New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Article by Eric H. Tom's Tavern, a long-time favorite local restaurant in Wrentham, MA, for the past three decades, closed its doors last Saturday, according to the Attleboro Sun Chronicle . A classic roadside restaurant/bar, Tom's Tavern looked slightly menacing from the outside -- with its dive-like, rather drab look and motorcycles out front -- but once inside, everyone from the drinking crowd to families coexisted peacefully with the very friendly staff. Fresh seafood and a good variety of beer were signatures at Tom's Tavern, along with the knack of making a fantastic burger. It appears that the closing had more to do with management and debt conflicts rather than a poor economy, according to the Sun Chronicle. Tom's still drew a great crowd despite the recession. We will miss this great local restaurant and bar -- and the air hockey game, too! Thanks for all the years of dining excellence, Tom's Tavern.

Article and Photo by Eric H. Newport, RI, is best known for its spectacular mansions and, to an ever-so-slightly lesser degree, shopping, waterfront dining and lodging, the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I'll take the Newport sea any day, however, especially where the Narragansett Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean on Ocean Drive. Driving the several miles of winding roads on Ocean Drive, affording spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, reminded me of the innate purity of Newport -- the reason so many wealthy New Yorkers flocked here in the 1800s to connect and relax by the magnificent ocean. Rhode Island is the country's smallest state, but more significant is its nickname, the "Ocean State." Here on Ocean Drive, the enormity of the sea elevates this tiny state to an incredible, although familiar discovery: big things come in small packages! Whether a spectacular sunset, a breezy spring or summer day, or a clear, crisp chill...

Article and Photo (of Memphis Roadhouse) by Eric H. Recently, City-Data.com featured an interesting post on the best barbecue restaurants in eastern Massachusetts . Readers could not come up with many quality places, although a few dining spots really received high honors. I concur with much of the City-Data feedback, and came up with a ranking below of barbecue restaurants. My criteria for a great barbecue restaurant is that "barbecue" is the specialty of the house, that they slow-cook the food to bring out the best flavors, that there's kind of a dusty, rural informal feeling to the place, and that the chefs try their best to recreate what Memphis, Kansas City and other famous barbecue city and town destinations do so well. Not that I've been to these famous barbecue places out west or down south, but as one who always asks questions, I have been able to ascertain through people in the business and those who have been to Memphis, Kansas City and other barbecue hav...

Article and photo by Eric H. Everyone is an expert on life at Tee T's restaurant and lounge in Walpole, MA. Customers and staff talk about the economy, politics, social issues (mostly women), sports, and the direction of their hometown, sometimes with more clarity and sincerity than your local radio talk show host. It's a place where one can talk about the good old days of playing sports at Walpole High School while wearing your now tight-fitting varsity or junior varsity sports jacket. The conversation flows as well as the beer. The news on the television further elicits strong comments about our society where some Tee T's customers pointedly talk back at the television. Tee T's is indeed Moe's Tavern (from the Simpson's) come to life. And without the music ever playing, you can hear "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen blaring in your head as the unofficial soundtrack for Tee T's. On one visit, three older men talked about their health woes, one, u...

Article and Photo by Eric H. Great Plain Ave. in Needham, MA, has brought a very flavorful touch of Rochester, NY, to southwest suburban Boston, with the recent opening of Abbott's Frozen Custard. Abbott's, with its tasty concept initiated in 1902 and first store established at Ontario Beach in Rochester in 1926, enjoys legendary status in the "Flower City" with its phenomenal frozen custard. Richer and creamier than your typical soft serve ice cream, Abbott's custard also has less air than soft serve and self-proclaimed "special recipes" that clearly place its frozen custard in a class of its own. The 30 flavors change daily and include chocolate, vanilla, chocolate almond, blueberry, strawberry cheesecake and peach cobbler. I recently sampled the chocolate frozen custard -- absolutely superior to soft serve ice cream! The proof of Abbott's greatness is in its continuous business expansion, with stores in Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts a...

Article by Eric H. One of the bright lights in southern coastal Maine shopping is the Lighthouse Depot on Route 1 in Wells, Maine. To no one's surprise, the theme here is lighthouse gifts, including clothing, lamps, furnishings, rugs, books, prints, kitchen accessories, dinnerware and collectibles. If you like lighthouses, the place is absolutely fascinating, fun and sometimes even downright educational; you're almost sure to find a lighthouse gift amongst the hundreds of lighthouse items sold in this two story building. Every time we shop here, it brings a smile to our face, and a validation of our love of lighthouses. Visiting the Lighthouse Depot is a wonderful travel destination set within the heart of a region with myriad fun things to see and do -- beaches, lobster dinners, and oh yes, lighthouses! The Lighthouse Depot U.S. Route 1 North, 2178 Post Rd., Wells, Maine Tel. 1-800-758-1444

Article and Photo (Scituate) by Eric H. Boston Magazine recently published its Best Places to Live 2009 , including lists for "10 Recession-Proof Towns," "10 Spots Holding Steady" and "Top Burgs for Bargain Hunters." All in all, we felt Boston Magazine's evaluations were spot-on, especially the bargain section that focuses on Norman Rockwell-types towns that we personally like: Medfield, Scituate, Easton and Westford. The "10 Recession-Proof Towns" section includes more personal favorites like Hingham, Lexington and Winchester, while the "10 Spots Holding Steady" section includes more fine towns like Arlington, Duxbury and the underrated Merrimac. We heartily recommend reading the Boston Magazine article for the well-written and researched specifics! We'd also like to add a few of our personal favorites that weren't listed in the Boston Magazine article: Walpole, a southwest Boston suburb, with a lot of community spirit,...