New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Source: momslifesavers.blogspot.com via Moms on Pinterest Barnacle Billy's restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, seems like a rite of passage into the Maine summertime. Rarely do you find someone in New England that doesn't know about this landmark seafood restaurant specializing in fresh Maine lobster, steamed clams, chowder, lobster rolls, lobster stew, over sized drinks and, well, barbecue chicken (don't laugh, it's really good). It's not that Barnacle Billy's is better than other local restaurants, specializing in seafood. It's just that Barnacle Billy's has a well-known presence, a timeless tradition, a waterfront location and excellent seafood that results in this dining incumbent constantly being reelected by thousands of visitors and locals every year looking for a trusted, dependable restaurant. Barnacle Billy's actually has two locations, virtually right next to each other. Barnacle Billy's, Etc., offers more ambiance ...

Source: acadiamagic.com via Heather on Pinterest When creating our New England Pinterest pinboards , I came across one photo that I keep coming back to:  a colorful picture of downtown Bar Harbor, Maine.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Bar Harbor is the lively commercial center of the Acadia National Park area. Just minutes from Acadia where the ocean meets the mountains, Bar Harbor has an enviable and impossibly beautiful harbor location with enough shops and restaurants to keep the most insatiable shopper and diner happy throughout the vacation. Tree-lined in many parts and with a relaxing town common, Bar Harbor might be too hectic from Memorial Day to Labor Day Weekend for those in touch with the spectacular natural, pristine setting of Acadia National Park, but let's remember, too, that it's not exactly one of those tacky, souvenir-laden tourist traps. Sure, you'll get elements of that here, but, all in all, Bar Harbor has an attractive, often beautiful...

The Paragon Carousel at Nantasket Beach (photo by Eric) Many people felt like they were being taken for a ride when Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach in Hull, Mass., closed its legendary amusement park in 1984. The better part of a century brought a joyous beach and amusement scene that exuded a classic New England summer tradition with, to name a few staples, the unbeatable combination of rides, arcades, souvenirs, waves and ice cream. Who can forget that wooden roller coaster or the bumper cars? Paragon Park's closure gave way to housing development -- great for the people that live there by the ocean -- but sad for us to see Paragon Park and the memories associated with it just drift away. It was so close to home (about a half hour south of Boston, FYI), and really the ultimate day trip. While we'll probably never see a return of Paragon Park, there are still significant remnants that still make Nantasket Beach a worthy New England travel destination: The historic ...

Ancient New England proverb: when it comes to barbecue food, it's better to have slow cook food than food from a slow cook. The Boston, Mass., area offers several great places for well-prepared slow cook barbecue foods (definition: utilizing less heat than grilling over a longer period of time), including Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington and Newton, Redbone's in Somerville, Mass., and Firefly's in Marlborough. All these dining spots have chefs that clearly know what they are doing, which is great given that there's also a good number of local barbecue restaurants that miss the mark. Real barbecue cuisine does not equate to rotisserie! Often, we can do better on our own with some high quality barbecue sauce and meats bought from the local butcher and proper use of the grill. It's nice, however, when someone else with a virtual PhD in barbecue cooking does all the work for you. Thankfully, a newcomer to the Boston area barbecue dining scene, brings perhaps the bes...

Cape Cod Canal Bike Trail (photo by Eric) Do you like riding a bike but are afraid of the crazy drivers out there on the road or the awkwardness of passing pedestrians on the sidewalk? Well, the good news is that many bike trails have emerged in New England (a good number of them converted from old railroad tracks), offering paved trails and great scenery. Here are four bike trails in New England that we highly recommend: Cape Cod Canal Trail The amazing canal water views make this seven-mile trek a  "must-visit" destination for the outdoor enthusiast visiting Cape Cod. Beautifully maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Cape Cod Canal Bike Trail is convenient, too, located virtually at the gateway to Cape Cod. The trail spans from Sandwich to Buzzards Bay. The views of the gigantic Sagamore and Bourne Bridges -- connecting the mainland to Cape Cod -- are worth the visit, too! Stowe Recreation Path  Forests, meadows, rivers, arched bridges and mountain s...

Belcourt Castle, Newport, R.I. (photo by Eric) Touring the Newport mansions in Newport, R.I., might seem like an obvious New England travel attraction, but it's definitely a "rich"  experience worthy of a visit. Once "summer cottages" to the rich and famous from the Gilded Age (beginning in the mid-19th century), many of the Newport mansions  remain in great shape and available for tours. The Preservation Society of Newport County offers the majority of house tours, including The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms, Marble House and Rosecliff. The tours can take up to 90 minutes, given the size, details and nuances of each home. My recommendation would be to see no more than two homes a day, as the experience can eventually become overkill.  By purchasing a multi-house ticket, you can spread out the visits on different days. Speaking of tickets, you can order online or on site at any participating house. Log onto the Preservation Society of Newport County ...

Source: Uploaded by user via Brea on Pinterest Two miles of beach, a boardwalk, 558 open camp sites and also extensive open spaces away from the beach to walk: what's not to like about Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Conn.? Hammonasset Beach is the largest beach in Connecticut, and certainly one of New England's finest. Located on Long Island Sound,  the extremely well-maintained beach is situated on 919 acres with every step of the way a utopia for beach enthusiasts. Not only do you get some beautiful New England ocean beach scenery, but soft sand, relatively warm water in the summer, attentive lifeguards on duty, a concession stand, picnic areas and a nature center as well as walking, biking and rollerblading opportunities within the park. Most importantly, you get a generally well-behaved crowd here -- many families and peaceful types with few showoffs. Perhaps the best way to visit Hammonasset Beach is to secrure a camp site. Why take a day trip when y...

Evelyn's Drive-In, Tiverton (photo by Eric) Cape Cod and Maine tend to get most of the accolades when it comes  to the best New England seafood shacks. Let's not forget, however, about the small state of Rhode Island that comes up big with countless outstanding roadside seafood spots. Here are three examples: Seafood lovers will certainly not feel underwater when visiting Evelyn's Drive-in in Tiverton . This plain-looking seafood shack features an amazing Rhode Island clam chowder (with a thinner broth), mouthwatering clam cakes, the unusual lobster chow mein, huge fried seafood platters, lobster rolls and grilled salmon, to name a few. The atmosphere feels like a coffee shop by the water -- nothing fancy and with quick, to-the-point diner-like service. Located on scenic Nanaquacket Pond, Evelyn's also features a very pleasant outdoor patio dining area where the pond has more of a coastal feel than inland. Evelyn's is so good that the Food Network's Guy Fi...

Do you love a good downtown? We have a few favorites in our region that offer small town New England appeal, stores, restaurant, historical preservation and traditional ways, and an overall welcoming feeling. Without further ado, here are some of those great downtown districts where we'll let the pictures do the talking... Salem, Mass. Bristol, R.I. Keene, N.H. Mystic, Conn. Milford, N.H. Northeast Harbor, Maine Hanover, N.H. Chatham, Mass. (Cape Cod) Wickford Village in North Kingston, R.I. Newburyport, Mass. Portsmouth, N.H. Springfield, Vt. Do you have a favorite downtown in New England? Tell us a little about it by commenting below. Or, please feel free to comment these downtown districts featured in this post. Happy travels!

Apple goat cheese salmon with asparagus, rice, and cinnamon and cranberry balsamic glaze from The Raven's Nest, Walpole, Mass. (photo by Eric) Driving into the city for a "date night" out can be such a pain -- fighting traffic and rude drivers, paying more for parking and tolls than a meal, and having our car value go down about 60 percent in one night from hitting pothole after pothole. Fortunately, the past 10 or 15 years have been good to us Boston suburbanites looking for a quality meal, close to home. Many restaurant business types, chefs and entrepreneurs have opened up restaurants in the suburbs closer in concept and quality to those high-profile city restaurants that I think sometimes have more appeal as a conversation pieces than places we'd like to go. We have found a southwest Boston suburban dining gem called The Raven's Nest Pub and Eatery in downtown Walpole, Mass. Built much like the Irish pubs owner Mark McAuliffe grew up with in this ...