New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Wayside Inn, Sudbury MA Given that about 60 percent of restaurants fail in their first year of business, it's amazing to come across New England dining spots in business for more than 100 years. Their longevity is almost always due to keeping the food quality intact, focusing on great customer service and keeping intact unique architecturally historical elements. It also doesn't hurt to have historical icons or celebrity as customers along the way, as well as possessing some unique anecdotal stories that just add to the legend! With that in mind, here are seven noteworthy New England restaurants that go beyond 100-years-old... Griswold Inn (1776), Essex Conn. The Griswold Inn stands as one of the the oldest continuously running  taverns in the United States, having served notables from George Washington and Albert Einstein to actress Katharine Hepburn. Originally offering lodging and food and spirits that catered to shipbuilders, the Griswold today retains its rustic,...

Brookfield Orchards, North Brookfield, Mass. (photo by Eric) Central Massachusetts represents the heart and soul of New England quite well with its quaint small towns, winding country roads, hills and valleys, and a pace of life that is generally much slower than Boston. The region also features Worcester, an impressive city that keeps getting better each day through its major revitalization projects and a strong cultural and academic base with nine colleges and many cultural institutions. I've found Central Massachusetts to be a home away from home with an appealing quality of life as well as attractions and events that provide a nice respite from our suburban Boston residence. For starters, here are 12 great Central Massachusetts travel destinations: Ecotarium, Worcester The Ecotarium, an indoor/outdoor science and discovery center, has a bucolic, campus-like presence that feels a million miles away from the urban bustle of Worcester, New England's second largest ci...

OK, please be seated: the Greater Gardner Furniture Outlets in Gardner, Mass., features three family owned and operated  furniture stores offering more than 250 names brands in more than 200,000 square feet. The Factory Coop, La Chance Furniture Showroom and Rome Furniture Center comprise the Greater Gardner Furniture Outlets. The experience is amazing, offering a fantastic variety of furniture while coming across as authentic. Sometimes, those heavily-advertised furniture stores with the bombastic radio and television commercials seem like they have lost their personal touch. The Greater Gardner Furniture Outlets, on the other hand, comes across more true to their roots -- being born many generations ago in a sometimes gritty city that has held onto community pride through the furniture industry, an ongoing interest in town revitalization, and some of the nicest residents you'll ever meet. I know, having worked with many Gardner residents at one point. The first time visitin...

We had to travel all the way to the Far East to sample some lobster chow mein -- the Far East of Rhode Island, that is. Evelyn's Drive-in serves this most unusual yet delicious dish. What sounds like a potential culinary disaster actually combines exceptionally well to result in a tasty mix of generously served lobster and noodles. Food icon Guy Fieri took notice of the lobster chow mein by featuring this meal on his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives   Food Network television show. This unpretentious, seasonal clam shack overlooking Nanaquacket Pond has been in business for about 45 years, specializing in fried whole bellied clams, Rhode Island clam chowder, clam cakes and fried seafood platters. You'll find this type of restaurant all over New England, but Evelyn's seems to turn out higher quality meals while also getting creative with their dishes -- with lobster chow mein at the forefront! Evelyn's Drive-in is located at 2335 Main Rd. (Route 77) Tiverton RI. Tel....