Cool Spots In New England

Celebrate New England Giveaway, Post #7. Leave a comment and enter to win!


Cape Cod by Katie O'Sullivan


Cape Cod is a great place to kick back and relax, and get back in touch with yourself and your loved ones. As Nauset Beach and the rest of the National Seashore celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, you can appreciate the same pristine beauty that President Kennedy recognized and set aside as a national park. Afterward, head to Chatham for clam chowder at the Squire and take in a Cape league baseball game for a perfect summer day!


Katie O'Sullivan
Perfect Strangers
Unfolding the Shadows

Longfellow's Wayside Inn by Judith Arnold


Longfellow's Wayside Inn is the oldest continually operating inn in America.  It first began serving the needs of travelers in 1716. Its most famous guest was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who used it as the inspiration for his "Tales of a Wayside Inn."  The inn features several preserved historical rooms, some of them blocked off and maintained just for viewing and others, including the old tap room, still used by visitors who come to drink, dine and spend the night.  (Some of the guest rooms are alleged to be haunted.) Beautiful gardens--including a vegetable garden that provides vegetables served at the inn--surround the main building.  A short walk up the road is the gristmill, where a stream powers the millstones that grind the flour used in the inn's rolls and muffins.  Also on the premises is the beautiful Martha Mary Chapel, a non-denominational New England chapel built by Henry Ford and named in honor of his two grandmothers, and a one-room schoolhouse dating back to the early 18th century.  I live just a few miles from the Wayside Inn, a place where we celebrate family birthdays and special events. We love bringing out-of-town visitors there for a unique Colonial experience.  More information about the inn can be found here: http://www.wayside.org/


Judith Arnold
Meet Me In Manhattan
Hope Street

French's Restaurant, Main Street, Tewksbury, MA by Kat Duncan

Think you have to go to the coast to get good fried clams? Wrong. Consider Tewksbury, Massachusetts and French's Restaurant. This hole-in-the wall eatery specializes in catering. But any weekday you can stop in for the best lunch anywhere in New England. Dave French was trained in culinary arts at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. He specializes in catering large functions, but local citizens flock to French's for lunch. The menu is extensive, the prices reasonable and the service is fast. Best of all, you will never be disappointed with the food. Homemade soups and chowders, thick sandwiches, fresh salads and the best fried clams anywhere.


Kat Duncan
Fifty-Eight Faces

Newport, Rhode Island by Penny Watson


Newport is an extraordinary place, and the perfect spot for a getaway weekend. You can browse around the charming cobblestone streets and peek into antique shops. Explore the incredible mansions on Bellevue Avenue, including The Breakers, Marble House, and Rosecliff. Spend some time at Brenton Point State Park, and watch the kites dance in the air. Sneak over to Middletown and go birding at Sachuest Point....there are harlequin ducks, buffleheads and more. Grab an order of fried clams at Flo's. And my favorite, walk along Cliff Walk, with history on the right (the mansions of another era) and the ocean on the left, crashing up against the rocky cliffs. It is breath-taking. Finish off the day with a lemonade from Del's Lemonade Truck (my kids' favorite treat!). It just doesn't get any better than this. It's truly a unique New England city.


Penny Watson
Sweet Magik




Have a favorite cool spot you like to visit in New England? Let me know!
Penelope