, and New England is home to some of the world’s most picturesque. But if you’re trying to rack up multiple sightings, going by land can be a tedious undertaking (drive-parkwalk-repeat). To get the most bang for your buck, try seeing lighthouses the way sailors do: from the water. Book the two-and-a-halfhour trip offered by CAPE ANN HARBOR TOURS and you’ll wend your way past no fewer than six Gloucester-area lighthouses, from the lighthouse on stilts that marks the Dog Bar Breakwater to Ten Pound Island Light, which briefly hosted landscape painter Winslow Homer. You’ll also see the Cape Ann Light Station, whose twin lights are the only active examples of their kind in the nation. Tours are available on weekends in the spring and fall and daily during the summer. (capeannharbortours.com)

Up north, Maine’s ISLE AU HAUT BOAT SERVICES operates a four-hour, six-lighthouse tour of its own on select summer dates. On Maine Open Lighthouse Day (September 12 this year), it ups the ante by offering a second cruise hitting four additional lighthouses. (isleauhaut.com)

In southern New England, the MARITIME AQUARIUM in Norwalk, Connecticut, has a six-lighthouse cruise, while RHODE ISLAND FAST FERRY offers a Narragansett Bay cruise that promises a whopping 10 lighthouses in an hour and a half—that’s one every nine minutes, on average! (maritimeaquarium.org; rhodeislandfastferry.com) —Joe Bills

Voyages of the Imagination

It takes great effort to convince my son that what we are approaching is not, in fact, a pirate ship.

The USS Constitution stands tall and proud at its wharf in the Charlestown Navy Yard, its masts peeking above the museums clustered alongside like barnacles. My son remains skeptical. In the mind of a 6-year-old there is only one use for so much sail and timber, and it usually involves eye patches.

“So it’s an army ship?” he asks. Close enough.

It’s a cold and rainy Saturday in Boston, but the tour group is still packed. While historic homes might have a hard time bringing in the crowds, historic ships never seem to— even with so many to choose from. New England’s waterfront is littered with vessels you can sail only in your imagination. Whaling ships, warships, pleasure yachts, and submarines. Ships with a single linen sail, and ships with nuclear-driven turbines. Ships that carried cargo, and ships that ferried our ancestors. All of them preserved and mounted to the dock like so much nautical taxidermy.

Our guide leads us aboard and dives into her presentation. Tours on historic ships don’t vary much—they all draw on the same maritime greatest hits. There’s the review of the cramped living spaces, the talk of limited diets. If the ship dates before the 20th century, the fun fact that beer was a healthier choice than water will likely be mentioned. Our guide’s explanation of how sailors used the bathroom is a crowd-pleaser I’ve heard on at least six other ships.

Of course, the tour is never the main event; the ship is. There’s just something about being on these old vessels

that speaks to so many of us. My son clearly has the bug. He bounces from one compartment to the next, filling my phone with grainy photos of his discoveries and starting every sentence with “If we were real sailors….”

I admire the honesty of his enthusiasm. He is unapologetically here to role-play. We adults have to at least try to hide it. Hands buried in our pockets, we lean over cannons with a look of practiced disinterest, while in our minds the deck crashes and splinters under the force of incoming fire.

A ship on the ocean is a prison surrounded by the world’s widest moat. It has often been a place of grueling labor and corporal punishment. On ships of yore, the only person who was remotely free was the captain, and he still ran the risk of contracting scurvy or becoming the chew toy of a great white whale.

We know all this, and yet the romance is undeniable. As I follow my son down the narrow steps from the gun deck to the crew quarters, I feel that tingle in my spine. We are in

A HISTORIC SHIP PRESERVES THE MOMENT

Is it the sense of adventure that draws us here? Did we simply watch Master and Commander too many times? I don’t think so. Mankind has waxed poetic about life at sea since we first learned how to lash two logs together. In our culture, the image of a person standing at the bow of a ship evokes the purest sense of freedom, as though this improbable perch is where we were all truly meant to be. John F. Kennedy once said, “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea … we are going back from whence we came.”

Freedom? On the sea? Freedom is a creature of the land. Freedom is a full belly and a warm bed. Freedom is the ability to walk 100 feet in any direction you choose without plunging into the abyss.

a magical place, even if we can’t quite name the spell we’re under.

Touring the deck where row after row of hammocks would have hung, I can imagine myself lying there exhausted, freezing, or sweating, depending on the latitude, and I know I would have been miserable. But perhaps that’s secretly the draw. Perhaps the romance and the adventure—all the swashbuckling and cannons—are just a veneer over some deeper yearning.

You see, the one thing all these historic ships have in common is that they represent enormous gambles that paid off. The crew of the Constitution set sail to battle the British navy, the largest and most impressive armada of the time. This ship should have been sunk, but it wasn’t. The settlers who

WHEN THE STORY WAS IN DOUBT— THE MOMENT WHEN THE PEOPLE WERE TESTED, AND PASSED.

EVEN WITHOUT LEAVING THE DOCK, LEGENDARY SHIPS CAN CARRY US AWAY.

DOCKED AND LOADED

Sail through history on a lore-filled museum ship.

Thanks to New England’s four centuries of maritime history, the region is rich in preserved specimens of the shipbuilder’s craft—from wooden merchant vessels to modern iron fortresses—that still welcome visitors aboard. And landlubbers, rejoice: This is adventure sans seasickness.

MAYFLOWER II

After being gone nearly four years for a stem-to-stern restoration, the pride of Plymouth, Massachusetts, returns to its home berth in May. And since 2020 is also the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing, expect a doozy of a homecoming. plimoth.org/mayflower

USS MASSACHUSETTS

Long enough to carry two Statues of Liberty laid end to end, the battleship nicknamed “Big Mamie” anchors the world’s largest collection of World War II military vessels, at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. battleshipcove.org

CHARLES W. MORGAN

From Arctic ice to typhoons, this 1841 whaling ship navigated countless perils during 37 globe-trotting voyages. Today America’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat enjoys its well-earned rest at Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport. mysticseaport.org

USS ALBACORE

Located just a stone’s throw from the shipyard where it was born, this 1950s Navy research sub in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, offers hands-on exploration and an audio tour featuring the stories of former crew. ussalbacore.org

TICONDEROGA

The fact that it took 65 days to haul this 1906 steamboat two miles from Lake Champlain to its resting place in a field at Vermont’s Shelburne Museum is just one chapter of the fascinating tale of “the Ti.” shelburnemuseum.org

boarded the Mayflower were on a longshot colonization bid. They all could have been lost in a storm, but they weren’t. The sailors who signed on to the Charles W. Morgan volunteered for the ridiculous task of fighting whales from a rowboat. No one should have walked away from that, but many did.

Every museum preserves a moment in time. Maybe the reason I’d rather tour a historic ship than any of the historic homes where these sailors went on to live is because the ship preserves the moment when the story was in doubt—the moment when people were tested, and passed. Historic homes remind me too much of my own life: the warm hearth, the crowded kitchen, the sense of gentle aging. It’s comfortable, but sometimes that is the last thing we want.

Most of us today play for much lower stakes than the men and women who risked their lives on these old creaking ships. We should all be thankful for that. But let’s not deny the existence of that reckless urge to risk it all, to sign our names to some audacious task and walk wide-eyed into the crucible. Can we be blamed for coming aboard these ships and fantasizing about cutting the ties that bind and steering ourselves toward some challenge? Is it crazy to think that in that moment when we stand exhausted and fist-clenched before the eye of the storm, we might see something in ourselves that we never saw before?

My son’s hand finds mine as we mount the gangway and leave the Constitution behind. The day is young, and we are bound for more pedestrian adventures. I ask if he had a good time, and of course he says yes, though I’m not really sure we had the same experience. On the dock, we stop for one final photo to remember the day by. He poses before the ship, the masts framing his exuberant face, then he clenches one eye closed and lets out a boisterous, triumphant “Arrrrrrghhh!” —Justin Shatwell

For more information on visiting the USS Constitution and its namesake museum, which are open year-round, go to ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

Gone with the Wind

CATCH YACHT FEVER IN “THE SAILING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.”

For more than 50 years, its waters were the battleground for the legendary America’s Cup. Just up the road, one of the world’s greatest yacht designers revolutionized the sport of sailing. Today it’s home to New England’s biggest public sailing program, and the headquarters of U.S. Sailing are within hailing distance.

The evidence for Newport, Rhode Island’s claim of being the world’s sailing capital is impressive—but if you want further proof, come to this seaside city on June 19, and join the crowds at Brenton Point and Fort Adams as the

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

biennial Newport Bermuda Race gets under way. The spectacular sight of some 200 vessels, from family cruisers to super yachts, filling the harbor with a host of multicolored sails will leave you convinced. In fact, you might even think it looks a little like heaven.

If so, Newport makes it a cinch to get in on the action. Not one but two cruising companies, 12 Meter Charters and America’s Cup Charters, offer rides and sometimes races (!) on yachts that once vied for the America’s Cup, while truly old-school sailing can be enjoyed on the replica 19th-century

schooners that tie up at Bowen’s and Bannister’s wharves. For a more personalized escape, there’s a slew of charter options (including Newport Kat’s sprightly 41-foot catamaran) that can transport you for a few hours or even overnight.

For more information on Newport sailing adventures, go to discovernewport.org.

WELCOME TO CAMBODIA TOWN

On a few blocks in Lowell, Massachusetts, lies one of the nation’s richest outposts of Khmer culture and cuisine.

OBEN PIN ORDERS TWO BOWLS OF PHNOM PENH NOODLES FROM A WOMAN SHE CALLS BANG, MEANING “BIG SISTER”

in her native Khmer. Soben is cofounder of the biweekly KhmerPost USA, the widest-circulated Cambodian newspaper in America. She’s also my dining mate one soggy May morning at the Red Rose Restaurant, a tucked-away oasis of Cambodian cooking in Lowell, Massachusetts. • The restaurant is part of Pailin Plaza, the commercial heartbeat of a cultural district known as Cambodia Town, which holds the largest population of Cambodian immigrants and refugees and Cambodian-American citizens on the East Coast. After Long Beach, California, it is the second-largest Khmer community in the country. • The district sits near the masonry banks of the Pawtucket Canal in downtown Lowell, a 19th-century cobblestoned mill town still reviving its economic pulse in the post-industrial era, with former mills now rehabbed into art galleries

and start-up offices, third-wave coffee shops, and a good cheesemonger. Concentrated on Branch, Middlesex, and Westford streets, Cambodia Town fringes the city-center renovations with its own snapshot of a modern American subcommunity: a purple-chalk hopscotch grid near a park entrance; squat retail buildings; Khmer translations under signs for a pizza shop, a hairdresser, and the restaurant where I now sit with Soben, who is pouring our tea.

Soben has a broad smile, a sturdy sense of humor, and eye contact that’s direct and deep. She knows everyone’s family here, and she asks me about mine. A big stack of KhmerPost USA papers, fresh from the printer that morning, waits for takers in the restaurant doorway. Soben writes the English portion of the newspaper, while cofounder, editor, and longtime Cambodian journalist Roger Pin, her former spouse and current business partner, writes the Khmer portion. Headquartered just a few blocks from City Hall, the paper

Also called kuy teav, the soup arrives moments later in a haze of ambrosial steam. It’s rich and layered, the broth hot enough to melt pork bones. Tiny beads of flavor-rich fat cling to the sides of the bowl like pearls, balanced by a zip of vibrancy from somewhere in the stock’s hours of slow simmering. Bobbing in the liquid are dried shrimp, poached shrimp, ground pork, pork loin, thinly sliced pork liver, ribbons of tripe, cilantro stems and leaves, fried garlic and shallots, and a knot of rice noodles. On the table are aromatics and garnishes meant for toggling the flavor to one’s liking. There’s a crisp tumble of chilled bean sprouts and lemon cheeks. A foil-wrapped tray holds fermented and pickled condiments brooding with chilies. I slurp silky noodles, my pen forgotten beside me, the kuy teav as ancient, nuanced, and varied as the country of its origin.

Fringed by Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and a long stretch of the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia is a civilization with more than 5,000 years of history— including the infamous era of genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime, from 1975 until its fall in 1979. It was a time when those who could, fled.

The U.S. Census began counting Cambodian as a race and tracking its American-based population in 1980. In the following decade, nearly 150,000 people would leave

Cambodia for the United States. Lowell’s own population of Cambodian immigrants and Cambodian-American citizens has grown to about 20,000, and the Khmer community is now one of the biggest economic contributors to Lowell’s reinvigorated economy.

“The Pailin Plaza area is probably the busiest retail area in the entire city of Lowell,” Soben says. “This community is built on incredible resilience; they’ll make a life out of this place.”

Bang whisks away my empty bowl and brings me a tall glass of cold coffee brimming with crushed ice and condensed milk, which I suck down like nectar. Soben tells me that Roger

had presided over the regime that killed nearly two million people, including Roger’s entire family.

“I was the only journalist in the field at that time,” says Roger, after he enters the Red Rose in a plaid scally cap, wearing a crisply ironed blue shirt under his suit jacket, and pulls a stray chair to the end of our booth table. “I stood up against corruption and for people’s rights. Everyone had guns—I had a microphone and a tape recorder.”

I ask Roger how you have a conversation with a person who has killed your family. “You can’t talk together as a dictator and a journalist,” he says. “You must interact as a person and a person. Having a conversation means we can see each other as people.

“Whether you’re Cambodian or American,” he continues, “you don’t really know what life looks like until you ask.” That mental switch is a bridge, he says, to start communicating—and to keep communicating.

“You can only get slapped on one side of your face,” Soben chimes in. “You don’t give them the other side to slap, too. Cambodians in Lowell are survivors, and we’re all proud of our culture. We want to share it. And to me, [that] is to publish a free Khmer press in the United States.”

After our chat, Roger pushes back his chair to stand; it’s time to return to the prince. Bang writes our bill in pencil and, lunch rush oncoming, bids us a quick good-bye. Having immigrated from Cambodia in 2003, Bang— whose real name is Soknay Cheang— bought the Red Rose in 2011 with her husband, Kheang Hong Long, after working in a Boston-area factory making electronic car parts. “I didn’t want to do that,” she says, motioning to the bustle of the restaurant behind her as we depart. “I love food. I love to eat.”

Cambodia Town has become one of America’s richest outposts of Khmer art, history, entertainment, and cooking, and walking through the heart of the district with Soben Pin is to be guided by the community’s Virgil.

Across the street from Pailin Plaza, the path to Roberto Clemente Park (referred to as Pailin Park by most Cambodian locals) is mottled with early-afternoon rain. On a sunny summer day, Soben says, as many as 300 people might pass through the park’s open space. There’s a playground with a big green slide. Volleyball nets host regular

“THIS COMMUNITY IS BUILT ON INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE,” SOBEN PIN SAYS. “THEY’LL MAKE A LIFE OUT OF THIS PLACE.”

pickup games, and crews of old friends congregate weekly for games of bocce. But today it’s quiet, given the drizzle and the oncoming warning of darker clouds. Soben uses a laminated folder as an umbrella as we shuffle next door to Amara Boutique and Service, where her friend Monica Am curates an emporium of Khmer goods.

After she and Soben come together like magnets, Monica is introduced to me over a table of shawls with labyrinthine gold stitching. The boutique is a kaleidoscope: rich, vivid, multidimensional. It’s a place for the inbetween moments of daily life, for browsing Khmer lesson books and travel guides and birthday gifts, for considering crushed violet or emerald green for the trim of traditional formal wear. There are evening scarves, temple scarves, and casual scarves. There are quartz figurines, wide bowls once used for carrying water, and Khmer cookbooks shelved near gilded platters depicting the ancient religious site Angkor Wat.

Monica left Cambodia for Lowell in 1982 but still returns three times a year to import Khmer items. A carved Buddha, a recent find from the Cambodian mountains, smiles patiently near where we are standing.

Asked what builds the community, Monica repeats the question and then says: “Cambodian-owned businesses.”

“There’s a common heart we want to preserve here,” Soben adds, motioning to a sculpture of the Bayon Buddhist shrine in Angkor Thom. The piece mirrors a 12-foot-tall Bayon monument rising high above the side-

walk outside, the result of a local fund-raiser. The serene faces peering out from the monument are a smooth, buffed gray. It’s like the community itself, Soben says: “It lasts. It’s here to stay.”

Again sheltered by laminated folder, we make our way from Amara Boutique to Pailin City Market, with its burlap sacks of white rice and crates of squat bananas. The supermarket is a vast stockpile of grocery staples, a headlong dive back into the aromatic haze of a bowl of kuy teav.

“This feels like childhood,” says Soben, selecting a caramel-burnished nom kong , a Khmer doughnut with a hole wide enough to fit a wrist through (kong actually translates as “bangle”). She lifts the knobby orb of a Cambodian guava for me to smell; the syrupy perfume of ripeness seeps through its tough skin. “This too,” she adds, and buys both for us to split. The doughnut crackles as it’s halved, bittersweet caramel splintering over the chewy fried dough.

Soben gestures across the street to Yummy Express, a Cambodian snack shop loved for its nom kong as much as its other street-food staples: stuffed baguette sandwiches called num pang , fried globes of sticky rice flour with a nubbly coat of toasted sesame seeds, blended ice cream drinks and smoothies in eye-shadow hues of avocado, red bean, and melon. The shop is closed, says a note written in Sharpie: They’re on vacation.

Cambodia Town is markedly flush with privately owned businesses. Sereysophana Yauk and her husband,

boasts fresh floral arrangements, custom gowns, and an upstairs area for formal photos. (We wait out a hasty downpour here, chatting on a buttery-soft velvet bench.)

Bora Chiemruom, a Khmer refugee who grew up in Lowell in the late ’80s, owns Kravant Boutique on Branch Street, a consignment shop for renting special-occasion Cambodian gowns. Just beyond the border of Cambodia Town are the headquarters of Flying Orb Productions, a Cambodian-American film and theater company that began production on their latest film, A Road Beyond , in 2019. Then there’s Simply Khmer, a restaurant owned by husband-and-wife team Sam Neang and Denise Ban that’s been highlighted by Boston news outlets as well as by celebrity chef and Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern. (He ordered beef salad with tripe, rice porridge with pork, spicy head-on shrimp with garlic sauce, and, in a nod to the menu’s more Anglo-leaning items, hot wings.)

The Lowell-based Angkor Dance Troupe specializes in Apsara, a classical Khmer dance from the 11th century; the nationally recognized company performed it at the White House. A biannual 12-week dance program helps filter Apsara into the local community, as do performances such as last year’s Apsara Dancing Stones and a headlining spot at Lowell’s August Southeast Asian Water Festival. The festival itself, which the city has held for over two decades, draws more than 60,000 people from around the country with its longboat races, music, and myriad food stalls.

In 2017, Lowell—a city with a history of all-white governing bodies, despite a population that’s almost 50 percent minorities—inducted its first Cambodian-born city councilor, Vesna Nuon. That same year, councilor Rodney Elliott raised $45,000 from the Cambodian community for a monument to Khmer refugees, which was unveiled outside City Hall later that same year. The piece was created by Yary Livan, a Lowell resident and Khmer Rouge survivor.

Though we are still lodged in the weepy weather of late New England spring, Soben convinces Tolayuth Ok of Bopha Bridal Boutique to give us a lift downtown to see the monument. It’s a seven-foot, 6,000-pound sculpture of composite concrete dyed a baked coral-crimson, like sun on red clay. Names of donors both in and beyond Cambodia Town are inlaid on bricks skirting the base. On the monument itself, which has an etched Bayon face looming in one corner and a Cambodian palmyra palm tree in the other, there are four refugees: two children and a woman holding a baby. In a three-dimensional portrait of movement, each child has one foot moving beyond the sculpture’s frame—outward, somewhere.

“It’s one foot in America,” says Soben, “and one foot in the past.”

The wild granite shores of Saddleback Island, which has been protected by Maine Coast Heritage Trust since 2004, offer views amid the fabled Merchant Row archipelago, one of the largest island clusters on the East Coast.

HERITAGE TRUST HAS BEEN A CONSERVATION GAME-CHANGER FOR 50 YEARS.

Windswept islands aren’t the only stars of the MCHT portfolio. Conserved in partnership with Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, Woodward Point is a former coastal farm that today attracts hikers and birdwatchers as one of the biggest undeveloped parcels of land in northern Casco Bay.

but after holding its breath for a few seconds, it comes back to life.

The 80 or so bobolinks who make their summer home on the point have already fled south to the pampas of Argentina, but gulls cry overhead. A lobster boat throttles between buoys, an airplane hums high above, and the breeze and the tide whisper to each other along the grassy shore at the mouth of the New Meadows River.

Woodward Point Preserve is one of 137 public preserves protected by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Since 1970, through land donations and the purchase of both property and conservation easements, MCHT has protected more than 150,000 acres from development, including 327 islands. As

such, it has created a virtual necklace of coastal gems stretching from Kittery to Eastport.

Clam digger David Toothaker, who has worked the Brunswick flats for more than 50 years, credits the $3.5 million Woodward Point Preserve with saving the New Meadows River. “There could have been 30 to 40 oceanfront houses there,” says Toothaker, who contributed to the MCHT campaign to purchase and endow the property. “The river would have been closed to clamming in five years. This was big for me. Big for all fishermen.”

MCHT was founded by philanthropist Peggy Rockefeller and industrialist Tom Cabot, both of whom owned seasonal property on Penobscot Bay. At the time, the trust

MCHT’s efforts include protecting Maine’s intertidal zone (the land that lies between high and low tidemarks), ensuring the health of fragile ecosystems that are home to plants and animals of all shapes and sizes.

was not intended to be a permanent organization but rather a mechanism to facilitate the use of conservation easements to protect private islands around Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

Although conservation easements had been used in other states, they hadn’t really caught on, explains Ben Emory, who served as MCHT director from 1976 to 1982. But when MCHT and Acadia National Park worked together to protect land, it “lit a spark that went national and international,” he says. “Looking back over 50 years, lighting that spark for the use of conservation easements is one of Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s major accomplishments.”

MCHT popularized the conservation easement as a preservation tool by helping to form the Maine Land Trust Network and the Washington, D.C.–based Land Trust Alliance. In 1987, the year it first held land itself, MCHT also helped pass the first $35 million Land for Maine’s Future bond, the state’s primary public land conservation program.

The rise of MCHT was part of a remarkable greening of the American consciousness that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As the country celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970, groundwork was being laid in Maine to protect the state’s

Sometimes conservation can be a decades-long process. MCHT’s partnership with Vinalhaven Land Trust saw the first portion of Basin Preserve on Vinalhaven established in 1990 and the most recent in 2018, for a total of 795 acres.

environment: Environmental groups fought off waves of oil refinery proposals, most key land-use regulations were passed with bipartisan support, and billboards and non returnable bottles were banned in order to clean up highways and shorelines.

Were it not for the work of MCHT, Land for Maine’s Future, and environmental groups such as the Nature Conservancy and the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the coast of Maine might today resemble New Jersey’s—a littoral litter of condos, casinos, malls, suburbs, and power plants.

And the efforts to protect the natural beauty, wildlife habitat, working waterfront, and public access in Maine continue unabated. In 2019, MCHT completed a $125 million fund-raising campaign that drew 7,500 donors and funded 200 projects totaling 11,000 acres. (Woodward Point was one of those projects.)

MCHT keeps a detailed list of properties it would like to protect, and these days many of the targets on that list are salt marshes and coastal estuaries, as the trust seeks to buffer the coast against the effects of climate change.

The land area that MCHT has protected is now three times as large as Acadia National Park. No doubt it will grow ever larger, as Mainers ante up to protect the land they love.

To mark its 50th anniversary, MCHT has published Voices from the Coast, an anthology of writing, artwork, and photography celebrating Maine’s coastal lands and islands. Created as a gift for MCHT supporters, the book is not available in stores—but Yankee readers can get their own copy with a first-time gift to MCHT (go to mcht.org/yankee for details).

ADRIFT IN TIME

MODERN LIFE SEEMS FAR REMOVED FROM THIS MASSACHUSETTS ISLAND COMMUNITY LIKE NO OTHER.

FROM THE SKY OVER BOSTON HARBOR, PEDDOCKS ISLAND LOOKS LIKE A BABY BIRD,

its body and tufted tail pointed southwest toward Quincy while its rounded head reaches, as if eager for food, toward the town of Hull. After arriving at the ferry dock on East Head, most visitors to Peddocks walk straight ahead to the brick barracks of Fort Andrews, where U.S. soldiers trained for three wars, watched over the harbor, and guarded more than 1,000 Italian detainees in the 1940s. Only a few visitors turn left, pass the white clapboard chapel, and hike to the most vibrant spot on any Boston Harbor island, a century-old Portuguese fishing village.

The footpath down Peddocks’s neck builds anticipation. The narrow dirt track threads through a stand of trees, which opens to reveal a white cottage set on a hill. An island caretaker built the home decades ago, and her family still lives in it. Here, quiet descends, except for waves lapping on the beach and the occasional airplane roaring toward Logan Airport. The path continues on, past scraggly brush and marsh and through the woods. Then more cottages emerge from the trees: rows of them, each one story tall, made of wood and standing amid well-mowed grass. Each has its own color scheme—white with red trim, yellow, sky blue, pink.

Relaxing in a lawn chair near his cottage, Jim Saudade gazes at Boston’s skyline on the western horizon. He’s wearing retired-guy summer casual: red polo shirt, white shorts,

black sandals. “Peddocks Pirate,” reads his white baseball cap.

“I’ve loved it since the first day I came,” Saudade says of Peddocks. He grew up on Hough’s Neck in Quincy, and he’s been coming here since the 1950s, when his father bought the brickred cottage he owns now. “I’ve always wanted to spend the summer here, but I wasn’t able to until [retiring] 10 years ago.” Now he spends eight months in Florida and four months on the island.

Saudade and his summer neighbors are the only people who live on a Boston Harbor island. Their community of about 24 cottages traces its roots back to 1887—the year that Portuguese immigrant fishermen migrated to Peddocks after the city of Boston forced them off nearby Long Island. The village survives as a remote summer getaway, a frontier outpost within sight of the Boston skyline. Families have passed the cottages down for decades, and many still return each summer with supplies of water and food.

Peddocks cottagers live off the grid, with outhouses instead of bathrooms, showers fed by rain barrels, and solar panels and batteries for electricity. While they aren’t fulltime back-to-the-landers, they’ve come to see their island community as a test of character and commitment, built

(Continued on p. 164)

He returns to New England to design and set these gems into rings, earrings and necklaces.

Women love the low profile, practical, wearable, durable simplicity of these designs.

Over 100 of the best Clipper Ship designs on display in our store and online.

New additions always. Click & Buy, Click & Call, receive immediately or visit us at our store in Portland, Maine.

Everything in our Clipper Ship Trade Wind Collection is done with Trade Wind pricing from an old-time yankee trader.

Where to Eat, Stay, and Play 2020

SUMMER TRAVEL GUIDE

BEST OF NEW ENGLANDHall of Fame

FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY, YANKEE’S SUMMER TRAVEL GUIDE HAS SHOWCASED OUR REGION’S MUST-VISIT DESTINATIONS AND DIVERSIONS. THIS YEAR, OUR FIRST-EVER HALL OF FAME SALUTES 230 PAST WINNERS THAT CONTINUE TO WOW US TODAY.

BONUS PICKS!

Even as we celebrate previous Best of New England winners, we’re on the lookout for future Hall of Famers. Discover

MAINE

DINING

Back Bay Grill

Portland

In one of the hottest foodie cities in the country, Back Bay Grill—founded in the late 1980s—remains a perennial favorite for a special evening. Though the eatery is a bit off the beaten path, chef-owner Larry Matthews Jr.’s creations have held their own against all newcomers. When critics rave about Portland’s culinary scene, the conversation often starts here. 207-772-8833; backbaygrill.com

Bob’s Clam Hut

Kittery

A staple in Kittery since 1956, Bob’s built its fame on two styles of fried clams: “Bob’s,” which are dipped in a mix of unseasoned flours and fried to light crispness, and “Lillian’s,” which make two passes through the

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in Maine at newengland.com/ me-events-2020.

flours with an egg wash in between, creating a crunchier clam. In 2018, the double-barreled magic transplanted perfectly to a second Bob’s location in Portland. 207-439-4233; bobsclamhut.com

Eventide Oyster Co. Portland

Here is a restaurant that serves intelligent, just-imaginative-enough, and tasty interpretations of classic New England seafood like lobster rolls, chowder, and fried fish that has earned it a national reputation. The idea is so simple and winning that you have to wonder why anyone didn’t think of it before—or at

least didn’t execute it so well. 207-774-8538; eventideoysterco.com

Fore Street Portland

The brick and soapstone hearth at the heart of Fore Street isn’t merely decorative: It’s where fresh fish, meats, and vegetables are roasted over hardwoods and fruit woods, providing a mouthwatering form of dinner theater. Award-winning chef Sam Hayward was a pioneer in the locavore movement long before farm-to-table was a concept (the restaurant opened in 1996), so his live-fire cooking always begins with exceptional ingredients. 207-775-2717; forestreet.biz

The Holy Donut Portland

It has long been a tradition in Maine potato country to add mashed spuds to doughnut batter, yielding a fluffier, moister dunker. So when Leigh Kellis decided to open a

doughnut shop in Portland in 2012, it was only natural that she would make her rounds with potatoes. The results not only nail the perfect texture but also come in 20-odd flavors that are uniformly excellent (don’t miss the chocolate glazed sprinkled with sea salt). Locations in Portland and Scarborough. 207-775-7776; theholydonut.com

Long Grain

Camden

Do make reservations to score one of the few seats at this storefront restaurant where Bangkok-born Ravin Nakjaroen creates flavor-rich home-style pan-Asian fare. Knockouts include mussels in spicy coconut–lemongrass broth, Maine crab-fried rice, and house-made noodles with kimchi and pork belly. 207-236-9001; longgraincamden.com

McLoons

South Thomaston

When people all over the world dream of eating Maine lobster on the coast, they probably imagine themselves in a place like this modest red-clapboard waterfront shack. The surroundings are quintessential midcoast Maine, right down to rocky Spruce Head Island, where the seafood shack and its parent commercial lobster wharf sit. The simple lobster salad roll at McLoons is the best in the state. 207-593-1382; mcloonslobster.com

Miyake

Portland

Chef Masa Miyake takes Japanese cuisine to a new level, using ultrafresh ingredients— some from his own farm—and employing Japanese, Italian, and French techniques. While you can’t go wrong with the à la carte options, you should splurge at least once on the omakase (chef’s tasting menu). 207-8719170; miyakerestaurants.com

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream

Bar Harbor

Crazy rich, crazy good, crazy flavors. MDI makes its indulgent ice creams and sorbets in small batches, and it’s hard to say which are more creative, the names or the ingredients. Among recent offerings: Girl Scouts Gone Wild, Chocolate Wasabi, and Uncle Marshall’s Fruitcake. Aside from its two hometown locations, there are shops in Portland; Washington, D.C.; and Japan. mdiic.com

Primo

Rockland

“Fresh from the farm” takes on new meaning at this eatery, where ducks, pigs, and chickens are raised on the premises. Even the cocktails feature farm-grown ingredients. Allow yourself time to tour the gardens before sitting down to enjoy the Mediterranean fare created by James Beard Award winner Melissa Kelly. 207-596-0770; primorestaurant.com

“THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSEUM.”

Brunswick

From the time that classically trained chef Cara Stadler joined with her mother, Cecile, to open Tao Yuan in 2012, the accolades haven’t stopped, including Food & Wine ’s selection of Stadler as one of America’s 10 best new chefs. Small bites of distinctive Asian fare reveal nuanced flavors from primarily local ingredients, with a staple being steamed buns from her great-grandmother’s recipe. 207-725-9002; tao-yuan.me

LODGING

Attean Lake Lodge

Jackman

Sunrise, observed from a dock on a Maine lake surrounded by deep woods—you can find yourself in such a blissful moment at Attean Lake Lodge, one of the few remaining family-owned lodges in the Northeast dating from the turn of the 20th century. Guests stay in comfy cabins, enjoy meals in the main lodge, and spend halcyon days swimming, paddling, hiking, and fishing. 207-668-3792; atteanlodge.com

Cliff House

Cape Neddick

Set atop a cliff of black volcanic boulders, Cliff House has enjoyed an osprey’s view of the ocean since opening in 1872. Recent renovations have gone beyond mere restoration to create a sleek contemporary hotel with an ambitious spa for beauty and wellness treatments. All 226 rooms and suites come with private terraces and those same incomparable views that have been the resort’s calling card since Ulysses S. Grant was president. 207-361-1000; cliffhousemaine.com

T he Dunes on the Waterfront

Ogunquit

Knotty pine paneling, braided rugs, and cobblestone fireplaces are the signature décor at the Dunes, which first opened in 1936 and has not just survived but actually improved with age. The cluster of housekeeping cottages, plus a few motel rooms, sits on 12 acres down a pine tree–lined drive and overlooking an inlet and Ogunquit Beach. Guests can access the beach by rowing across—or opt to simply stay put, kick back, and relax. 866-530-7747; dunesonthewaterfront.com

Inn by the Sea

Cape Elizabeth

Handsome rooms, suites, and cottages shelter guests at this seaside resort with an outdoor saltwater pool, a restaurant and lounge with indoor and outdoor seating, and a boutique spa. A boardwalk through a New England cottontail rabbit preserve links the

The Harraseeket Inn

ultragreen, dog- and family-friendly property with dune-backed Crescent Beach. 207-799-3134; innbythesea.com

Little Lyford Lodge & Cabins

Greenville

This family-owned, 93-room luxury inn features two great restaurants, 23 fireplaces, an indoor heated pool and is fully handicapped accessible. Select pet-friendly rooms available. Walk to the best shopping on the Maine coast and the Amtrak Downeaster train station. Ask about our Yankee Getaway Package. Book direct for complimentary breakfast and afternoon tea.

162

Authentic

Originally a logging camp from the 1870s, Little Lyford is now owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club as an off-the-grid retreat. The property borders 66,000 acres of conserved land and includes access to the Appalachian Trail and Gulf Hagas, a gorge known for its waterfalls. It’s all yours to explore when you book a stay at one of the nine private cabins or in the bunkhouse. 207280-0708; outdoors.org

Loon Lodge

Rangeley

The Ludeke family knew a great site when they saw it. Back in 1909, they built a log home on a hillside that provided sunset views down the length of Rangeley Lake, with the distant White Mountains as a backdrop. Now visitors to this rustic yet comfy lodge can enjoy that fabulous vista from the great room, back deck, private beach, or dock. 207-864-5666; loonlodgeme.com

The Norumbega

Camden

Eleven luxurious suites and sweeping views of Penobscot Bay await at this highend B&B, located in a stone “castle” built in 1886. Owners Sue Walser and Phil Crispo are welcoming hosts, and a stay here demands at least one dinner at the inn’s restaurant, where Crispo, a former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, is known to wow. 207-236-4646; norumbegainn.com

Samoset

Rockport

Samoset is the very definition of a summer escape. Facilities at this 230-acre oceanfront resort edging Penobscot Bay include an 18-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, a fitness center, a children’s program, tennis courts, lawn games, and easy access to the Rockland Breakwater. 207-594-2511; samosetresort.com

Topside Inn

Boothbay Harbor

The aptly named Topside caps an in-town hill with sigh-inducing views from Adirondack chairs on the sweeping lawn over the inner and outer harbors. Rooms in the three buildings are bright and airy, with contemporary nautical décor, befitting the main house that once housed a ship captain. 207-633-5404; topsideinn.com

White Barn Inn

Kennebunkport

Is it an inn with amazing food, or an amazing restaurant with superb accommodations?

Both. It’s one of those places where you splurge and love doing so. For nearly half a century this farmhouse turned elegant inn has been a star in Maine’s galaxy of luxury escapes. 207-967-2321; aubergeresorts.com

ATTRACTIONS

Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor

Established on the sea-swept Maine coast as Sieur de Monts National Monument in July 1916, today Acadia National Park—the first national park in the East—preserves some 47,000 acres of forests and mountains, meadows and wetlands, lakes and coastal habitats. Accessible by parkway and crisscrossed by 45 miles of landscaped carriage roads, hiking trails, and footpaths, the park is a magnet for more than 2 million visitors each year. 207-288-3338; nps.gov/acadia

Baxter State Park Millinocket

To experience northern Maine’s most spectacular chunk of wilderness, this is the place.

Crowned by Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak

and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and edged by the Penobscot River, “forever wild” Baxter welcomes hikers, wildlifewatchers, paddlers, and outdoors lovers (but leave the bikes, motorcycles, RVs, and ATVs behind). 207-723-5140; baxterstatepark.org

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Boothbay

New England’s largest botanical garden encompasses 295 shorefront acres, including ornamental display gardens filled with more than 91,000 plants. Among the highlights: a rhododendron oasis with a waterfall, a woodland fairy-house village, and a peaceful meditation garden. Trails lace the woodlands and hillsides as well as drop down along the tidal Back River. 207-633-8000; mainegardens.org

Farnsworth Art Museum

Rockland

Enter the galleries of the Farnsworth and see how artists like Rockwell Kent, Marsden Hartley, and Winslow Homer portrayed the rugged Maine coast. Steps away is a 19th-century Methodist church that has been transformed into the museum’s Wyeth Center, where works by three generations of Wyeths are on display. In nearby Cushing

you can visit the Farnsworth-owned Olsen House, the farmhouse that Andrew Wyeth depicted in the background of Christina’s World. 207-596-6457; farnsworthmuseum.org

L.L. Bean

Freeport

Everything from kayak paddles to cocktail party togs can be found 24 hours a day in the flagship store of L.L. Bean, the legacy of Leon Leonwood Bean and his ingenious outdoor boots. But this is much more than a shopping experience: Bean’s guides lead all manner of adventure pursuits, and its “Summer in the Park” programs bring yoga, concerts, and movies to downtown Freeport. 877-755-2326; llbean.com

Maine Maritime Museum

Bath

Flying along Route 1 at 50 mph, it’s easy to forget that the sea was the original highway when ships carried freight and passengers. Be reminded in a big way at this engaging museum, which offers everything from paintings of regal ships scudding before the wind to boat exhibits to workshops where you can see boats being built today. 207-4431316; mainemaritimemuseum.org

Sunrise in Acadia National Park.

Maine Wildlife Park

Gray

It’s hard to know whether to look first at the majestic moose browsing on alders or the playful black bears splashing around their water feature. At this state-run sanctuary for animals unable to live in the wild, you might count as many as 30 species, most native to the Maine woods, in one afternoon. 207657-4977; maine.gov/ifw

Marginal Way

Ogunquit

Entirely paved and mostly flat, the Marginal Way is hardly a strenuous hike, yet it remains one of the most popular in New England. At just one and a quarter miles long, it offers more breathtaking vistas than any other trail you’ll find on the southern Maine coast. Benches along the way invite visitors to linger. 207-646-2939; ogunquit.org

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Bristol

Maine’s rocky coast doesn’t get any rockier than Pemaquid Point, where the vertical streaks of granite below the lighthouse look like the planet itself shipwrecked on this shore. The 1835 tower (seen on the Maine state quarter) greets 100,000-plus visitors a year, both for the astounding scenery and the fact that it’s one of the rare lighthouses open for tours. 207-677-2492; bristolmaine.org

Reid State Park

Georgetown

Crashing surf, two beautiful sand beaches, a lagoon, tidepools, hiking trails, sand dunes, and marshlands—this 610-acre park has it all, along with shower rooms, picnic tables, and a snack bar. Don’t miss Griffith Head, a rocky outcrop overlooking the park and an ideal vantage point for viewing nearby lighthouses and islands. 207-371-2303; maine.gov

White-Water Rafting

The Forks

When Wayne Hockmeyer guided the first raftload of thrill-seekers down the Kennebec River in 1976, he started a new way of life in the Forks region, which fast became New England’s epicenter of white-water rafting. Whether it’s on the Kennebec, the Dead River, or the Penobscot, no two trips are ever alike. The adrenaline rush is real— and the adventure all the more memorable because of it. forksarea.com

Windjammers

Camden & Rockland

These independently owned boats run the gamut—from a 1922 racing yacht to a 1950s ship built especially for windjamming cruises—but all offer a signature Maine experience and an unforgettable maritime adventure. 800-807-9463; sailmainecoast.com

VERMONT

DINING

A Single Pebble

Burlington

A temple of sophisticated Asian cuisine located in a simple storefront, A Single Pebble serves traditional recipes that are about as different from deep-fried Americanized Chinese food as Burlington is from Shanghai. 802-865-5200; asinglepebble.com

Al’s French Frys

South Burlington

It’s a wonder that any fast-food chains ever came to Burlington, when the Queen City already had Al’s. Since the 1940s this beloved institution has done its best to explain why potatoes were put on this earth—and served up more than a few burgers and hot dogs in the bargain. 802862-9203; alsfrenchfrys.com

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in Vermont at newengland.com/vt-events-2020.

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

Waterbury

Though cider is pressed here year-round, the real reason to visit is the cider doughnuts. The recipe: a secret mix of fresh cider, whole wheat, cinnamon, and cloves. The machine: a near-round-the-clock contraption that drops rings of dough into vegetable shortening, lets them fry for a minute, then transfers them to a conveyor belt that lifts the cakes out of the fat and onto trays. The result: a crisp shell, a soft, slightly dry inside, and a tangy aftertaste. 800-3277537; coldhollow.com

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill

Burlington

The classic pub menu is deliciously reimagined at this cheerful, highly local-centric eatery, which is adding a second location in Williston in 2020. A stellar lineup of Vermont craft beers costars with homemade charcuterie, regional cheeses, and hearty favorites like meatloaf, fish and chips, and burgers. 802-859-0888; farmhousetg.com

Hen

of the Wood

Waterbury

Fresh regional ingredients are the hallmarks of this handsomely rustic restaurant, housed in an old gristmill and overseen by chef Eric Warnstedt, a perennial presence on the James Beard Awards short list. Even better, Warnstedt and his partner, William McNeil, worked their magic again by opening a Burlington location in 2013. 802-2447300; henofthewood.com

VERMONT INN to INN WALKING TOUR

The “Vermont Inn-to-Inn Walking Tour” is a four-day, selfguided walk averaging 10 miles a day, mainly through old country roads of gravel and through the villages of Chester, Weston, Proctorsville and Ludlow. The four historic inns–Colonial House Inn & Motel, Inn Victoria, Golden Stage Inn, and The Pettigrew are linked by their owners’ shared love of Vermont and a commitment to their undertheradar walking tour. The oldest and longest running tour of its kind in the state, Vermont Innto-Inn Walking Tour is well established and focused on guest safety and comfort

It’s simple and efficient. The innkeepers transport your bags door to door, Vermont sherpa-style; greet you at the end of

your day with refreshments and a home-cooked meal; and, in the morning, send you on your way with a hearty breakfast, snacks for the road, a map of your walking route, and best wishes for a pleasant day. Its a large circle divided by four Inns; you end up back at the same inn you started at four days earlier. A final feature that sets this tour apart from so many others? You’re on your own, so you can set your own pace. Walk alone or with friends; do as much or as little of the walk as you like. Basically, the tour is as idiosyncratic as the state in which you’re walking. Join us from mid-May through the end of October.

833-Inn-2-Inn (833-466-2466)

www.VermontInntoInnWalking.com

THE WALK

PART 1: (13 miles) INN VICTORIA TO GOLDEN STAGE INN

INN VICTORIA 321 Main St., Chester, VT 802-875-4288 InnVictoria.com

PART 2: (9 miles)

GOLDEN STAGE INN TO THE PETTIGREW INN

GOLDEN STAGE INN 399 Depot St., Proctorsville, VT 802-226-7744

GoldenStageInn.com

PART 3: (6 8 miles)

THE PETTIGREW INN TO THE COLONIAL HOUSE INN

THE PETTIGREW INN 13 Pleasant St., Ludlow, VT 802-228-4846

PettigrewInn.com

PART 4: (11 miles)

THE COLONIAL HOUSE INN & MOTEL TO INN VICTORIA

THE COLONIAL HOUSE INN 287 Route 100, Weston, VT 802-824-6286

CoHoInn.com

“It’s a meditative walk. Long before the village of Chester appears and I’ve come full circle, I realize that my life has become breathtakingly simple in the last few days. I walk; I look at wildflowers; I avoid poison ivy; I take a deep breath and listen to nature singing; I wonder what’s up ahead; I try to remember to look back from time to time. Occasionally I hum–and then try to get the song out of my head.

–Annie Graves, Yankee Magazine, May/June 2012 | To read more, visit: NewEngland.com/Inn

Stratton Mountain Resort

Get away to it all in southern Vermont. Celebrate summer at its peak with live music, hiking, mountain biking, scenic gondola rides, pickleball and tennis, and kayak tours. Play the 27-hole championship Stratton Golf Course. Enjoy the charming village, resort amenities, and hotel/condominium vacation values.

Stratton.com

1-800-STRATTON (787-2886)

15Reasons to Visit Vermont

Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts

Relax and indulge in learning something new at Vermont’s oldest residential arts and crafts school. Take a class in painting, stained glass, metalworking, quilting, jewelry, woodworking, pottery, or any of 60 options for adults and 14 for young artists.

FletcherFarm.org

802-228-8870

Retreat Farm

With authentic farm experiences and special events, Retreat Farm is here to inspire and connect you to the natural world. Visit baby animals, explore nine miles of trails, and enjoy a maple creemee as you experience the grandeur of this historic farm.

RetreatFarm.org

802-490-2270

The quiet beauty of Vermont’s landscape draws visitors in each season. Don’t miss out on our favorite reasons to visit and celebrate the state of Vermont.

Farm-to-Table Dining at West Mountain Inn

Set high on 150 private mountainside acres and specializing in fresh local cuisine, the inn has a romantic dining room, welcoming tavern, beautiful and spacious guest rooms, hiking trails, extensive gardens, and amazing views providing a relaxing and delicious Vermont getaway.

WestMountainInn.com

802-375-6516

The Woodstocker

Relax in this renovated farmhouse-style Woodstock

B&B with in-room saunas and breakfast à la carte or in bed. Stroll downtown through the covered bridge, hike nearby, or take a bike ride on some of Vermont’s most scenic roads and trails.

TheWoodstockerBnB.com

802-457-3896

Courtyard Burlington Harbor – Bleu Northeast Seafood

At Bleu, we strive to source seafood raised in sustainable fisheries and serve simple yet sophisticated preparations to present the inherently dramatic and delicious flavors and textures of the harvest right on the shores of Lake Champlain. BleuVt.com

802-864-8600

Casablanca Motel

Basin Harbor

Owned and operated by the Beach family since 1886, Basin Harbor is a classic Vermont resort on the shores of Lake Champlain. The property encompasses 74 distinctive cottages, an 18-hole golf course, a 60-slip marina, and 700 acres of lakeside splendor.

BasinHarbor.com

800-622-4000

Captain Mike’s Sailing

Come explore Lake Champlain on a private sail with Captain Mike. It’s a perfect way to spend a couple of hours, or even a full day, enjoying the beautiful scenery where the mountains meet the shore.

ChamplainSailing.com

802-233-2250

Phineas Swann Inn & Spa

This northern Vermont resort offers perfect relaxation. Its new day spa offers massages, manipedis, esthetic treatments, sauna, hot tub and relaxation rooms. Fido can enjoy custom dog beds, free walks, treats, and curling up in front of a gas-log fireplace.

PhineasSwann.com

802-326-4306

Modern amenities with a vintage vibe. Voted “Best Retro Escape.” Private setting for couples, groups and small gatherings. Historical attractions, covered bridges, year-round outdoor recreation, fine dining, and designer outlet shopping. Open year-round. Dogs welcome in select cabins.

CasablancaMotel.com

800-254-2145

Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins

The Boston Globe describes Fat Sheep Farm as “a magical place” offering amazing views, modern and comfortable cabins, and hands-on farm experiences. Soak in the sunset by the fire pit, sample the farm’s bounty, or try your hand at milking sheep.

FatSheepFarmVermont.com

802-436-4696

Hampton Inn & Suites

Discover Manchester, Vt. Nestled in the Green Mountains, where outdoor adventures await. Shop boutiques and designer outlets. Savor farm-fresh cuisine. Sip craft beer and wine. Enjoy cultural events and music festivals. Complimentary breakfast buffet. Pool, fitness center, and outdoor firepit. Walk to all.

ManchesterHamptonInn.com

802-362-4000

Stowe Performing Arts

The picturesque Trapp Family Lodge meadow is the setting for Stowe Performing Arts’ 44th Music in the Meadow series— four Sunday evening concerts, including the Vermont Symphony Orchestra with fireworks! Eight additional free concerts in the village. May–August.

StowePerformingArts.com

802-253-7792

Seesaw’s Lodge

An all-season quintessential Vermont destination built on century-old tradition. Carefully restored lodge and cabins with modern comforts, plus the legendary Johnny Seesaw’s restaurant. Perfect Green Mountain getaway centrally located between Manchester, Stratton, and Weston. Come stay and play!

SeesawsLodge.com

802-856-7560

Bennington Museum

Art – History – Innovation. Located in southwestern Vermont, Bennington Museum offers intriguing exhibitions in 14 galleries. World’s largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings, works by 20th-century modernists, early Vermont history, and more. Changing exhibitions year-round. Gift shop featuring unique Vermont artisan products. BenningtonMuseum.org

802-447-1571

T he Lincoln Inn & Restaurant at the Covered Bridge

Woodstock

Chef Jevgenija Saromova and host Mara Mehlman don’t fuss with plebeian concerns like à la carte service. Instead, they guide guests through different fixed menus, with plates such as maple confit duck and seared tiger prawns with asparagus. In the private dining room, Saromova celebrates a high mass for avant-garde gastronomy with a seven- or 12-course tasting menu. 802-4577052; lincolninn.com

Misery Loves Co.

Winooski

Chef-owners Aaron Josinsky and Nathaniel Wade fuel their kitchen with ingredients from dozens of area farms. Sip a glass of wild apple cider with oysters, house-made charcuterie, or fried chicken. Adventurous eaters may opt for something outside the standard culinary canon, such as whole lubina or saltroasted rutabaga. 802-497-3989; mlcvt.com

Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks

Montpelier

The Morse family’s sugaring roots stretch back nearly two centuries, and the delicious results of that expertise are showcased in many ways at this farm, which includes a country store and farm-life museum. But for our money the can’t-miss offering is the Morse maple creemee, made with a full gallon of syrup per container of creemee mix. 800-242-2740; morsefarm.com

Penny Cluse Café

Burlington

This brunch mecca has drawn generations of UVM students with its moderately priced ham ’n’ egg alternatives such as “Bucket-oSpuds” (home fries with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream, and scallions), fish tacos, peanutginger tofu scram, and gingerbread pancakes. Not that you’ll need lunch, but that’s served here, too. 802-651-8834; pennycluse.com

Red Hen Baking Co.

Middlesex

The gorgeous artisanal breads are fresh and certified organic—and you can see them being made right in front of you, thanks to the large window that separates the café from the bakery. Standouts include ciabatta bread and olive bread; also delicious are the sumptuous maple-glazed sticky buns. 802-2235200; redhenbaking.com

Revolution Kitchen Burlington

The Queen City’s first all-vegetarian restaurant woos herbivores with dishes that balance elegance with creative surprises, not to mention a host of choices. Guac-stuffed wontons are the base for a killer nacho platter, while

the laksa noodle pot will warm up a chilly day. 802-448-3657; revolutionkitchen.com

Trattoria Delia

Burlington

When Trattoria Delia opened in 1993, authentic Italian dishes like squid ink pasta and grilled octopus were a novelty. But its resounding success proved Vermonters were ready for a change of palate, and they still flock here for gorgeous pastas, hearty flavors, and an abundant Italian wine list. 802-8645253; trattoriadelia.com

LODGING

Basin Harbor Club

Vergennes

Elegant yet relaxed, swank yet camplike, steeped in more than a century of resort tradition and family ownership, this sprawling complex on Lake Champlain encompasses 700 acres, spectacular flower gardens, nearly 80 cottages, three restaurants, and an 18-hole golf course to go with a cruise ship’s menu of activities. 802-475-2311; basinharbor.com

Craftsbury Outdoor Center

Craftsbury Common

Rustic, friendly, and absolutely devoted to fun in the outdoors, Craftsbury’s sprawling complex of dorm-style rooms, simple family suites, and lakeside cabins is a sports paradise that’s fun for everyone, from millennials to seniors. World-class scullers and runners mingle with bird-watchers and walkers at the home-cooked, buffet-style meals (vegetarianfriendly). 802-586-7767; craftsbury.com

Derby Line Village Inn

Derby Line

Dog bowls on the front steps bid “Hallo” to four-legged visitors, who care less for the antique furnishings in the five wellappointed, country-chic rooms than they do for a romp on the inn’s expansive lawn. And on the off chance you don’t finish your supper of handmade jägerschnitzel or pasta Piemontese at chef Fritz Halbedl’s Austrianinflected on-site restaurant, you won’t have to travel far with the doggy bag. 802-873-5071; derbylinevillageinn.com

Hotel Vermont

Burlington

This rare independent hotel in downtown Burlington offers bright, modern accommodations featuring wood and stone accents from Vermont forests and quarries. Locally sourced ingredients are the rule at Juniper restaurant; other hotel dining options include a satellite location of Hen of the Wood and seafood eatery Bleu. 855-6500080; hotelvt.com

MOREEven to Explore in Vermont

Brattleboro, Vermont

Vermont Institute of Natural Science

Come and explore the VINS Nature Center in Quechee, VT! Elevate your perspective and walk through the treetops on the new Forest Canopy Walk (ADA), get up close during our live raptor programs and exhibits, and explore our nature trails and meadow. VinsWeb.org

802-359-5000

Northshire Bookstore

Northshire Bookstore is an award-winning, family-owned independent bookstore. With a whole floor devoted to children’s books and toys, the bookstore has something for everyone— including stationery, music, gifts, and Vermont products. Bookseller recommendations live throughout the store. Northshire.com

802-362-2200

Brattleboro, Vermont, just two hours from Boston, has something for everyone to love, with 1,000+ arts and culture events annually. In May, you’ll love the Brattleboro Brewers Festival, and in June, the iconic Strolling of the Heifers. LoveBrattleboroVt.com

Champlain Houseboat Charters

Cruise north to explore the natural beauty of Lake Champlain, bordered by Vermont, New York and Canada. Houseboat rentals for Lake Champlain comfortably accommodate six people. Great way to spend time with family or friends on vacation.

ChamplainHouseboatCharters.com

802-558-4574

Southern VT Art, Craft, Food Truck, and Music Festival

The 42nd annual Southern Vermont Art, Craft, Food Truck, and Music Festival, July 31–Aug. 2, Camelot Village, Bennington, VT. Rain or shine. Adult admission $8. Juried arts and crafts, specialty foods, Vermont spirits, creative cuisine, craft beer, live music. CraftProducers.com

802-316-5019

The Historic Inns of Dorset, Vermont

Fall in love with the Dorset Inn and Barrows House, with award-winning taverns and restaurants featuring regional farm-to-table cuisine, along with a European bakery and café. Dorset is the ideal destination for discriminating connoisseurs.

DorsetInn.com

BarrowsHouse.com

DorsetBakeryVt.com

Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa

Stay in the heart of Stowe. Steeped in natural beauty and located on over 50 acres, Stowefl ake is home to a world-renowned spa, and award-winning restaurant and is surrounded by over 30 shops, restaurants, and attractions. Stowefl ake.com

800-253-2232

Willard Street Inn

Create Vermont memories relaxing in the grandeur of this 1881 mansion turned inn. Casual elegance abounds in 14 rooms, blending original craftsmanship with modern touches. Days begin with chef-prepared breakfasts and finish with fresh-baked cookies. Centrally located with parking included.

WillardStreetInn.com

802-651-8710

The Inn at Shelburne Farms

Shelburne

With a fin de siècle library, marble-floored dining room, and billiard room, the Inn at Shelburne Farms is Edwardian grandeur at its finest. Best of all, it’s part of a nonprofit environmental organization that runs the on-site working farm, which is spread over 1,400 acres overlooking Lake Champlain. 802-985-8498; shelburnefarms.org

The Mountain Top Inn & Resort

Chittenden

Set on 700 scenic acres hugging the Chittenden Reservoir within the Green Mountain National Forest, this resort immerses you in a traditional “great camp” vibe (massive fireplaces, wrought iron, rough-hewn wood). Canoe, kayak, swim, or take a guided pontoon boat ride on the reservoir, or take a dip in the heated outdoor pool. Other activities include tennis, clay-bird shooting, a full equestrian program, and a kids’ adventure camp. 802-483-2311; mountaintopinn.com

North Hero House

North Hero

No small inn sits closer to Lake Champlain than this serene spot, in business since 1891. Twenty-six rooms and suites feature amenities such as fireplaces and screened-porch hammocks. Fine and casual dining options include a lakeside Steamship Pier Bar and Grill. 802-372-4732; northherohouse.com

The Pitcher Inn

Warren

The village of Warren provides a classic Mad River Valley backdrop for this Relais & Châteaux gem, which offers nine sumptuous rooms and two suites. The inn’s 500-bottle wine cellar was recognized with a “Best Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator and its two restaurants, 275 Main and the more casual eatery Tracks, offer delicious reasons to stay put. 802-496-6350; pitcherinn.com

Rabbit Hill Inn

Lower Waterford

A Greek Revival gem overlooking the White Mountains, Rabbit Hill defines romance. Most rooms have fireplaces, and many feature double whirlpools and/or canopy beds. The inn also offers a farm-to-table menu in an elegant dining room. 802-7485168; rabbithillinn.com

Shearer Hill Farm B&B

Wilmington

Years before agritourism became a popular concept, guests at this small, out-of-the-way farm were milking the cows and plowing into hearty breakfasts. The six rooms— all with private baths—are cozy and the hospitality impeccable. 802-464-3253; shearerhillfarm.com

The Woodstock Inn & Resort

Woodstock

Crossing the threshold at Woodstock’s best address is like stepping into a sumptuous country home. Each of the inn’s 142 rooms and suites are distinctively furnished. Local ingredients enrich the menus at the Red Rooster, the inn’s main dining room, and at the snug, wood-paneled Richardson’s Tavern. The resort offers golf, ski, and spa packages, plus activities ranging from fly-fishing to falconry. 802-332-6853; woodstockinn.com

ATTRACTIONS

Billings Farm & Museum

Woodstock

Frederick Billings’s model farm, established by the railroad magnate when he returned to his native Woodstock in 1871, still showcases champion Jersey cows, Southdown sheep, and magnificent draft horses. Visit the 1890 farm manager’s home and creamery, learn about farm work of yesteryear and today, and climb aboard for horse-drawn wagon and sleigh rides. Interactive farm programs change with the seasons. 802-457-2355; billingsfarm.org

Burlington Bike Path Burlington

With its lakeside vistas, ice cream shops, sculptures, and swimming spots, this byway is a bikers’ paradise. A bridge over the Winooski River at the north end extends the 14-mile path to the Champlain Islands, with about four miles of biking along Burlington’s waterfront. At the southern end, the path crosses the bustling ferry landing, with its cafés and restaurants. Time your ride to catch the stunning sunset over the distant Adirondacks. 802-863-3489

Dog Mountain St. Johnsbury

One of the world’s most inventive chapels is situated just a Frisbee toss (OK, three miles) from downtown St. Johnsbury. Complete with pews, stained glass, and walls filled with poignant photo tributes to bygone canine pals, the chapel is just one part of a property that was designed with dogs in mind. Free and open to the public, it’s fully appointed with hiking trails, a pond, a dog agility course, and one of the last remaining galleries of Stephen Huneck’s humorous, colorful, dog-oriented art. 802-748-2700; dogmt.com

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury

It’s a window on the wider world, Victorianstyle. The Romanesque Revival building boasts an astoundingly eclectic hoard of natural science, ethnology, and Vermont-history treasures—an old-style “cabinet of curiosities” writ large. Upstairs, the state’s only public planetarium offers state-of-the-art star shows. 802-748-2372; fairbanksmuseum.org

Frog Hollow

Burlington

We doubt whether there’s a single town in Vermont that doesn’t have a resident craftsperson or three, and an impressive number of these are at the top of their game. Founded in 1971 as an artisan workspace and gallery in Middlebury, Frog Hollow later relocated to Burlington, where its gallery features jewelry, ceramics, furniture, glass, and more. A juried application process ensures that everything exemplifies the finest craftsmanship the state has to offer. 802-863-6458; froghollow.org

Great Vermont Corn Maze

North Danville

The biggest corn maze in New England is a 24-acre mind-bender whose setup includes

an underground tunnel and a 28-foot cabin cruiser parked amid the corn. On average, completing it takes nearly three hours. Come autumn, daring visitors can sweat out Dead North, a haunted attraction that takes you through the fields and into various buildings as costumed characters leap out from the dark. 802-748-1399; vermontcornmaze.com

Hildene

Manchester

Presidential son Robert Todd Lincoln built his Manchester summer retreat here in 1905. Home to Lincoln descendants until 1975, this Georgian Revival mansion features family furnishings, a 1,000-pipe organ, landscaping by an Olmsted protégé, and a restored 1888 Pullman rail passenger car, a legacy of Lincoln’s presidency of the firm. 802-362-1788; hildene.org

Hope Cemetery

Barre

When the “granite capital of the world” founded Hope Cemetery in 1895, it was understood that its stones would be something special. Serving as both cemetery and unofficial art gallery, its 65 acres display masterful carvings by master stoneworkers,

A VACATION for the History Books

many of them immigrants. A large number of the tombstones mark the graves of the sculptors themselves—and some were even carved by the very artists that now lie beneath them. 802-476-6245; barrecity.org

King Arthur Flour Norwich

The home of America’s oldest family-owned flour company (since 1790) runs what must be the most amply stocked baking-supply shop in New England, offering staples as well as exotic items such as Heidelberg Rye Sour, nonstick popover pans, and Belgian waffle makers. Not only that, but it also hosts a wide range of courses in this tastiest of the liberal arts. Bonus: The on-site café serves the flakiest pastries imaginable. 800-827-6836; kingarthurflour.com

President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site

Plymouth

Presidential birthplaces abound, but Vermont has preserved an entire presidential birth town . The visitors’ center uses Coolidge’s own words, objects from his life, and interactive media to relate the story of how this farm boy became our 30th president. His white-

clapboard village is frozen in the 1920s, and the cheese factory his father built now produces exceptional granular curd cheddar. 802-672-3773; historicsites.vermont.gov

Shelburne Museum

Shelburne

A landlocked steamboat and lighthouse are only the tip of the iceberg at this collection of collections, which ranges from a miniature circus to duck decoys to hooked rugs to paintings by Monet, Degas, and Cassatt. Uniting them all is an unerring eye for timeless design and artistry in even the humblest medium. 802-985-3346; shelburnemuseum.org

Vermont Country Store

Weston

Looking for a flannel nightie, a manual typewriter, old-time candies … all in one store? That barely begins to describe the diverse inventory at this Vermont institution, founded in Weston in 1946 (there’s a second, newer location in Rockingham). You’ll find both the expected (maple syrup, wheels of cheddar) and the unexpected (pants stretchers, anyone?) in the aisles; plus, nostalgia is sold by the scoop at the sprawling penny-candy counter. 802-824-3184; vermontcountrystore.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

DINING

Black Trumpet

Portsmouth

Brick-warm ambience and artful cuisine make this Ceres Street eatery a can’t-miss. Nibble on sustainable seafood and seasonal fare with Latin and Mediterranean accents by chef Evan Mallett. We recommend anything with mushrooms or other wild-harvested treats, such as dandelion greens and balsam (Mallett is a lifelong forager). 603-431-0887; blacktrumpetbistro.com

Cava

Portsmouth

Cava makes Spanish food from terrific New England fish, meat, and produce, and serves tapas as well as hearty small plates. Some dishes (grilled octopus, chicken-sausage paella) are Spanish classics, while others are inspired by a wider Mediterranean influ-

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in New Hampshire at newengland.com/nh-events-2020.

ence. Wine selections are among the state’s best. Even the back-alley setting seems fittingly Old World Spanish. 603-319-1575; cavatapasandwinebar.com

Cotton

Manchester

This upscale American bistro is overseen by chef-owner Jeffrey Paige, a New Hampshire native who’s cooked for presidents and worked for years at Canterbury Shaker Village’s award-winning restaurant. Here, his dynamic cuisine is complemented by an equally creative cocktail list, including an ambitious martini lineup. 603-622-5488 ; cottonfood.com

The Franklin Portsmouth

Opened by Moxy chef-owner Matt Louis— a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist—this inviting seafood-leaning joint puts the emphasis on local sourcing (its raw bar often showcases oysters from nearby Great Bay). The house-made charcuterie and wide-ranging small- and large-plate options are further reasons to pull up a chair. 603-373-8500 ; franklinrestaurant.com

Jumpin’ Jay’s Portsmouth

Jay’s cooks up some great fish dishes, including its signature dish, haddock piccata. But the raw seafood is, if possible, even better. In season, you can taste several different New Hampshire oysters, alongside bivalves from Cape Cod, Damariscotta, Long Island Sound, and Chesapeake Bay. 603-766-3474; jumpinjays.com

48 PEAKS OVER 4,000' AND NO END TO ADVENTURE IN SIGHT.

PARKER’S MAPLE BARN

A family establishment since the late 1960s serving hearty breakfasts and lunch. One of New Hampshire’s Top Ten Restaurants. We make our own maple syrup. Visit our sugar house & gift shop in Mason, NH, or visit our online store.

“Get back to the basics” 20 cabins with fireplaces Restaurant Late June – Labor Day Play, swim, boat, fish, hike, bike, and relax by the lake in Lyme, NH Open May to October • Pet-Friendly 800-423-2141 www.LochLymeLodge.com ~since 1923~ 603-878-2308

Sunday • July 5th

Celebrating Kenneth’s 135th Birthday Open to the public 11 am – 4 pm FREE Birthday Cake & Lemonade will be

Live Music: On the Front Porch alsodemonstrations of Weaving, Spinning, Tanning Hides, Pewter Casting & more. Audience participation is encouraged! Sat.,

An afternoon performance at the Poore Farm Amphitheater & Stage Venue, just off NH Rte 145 Watch for Signs

Specifics TBA: poorefarmevents.blogspot.com

HAMPTON BEACH,NH

Rediscoverthe#1rated U.S.A.SuperStarBeach!

Newlyupdatedfacilities&SeashellStage!

•17SpectacularFireworks2020

WednesdayNights&Holidays

• MasterSandSculptingCompetition: June18-19-20

•CountryFest: JulyTBD

•Children’sFestival: Aug.17-21

•TalentCompetition: Aug.28-29-30

•Circus onstage,Sept.5

•SeafoodFestival: Sept.11-12-13(fee)

•FireShow onbeach,Sept.19

Le Rendez Vous

Colebrook

Fine French bread and assorted Parisian delicacies might not be what you expect in the Great North Woods, but that’s what you’ll find at this cozy bakery—along with almond croissants, madeleines, macaroons, and fresh breads. 603-237-5150; lerendezvousbakerynh.com

Libby’s Bistro & Saalt Pub

Gorham

Chef-owner Liz Jackson cuts a wide swath at her two downtown restaurants, both housed in a converted bank building (“Same menu, different vibe,” says Jackson). French mussels, Turkish eggplant, and Faroe Island salmon are a small sampling of Jackson’s lively cooking. Desserts border on decadent, and there’s a modest but thoughtful beer and wine selection. 603-466-5330; libbysbistro.org

Morano Gelato

Hanover

The freshly-made-each-morning Sicilian gelato here comes in bright flavors that are shockingly delicious: Florentine cream, hazelnut, pistachio, and dark chocolate, with sorbettos like mixed fruit and kiwi that startle the tongue. Our professional opinion? Sample many and often. 603-6434233; moranogelatohanover.com

Parker’s Maple Barn

Mason

Out in the New Hampshire sticks, maple lovers queue up at Parker’s like hopeful lottery winners. The lineup of pancakes and waffles to sop up the house-made maple syrup is impressive, as are the side dishes (ribs and baked beans) that are infused with it. Then there’s that impossible-tosay-no-to maple frappe…. 603-878-2308 ; parkersmaplebarn.com

The Restaurant at Burdick’s Walpole

The Restaurant at Burdick’s is a cozy 25-table space overlooking one of the prettiest small-town centers in New England, while its dinner menu is flavored with French favorites, from mussels meuniere and duck à l’orange to steak frites and fondue. Brunch fans know that Sunday’s offering is among the best in New England. 603-756-9058; 47mainwalpole.com

Schilling Beer Company Littleton

“Bready,” “toffee”—just a few notes that have beer nerds toasting this cozy, urbane brewery overhanging the Ammonoosuc River. The converted mill building is punctuated with bright umbrellas that dot the balcony like mixed-drink decorations, and

the wood-burning oven releases a happy procession of Neapolitan flatbread pizzas. But it’s the artisanal brews—smoked-wheat beer or Foy IPA—that keep the fans hoppy. 603-444-4800; schillingbeer.com

LODGING

AMC Lodges & High Huts

White Mountains

Nothing beats the camaraderie, generous meals, and deep sleep earned by tramping the trails to one of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s eight “High Huts,” sited between 2,700 and 5,050 feet in the Presidential Range. Go for a single night or try all of them; each hut is a day’s hike from the next. Still building up your hiking legs? Stay grounded in the comforts of the two AMC lodges accessible by car. 603-4662727; outdoors.org

Darby Field Inn & Restaurant

Albany

Eight miles from North Conway’s brand names and outlets, this family-owned inn is a port in the storm for weary shoppers—one that includes 13 cozy guest rooms, a fully stocked tavern, a heated swimming pool, and spa services. And the name? Darby Field was the first European to scale Mount Washington—New England’s tallest summit—which sits in grand view across the Saco Valley. 603-447-2181; darbyfield.com

Hanover Inn

Hanover

In addition to its bragging rights as the only inn on the Appalachian Trail, the Dartmouth-owned Hanover Inn offers 108 rooms and suites outfitted with Gilchrist & Soames bath products, wide-screen televisions, and plush bed linens; an excellent on-site restaurant, Pine; and a terrace that makes for some terrific people-watching on a nice day. 603-643-4300; hanoverinn.com

The Hotel Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Formerly the Sise Inn, this 32-room 1881 mansion was impressively rehabbed and reopened in April 2014. Dulcet tones of taupe and gray, the clean lines of modern furniture, and a luxuriously stressfree B&B vibe—all just a few blocks from Market Square and the breezy waterfront—make this an irresistible city stay. 603-433-1200; thehotelportsmouth.com

Inn at Valley Farms

Walpole

Here’s a 105-acre family-friendly organic farm with guest rooms, cottages, and

even a rental farmhouse. Get a taste of the farm experience (gather eggs! pet cashmere goats!) and then retire to your pretty, antiques-filled bedroom. In the morning, get fortified with a three-course, farm-to-table breakfast. 603-756-2855; innatvalleyfarms.com

The Manor on Golden Pond Holderness

Lovely Squam Lake—the “Golden Pond” of Hepburn-Fonda fame—ripples below this stately manor house set on a hillside of tall pines. The interior is filled with turn-of-the-20th-century details: carved balusters on the grand staircase, original Grueby fireplace tiles. Savor the ambience during afternoon tea in the library, or at dinner in the paneled dining room over hickory-smoked duck breast or lobster and shrimp thermidor. 603-968-3348; manorongoldenpond.com

Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa

Whitefield

Relax in the infinity tub while soaking up White Mountain views, surrender to a hotstone massage in the “tower spa,” or chip away at that handicap on the golf course. However you choose to amuse yourself during the day, when evening comes be sure to grab a well-deserved drink on the sprawling veranda. You’ll feel like so many of the A-listers before you who found refuge and relaxation here. 603-837-2100; mountainviewgrand.com

The Notchland Inn

Hart’s Location

Long gone is Abel Crawford’s hostelry, the first in the White Mountains, but the refurbished old tavern still does duty as an elegant dining room in this granite manse. Decks, skylights, Jacuzzis, wood-burning fireplaces, a well-stocked music room and library—all are welcome additions in this once-remote outpost. 603-374-6131; notchland.com

Omni Mount Washington Resort

Bretton Woods

From the moment you breathe in the fresh mountain air and enter the historic Great Hall, replete with soaring ceilings and stone fireplace, you’ll fall under the Omni Mount Washington’s spell. Especially magical is the 25,000-square-foot spa, featuring rooms with views of the surrounding peaks and a long menu of facials, wraps, and seasonal treatments. 603-278-1000; mountwashingtonresort.com

Snowvillage Inn

Eaton Center

Check your heart at the door: The view of Mount Washington and the Presidentials,

Topoffyourtrip

at the New Hampshire

Liquor & Wine Outlets.

No matter where in New Hampshire your travels take you, you’re never far from one of over 75 New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet locations. Take advantage of our large selection and our low, tax-free prices.

with a hillside of rolling lawns in the foreground, is to die for. Built at the turn of the 20th century, this former private home was converted to an inn years ago by a Swiss émigré. The Alpine flavor remains, especially in the ravishingly wood-paneled dining room. 603-447-2818; snowvillageinn.com

Tall T imber Lodge

Pittsburg

Founded in 1946, Tall Timber remains one of the most popular sporting lodges in New England. Gas fireplaces, Jacuzzis, and full kitchens are standard here, and just what you want after hiking, fishing, moose watching, or swimming in the Great North Woods. 800-835-6343; talltimber.com

Wentworth by the Sea

New Castle

With almost 360 degrees of ocean and river vistas from its perch on New Castle’s Great Island, this is a grand hotel in every sense of the word. The hotel’s spa offers full-body makeovers, its two restaurants make for delectable dine-in options, and, for those who really want to splurge, you can up the fancy ante by booking one of the expansive

marina suites, which have access to a private pool. 603-422-7322; wentworth.com

T he Wentworth Inn

Jackson

Built in 1869, the Wentworth sits in the heart of Jackson Village, just a short drive from Wildcat and Cranmore ski resorts. Its rooms are divided among the elegant main building and cottages that offer sleigh beds, hot tubs, and fireplaces. Guests can dip into the hotel’s heated outdoor pool or sign up for a spa treatment; golfers can tee up next door at the 18-hole Wentworth Golf Club. The award-winning dining room is the icing on the cake. 603-383-9700; thewentworth.com

ATTRACTIONS

Andres Institute of Art

Brookline

Art and nature cohabitate beautifully on Big Bear Mountain at this outdoor sculpture garden featuring more than 80 stone and metal artworks from around the world. A dozen trails lead visitors past sculptures

such as Contempo Rustic , a couch fashioned from slabs of rock and metal, or Mbari House , a house-shaped granite and metal totem to peace and friendship. 603-6738441; andresinstitute.org

Canobie Lake Park

Salem

From its early days as a “pleasure resort” in 1902, with canoeing and a botanical garden, Canobie Lake has evolved into a classic New England amusement park with 85 rides, games and attractions, and actual fear-factor ratings. Thrill rides, such as the Corkscrew Coaster and the Starblaster (shuttle lift-off meets bungee jumping) demand intrepid commitment; family rides like Crazy Cups and Dodgem bumper cars let your pulse rate recover. 603-893-3506; canobie.com

Canterbury Shaker Village

Canterbury

This splendid rural setting was home to the longest-lived Shaker community in New England. All 25 buildings here are original to this site, most dating to the late 1700s and 1800s. Take a guided tour of this National Historic Landmark for an up-close look

Boulders Motel & Cottages

at the craft demonstrations and the laundry building, which highlights examples of Shaker innovation, including clothespins, a unique drying system, and more. 603-7839511; shakers.org

Castle in the Clouds

Moultonborough

This former home of a manufacturing tycoon is maintained along with more than 5,200 acres and 28 miles of trails by the Castle Preservation Society and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. The Tiffany glass, the well-stocked library, the big billiard table, the guest room Teddy Roosevelt slept in—it’s all still there, along with what just might be the finest views from any house in New Hampshire. 603-476-5900, castleintheclouds.org

Currier Museum of Art Manchester

Here you’ll find works by Picasso, Monet, O’Keeffe, Wyeth, and more, plus decorative arts and fine examples of New Hampshire’s historic craft tradition, as well as tours of the only Frank Lloyd Wright houses in New England that are open to the public. 603-669-6144; currier.org

Franconia Notch State Park

Franconia/Lincoln

A perennial favorite for New Englanders and Canadians alike, the campground is packed on most summer weekends, as it’s the perfect home base for White Mountain hikes as well as swimming, fishing, biking, and rock climbing. The list of attractions here is long: the Basin, Flume Gorge, the Old Man of the Mountain, Cannon Mountain Aerial Tram, and the Falling Waters/ Greenleaf/Old Bridle Path trails loop. nhstateparks.org

Gorham Moose Tours

Gorham

Although moose-spotting is a notoriously unpredictable pastime, the odds of seeing one of these magnificent beasts are heavily in your favor when you join one of these town-sponsored tours. With special permission from the state, Gorham Moose Tours’ buses are outfitted with lights that not only make moose easier to spot but also easier to photograph. The reported success rate is better than 90 percent, which offers a much more attractive prospect than prowling the roads in your car at dusk. 603-4663103; gorhamnh.org/moose-tours

Harrisville General Store

Harrisville

Overlooking a picture-perfect red-brick mill complex, Harrisville General Store has been its town’s gathering point for nearly two centuries. Saved from closing by the nonprofit

group Historic Harrisville, the store has all the right ingredients for a local grocery but serves them up with a uniquely Harrisville flavor. Premium brands prevail, and area products get first dibs: The bacon and sausages are from Mayfair Farm; the free-range eggs, fresh vegetables, honey, and jams from other nearby producers. Order a fresh-baked muffin or custom-made sandwich, and join locals at a table. They’ll advise you not to miss the cider doughnuts. 603-827-3138; harrisvillegeneralstore.com

Hood Museum of Art

Hanover

Reopened in 2019 after a $50 million expansion, the Hood has one of the largest college art collections in the U.S.—everything from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian artifacts to Italian Renaissance sculpture to paintings by Picasso. Plus, just across the green is the landmark Epic of American Civilization mural series by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco. 603-6462808; hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu

Mount Washington Cog Railway

Bretton Woods

While options for scaling Mount Washington’s dizzying 6,288 feet include hiking and driving, thankfully there’s also this 19th-century feat of engineering that’s been clinging to the steep slopes for more than 150 years. A three-hour round trip affords plenty of time to ogle views of the classic Omni Mount Washington Hotel, Vermont’s Green Mountains, and New Hampshire’s Presidentials. 603-278-5404; thecog.com

T he Music Hall

Portsmouth

The outrageous scope of this performingarts venue—from Trevor Noah to Ray LaMontagne—seems right at home in this elegantly rehabbed 1878 Victorian theatre, which once hosted vaudevillians. Its acclaimed “Writers on a New England Stage” series has seen the kind of celebrity cross-pollination that would thrill any reader, spanning Salman Rushdie to Patti Smith, while down the street, “Writers in the Loft” hosts more intimate programs and signings. 603-436-2400; themusichall.org

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

Cornish

The great American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the pole star of Cornish, New Hampshire’s art community from 1885 until his death in 1907. His regal home, Aspet, and its art-filled gardens evoke the man who made public monuments, such as the Robert Shaw Memorial on Boston Common, and crafted small things of great beauty, like the $20 gold coin for the U.S. Treasury. 603-675-2175; nps.gov/saga

MUSIC HALL: HOW A CITY BUILT A THEATER AND A THEATER SHAPED A CITY

On Sale Now!

This gorgeous 256-page color book covers The Music Hall’s start as a Vaudeville center, welcoming the best acts of its time— including Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, Buffalo Bill, Tom Thumb, Maude Adams—through the dark times when the theater was nearly turned into condos before being saved by The Friends of The Music Hall.

Fully researched, artfully written, and richly illustrated, the book is a must-read for anyone who cherishes the performing arts.

For more information, visit TheMusicHall.org/Merchandise

CONNECTICUT

DINING

Arethusa al Tavolo

Bantam

Arethusa Farm owners and Manolo Blahnik

execs George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis added this casual-elegant eatery to their agrarian empire in 2013. Chef Dan Magill styles dishes such as foraged mushrooms and Camembert ravioli with primo ingredients, including dairy from Arethusa’s pampered cows. 860-567-0043; arethusaaltavolo.com

Community Table

Washington

Community Table may be home to the most forward-thinking Nordic-inspired cuisine in the state, but the ingredients are proudly New England. The frequently changing menu reflects collaborations with nearby farms and fishermen, as well as foraged wild ingredients and house-made honey and bread. 860-8689354; communitytablect.com

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

New Haven

The big rivals in New Haven’s pizza wars, Frank Pepe and Sally’s Apizza, are both masters of the thin-crust, coal-fired pie. But we have a serious weak spot for the white clam pies at Pepe’s: the crispy yet chewy crust, the briny little clams, the gobs of minced garlic. And while Pepe’s has other franchises around New England, nothing beats the original. 203-865-5762; pepespizzeria.com

G-Zen Branford

Chefs and farmers Mark and Ami Shadle are driven to make healthful, sustainable cuisine accessible and inventive. At their all-organic eatery, things like burgers and pastas are ingeniously crafted without animal-derived ingredients. The same conscientiousness goes into the lineup of elixirs, cocktails, wines, and craft brews. 203-208-0443; g-zen.com

Lobster Landing

Clinton

This marina-side shack is tricky to find but worth the effort. The menu board typically features just three items, and the headliner is the superlative lobster roll: toasted sub rolls loaded with a quarter pound of freshly shelled, lemon-spritzed, butter-slathered lobster. 860-669-2005; Facebook

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in Connecticut at newengland.com/ct-events-2020.

Louis Lunch

New Haven

Few eateries can survive with just 25 seats and a handful of menu items, but this one, on the National Register of Historic Places as the birthplace of the hamburger, has been going strong since 1895. A trip to New Haven isn’t complete without a Louis burger. 203-5625507; louislunch.com

O’Rourke’s Diner

Middletown

The next-level fare that springs from the mind of chef-owner Brian O’Rourke makes the battle for diner supremacy in Connecticut no contest. Beloved dishes such as Irish soda bread French toast are available all day, but once lunchtime kicks in, steamed cheeseburgers are the “when in Connecticut” choice. 860-346-6101; orourkesmiddletown.com

The Place

Guilford

They arrive at your table in a bath of buttery cocktail sauce, still on a grill grate, straight off the wood fire. Instantly you understand why folks have been pulling off Route 1 to savor roasted littlenecks here since 1971. Actually, this casual, seasonal clambake restaurant’s origins stretch back to the 1940s, and one other thing has never changed: tree stumps for seats. 203-453-9276; theplaceguilford.com

The Schoolhouse at Cannondale

Wilton

Educated palates enjoy each season’s diverse pairings, such as parsnip and apple soup, tamarind-glazed squab, and spiced bread pudding. Owner Tim LaBant, who worked under Ming Tsai and Frank McClelland, recently handed off chef duties to Michelle Greenfield, who honed her skills at other top Connecticut restaurants. 203-834-9816; schoolhouseatcannondale.com

UConn Dairy Bar Storrs

Students, professors, and local families—who insist this is the state’s best ice cream—have

flocked here for over 50 years. Look for the famed basketball team’s namesake: Husky Tracks. 860-486-1021; dairybar.uconn.edu

LODGING

Boardman House Inn

East Haddam

An expertise in architectural restoration makes Swedish innkeepers Andre and Mia Hymander ideal stewards of this 1860 mansion. You’ll perceive only comfort—in touches like downy bedding and heated bathroom floors—and none of the labor that the Hymanders put into fashioning this peaceful retreat. 860-873-9233; boardmanhouse.com

The Copper Beech Inn

Ivoryton

With 22 spacious, distinctly different rooms in three buildings; four indoor and gardenview outdoor dining spaces; seasonally and locally influenced menus; and an exceptional beverage list, no two stays at the Copper Beech Inn are the same—but they’re always memorable. 860-767-0330; copperbeechinn.com

The Goodwin Hotel Hartford

If you require plush digs while in Hartford, this is the place. The 1881 Queen Anne–style Goodwin building, located across from the Hartford Civic Center, has been fully rejuvenated with high-tech amenities, enticing dining, and a contemporary design aesthetic. 860-246-1881; goodwinhartford.com

The Inn at Harbor Hill Marina

Niantic

As Niantic’s stature has swelled to rival Mystic’s, this perfectly situated B&B has expanded too. You’ll love sitting down to breakfast with a view of boats in the harbor before you select one of the innkeepers’ secretfilled itineraries and set out on a coastal escapade. 860-739-0331; innharborhill.com

The Inn at Stonington

Stonington

Situated in a picturesque seaside village, the Inn at Stonington offers 18 cozy rooms, many with fireplaces and Jacuzzis as well as balconies and views of the village and Fishers Island Sound. Restaurants, shops, a lighthouse museum, and a little beach are steps away. 860-535-2000; innatstonington.com

Madison Beach Hotel

Madison

This AAA Four Diamond property has roots that stretch back to the 1800s, but the original building was razed in 2009 to make way for the current 32-room getaway that’s right on the beach (and just a short drive from Hammonasset Beach State Park). It offers all the mod cons and fantastic views of Long Island Sound—and Rover is welcome, too. 203-245-1404; madisonbeachhotel.com

T he Riverwind Inn

Deep River

Wake up to a gourmet breakfast (think pesto-splashed poached eggs Caprese on homemade English muffins) and relax in a front porch rocking chair or by the fire pit out back. When you’re ready for a change of scenery, innkeepers Stacie and Mike DiNello are eager to suggest local meals, theaters, and outdoor adventures. 860-5262014; riverwindinn.com

Saybrook Point Inn & Spa

Old Saybrook

It’s more than just luxury and water views all around at this 82-room travel trifecta (inn, spa, marina). Saybrook Point’s nearly 30 years of eco-innovation has reduced its energy use by half. Noticeable initiatives include solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and locally focused cuisine. 860-395-2000; saybrook.com

T he Spa at Norwich Inn

Norwich

At this former Georgian manor turned luxe getaway, the R&R comes via state-ofthe-art spa treatments, a health-conscious restaurant, tennis, and swimming. Sound too tame? You’re just five minutes from the action at Mohegan Sun, and 15 from Foxwoods and the MGM Grand. 860-425-3500; thespaatnorwichinn.com

Steamboat Inn

Mystic

Visitors to Mystic will do well to book a room at the Steamboat Inn, the only waterfront digs in a historic town surrounded by water. Outside the door are shops, restaurants, and an iconic drawbridge. Most of the 10 tastefully decorated guest rooms have a working fireplace, whirlpool tub, and windows that frame views of boats plying the Mystic River. 860-536-8300; steamboatinnmystic.com

Winvian Morris

This over-the-top resort had tongues wagging the minute it debuted in 2007. Its 18 lodging options are one-of-a-kind architectural gems that include a fully restored 1968 helicopter and a treehouse cottage. Winvian is a Relais & Châteaux property

A unique place in the history of American art, bringing alive the work of artists where they lived and painted. Galleries, gardens, and a seasonal outdoor café! JUNE 6 –

Landscapes from the Florence Griswold Museum

(as you’ll realize at dinner, a four-course feast), and it’s no surprise the place books up quickly with summer weddings. 860-5679600; winvian.com

ATTRACTIONS

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

Essex

The young and young at heart love this nostalgic trip through the Connecticut River Valley, which begins with coalfired locomotives pulling vintage railroad cars through historic river towns. At Deep River Landing, passengers board the Becky Thatcher, a Mississippi-style riverboat, for a cruise upstream before returning home on the rails. 860-767-0103; essexsteamtrain.com

Florence Griswold Museum

Old Lyme

As the landlady to many of America’s most famous plein air painters, Florence Griswold served as midwife to American Impressionism. A painstaking restoration has returned her home to its circa 1910 heyday, when

Childe Hassam and other artists painted scenes on the dining room walls and doors in lieu of rent. Today it anchors an 11-acre museum complex that celebrates creativity with a packed calendar of programs and exhibits. 860-434-5542; florencegriswoldmuseum.org

Gillette Castle State Park

East Haddam

High above the banks of the Connecticut River, actor William Gillette (known for portraying Sherlock Holmes) built this quirky fieldstone fortress as a 24-room home with handcrafted locks (47 in all) and spy mirrors. Now a state park, it offers great picnicking, hiking, and overnight camping. 860-5262336; ct.gov/deep

Goodspeed Opera House

East Haddam

A hallowed ground for musical theater buffs, this Victorian wedding cake of a theater was the birthplace of Tony winners Annie and Man of La Mancha , and it has even won two special Tony Awards itself. The play’s the thing here, though there’s also drama in the river views from the lounge and vintage charm in the Green Room. 860-873-8668; goodspeed.org

Hammonasset Beach State Park

Madison

With over two miles of sand, Hammonasset checks in as Connecticut’s largest beach, a golden crescent perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. Inland, the park’s 1,100 acres are prime real estate for all kinds of recreation. Don’t miss the Meigs Point Nature Center, which offers hands-on fun with a touch tank and environmental programming. 203-245-2785; ct.gov/deep

Mark Twain House & Museum

Hartford

Though we generally ascribe qualities of modesty and frugality to New England’s old houses, this magnificent 25-room mansion speaks of Hartford’s heyday as a commercial powerhouse, and its exuberance expresses its famous owner’s larger-than-life personality. 860-247-0998; marktwainhouse.org

Mashantucket Pequot Museum

Mashantucket

The tribe that brought us the world’s biggest casino also gives us a state-of-the-art museum. The exhibits, stunning dioramas, and re-created Pequot village, complete with sound effects, enhance our awareness of and appreciation for this remarkable nation’s story. 860-396-6910; pequotmuseum.org

Mystic Seaport

Mystic

The state’s no. 1 attraction continues to pack ’em in. It’s a living museum, re-creating a 19th-century seafaring village with restored houses, all manner of shops, and tall ships. What makes it all work are the interpretercheerleaders in period dress who staff the shops, do hearth cooking, and lead sea chanteys. 860-572-0711; mysticseaport.org

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Hartford

America’s oldest continuously operating public art museum has been growing its collection since the brushstrokes on Hudson River School landscapes were barely dry. A $33 million renovation completed in 2015 revitalized exhibit spaces for some 50,000 works spanning 5,000 years of human creativity. 860-278-2670; thewadsworth.org

Yale University Museums

New Haven

The Yale University Art Gallery showcases classic canvases by Hals, Trumbull, and van Gogh, among others—world-class art, all for free. Across the street, and also free, is the Yale Center for British Art , the premier collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. There’s more than enough to keep you occupied until Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History reopens in 2023 after a $200 million renovation. yale.edu

RHODE ISLAND

DINING

Al Forno Providence

Opened in 1980, the restaurant that first put Providence on the culinary map remains one of the city’s finest. Wood-grilled dishes— including the best pizza in town—figure prominently among the array of luscious rustic Italian offerings. Sinful, made-toorder desserts seal the deal. 401-273-9760; alforno.com

Bluebird Café

Wakefield

Tucked into a small strip mall, the Bluebird is a peerless breakfast spot with a spicy side. Owner Bart Shumaker launched the original Bluebird in New Orleans, and you can taste that influence here—especially on Friday nights, when the Bluebird serves mouthwatering specials such as jambalaya

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in Rhode Island at newengland.com/ri-events-2020.

and Creole shrimp bisque. 401-792-8940; bluebirdcaferi.com

The Commons Lunch

Little Compton

Over the course of a busy summer week, Commons patrons will gobble up hundreds of orders of johnnycakes, Rhode Island’s iconic cornmeal pancakes, made with stone-ground native whitecap flint corn. But don’t overlook the superlative stuffies, another signature Rhody food, made here with both regular sausage and chouriço to keep the dish moist and meaty. 401-6354388; Facebook

Flo’s Drive-In

Portsmouth

The original Flo’s, in business since 1936, puts the “shack” in clam shack. The cookedto-order food is simple but stupefyingly fresh: lobster rolls, chowder, stuffies, clams fried to perfection. And with the view of a serene cove in the Island Park area, sitting on your hood while eating has never been so satisfying. (For sit-down dining, head for the full-service Flo’s in Middletown.) 401847-8141; flosclamshacks.com

Gracie’s Providence

Having marked its 20th anniversary in 2018, Ellen Slattery’s sophisticated New American eatery continues to burnish its reputation for not just innovative, seasonbased cuisine but also stellar service. That combination has won consistent kudos for Gracie’s, including the AAA Four

Diamond award (since 2011). 401-2727811; graciesprov.com

Gray’s Ice Cream Tiverton

The homemade ice cream at this 1923 institution is so good that people come from around the state—even in winter— to slurp up coffee cabinets, a Rhode Island specialty, and dig into flavors that range from eye-opening ginger to New England classics like grapenut, frozen pudding, and maple walnut. (Gray’s has a second, seasonal location in Bristol.) 401-624-4500; graysicecream.com

Matunuck Oyster Bar South Kingstown

Though Massachusetts claims two of the best-known oysters—Wellfleet and Island Creek—Rhode Island has earned its own bragging rights with worthy gems like Moonstones, Cedar Islands, and Aquidnecks, all sold in rotation at this popular waterfront oyster bar. The star attraction, though, is the Matunuck oysters that owner Perry Raso cultivates in a saltwater pond right next door. They boast a briny crispness and lightly sweet finish, like a friendly good-bye. 401-783-4202; rhodyoysters.com

Modern Diner Pawtucket

Set in a red-and-cream-colored Sterling Streamliner, shaped like a locomotive and manufactured c. 1941 in Merrimac, Massachusetts, the Modern holds the distinction of being the very first diner named to the National Register of Historic Places, in 1978. Its food also makes it one of the top diners of any vintage in New England (the line on Saturday mornings got considerably longer after the Food Network named the Modern’s custard French toast the best diner dish in the country). 401726-8390; moderndinerri.com

Nick’s on Broadway Providence

Chef-owner Derek Wagner, who opened Nick’s in 2002 at the tender age of 24, has a passion for seasonal, local food that you can taste throughout his cuisine. Meat and eggs come from small Rhode Island farms; seafood hails from the Point Judith area; and the produce includes crops from the restaurant’s own gardens. Though justifiably famous for its brunches, Nick’s shines at night with its painstakingly crafted four-course tasting menu. 401-421-0286; nicksonbroadway.com

Persimmon

Providence

Having already earned six James Beard Award nominations, chef Champe Speidel

picked up another in 2018 after relocating his lauded restaurant from its longtime home in Bristol. Clearly, nothing was lost in the move. His seasonally inspired modern American cooking is as elegant as ever, with recent offerings including venison “Wellington” for two with smoked beets and king trumpet mushrooms. 401-432-7422; persimmonri.com

The White Horse Tavern

Newport

Don’t let the rough-hewn wood beams, early Americana, and Windsor chairs fool you: This is not a Ye Olde Tourist Trappe. Longtime executive chef Rich Silvia runs a serious food program, with local sourcing, house-made charcuterie, a legendary lobster mac and cheese, and a Narragansett Bay bouillabaisse that a Marseillais might envy. 401-849-3600; whitehorsenewport.com

Wright’s Farm

Burrillville

Rhode Island’s famous “family style” chicken meals sprang up during the early 20th century as a way to feed crowds of Italian and French-Canadian millworkers in the Blackstone Valley. Although the mills may be gone, the tradition of those good, sustaining

meals continues at Wright’s, which since the 1950s has been perfecting the art of feeding large groups. The facility holds 1,000-plus diners, but even with that kind of capacity, don’t be surprised if they’re running a wait for their all-you-can eat rolls, salad, pasta, fries, and chicken. 401-769-2856; wrightsfarm.com

LODGING

Castle Hill Inn

Newport

Formerly a private estate, this historic fivestar hotel nests on 40 acres of a panoramic peninsula. Lodgings range from mansion rooms (including a romantic turret suite) to bungalows and cottages; amenities include all-natural bath products from Rhode Island’s own Farmaesthetics. And the Lawn at Castle Hill is simply the most scenic place in the state to grab a G&T and watch the water. 401-849-3800; castlehillinn.com

Christopher Dodge House

Providence

This 14-room B&B, which is housed in an Italianate mansion, is slightly out of the

downtown Providence fray but still only a 10-minute walk to great shopping and dining. The rooms are charming (most have a gas fireplace or stove), staffers are sweet, and breakfasts—from blueberry pancakes to a vegetable frittata—are hearty. 401-3516111; providence-hotel.com

The Francis Malbone House

Newport

Built in 1760, the Francis Malbone House exudes a sense of elegance that harks back to the days when a wealthy shipping magnate called it home. Well-appointed rooms, period furnishings, a gourmet breakfast, and afternoon tea are just a few of the reasons guests keep returning to this elite New England inn. 401-846-0392; malbone.com

Hotel Manisses

Block Island

When merely escaping to an island isn’t enough, the calming aura and polished service at this Block Island favorite can offer that extra little leap away from reality. An intensive makeover by new owners in 2016 has given the Victorian landmark’s 17 rooms and restaurant a fresh appeal, but at least one beloved tradition survives: the

classic newport events

MURDER YSTERY

Dinner Train

bar’s signature flaming coffee. 401-4669898; hotelmanisses.com

Hotel Providence

Providence

Comprising a pair of 19th-century buildings in the downtown arts and entertainment district, the Hotel Providence is done up in Belle Epoque style: antiques, oil paintings in gilt frames, lots of marble. Among the luxe lodging options are 16 suites that pay homage to regional authors such as Dr. Seuss and Edgar Allen Poe, and wellbehaved dogs may be seen checking in at this notably pet-friendly boutique hotel. 401-861-8000; hotelprovidence.com

NYLO

Warwick

A 19th-century brick factory that churned out cloth for Civil War uniforms and, later, Fruit of the Loom underwear may seem an odd place to spend the night. But if you’re budget- and open-minded, NYLO’s modern, loftlike rooms—located three miles from T.F. Green Airport and 10 from downtown Providence—will suit you to a T. 401-734-4460; tapestrycollection3.hilton.com

Ocean House Watch Hill

Ocean House boasts architectural splendor, Atlantic views, and AAA Five Diamond awards for both its hotel and its fine-dining restaurant, Coast. Drinks on the veranda are the perfect entrée to this Gilded Age beauty, meticulously rebuilt to preserve as many original 1868 features as possible and packed with amenities ranging from private beach to indoor saltwater lap pool. 401-5847000; oceanhouseri.com

Renaissance Providence Providence

From the instant you step into the lobby, you’ll feel a palpable energy at this history-meets-luxury property—making it incomprehensible that the Classical Revival structure sat vacant for more than 75 years. Resuscitated with a $100 million investment in 2007, the Renaissance’s rebirth continues following its 2016 multimillion-dollar renovation. 401-919-5000; renaissance-hotels.marriott.com

Weekapaug Inn

Westerly

The accommodations and the cuisine celebrate a sense of place at the Weekapaug Inn. In-suite views of Quonnie (Quonochontaug) Pond, the cove, and the ocean are paired with an inspired menu that incorporates the best of the region and season, from fresh-caught day boat cod to Narragansett lobster fricassee. 401-637-7600; weekapauginn.com

ATTRACTIONS

Blithewold Bristol

One of New England’s most intensely planted and lovingly tended landscapes, the 33 acres of gardens, lawns, specimen trees, and rare and unusual plants at this former summer estate on Narragansett Bay are equal parts historic treasure and living classroom. 401-253-2707; blithewold.org

Clay Head Preserve Block Island

This 190-acre Nature Conservancy preserve at the northeast tip of Block Island feels like the end of the world, with landscapes as wildly majestic as any you’ll find on the New England coast. Hike along the near-deserted beach or atop soaring clay bluffs, then wander the serpentine network of inland-reaching spur trails known as the Maze. 401-331-7110; nature.org

Cliff Walk Newport

To your back, some of Newport’s most impressive and historic mansions stand tall; below you, surf pounds against the rock-strewn shore; in front, three and a half miles of one of the country’s most famous and memorable paths unfurl. In 1975 this public-access way was the first in New England to be designated a National Recreation Trail. 401-845-5300; cliffwalk.com

Colt State Park Bristol

If we had such a park in our backyard, we’d be walking or biking it every day. The property—464 acres open to the sweep of Narragansett Bay—is the perfect place for tossing a Frisbee or picnicking on the long manicured lawns. 401-253-7482; riparks.com

East Bay Bike Path

Providence–Bristol

Sights, sounds, and scents of the bay accompany your walk or ride along any or all of this nearly 15-mile shoreside path from Providence’s India Point Park to Independence Park in Bristol. Possible stops include photo ops, a Crescent Park Carousel ride, wildlife watching at Audubon’s Environmental Education Center, and Del’s frozen lemonade at Colt State Park. dot.ri.gov

Narragansett Town Beach

Narragansett

Beach aficionados cherish this crescent of shoreline. Why? Clear water, vigorous surf, on-beach activities like surfing lessons and yoga, wheelchair accessibility, movie and music nights, free street parking if you’re early (or lucky), and nostalgic views of the

1886 Narragansett Pier Casino Towers. 401-783-6430 ; narragansettri.gov

Newport Mansions

Newport

Lose yourself in bygone luxury when you tour the Newport Mansions, which include the Breakers and Marble House (both former residences of the Vanderbilt family) and Rosecliff (based on the fabled French Grand Trianon at Versailles). Those are the heavy hitters, but bear in mind that some of the lesser-known mansions—including Hunter House and Chepstow—are also well worth a visit. 401-847-1000; newportmansions.org

Norman Bird Sanctuary

Middletown

One of our favorite places for a nature hike, this 325-acre preserve has seven miles of trails and all types of terrain, from open fields to forests. Come armed with binoculars to spot swallows and sparrows, not to mention panoramas of the Sakonnet River and the ocean. 401-846-2577; normanbirdsanctuary.org

RISD Museum

Providence

Part of the Rhode Island School of Design, this Benefit Street museum features an aggressively diverse collection of furniture, textiles, art, silver, and more—over 86,000 objects in all. All the big names are here, too, such as Monet, Manet, Picasso, Warhol, and Homer, whose dramatic On a Lee Shore is reason enough to schedule a visit. 401-454-6500; risdmuseum.org

Roger Williams Park

Providence

Rhode Island is justifiably proud of these 422 verdant acres of Victorian landscape design. Here you’ll find the Roger Williams Park Zoo, third oldest in the country; the Roger Williams Museum of Natural History; and the only public planetarium in Rhode Island. Kids will love the Carousel Village and riding the flying horses. 401-680-7219; rwpconservancy.org

WaterFire Providence

Providence

Yes, it’s hyped, and yes, more than 10 million people have seen WaterFire Providence, Barnaby Evans’s installation of 100 bonfires, with mysterious boats gliding through the darkness and haunting music spilling across the three rivers that converge in the heart of the city. But here’s the thing: The whole scene always works. Throughout the evening, visitors stroll the city, enchanted by flickering light and music. There may be no better free summer event in New England. 401-273-1155; waterfire.org

MASSACHUSETTS

DINING

Armsby Abbey

Worcester

Between the artisanal beers (over 20 on tap, including multiple Hill Farmstead selects, and many more bottles and cans) and the refined grub, this tavern is a far cry from the usual. For an eye-opening gastronomic experience, pair your brew with Vietnamese brisket, poutine enriched by pulled duck confit, or some cuts from the deep list of primo farmstead cheeses. 508-795-1012; armsbyabbey.com

Back Door Donuts

Oak Bluffs

If you follow a delicious bakery aroma to a long line of people on a warm summer night in Oak Bluffs, you’ll likely find yourself at the back door of, well, Back Door Donuts. The front bakery-café is open regular hours from mid-April to mid-October, but its “back door” opens from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The pastries are

MORE ONLINE!

Find editors’ picks for the best summer events in Massachusetts at newengland.com/ma-events-2020.

made fresh in classic flavors as well as more adventurous ones (e.g., maple bacon, butternut crunch). And while you’re at it, pick up a few of the perfectly fried, equally sinful apple fritters. 508-693-3688; backdoordonuts.com

The Back Eddy

Westport

The coast of Buzzards Bay has a number of places where you can see drop-dead gorgeous sunsets, but none boasts the drop-dead delicious fare served at this eatery overlooking Westport Harbor. It excels at attentiongrabbing dishes such as chouriço-stuffed quahogs and wood-grilled tuna steak with house-made kimchi, and an emphasis is placed

on local sourcing, from seafood to dairy, pasta, and produce. 508-636-6500; thebackeddy.com

B.T.’s Smokehouse

Sturbridge

Hard-core fans of Brian Treitman’s barbecue joint remember when it was just an improvised smoker and a shack with an order counter. But the expanded restaurant digs haven’t affected the authenticity of the pork ribs and beef brisket, slow-cooked over hickory and local applewood. 508-347-3188; btsmokehouse.com

Chatham Fish Pier Market

Chatham

Hike down Barcliff Avenue to this busy market on a working pier, and you might think our judgment was swayed by the setting: keening seagulls, bobbing seals, weatherworn fishing boats. But the food is the star, especially the chowder, which is rich with brine and clams, just creamy enough, and never gummy. It’s worthy of a day’s journey from wherever you are. 508-945-3474; chathampierfishmarket.com

Gibbet Hill Grill

Groton

Since opening in 2004, this cozy rural steakhouse has inspired a mini empire of suburban eateries—the Bancroft in Burlington, Scarlet Oak Tavern in Hingham, Bancroft & Co. in Peabody—all run by the same family-owned restaurant group. The original endeavor, though, is still our favorite farm-to-fork destination, with produce from Gibbet Hill’s own fields going into chef Brendan Pelley’s creations. 978-448-2900; gibbethillgrill.com

The Clam Box

Ipswich

Whimsically shaped like its namesake container, this local institution has been serving deep-fried seafood since the 1930s. Corn flour batter yields a superior crust, and a gentle hand with seasonings lets the clams’ natural sweetness sing out. In short, you won’t find a crispier or more honest-tasting fried clam, so don’t be put off by the long lines. 978-356-9707; clamboxipswich.com

Maison Villatte

Falmouth

Boris Villatte trained with the legendary Eric Kayser and Alain Ducasse and plied his trade around the world before opening this bakery-patisserie, where his classical education shines in such treats as pain aux raisins, croissants, and fruit tarts. There’s no better baguette in New England. 774-255-1855

Mezze

Williamstown

With its refined wood-beamed interior and white table linens, Mezze is the go-to for Williamstown Theater Festival patrons and fans of dramatically good bistro fare, presented here with Mediterranean flair. Owner Nancy Thomas founded Mezze in 1996 and keeps it in the culinary vanguard with offseason “R&D” menus and creative pop-up events. 413-458-0123; mezzerestaurant.com

Prairie Whale

Great Barrington

Wunderkind restaurateur Mark Firth was thriving with farm-to-table restaurants in Brooklyn, but he decided to get much closer to the food sources and moved to the Berkshires. Now he raises Prairie Whale’s sheep and laying hens in nearby Monterey; produce and whole animals are sourced locally, with the latter going into a variety of expertly house-smoked or house-cured dishes. 413528-5050; Facebook

Six Depot

West Stockbridge

The brainchild of husband-and-wife team Flavio Lichtenthal and Lisa Landry, this local favorite is where community and coffee come together. Housed in a retired station

building, the shop is a little bit of everything: coffee roaster, café, art gallery, event space. Come for the sweet treats, sandwiches, and salads; stay for the local artwork and maybe a performance. 413-232-0205; sixdepot.com

LODGING

Blantyre

Lenox

A Berkshires country estate turned five-star hotel, Blantyre has seen its historic glamour polished to a new gloss. A multimilliondollar renovation early in 2019 refreshed the decor and expanded the spa; dining options include a formal dining room called the Conservatory and a cozy bar with more casual fare. One thing that remains the same: guests being pampered like Gilded Age grandees. 413-637-3556; blantyre.com

Briarcliff Motel

Great Barrington

There are so many efficiencies to staying at this mod, clean, hospitable motel. No fumbling for keys: Just punch in your room access code. No Yelping for breakfast: A creative

spread including Berkshires-made Bola granola and local coffee is included. The woodsychic common area is stocked with games and DVDs. You don’t even have to go hunting for mountain highs: Sit by the fire pit and watch the sun dip behind Monument Mountain. 413-528-3000; thebriarcliffmotel.com

The Charlotte Inn

Edgartown

No detail is overlooked in this enclave of Edwardian stateliness. Framed with gardens, fountains, and sculpture, the inn is pure English country fantasy. Understated luxury pervades everything from the library’s leather club chairs and pastoral oil paintings to the suites’ Frette linens and impeccable period furniture. 508-627-4751; thecharlotteinn.com

Chatham Bars Inn

Chatham

The c. 1914 Chatham Bars Inn has changed gracefully with the times and is the Cape’s sole surviving (now year-round) grand beachside resort. Facilities include tennis courts, a spa with its own pool, a quarter-mile beach with private cabanas, and a fleet of sailing, fishing, and tour vessels—plus four restaurants whose menus are invigorated by pro-

duce from the resort’s own eight-acre farm. 508-945-0096; chathambarsinn.com

The Inn at Castle Hill

Ipswich

While it’s daunting to imagine living in the palatial Great House of the Crane Estate, the shingle-style former guesthouse has precisely the kind of seaside ease we love. Vistas from atop the knoll—marshes and beach and fairy woodlands—suggest command over all that you survey, but each of the 10 rooms is a hushed and private retreat seemingly made just for you. 978-412-2555; thetrustees.org

The Inn at Hastings Park

Lexington

One block from the green where the American Revolution began, this boutique luxury inn—the only Relais & Châteaux property in the Boston area—echoes the domestic history of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dining is just steps away at the inn’s Town Meeting Bistro, which puts a creative twist on New England classics. 781-301-6660; innathastingspark.com

Land’s End Inn

Provincetown

Commanding panoramic views of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean from its hilltop

perch, this shingle-style mansion is close enough to the water that from its many decks and lookouts you can spot whales feeding offshore. The stunning vista is complemented by tasteful art and antiques and modern amenities. 508-487-0706; landsendinn.com

Mansion House

Vineyard Haven

Outwardly, this hotel tips its architectural hat to the Victorian past, but inside it hews to a clean Californian sun-drenched look. Modern construction means spacious rooms with central air, soundproofing, and full-size bathrooms. Toss in a full spa, an indoor pool, a well-equipped health club, a steps-fromthe-ferry location, and some pet-friendly rooms, and you end up with an unparalleled package for the price. 508-693-2200; mvmansionhouse.com

Old Inn on the Green

New Marlborough

It’s unlikely that the stagecoach passengers who bedded down in this 1760s Berkshires inn enjoyed quite the same comforts as today’s guests, who sleep on bigger beds and perform ablutions in their private baths. But the restoration of the inn shows an unforced

sense of history that makes a stay feel quite luxurious, even as the decor stays true to colonial-era roots. Lest anything seem too modern, the dining rooms are lit entirely by candles and fireplaces. 413-229-7924; oldinn.com

Red Lion Inn

Stockbridge

Dating back to 1773, the Red Lion is known for its authentic historic character (note the working birdcage elevator), period furnishings, and long list of high-profile guests, including five U.S. presidents. But the wicker-strewn front porch is inarguably its biggest claim to fame: To sit in a rocking chair here is to understand precisely how longtime Stockbridge resident Norman Rockwell saw his town. 413-298-5545; redlioninn.com

T he Wauwinet

Nantucket

Let’s face it, this place ain’t cheap. Three other things are also certain: the unparalleled location (straddling a narrow spit of land between bay and ocean), impeccable service, and scads of amenities. And did we mention the food? Topper’s Restaurant

was recently honored as a AAA Five Diamond award winner. Even better, the entire hotel has been left newly gleaming by a 2019 multimillion-dollar update. 508-228-0145; wauwinet.com

ATTRACTIONS

Art’s Dune Tours

Provincetown

The windblown heaps of sand beside Route 6 as you approach town seem almost like a little piece of the Sahara come to New England. Art’s has been driving folks into the sand dunes on Provincetown’s Cape Cod National Seashore since 1946, and nowhere else can you get such a colorful, historical, and ecologically sensitive experience of this fragile ecosystem. 508-487-1950; artsdunetours.com

Camp Meeting Grounds

Oak Bluffs

In the quiet world of whimsy officially known as the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association Campground, 19thcentury homes outlined in painted filigree trim are set within a few feet from one

Minuteman Reenactors, Lexington, MA

Sleepy Hollow Cemetary, Concord, MA

Buckman Tavern, Lexington, MA

Departing: May 1 2020 -----------------------------------

Liberty Ride, Lexington, MA

Old North Bridge, Concord, MA

Minuteman Statue, Lexington, MA

Orchard House, Concord, MA

another, looking for all the world like a dollhouse village. Most of the 300-plus “gingerbread” cottages are shuttered during winter, but in warm weather this enchanting community springs to life with walking tours, concerts, visiting speakers, family movie nights, and the famous Grand Illumination lantern festival. mvcma.org

Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod

Created on August 7, 1961, with JFK’s presidential pen stroke, this 43,600-acre national park gave everyone access to one of the most treasured stretches of coastline in the East; today it draws more than 5 million annual visitors annually with its endless opportunities for biking, hiking, swimming, and birding. 508-255-3421;nps.gov/caco

Crane Beach

Ipswich

For sheer scenic beauty, no strand in New England can top Crane Beach’s four miles of soft white sand set against a backdrop of undulating dunes, part of a 2,100-acre historic estate overseen by the Trustees of Reservations. It’s a popular destination, but if you walk a bit, you often can find a private spot even in high summer. Shallows and tidepools call to the kids, while five-plus miles of trails traverse the sand dunes and salt marsh, opening up even more vistas. 978-356-4354; thetrustees.org

Mass MoCA

North Adams

More than 100 large-scale wall drawings designed by Connecticut native Sol LeWitt are a must-see extravaganza of pattern and color at this bold museum that transformed old brick mill buildings into a center for contemporary art. Leave time to explore the entire complex, where gigantic gallery spaces let artists unleash their creativity through fascinating installations. 413-662-2111; massmoca.org

Minute Man National Historical Park

Concord & Lexington

The history of the American Revolution comes alive on the five-mile Battle Road Trail between Concord and Lexington, thanks to educational plaques that spark the imagination. Highlights include the North Bridge, where the famous “shot heard ’round the world” was fired, and the park headquarters at Buttrick House, whose exhibits include the Hancock Cannon, a piece of artillery that the British were looking for when they marched into Concord. 978-3696993; nps.gov/mima

New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford

Founded to preserve the history of the New Bedford whaling industry, this museum is

home to the world’s most extensive collection of scrimshaw, the largest library of whaling logbooks and journals, and the biggest model ship (not to mention four complete whale skeletons). And it continues to think big, as it recently unveiled The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ’Round the World , an extensively restored 1,275-foot-long 19th-century painting that clocks in as the longest in North America. 508-997-0046; whalingmuseum.org

Old Sturbridge Village Sturbridge

Dramatic events are not the only stuff of history. This outdoor museum depicts a rural New England village and does a superb job of capturing the details of daily life from 1790 to 1840. See grain being ground into flour and a blacksmith at work, or try milking a cow, husking corn, or spinning. Heirloom gardens feature fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental flowers. It all makes for a fascinating tapestry— just ask Ken Burns, who filmed his first documentary here while still a student at Hampshire College. 800-733-1830; osv.org

Peabody Essex Museum

Salem

The oldest continuously operating museum in the U.S. is also one of the most ambitious. Having already expanded eight times in its history, it debuted a jaw-dropping 40,000-square-foot addition in 2019, part of a $16 million museum-wide initiative to give visitors entirely new experiences of virtually all of its collections by 2022. In addition to an array of African and Native American art and three centuries of New England art, the PEM boasts a cache of Asian art and cultural artifacts that includes the only complete Qing dynasty house located outside China. 978745-9500; pem.org

Plimoth Plantation

Plymouth

Thanks to its re-creation of a 17th-century English village and its Wampanoag Homesite (populated not by reenactors but by members of the Wampanoag Nation and other indigenous peoples), Plimoth Plantation provides an immersive, 360-degree view of history. And there’s no better time to experience it than 2020, as the museum celebrates both the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing and the return of the Mayflower II after a landmark multiyear restoration. 508-746-1622; plimoth.org

Tanglewood

Lenox

Strolling the verdant 529-acre campus as the breeze carries the notes of musicians warming up, you may realize there’s no better place to spend a summer evening than at Tanglewood, the longtime seasonal home of the world-famous Boston Symphony Orchestra. Here, concertgoers ditch fancy

dress for blue jeans, and dinner reservations for picnic baskets, and if the weather’s cooperating, the cheapest seats are also the best in the house: on the grass and under the stars. 413-637-5180; bso.org

Zoar Outdoor

Charlemont

Founded in 1989, this adventure outfitter pioneered family-friendly white-water rafting on a 10-mile stretch of the Deerfield River. Today its offerings encompass rafting trips suitable for even the littlest paddlers as well as challenging forays into class III and IV rapids; it has guided kayaking programs and zip-line tours; and it operates a guest lodge and campground right on the river. Note: Zoar also has a second location in Wilmington, Vermont. 413-339-4010; zoaroutdoor.com

Boston + Cambridge

DINING Area Four

Cambridge

Thanks to 30 hours of fermentation and a sourdough starter that’s been going strong since 2002, the pizza crust at this Kendall Square favorite has a signature tang as well as a shatteringly crisp exterior that belies the tender, chewy interior. It’s so good that we’d eat it plain—but then we’d be missing out on Area Four’s earthy mushroom-fontinagremolata pizza and one of the best clam and bacon pies in New England. A second location opened in Boston’s South End in 2016. 617-758-4444;areafour.com

Craigie on Main Cambridge

Chef Tony Maws employs his virtuosic technique to meat and veg in equal measure (when in doubt, order the pork—he’s especially deft with it). The food is infused with French flavor and elevated by attention to detail and a love of perfect ingredients; plus, the bar program ranks among the city’s best, and Maws serves one of the most sought-after burgers in town. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com

Eastern Standard Boston

This is the Swiss Army knife of restaurants: well designed and endlessly useful. A quick bite before a Sox game? A business dinner? A first date? Come one, come all. Since opening in Kenmore Square in 2005, the brasserie-inspired eatery has established

itself as Boston’s most reliable go-to, with a breakfast-to-late-night menu that hits all the classics (steak frites, charcuterie, shellfish) and a bar program that has been a nexus of taste-setting from day one. 617-532-9100; easternstandardboston.com

Flour

Boston/Cambridge

Joanne Chang ran a single Flour bakerycafé in the South End for seven years before opening a second in Fort Point Channel; as of early 2020, there are eight locations in Boston and Cambridge—and they’re always bustling. Flour’s greatest claim to fame may be Chang’s perfect sticky buns (hers beat Bobby Flay’s), but don’t miss the scrumptious banana bread, lemon meringue pie, and brownies, not to mention the excellent salads and sandwiches. For a small chain that works in such high volume, the menu remains seasonal and the service is always warm. flourbakery.com

Formaggio Kitchen

Cambridge

For more than four decades, Ihsan and Valerie Gurdal and their staff have traveled the world to find the best cheeses, pastas, choc-

olates, vinegars, and wines to bring home to their very choosy customers. The original Cambridge venue (there’s also a South End Formaggio in Boston) is one of the few such shops in existence with its own cheese cave. 617-354-4750; formaggiokitchen.com

Grill 23 & Bar

Boston

Since its founding, Grill 23 has seen the high-rolling ’80s give way to the low-fat ’90s and then the steakhouse revival of the early aughts and the small-plates fixation of today. It has not only weathered them all but also raised the, ahem, stakes. The 100-day-aged ribeye should be on every carnivore’s bucket list, the wedge salad is crunchy perfection, and the caramel profiteroles are the ultimate big-kid delight. Add in the white-jacket service and the wood-paneled clubbiness, and Grill 23 is, ever and always, the best chophouse in town. 617-542-2255; grill23.com

Neptune Oyster

Boston

The space is tiny, it’s always busy, there are no reservations, and street parking in the North End is impossible. So why go to all the trouble? Because Neptune Oyster is

just that good. All marble counters and red booths, it’s like your dream of a Little Italy seafood restaurant come to life. From the creamy clam chowder to the seafood plateaus to the roasted mackerel with chimichurri and tomato-olive broth, eating here feels like a neighborhood party. 617-7423474; neptuneoyster.com

Sofra Cambridge

The most casual of chef Ana Sortun’s eateries, this always-packed bakery serves Middle Eastern–inspired salads, spreads, and shawarmas, all packed with local produce. These star alongside co-owner Maura Kilpatrick’s ultra-chocolatey earthquake cookies, almond-rose cakes, za’atar almond brioche, and other fusion delights. In other words: Save room for dessert. Then wash it all down with a halva latte or cocoa-rose tea. 617-661-3161; sofrabakery.com

Toscanini’s Cambridge

Depending on the season, you can find Belgian chocolate, Aztec chocolate, or Mexican chocolate on the menu at this ice cream shop, a Cambridge fixture since 1981. Then there are

BEST OF NEW ENGLAND

the malted vanilla, French vanilla, and sweetcream flavors. And fruit? How about lemon pistachio or mango ginger? The Tosci’s team is always inventing, always raising the bar on quality. 617-491-5877; tosci.com

Uni

Boston

Along with chef-owner Ken Oringer, Tony Messina—who clinched the 2019 James Beard Award for the Northeast’s best chef— has made Uni one of the most innovative and consistently excellent restaurants in the city. The menu offers both baroque beauty (grilled unagi and foie gras with cranberry and bee pollen) and austere perfection (a perfect slab of wagyu grilled tableside on a sizzling rock), making a night at Uni dinner and theater rolled into one. 617-536-7200; uni-boston.com

LODGING

Boston Harbor Hotel

Boston

There are plenty of excellent reasons to spend the night at this waterfront luxury

hotel, but the most compelling might be all those panoramic views of Boston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. From your spacious guest room—replete with Frette linens and done up in elegant shades of blue— you can watch yachts, ferries, and sailboats glide along, and even witness the drama of weather as it rolls in. In the summer, head down to the harborside restaurant and terrace for the popular “Summer in the City” outdoor entertainment series. 617-4397000; bhh.com

T he Charles Hotel

Cambridge

Billing itself as a home away from home for the families of Harvard students, this fourstar Harvard Square hotel has oodles of appeal for the non-Ivy crowd, too. On the ground floor is chef Peter Davis’s awardwinning restaurant, Henrietta’s Table, which has been luring foodies since 1995; a few floors up is the legendary jazz nightclub Regattabar, which has welcomed everyone from Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock to Cassandra Wilson and Ahmad Jamal. The guest rooms and suites are understated New England chic, and the service is Brahminworthy. 617-864-1200; charleshotel.com

Fairmont Copley Plaza

Boston

Designed by the architect of New York’s Plaza Hotel, this c. 1912 Beaux-Arts beauty looks right at home next to such historic treasures as Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. Inside, the lobby exudes Old World splendor with gilded ceilings, Italian marble columns, and crystal chandeliers. Along with a rooftop health club and an award-winning brasserie, the Fairmont Copley Plaza offers Boston’s only “canine ambassador,” a black Lab who socializes with guests and often joins them on walks and runs. 617-267-5300; fairmont.com

InterContinental Boston

Boston

Occupying a perennially prime waterfront location between downtown and the Seaport, this contemporary high-rise stay boasts a 6,600-square-foot spa and health club, a French restaurant, and two lively cocktail bars. Families will appreciate the large guest rooms (starting at 420 square feet) and rare outdoor space (two-acre waterside plaza and garden); eco-minded guests will love the fact that the rooftop hosts Boston’s first-ever hotel-run beehives. 617-747-1000; icbostonhotel.com

T he Kendall Hotel

Cambridge

At this stately boutique hotel housed in a former fire station, you don’t have to choose between Cambridge and Boston: Walk a mile east via the Longfellow Bridge, and you’ll be oohing and aahing at Beacon Hill brownstones, or stroll less than two miles west to rub elbow patches with academics in Harvard Yard. Folk art lends a homey vibe, while the nightly wine reception and substantial “fireman’s” breakfast buffet underscore the already strong value. 866566-1300; kendallhotel.com

Kimpton

Marlowe

Cambridge

A completely refreshed look for its guest rooms is only the latest reason to love this family- and pet-friendly boutique hotel. Located a hop, skip, and a jump from the Museum of Science, it caters to kids with welcome toys, pint-sized robes, and gourmet menus of their very own. Meanwhile, the front desk staffers are pros at helping get your pooch settled, from procuring a comfy bed to ordering a pet birthday cake from local favorite Polkadog Bakery. 617-8688000; hotelmarlowe.com

T he Liberty Hotel

Boston

Opened in 2007 in the revamped Charles Street Jail (a National Historic Landmark), the Liberty ranks among Boston’s hottest

high-end lodgings. Offering views of the Charles and easy access to Beacon Hill, it has a sense of humor and style that informs everything from its restaurants—Clink, Alibi, and Scampo (Italian for “escape”)—to the stunning atrium and the 298 luxurious rooms and suites. 617-224-4000; libertyhotel.com

The Verb Hotel

Boston

Located across from Fenway Park, the retroleaning Verb is a funky and affordable option done up with memorabilia from Boston’s rockand-roll scene. In addition to modern amenities such as high-speed Wi-Fi and high-def TVs, the 93 guest rooms have their own record players and a selection of vinyl. Even cooler: There’s a seasonal outdoor pool and tikiinspired cocktails at Hojoko, the on-site Japanese pub. 617-566-4500; theverbhotel.com

XV Beacon

Boston

Between drinking in views from the roof deck and draping yourself in a cashmere throw before a gas fireplace, you might start pretending this art-filled boutique hotel near Boston Common is your very own posh pied-à-terre. Even Fido will feel right at home in the lap of

luxury, as well-behaved pups of all sizes are welcomed with homemade biscuits and turndown service. 617-670-1500; xvbeacon.com

ATTRACTIONS

Boston Harbor Islands

Boston

One of the best-kept secrets in Boston lies just beyond the skyline, in the form of some 30 pristine islands scattered across the 50 square miles of Boston Harbor. Part of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, they’re brimming over with spots ideal for walkers, paddlers, and campers. Those who make the effort to reach them are repaid with a blend of old military forts, lighthouses, drumlins, and rugged shoreline—all guaranteed to entice those of us who yearn for a slice of solitude. bostonharborislands.org

Boston National Historical Park/ Freedom Trail

Boston

No trip to the Hub is complete without a couple of stops on the Freedom Trail, the 2½-mile route past 16 of the city’s historical landmarks.

And while you can certainly navigate it on your own, you’ll learn a lot more about Boston’s role in the Revolutionary War and the growth of a new nation during the dramatic 90-minute Freedom Trail tours led by rangers from Boston National Historical Park, which encompasses several of the most famous sites, including the Old North Church and Faneuil Hall. nps.gov/bost; thefreedomtrail.org

The Brattle Theatre

Cambridge

The tagline says it all: “Boston’s unofficial film school since 1953.” Indeed, this Harvard Square nonprofit is ground zero for esoteric and independent cinema and a specialist in repertory programming (recent series have included “The Films of Jim Jarmusch” and “Ingmar Bergman 100”). Little wonder the Brattle’s advisory board includes indie icon David Lynch. 617-876-6837; brattlefilm.org

Brookline Booksmith

Brookline

As a town that loves its tomes, Boston is bound to have its share of standout bookshops. But this c. 1961 indie distinguishes itself by more than what’s on its shelves (although the literary lineup is impressive and spans both new

DON'T MISS: JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM Experience One of the Top-Ranked Museums in Boston

Be among the first to see First Children: Caroline and John Jr. in the Kennedy White House, the new exhibition at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. This special exhibit features over 150 artifacts, most of which will be displayed to the public for the first time. Visit the museum on nearby Columbia Point and experience President Kennedy’s life and career at the No. 2 museum in Boston, as ranked by TripAdvisor. Getting there is easy—just take the Red Line to JFK/UMass Station. JFKLibrary.org • 866-535-1960

TAKE A RIDE: THE PUBLIC GARDEN SWAN BOATS

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) path through downtown Boston that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Special markers implanted in the sidewalk denote the stops along the Freedom Trail. thefreedomtrail.org

DISCOVER: BOSTON'S TOP EXPERIENCES

Boston’s Public Garden, located in Beacon Hill, is America’s oldest botanical garden. The 24-acre park boasts beautiful formal plantings, the world’s smallest suspension bridge, and its main attraction, an almost-four-acre pond that is home to Boston’s famous Swan Boats. These foot-pedal-powered swan-shaped boats have been delighting Boston visitors and locals since 1877. swanboats.com • 617-522-1966

VISIT: THE BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY

Visit BostonUSA.com, your official guide to Boston. What to do, where to eat, and more!

Celebrate summer in Boston with Independence Day, seafood, jazz, sand sculpting, and cross-cultural festivals. Explore the many diverse tours, trails, and sails. Enjoy open-air concerts, markets, and the King Tut exhibition at the Castle at Park Plaza. bostonUSA.com • 888-SEE-BOSTON

EXPLORE: THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

Relive the events of April 19, 1775

Visit downtown Lexington, where the first shots of the American Revolution rang out. Tour the Historic Battle Green, where the Lexington Militia confronted 800 British soldiers. Stop by one of the original witness houses, or check out our exciting new visitors center, featuring interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind souvenirs. Finally, don’t miss our award-winning Liberty Ride guided trolley tour through Lexington and Concord to view Paul Revere’s capture site and many other historical landmarks that defined American identity and culture. tourlexington.us • 781-862-1450

The Museum of Science features a revolving schedule of temporary exhibits, IMAX films, and planetarium shows, plus details on more than 700 interactive permanent exhibits, live presentations, and more! mos.org • 617-723-2500

and used). There’s the dog-friendly, neighborhood feel; the eccentric and sophisticated gifts and cards; and the visits by big-name authors (Julia Alvarez, Michael Chabon). And with a big expansion in 2020 and a new bar and café, the Booksmith simply can’t be beat. 617-566-6660; brooklinebooksmith.com

Fenway Park

Boston

With a capacity of roughly 38,000, Fenway is one of the smallest parks in the American League, but good things come in small packages. To fully appreciate this c. 1912 shrine to America’s national pastime, take one of the behind-the-scenes tours offered year-round. Listen to tales of Red Sox greats, check out the view from the Green Monster, and peer down at the quirky asymmetrical field from the press box. Even if you’ve been to Fenway dozens of times, you’ve never experienced it quite like this. boston.redsox.mlb.com

Kennedy Museums

Boston

Housed in a striking I.M. Pei–designed tower rising from the waterfront, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum brings to life the excitement and tensions of the Camelot years. Next door is the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, where visitors can explore the younger Kennedy’s political legacy and try their hand at being legislators in a full-scale reproduction of the U.S. Senate chambers. 617-514-1600, jfklibrary.org; 617-740-7000, emkinstitute.org

Museum of Fine Arts

Boston

Already world-renowned for its collections of Impressionist works, Egyptian artifacts, and Asian art, the MFA made a critically hailed expansion in 2010 with a sprawling new wing dedicated to artwork from North, Central, and South America. This is where you’ll find many of the locally rooted treasures that Bostonians hold dear, such as Paul Revere’s “Sons of Liberty” bowl and the paintings of John Singer Sargent (don’t miss his magnificent murals in the museum rotunda and colonnade). 617-267-9300; mfa.org

Paddle Boston

Greater Boston

For an unforgettable skyline vantage, take to the water in a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard from Paddle Boston, providing affordable outdoor recreation for residents and visitors since 1973. Its seven locations on the Charles and Mystic rivers include a subwayaccessible option in the heart of the city, in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Whether you go solo or join one of the kayak tours, the views of Boston and Cambridge, the Esplanade, and the Zakim Bridge are spectacular. 617-965-5110; paddleboston.com

ViyellaMadras

WILL MOSES

“Sunflower Bay”$145 Ltd. edition print17.5”x15.5”

Plan a visit to Mt. Nebo Gallery. We offer a great selection of framed and unframed Will Moses art. Also books, cards and puzzles. Open 7 days a week. Closed major holidays.

www.awshucksoysteropener.com

ISBN 0-399-24233-5 Book$17.99

WILL MOSES

1000 piece Puzzle$17.75

“Art to warm your heart & home.” MT. NEBO GALLERY

60 Grandma Moses Rd. P.O. Box 94, Eagle Bridge, NY 12057 1-800-328-6326

FREE color catalog is available featuring Will Moses limited edition Folk Art Prints, Books, Puzzles, Cards & More!

VISA

Visit us on the web at www.willmoses.com Applicable tax and shipping extra

Adrift in Time

(Continued from p. 98)

on hard work, careful planning, and mutual aid.

Saudade may have a kerosene lamp on his dining room table, but he’s juryrigged modern conveniences for his home. He’s like an island-retiree version of MacGyver, the TV tinkerer who escaped weekly crises with a Swiss Army knife and duct tape. Twelve barrels catch water from the roof’s gutters. Solar-powered pumps send the water to an indoor toilet, shower, and sink. Two rooftop solar panels and a battery feed electrical outlets for lights and phone chargers. Saudade plans to keep coming back to Peddocks “as long as I’m alive, if I can,” he says. “It is a challenge as you get older. So I’m trying to meet those challenges with some ingenuity.”

The Peddocks Island community has an expiration date no one knows. The houses were built before Massachusetts seized the island by eminent domain in 1970 for a park. But the cottagers never owned the land under their summer homes; they only leased it. In 1993, after the cottagers protested an attempted eviction, a state commission settled on a compromise: life tenancy. The cottagers pay $400 for annual permits to return to the island from May through October, but they can’t sell the permits or pass them on to family. So Saudade’s generation of cottagers will be among the last on Peddocks Island. When they pass away, so will their community, and its way of life.

For the cottagers, Peddocks Island has long been a refuge where time, conflict, and even everyday identity wash away. “If I had a lot of prob-

lems here on the mainland, when I got on that island, that was the other guy,” says Jack Downey, a retired salesman from Norwell, Massachusetts. “It was like living two separate lives. I was John Downey here on the mainland, but I was Captain Jack out there.”

Downey was 32 and his wife, Mary, was 25 in the summer of 1968, when they bought a cottage on Peddocks Island’s Crab Alley, a cozy row of cottages that was named after the seafood the village’s founders caught and sold. In August 2017, at 81 and 74, just before they relinquished their cottage to the state due to health problems, the couple sailed to Peddocks Island to visit their summer home one last time.

The Downeys’ cottage had oil lamps, an outhouse, and a well in back for water and for keeping food cold. They’d been away for two years, recovering from surgeries—his neck,

FOR THE COTTAGERS, PEDDOCKS ISLAND HAS LONG BEEN A REFUGE WHERE TIME, CONFLICT, AND EVEN EVERYDAY IDENTITY WASH AWAY.

PureMagic!

Rainbowsstruckbya boltoflightning! Youhaveneverseen anythinglike this,ever!

her back—but everything was just as they’d left it.

“It was like the clock had just stopped,” Mary says. “You open the door, and the clock starts up again. Time stands still on the island.”

But stopping time takes a considerable amount of work. “Lug and Tug Island,” some cottagers call Peddocks, because of the physical effort that’s required to get things like food, drinking water, laundry, and propane to their summer homes. And the cottages themselves, decades old, are prone to decay (the state demolished several after their owners gave them up or passed away), so with the closest hardware store miles away by boat, the cottagers have to get inventive.

Jack Enos, a Brookline civil engineer, has come to his cottage every year since 1957; his memories of the summer of 1969, when he was 12, include

watching the moon landing on a battery-powered black-and-white TV on the porch. His family would pick up driftwood and take hinges off shipwrecks on the beach. “You could look under this house, and it’s like a lumber yard,” he says. “There’s jars full of hinges my father probably put there when he was a kid.” Other favorite Peddocks memories include “figuring stuff out,” he says. “I think as an island person, you have to have this self-reliance.”

Ken and Annie Clark have a rooftop solar panel to power their laptops, tablet, printer, and scanner. The two financial advisors who live near Bradenton, Florida, spend July and August working from the mustardyellow cottage that Ken’s mother bought in 1967. Their desks stand next to panoramic kitchen windows that look out on Hull and sailboats heading out of the Hingham Yacht Club.

Island living gives the Clarks a break from their daily routine of ringing phones and computer screens. Their propane-powered refrigerator dates to 1932. A gas light illuminates the kitchen. For many years they showered in an outdoor stall with well water heated in the sun. “It goes when I go,” Ken says of the cottage. “Till death do us part.”

Every week or so in summer, Jim Saudade visits the mainland to do laundry and buy propane and groceries. “You have to live by the tides and weather,” he says. Low tide means a longer haul from shore. If winds are gusting more than 30 miles an hour, he says, most cottagers won’t leave the island.

But it’s worth it, Saudade says, for the chance to spend a relaxed summer grilling and baking pizzas, reading, and listening to the island’s coyotes

“THE ISLAND WAY IS, WE ALL HAVE TO HELP EACH OTHER AND WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER,” JIM SAUDADE SAYS.

Quintessentially

Enjoy life with stunning bay views and take advantage of home ownership without property maintenance at Penobscot Shores in Belfast.

Apartments in the Ocean House for sale or rent. Private cottages for sale.

207-338-2332 | penobscotshores.com

10 Shoreland Drive, Belfast, ME 04915

Waldo County General Hospital A

Maine owned and managed, with a proud 30+ year history of excellence in sustainable retirement living, OceanView is just minutes from Portland. Offering an independent, active lifestyle on 80 beautifully wooded acres, you can enjoy maintenance-free living in a variety of cottages and apartments, with peace of mind for the future. 207-781-4460

oceanviewrc.com

20 Blueberry Lane • Falmouth, Maine 04105

CONNECTICUT

Masonicare

Wallingford, Connecticut 203-884-8210

masonicare.org

MAINE

OceanView at Falmouth

Falmouth, Maine 207-781-4460

oceanviewrc.com

Penobscot Shores

Belfast, Maine 207-338-2332

penobscotshores.com

Quarry Hill

Camden, Maine 207-301-6116

quarryhill.org

Thornton Oaks Brunswick, Maine 800-729-8033

thorntonoaks.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Edgewood

N. Andover, Massachusetts 978-420-4175

edgewoodrc.com/yankee

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Huntington at Nashua Nashua, New Hampshire 603-821-1200

thehuntingtonatnashua.org

The Landing at Exeter River Exeter, New Hampshire 603-772-5377

exeterriverlanding.com

VERMONT

EastView at Middlebury

Middlebury, Vermont 802-989-7501

eastviewmiddlebury.com

Morgan Orchards Randolph Center, Vermont

morganorchards.com

(“I’ve heard them singing, and there’s at least four or five voices sometimes,” he says). In the evenings, he visits his neighbors; like him, many grew up in Boston’s South Shore suburbs. “I’ve known most of these people since I was a little kid,” he says. Cottagers gather at a pink house at the end of Crab Alley to watch the sun set. “Some people call it the island family,” he says.

That family is also a mutual-aid society. “The island way is, we all have to help each other and watch out for each other,” Saudade says. Peddocks has no emergency services other than the police and fire boats that patrol Boston Harbor. So Saudade refreshes his CPR and first aid training every year, in case of an island crisis.

“The scariest thing out here,” Saudade says, “is fire.” About 50 years ago, a blaze broke out in a cottage next door to his, and he tells the story as if it were

yesterday: how two dozen neighbors formed a bucket brigade to douse the flames with rain-barrel water. “People took the water one bucket at a time, and hand to hand, into the house,” he says. “We got it out.”

Happening upon the Peddocks Island cottages can be a surreal surprise for a park visitor. Suddenly you’re walking right past people’s front doors, with their belongings visible in the windows. This community is a peculiar no-man’s land between public and private, between a preserved past and a lingering present.

“People walk through yards,” says Bill Hale, whose wife’s family has summered here since 1918. “But the [cottagers have] gotten around to accept it. Those that were very belligerent about it in the beginning and nasty to visitors have mellowed out with old age.”

Most cottagers, in fact, say they enjoy interacting with park visitors. “When they hear you’re a cottage owner here,” says Annie Clark, “and you share some of the history, they’re very excited.”

As a state-owned park interpreted by the National Park Service, Peddocks Island is filled with both natural beauty and human history. The island wouldn’t be as interesting without Fort Andrews’s barracks, which reflect a soldier’s-eye view of the world wars, or without the historic cottages—and the cottage families themselves.

“One of the reasons that Peddocks is interesting to me is [the cottagers are] going, but they’re not gone,” says Cathy Stanton, a Tufts University anthropologist and author of a recent ethnographic study of the Peddocks Island cottagers. Her study, which was commissioned by the National Park Service, concludes

THIS IS A PECULIAR NO-MAN’S LAND BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, BETWEEN A PRESERVED PAST AND A LINGERING PRESENT.

WILL MOSES

that nearly all the residents have “ties of kinship, occupation, or friendship” to either the Azorean fishing families who came to the island after 1887 or the next generation of Portuguese-Americans, who built the cottages. “This really is a traditional community,” she says.

Stanton, who grew up visiting her family’s cottage in Ontario, Canada, says the Peddocks cottagers share a feeling she remembers: how time spent in seasonal communities often seems “more intense than real life.” The challenges of remote island living magnify that feeling. Stanton says cottagers often share stories about water, wells, and fire. “They show you how very close to the edge this environment is,” she says. A Peddocks ghost story tells of a cottager drowning in a cursed well. There’s no evidence it really happened, says Stanton, but the story has a moral: “If you wanted to be on the island, to survive you had to pay attention to water.”

The cottagers are among the few people who are still living in Massachusetts parks. On the Cape Cod National Seashore, people continue to summer in some of the 19 historic dune shacks, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. In Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth, 143 private cabins are gathered around five ponds, thanks to a state rental program that began in 1919. Ashmere Lake State Park in Hinsdale has 15 private cottages. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) asserts its rights as a landlord at Peddocks, Myles Standish, and Ashmere Lake by issuing annual permits to cottagers under a “seasonal cottage campsite program.”

What will happen to the Peddocks community as more residents pass away or surrender their cottages isn’t yet decided. For decades, the DCR has tried to phase out the cottagers’ private use of parkland. Neglect and demolition have become its unspoken policies: It tore down several vacant, decaying cottages in 2001 and razed a dozen more in 2018. Before their demise, two sagging, empty cottages on Crab Alley were decorated with blue, red, purple, and green lobster-trap buoys—neighbors’ efforts to keep entropy at bay.

In 2001, the Massachusetts Historical Commission declared the Peddocks Island cottages eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, saying they were worthy of preservation as “highly significant” parts of the Boston Harbor Islands’ history. The commission has pressured the DCR to find new uses for the cottages—and to allow owners to once again hand down their cottages to heirs. But according to spokesman Troy Wall, the DCR has no plans to change the life tenancy policy. “As cottages become state property,” he says, “they will be assessed to determine whether the cottages can be salvaged for possible use.”

Draft options for a Peddocks Island redevelopment plan released in 2019 by the DCR, the National Park Service, and the nonprofit Boston Harbor Now include razing the cottages to replace them with glamping tents or making them into a “cottage community cultural center” that would share stories of the cottagers and their lives on Peddocks.

So the government may someday commemorate the cottage community—after forcing its demise. “Ten years from now,” jokes Jack Downey, “they’ll be hiring us to go out there and role-play as the people who lived in the village.”

Recipe for Success

(Continued from p. 54)

creamy. Whisking constantly, slowly add ½ cup of the scalded milk mixture to the yolk mixture. Add another ½ cup milk mixture, whisking all the time. Then add the remaining milk mixture and whisk.

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Whisking constantly over medium heat, continue to cook until the mixture reaches 175° on an instantread thermometer (this is the point at which it will thicken noticeably). Remove from heat immediately and strain through the fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Fold in the reserved blackberry puree. Chill 1 hour.

Spin the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Toward the end of the freezing process, add the chopped chocolate. Store in a covered container in the freezer until solid enough to serve, about 4 hours. Yields about 1 quart.

PISTACHIO PESTO

One of the many house-made sauces at Bresca & the Honey Bee, this pesto is terrific in pasta, over grilled fish or chicken, as a dip for raw or grilled vegetables, or as a spread on grilled bread.

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil, mint, and/or parsley leaves

1 cup toasted shelled pistachios

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 small clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

½ medium shallot, sliced

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides, to form a coarse pesto that’s loose enough to drizzle (if needed, add more olive oil 2 tablespoons at a time). The pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Yields 2 cups.

For Now And Ever

Dear Reader,

The drawing you see above is called For Now and Ever. It is completely composed of dots of ink. After writing the poem, I worked with a quill pen and placed thousands of these dots, one at a time, to create this gift in honor of the the love of two of my dearest friends.

Now, I have decided to offer For Now and Ever to those who have known and value its sentiment as well. Each litho is numbered and signed by hand and precisely captures the detail of the drawing. As an anniversary, wedding, or Valentine’s gift for your husband or wife, or for a special couple within your circle of friends, I believe you will find it most appropriate.

Measuring 14” by 16”, it is available either fully-framed in a subtle copper tone with handcut double mats of pewter and rust at $145*, or in the mats alone at $105*. Please add $18.95 for insured shipping. Returns/exchanges within 30 days.

My best wishes are with you.

Sextonart Inc. • P.O. Box 581 • Rutherford, CA 94573

(415) 989-1630

All major credit cards are welcomed. Please call between 10 A M -5 P M Pacific Standard Time, 7 days a week.

Checks are also accepted. Please include a phone number.

*California residents please include 8.0% tax

Please visit our website at www.robertsexton.com

Authentic Canoe Lights for Any Room! Quality workmanship, easy to install. Buy ready-to-hang or as a kit. 54" to 96" long. Bright, dimmable LED lights. Fast safe shipping. 401-218-8706

SUBSCRIBER ALERT

Yankee Magazine has learned that some of our subscribers have received deceptive renewal unauthorized companies. Only Yankee Magazine is authorized to issue renewal

The return address on the envelope provided with your subscription renewal will read: P.O. Box 422447 Palm Coast, FL 32142-2447

Yankee Magazine DOES NOT contract with third parties to solicit or receive subscription payments. If you receive a renewal and are unsure of its authenticity, please call our subscriber services department: 800-288-4284

“There is no moment of my life when you are not a part of me; you hold my heart; you guard my soul; you guide my dreams so tenderly. And if my will might be done, and all I long for could come true, with perfect joy I would choose to share eternity with you.”

Life in the Kingdom

(Continued from p. 184)

that something profound has shifted, and that no matter how many more times he might return home in body, there’s another part of him that is not coming back.

The back roads continue to recover from the mud and ruts of spring, and slowly the leaves burst, the green moving a bit farther up the mountainside every day, an unfurling wave. The cows are restless behind the barbwire fence of their winter paddock; when I bring them hay, they run the fence line in a spirited, high-stepping way, and I think that surely this will be the day they charge straight through the wire. But they never do.

Two hundred bare-root blueberry plants arrive. We’d ordered them in February, having convinced ourselves that a small pick-your-own operation was our ticket to early retirement. When spring was such a remote possibility, planting 200 blueberry bushes

somehow seemed like a good idea. Now it seems absurd, almost as if we’ll need to bend time in order to make it happen. But the plants are here, and there’s no turning back, so we dig and dig and dig some more. Blisters rise on our palms, painful reminders of our excessive optimism.

When the grass reaches my boot tops and is just beginning to bend under its own weight, I release the cows, and immediately I am brought up short by a sound that is at once familiar and brand new to me every spring: the sound of cows eating new grass. Because it sounds like nothing else in this world, you’d think I would remember, but I never do. It’s not a crunch, not exactly, but it’s something like a crunch, and it is accompanied by the lazy back-and-forth swishing of their tails. I stand and listen for a few minutes, leaning on the shovel I’m using to dig just a few more blueberry holes on my way in from chores.

Fin’s Volvo breaks down. It’s the crankshaft position sensor. With John’s help, he fixes it. He installs new front brakes: calipers, pads, and rotors.

He fixes something else, but I can’t remember what. Then it breaks down again and has to be towed home. He fixes it (again, I don’t remember what) and drives it for two more weeks before it needs another tow. Sensing a trend, I upgrade our AAA towing coverage. He borrows our car, and—believe it or not—that breaks down, too.

I drive our old Ford pickup an hour and a half to retrieve Fin from the side of the road. The car is stuck in gear; I push against the shifter as hard as I dare, but it will not budge. Because it’s an automatic, the key won’t release from the ignition unless the transmission is in park, and because I cannot get the transmission in park, we leave the car unlocked, key dangling in the ignition. We remove what valuables we can find (a roll of stamps and our favorite James McMurtry CD being chief among them) and drive away. I entertain a small fantasy of simply abandoning the car. I’d paid $2,000 for it barely six months earlier, and thus far it’s proven to be only slightly more reliable than my son’s Volvo, despite having half the miles and being 15 years younger.

On the way home, Fin and I stop for ice cream. It’s a warm evening, and we roll our windows down. I think that I should feel discouraged—after all, we’re down to one 16-year-old truck of questionable reliability—but I’m not. Maybe it’s because summer is right around the corner. Or maybe it’s because I’m driving with my son, something I used to do so often but which has suddenly become a rarity. Once, I might have thought it an imposition, an interruption. After all, there are still at least a few dozen blueberry bushes to plant. The cows have chewed through the season’s first square of pasture and need moving. So many looming projects, some half done, some not even started. And the broken cars to deal with.

But all that is for another day. Right now, it’s just the ribbon of asphalt before us, the taste of ice cream on my tongue, the company of my son, and the dawning realization that winter feels like something that happened a very long time ago.

CHIP...

CHIP branches up to 5" in diameter.

SHRED yard & garden waste up to 1.5" thick.

POWERFUL

spin massive

A Change of Seasons

Spring arrives with fresh chores and the realization that life moves on.

ore so than in any other year I can remember, the end of winter feels like emerging from a tunnel, one so long that the light at the other end is no more than a pinprick, just enough to orient yourself toward it, to keep moving forward one slow step at a time. And when we finally pass through that opening, blinky-eyed and pale, into a sea of mud and rain and all the fecund smells of spring, it almost feels like a trick: Surely, this is just a tease. Surely, winter can’t be done with us.

Our older son, Fin, now 17 and sporting a freshly minted driver’s license, has bought his first car, a 1993 Volvo 240 station wagon with a mere quarter million miles on the clock. He paid $1,000 to our friend John, who believes that Volvos—specifically, Volvo 240s—are the finest automobile ever made, and he has managed to convince our son of the same. And while I’m skeptical, I can see the appeal: Fin’s new car carries its ugliness with such confidence it almost passes for handsome, and driving it evokes a certain nostalgia. It’s slow and navigates the road in a ponderous fashion, making mysterious clunks over minor irregularities. But the brakes work and the seat belts buckle, and therefore we are as pleased about the situation as any parents of a teenage driver can reasonably expect to be. Which is not very, but still, at some point you have to let go.

The day after he takes title, on a cool and rainy morning in May, Fin asks if he can drive to Boston to visit a friend. Although we don’t love this idea, we give our blessing. And when he returns home unscathed, full of confidence and the flavor of freedom on his tongue, I realize

(Continued on p. 182)

Read by candlelight.

Be part of a captivating love story in the Sullivan Catskills. Spend your days on the trails, on the links or wining and dining. When night falls, our innkeepers keep the fires burning to lighten your soul and warm your heart. Snuggle up and dream your cares away under cozy quilts and twinkling stars.

Seasonal packages and specials are available. Mention YANKEE when calling.