New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

The New England winter can be so brutal but the scenes that come out of it can be so soothing and scenic.  Case in point: the Norwood, Mass., town common surrounded by the United Church of Norwood (left) and Saint Catherine of Siena Parish (right). Norwood center -- about 15 miles southwest of Boston -- looks nice any time of the year, but seems to look best in the winter. The blanket of snow surely adds that extra scenic depth to most New England scenes! Related articles:  A beautiful traditional New England winter scene Meredith NH in the winter How to save money on ski lift tickets in New England

New Englanders have a true love for ice cream. How else could one explain several ice cream stands remaining open during the frigid New England winter? To top it off, you wouldn't believe the steady traffic these ice cream stands get even during the coldest days. When ice cream is great, it's great and when it's bad, it's still pretty good. Here, however, we will only focus on the top New England ice cream stands that remain open during the winter because you deserve the best for putting up with the freezing temperatures! Gray's Ice Cream (photo by Eric) Gray's Ice Cream, Tiverton Four Corners, R.I. Gary's has been in business since 1923 and is open 365 days a year -- the reason being, as they state, "Because ice cream is good everyday!" Featuring more than 40 flavors, as well as some excellent sundaes, Gray's is one of the few places in Rhode Island to make its ice cream on the premises. You can never go wrong with chocolate, strawbe...

Common St., Walpole Mass. (photo by Eric) For many New Englanders, the New England winter has been so extreme that frustration and jadedness overwhelms enjoying any priceless, scenic snow scenes. One look, however, at classic, Currier and Ives-like scenes like the ones that you see here and others just feel glad living in New England. The purity of the white snow blanketing the quintessential New England look of Common St. in Walpole, Mass., is something we might just be reflecting on this summer when the temperature hits 95 degrees, coupled with unbearable humidity.   One thing is true: there's no "in between." Either you like this frequency of snow or you don't!

We love New England. It is a place we live and love with its great mix of mountains, ocean, history, excellent quality of life and all the fun attractions. But winter 2008/2009 in New England has become unbearable -- one nasty storm after another. Before you break your back shoveling snow once more, consider a warmer destination vacation getaway. Have Junior down the street do the shoveling (and please pay him!) while you're walking a nice warm beach in beautiful places like Aruba, Cancun, Bermuda, and Cleveland (just kidding on the last one). After this winter, you deserve it! Don't get us wrong: Winter is a nice place to be in New England. The snow-covered villages, the skiing, the winter community events -- this is the place to be if you like a quaint, cozy winter vacation. But to live here year-round and endure a tougher winter than usual has its limits. With a higher than average snowfall this winter, we feel stronger than ever that a warmer climate would provide a ni...