New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Deerfield Inn Bed and Breakfast, Deerfield MA (photo by Eric) Over at our flagship site, VisitingNewEngland , we have published three recent Massachusetts travel articles focusing on historic Boston, a new Plainville bookstore owned by a famous author, and a beloved old New England inn... Guest blogger Juergen Roth has contributed a marvelous photo travel essay on historic Boston landmarks . He is an exceptionally gifted photographer and darn good writer, and I encourage you to check the incredible photos he took at twilight. We also feature an article on An Unlikely Story , a new book store located in Plainville, Mass.  Jeff Kinney, author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series is the owner of this great indie bookstore that also has a  side benefit -- that is, bringing life back to downtown Plainville, a small town with good bones. Also in the spotlight is the Deerfield Inn Bed and Breakfast , a quintessential lodging destination in one of New England most we...

Let's face it, budget-friendly dining along Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth MA is hard to find -- even at some of the much heralded seafood shacks. A good cheap eats option is Pebbles, an outdoor seasonal shack with picnic-style seating located right across the street from Plymouth Harbor and very close to famous attractions like Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II  and the Pilgrim Hall Museum. This unpretentious roadside restaurant hits the spot with surprisingly good lobster rolls, fried seafood, New England clam chowder, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and ice cream. The portions are generally substantial and the service very quick.  It's really a nice spot to watch the pulse of Plymouth with its many tourists from around the world and scenic water views while taking in that nice coastal summer breeze! Pebbles isn't going to win any culinary awards but for us folks looking for good value and food, this is a good dining choice. Pebbles is located at 76 Water St., P...

Richie's Slush, Everett MA (photo by Eric) Richie's Slush in Everett, Mass., announced in mid-May that it would close it storefront after nearly 60 years in business, but  thankfully had a change of heart to reopen the legendary Italian ice landmark. The Sunday message on the  Richie's Slush web site said,"(Due) to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, Richie's Store on the Parkway will not be opening this season. We apologize for this and hope you will purchase Richie's Italian Ice Products from one of our many other fine locations and retailers ." The new message , posted today, reads, "Because of hard work and an overwhelming support from our customers, Richie's Original Store on the Parkway in Everett will RE-OPEN this Friday May 15th! We would like to thank all of you for being such valued and loyal customers of our business for the past 50 years. We have always appreciated and enjoyed serving you and also want to thank yo...

Swan Boats of Boston (photo by Eric) The good news about taking a Boston, Mass., vacation is that there's no shortage of wonderful travel attractions. The bad news:  there's no way you'll be able to see all of them during your stay, given the city's seemingly infinite rich historical and modern offerings. While the following list is by no means exhaustive, these low and moderate cost attractions represent the best of Boston travel: Boston Duck Tours  - This educational and entertaining excursion allows you to discover  Boston and its incredible history on a World War II style landing craft on the streets of Boston -- and then into the Charles River for great views of Boston and Cambridge. New England Aquarium  This world class museum seems to get better every year and features the Giant Ocean Tank spanning four floors and featuring more than 1, 000 animals. including Myrtle, a 550 lb green sea turtle. Fenway Park Tour Knowledgeable and often humorous guid...

Brown's Ice Cream Stand in York Beach, Maine,  is on the real estate market for 1.7 million (photo by Eric) It breaks my heart to see beloved local New England businesses like the Hilltop Steak House, Christo's, Aunt Aleda's Bakery and Country Kitchen, Brown's Ice Cream and Benjamin's restaurant go out of business. The other day when driving through Saugus, Mass., I saw contractors starting the process of tearing down the Hilltop Steak House to make way for a new shopping plaza. How creative. Hard to believe that America's largest steak house with the two hour waits and the charming plastic cows out front is gone forever. I hear the giant cactus sign will remain, but that's kind of like having a car without the engine. Christo's, with its Greek salads, famous salad dressing, baked lamb, bar-style pizzas, and the large four color coded rooms (who can forget the Gold Room with that huge golden floor-to-ceiling fountain?), attained legendary status...

Faneuil Hall, Boston, Mass. (photo by Eric) Finding a good Boston, Mass., vacation video is about as difficult as navigating its narrow, one-way streets, but we have found an excellent one created by Expedia . In Boston language, it's "wicked good!" A narrator with a classic Boston accent provides the foundation for a comprehensive video that informs and entertains on history, culture, attractions and sports. Although only five minutes long, this Boston vacation travel guide video seems to cover the most vital basics that, we think, will he, help you greatly with your Boston trip planning. Kudos to Expedia for producing this excellent Boston video! Related resources: Boston hotels North End of Boston food destinations Boston vacation and travel ideas Swan Boats of Boston Visiting Faneuil Hall

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

Lake Massapoag in Sharon, Mass., might be best known as a summer spot with its swimming beach, and boating and fishing opportunities, but the winter scenery has its own equally special personality. I recently did a double take when recently driving past Lake Massapoag around 4:15 p.m., as the combination of unique-looking clouds and the way the last glimpses of sun played off the ice was nothing short of spectacular. Don't make a long-distance special trip to see the sunsets here, but if you are in the area and the potential for good color in the sky seems possible, then Lake Massapoag is surely worth a visit. Lake Massapoag is located along Massapoag Ave. in Sharon, Mass. Other points of interest in the Sharon area: Borderland State Park, Easton Old Country Store and Emporium, Mansfield Historic North Easton Hall at Patriot Place, Foxboro Bird Park, Walpole

Turner Pond, Walpole, Mass. (photo by Eric) A local well-known television reporter once covered the Turner Lodge at Turner Pond in Walpole, Mass., for a nighttime segment and told me: "If I lived around here, I'd be out here every night." Turner Lodge and Pond have that effect, being so close to Boston (18 miles) but coming across as a place you'd expect to find on vacation in, say, Vermont or New Hampshire. The Turner Pond Lodge (photo by Eric) The scenic pond, just outside Walpole center, is ideal for ice skating and the cozy, rustic red-colored lodge features sofas, a fireplace, television, books, board games, snacks, hot chocolate and a dining table where locals bring in, and sometimes share, home-cooked meals. There's really a great community feel at this little cabin situated by the pond and alongside beautiful forest land. The experience is especially incredible at night (when officially open) as locals of all ages skate along with the cold, cr...

Scott Kearnan, of Zagat, just wrote an informative post about " Boston's Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2015 ." Perhaps a sign that the economy is finally coming around, the myriad Boston restaurant openings  should add diverse dining options to the "Hub of the Universe." Restaurants serving upscale pizza, contemporary American, farm-to-table, as well as a brewery and Japanese pub are amongst those many options. I am especially looking forward to Blackbird Doughnuts -- with its chocolate covered treats -- scheduled to open at 492 Tremont St. in Boston! Related articles: Sullivan's coming to Hingham? Wahlburgers set to expand Student Prince and Fort Reopens in Springfield Jimmy's Steer House in Arlington, Mass., not closing

If you're looking for the latest New Hampshire ski conditions, SkiNH offers a terrific online resource for Alpine and Nordic skiing destinations. Updated frequently, SkiNH not only posts on ski conditions, but also features a weather forecast resource and weather blog, as well as resort webcams. Some webcam locations include Bretton Woods,  Cannon Mountain, Cranmore, Dartmouth Skiway, Gunstock Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort,  Pats Peak and Waterville Valley. We are quite impressed with the comprehensive nature of the site, in general, and recommend it as a prime New Hampshire ski trip planning resource. Related articles, resources: Purchase New England ski lift tickets in advance and save The best New England ski resorts for kids The top winter vacation destinations

The Obnoxious Boston Sports Fan wrote an absolutely fantastic article on Boston.com about the joys of sledding at Robbins Farm Park in Arlington, Mass., and the importance of never banning this revered winter pastime. Full of humor and wonderful memories while focusing on the timeless fun of this activity, the Obnoxious Boston Sports Fan also crafted this post with a cautionary tale about political correctness potentially impeding this recreational rite of passage into the winter. Some communities have banned sledding, feeling that physical harm outweighs kids and families just enjoying the great outdoors in this form. Whether you agree with this article -- and, in general, the Obnoxious Boston Sports Fan's innate conservative perspectives -- this "real" journalist has the rare ability of hitting a home run with each article.  He often draws the reader into his articles by employing laser sharp focus on the matter of hand, writing in descriptive detail, and not waver...

The Phantom Gourmet has a terrific presentation on a most unusual food experience: dining at the top of Newburyport Lighthouse in Newburyport, Mass. Greeted outside by a waitress, guests then climb the 55 stairs through the hatch to the 8X8 sq. ft. glass enclosed dining room that yields incredible panoramic views of the Merrimack River Valley, Atlantic Ocean and Downtown Newburyport. Visitors get to choose their high-end, gourmet meal from several local restaurants that service the Newburyport Lighthouse. It's not cheap and you have to reserve several months in advance, but neither comes as a surprise -- where else can one dine in such a setting? Yankee Magazine summed up the Lighthouse dining experience very nicely: "If you're romantically inclined, it doesn't get much better than this...the dining room at the top of the lighthouse is a glass-encased love nest...that feels like the top of the world."   The Lighthouse Preservation Society original...

Sullivan's comfort foods. Photo credit: MassVacation.com The Boston Herald is reporting that the legendary Sullivan's food stand at Castle Island in South Boston, Mass., is looking to expand into Hingham, Mass. Sullivan's, which has been in business since 1951, is in talks with the Hingham Bathing Beach Trustees about possibly opening a second seasonal location at Hingham Bathing Beach that would offer "the same food and affordable prices as in Southie," according to the article. Brendan Sullivan hope that if all goes well, he'd like to open Sullivan's in Hingham by the end of next summer, although hinted that "might be pushing it." While the original Sullivan's is known for its rock bottom prices on tasty hot dogs and hamburgers, Sullivan's goes well beyond that dynamic duo with other good-value-for-the-money comfort foods including lobster roll, fried clam strips, clam chowder, fish sandwich, egg and cheese sandwich, fries and ...

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...

If you can't get to Ireland any time soon,  try downtown Walpole, Mass. No, you won't find any low lying mountains, lush vegetation, rolling green pastures or sea cliffs in this small, often quaint southwest Boston suburb, but three authentic Irish pubs within a few hundred yards of each other will surely conjure up visions of the Emerald Isle. Three pleasant native Irish gentlemen with brogues of varying degree own Finnegan's Wake, The Raven's Nest and Napper Tandy's Walpole. It's impossible to compare one Irish pub with another, as each has its own special personality, but, ultimately, they are all superb pub destinations.  Walpole, with nearly 60 percent of its population of Irish descent, has more than a few people that know Ireland well, and tell me that Finnegan's, The Raven's Nest and Napper Tandy's would all fit in quite well if located in Ireland. Finnegan's Wake, Walpole, Mass. (photo by Eric) Finnegan's Wake is located in...

If you feel imprisoned by a world of generic faceless shopping destinations, then the Maine State Prison Showroom in Thomaston, Maine, will surely free you from these retail constraints. Maine inmates from the Maine State Prison get to acquire valuable job skills while creating unique wood products, including furniture, toys, wooden model sailing ships, jewelry boxes, chests, desks, dressers, wardrobes, birdhouses and more. Maine State prison personnel and inmates run the showrooms, which features several hundred items. The prices are reasonable and many online reviewers postitively comment about the quality workmanship of many of the products for sale.. The Maine State Prison Showroom is part of the Maine Department of Corrections Industries which "highly regulated program enables participating prisoners to earn money which goes toward reimbursing the state for their room and board expenses, as well as paying victim restitution and child support," according to the Ma...

If you love unique independently-owned book stores, here's one of the best kept secrets in New England: Eagle Trading Company, a small bookshop that sells cookbooks in the Assonet neighborhood of Freetown, Mass. Chuck, the gracious owner of Eagle Trading Company, possesses an amazing selection of old, rare and out-of-print cookbooks. His store is open on Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., so you'll have to make a phone appointment at (508) 644-9880 if looking to visit any other time of the week. Still, I would call even before embarking on a Monday or Tuesday trip just to make sure the book store is open. Eagle Trading Company is located at 4 Elm St., Unit 1, in Assonet MA about 10 minutes outside Fall River on the Southcoast. Editor's note: do you have a best kept New England travel secret? Write us and we'll consider your feedback for inclusion at the New England Travel and Vacation Gazette. Related articles: Montague Bookmill, Montague, Mass. Park St...

Bed Races in Bar Harbor. Photo credit: Maine Office of Tourism New England has its share of unique public festivals with Maine arguably leading the way in creativity. Bed races on a main street, the Maine Lobster and Whoopie Pie Festivals and help prove the point. These traditions are thankfully scheduled to continue for 2015... The 21st annual Early Bird Sales and Bed Races will take place on Nov. 7 in downtown Bar Harbor. Local merchants offer shopping from 6 a.m.-9 a.m., at the attractive Village Green while the traditionally silly yet fun bed and pajama parade and race begins at 10 a.m. on Cottage St. Maine Lobster Festival parade. Photo Credit: Maine Lobster Festival Over in vibrant downtown Rockland, the 67th annual Maine Lobster Festival is scheduled for July 29- Aug. 2 with 20,000 lbs. of lobster on the premises, a lobster crate race, the Main Eating tent with lobster dinners, lobster rolls, lobster Caesar wraps and lobster Caesar salads, professional cooking ...

Liftopia, a novel platform for ski resorts in North America, is offering discounts on New England lift tickets up to 79% off , at this writing, when purchased in advance. Whether a one-day lift ticket or multi-day package, we are finding some amazing deals at major ski resorts in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut (yes, contrary to popular belief, those last two states do have ski destinations!).  Because New England is compact, many ski resorts are within driving distance from New England cities like Boston, Providence, Hartford and Portland Some of the major ski destinations found on Liftopia, at this writing, include Mount Snow, Attitash, Killington, Gunstock, Smugglers' Notch, Wildcat Mountain, Cranmore, Jiminy Peak, Wachusett and Bretton Woods. File this one under "Isn't 21st Century online technology amazing?"

Construction in downtown Plainville, Mass., where new bookstore will open (photo by Eric) Jeff Kinney, author of the popular children's book series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," and his wife Julie will be opening a bookstore in a new building that is sure to change the look of downtown Plainville, Mass. Construction at the corner of 2 East Bacon and South Streets is well underway with the new three-story building taking over the former Falk's Market site, which through the years, turned from a beloved landmark into an out-of-business eyesore. That suburban blight is now a past chapter with a new story unfolding as a historical Federal architectural style can be already be witnessed driving by this central Plainville location. The Sun Chronicle is reporting that the bookstore, along with plans for a cafe on the first floor, could be open by the spring 2015. Specific plans for the rest of the building are yet-to-be-determined but there is office space available. I...