New England Travel Resolution for 2014

My sister-in-law Maggie Kerrigan recently wrote a fantastic book entitled The (almost) Blank Journal to inspire clarity and creativity for daily writing. Meant for both the creative mind and highly structured thinker, Maggie's book features "prompts (motivational words and thoughts) for writing and drawing..." It's really a simple but brilliant concept. Plus, Maggie knows what she is talking about, given her quest for creativity as a significantly talented artist.

I own several web sites and blogs, but this one, the Weekly New England Travel and Vacation Gazette, has hit a creative road block several times in its existence without clear direction -- that is, until I opened Maggie's Christmas gift in the mail. As often as possible, I am going to try my hand at daily writing on this blog -- motivated and guided by Maggie's journal.

Today, I focus on Resolutions with the topic being New England Travel in 2014. Since we are on a tight family budget, cheap day trip destinations will be prioritized on the New England travel agenda for 2014. These destinations will need to be close to home and have something unique and interesting to offer.

One such inspirational place is Onset, Mass., a Victorian seaside neighborhood in Wareham, Mass. We visited last summer, but nowhere near enough. With cheap parking, a beautiful sandy free beach located on the bay, stunning Victorian residential architecture, a walkable downtown with little mom and pop shops and cheap eats restaurants like Marc Anthony's and Stash's (with seafood and water views), I know Onset will serve for us as a lower-cost alternative to Cape Cod and coastal southern Maine. I can hardly wait until summer!

A view from the Onset town common

The beach looks mighty inviting!

A welcoming, walkable downtown

What are some of your 2014 New England travel New Years resolutions? Please comment below, we'd love to hear your ideas!

Macro Monday in New England: Vermont Country Store, Weston, Vt.

The Vermont Country Store in Wetston, Vt., is one of New England's most famous country stores. I took this close-up photo in an attempt to capture the welcoming, old-time feel to the storefront. Notice the front porch benches, the rocking chairs, the old wooden door, the windows with mullions, the American flag at the top left and the family business sign -- this is so New England!  It gets even better inside with more than 5,000 hard-to-find items, some that you thought you would never see again, like Chiclets, Uncle Wiggily board game, the original Gumby and Pokey bendable buddies, Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo etc.,

For more on the Vermont Country Store and other country stores to love during your New England travel. please read our Best Country Stores in New England article.

Social Media Travel Info in New England

It's time to get more social in New England, and we're ready to break the ice.

I noticed how many great social media travel and local business pages there are in New England, whether it be on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or through bloggers (clearly, a form of social media). From state tourism agencies to the local country store, we plan on sharing what we feel are the very best examples of social media in the six-state region. Hopefully, this will help with your New England trip planning, as well as learning more about some phenomenal local businesses. I'll be blogging about social media in New England over the next few months, and, if it is well received, we'll consider switching full-time here to a New England travel social media blog.

We will also keep you up to date on our own social media pages, including Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Let's get things started by recognizing the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass., as having one of the best Google+ businesses pages.  Informative, full of photos and videos, timely and sometimes humorous, the world-class presence of the New England Aquarium is very well communicated through Google+. Great job!

Spring is a Great Time to Visit Kennebunkport, Maine

I was thinking this morning about a nice place to visit in New England on a great spring day like this.  Kennebunkport, Maine, instantly came to mind.

In reality, I won't be able to travel there due to prior work commitments, so the following pictures will be a prime motivator to put Kennebunkport on the "very near future" travel calendar...

Colorful Dock Square (pictured above), is such a fun place to shop -- so many neat, colorful mom and pop shops there. For dining, we always go to Allison's for a great cup of chowder and 
fresh catch" seafood special...

There's nothing quite like getting out to Goose Rocks Beach and enjoying the spring solitude while strolling the expansive beach...

Or enjoying some windy weather and fantastic water views by the rocky Maine coast at Cape Porpoise...

Driving along Ocean Avenue (pictured below), is always a treat with more great water views. Farther up the road from Dock Square, you'll find some amazing waterfront resorts and inns like the Colony Inn and Nonantum Resort.

Beautiful, isn't it? I guess the moral of this story is "When you're in doubt on where to travel in New England during the spring season, go with Kennebunkport!"

Book a room in Kennebunkport, Maine at the lowest rate

Traveling New England, Here and There...

New England Travel Thoughts
It's a rainy day here in the Northeast, a good day for travelers to visit some of Boston's best museums like the Museum of Science, New England Aquarium and Museum of Fine Arts Boston... Congratulations to Bondir restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., chosen by Bon Appetit Magazine's in its "The Best New Restaurants in America in 2011" (September 2011 edition). Bondir bills itself as a restaurant serving "Sustainable Modern American Cuisine."... Today, we give shout outs to Attleboro, Mass., for its great community and patriotic spirit; Narragansett, R.I., for its wonderful ocean beaches; Old Lyme, Conn., for a remarkable sense of preservation; Dover, N.H., for bringing its downtown back to life in a big way; Woodstock, Vt., for its postcard picture perfect look; and South Berwick, Maine, for just being itself, a sleepy, friendly little town... It's amazing how Davis Square in Somerville, Mass., has gone from a rather nondescript neighborhood to an eclectic, interesting area loaded with restaurants and locally-owned stores. In a certain regard, it's now more interesting than Harvard Square in Cambridge. The centerpiece is, still, of course, the old-school Somerville Theater with some great movies playing at low prices...If I had to choose five Boston area towns to live for families, they would be Cohasset, Wakefield, Walpole, Franklin and Ipswich. All of those towns have a friendly close-knit, small town feel, very good to excellent schools, real downtowns, and plenty of activities going on for all ages. Ipswich and Cohasset have the advantage of being located by the ocean. And it's amazing that Cohasset, for all its wealth, has much less of a snob factor than other towns of its class... Best small city/town downtown district for college kids? I'd have to say Burlington, Vt., with its colorful, four-block downtown pedestrian shopping area, walking and bike paths, myriad restaurants and shops and boat rides along Lake Champlain...Looks like there are still some very good "Best Value Red Sox Tickets prices for upcoming games against the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The Sept. 19 game against the Orioles has tickets starting at $15, through Ace Tickets!... Some close friends tell us that the indoor "wave pool" at the Cape Codder Resort and Spa in Hyannis, Mass., is a lot of fun, adds to a great family hotel destination... I really like Everything But Anchovies restaurant in Hanover, N.H. (5 Allen St.), A wide menu selection (including pizza), salad bar, and good prices not only make it a favorite amongst Dartmouth College students, but anyone else with a hearty appetite and thrifty spending habits. They actually do serve anchovies here on the pizzas... When the fall foliage season arrives, one place I'd highly recommend walking is Walden Pond on Route 126 in Concord, Mass. The hike around the pond is about 45 minutes and, more or less, level. The foliage colors are typically outstanding and the scenery so pleasing around the pond...Boston Bruins Tickets are now available. Here's hoping to a season as successful as last!...We stayed at the Henniker Motel in Henniker, N.H. a few weeks ago, and have to say that we were pleasantly surprised. We had a nice, clean room with cable television and views of the surrounding hills and open land. We also enjoyed the indoor pool. Additionally, they have a cozy gathering room with fireplace and television. The staff was very nice to us, too. The Henniker Motel is probably made more for the winter, as it is located at the base of Pat's Peak Ski area, but this summer visit was sure nice. By the way, Henniker is becoming one of our favorite New England towns as we find the downtown old fashioned and pleasant -- really quintessential New England. It's walkable, has a few nice restaurants and shops, an independently owned pharmacy and general store, nice views of the Contoocook River, and New England College with its attractive campus. We'll be back and look forward to another stay at the Henniker Motel!...Bishop's Orchards in Guilford, Conn., reports on Twitter that its apple picking season has begun with Gala and McIntosh available... That's about all for now, check in again soon for more New England travel thoughts!

New England Travel Thoughts

I can hardly wait until The Big E New England States Fair, running Sept. 16-Oct. 2 at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, Mass. Love the midway, animal exhibitions, parades, musical entertainment and comfort food vendors... Was driving up Route 495 in Hopkinton, Mass., the other day and already saw some leaves changing color. Scary thought, as it seemed like Memorial Day Weekend was just a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to the peak colors, though, later this month and in October (depending on location in New England)...To answer the age old argument -- which is better for pizza in Boston, Santarpio's or Pizzeria Regina? The answer is "yes!"... Coastal Newburyport, Mass., has a near perfect downtown. The choice of stores, restaurants, the water views, brick sidewalks, historic old buildings and homes make for an ideal, walkable central district... Come to think of it, though, coastal Portsmouth, N.H., is just as nice and a great way to spend some time visiting New England. Portsmouth has a boatload of cultural activities going on near or at the waterfront and Market Square locations, as well as offering lots of locally-owned shops and restaurants. The harbor here is  really beautiful... If I had to choose a Massachusetts town that maintains a quintessential classic New England small town feeling, it would be West Brookfield. The town common is amazing, the surrounding old "front porch" homes so beautiful and the people quite friendly. For a meal, go to the historic Salem Cross Inn on Route 9, just outside the downtown, for tasty New England fare as well as some very nice local ambiance... If you like lodging with waterfront views without the hefty price tag, I would recommend the Katahdin Inn in York Beach, Maine (Ocean Ave. Ext., at Short Sands Beach). I don't know how owners Bob and Rae do it, but the prices are half of what some other similar lodging establishments charge for just being on the water... I think many New England towns have become either generic-looking or overgrown, but Hanover, N.H., remains just as nice as ever. Fantastic, little downtown and with Dartmouth College to add a lot of tree-lined campus appeal... I could watch the Mystic Drawbridge in downtown Mystic, Conn., go up and down all day, only to be interrupted, of course, by some delicious homemade ice cream at Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. I always get the lemon chocolate kiss... Speaking of ice cream, the landmark Kimball Farm in Westford, Mass. , is as good as ever. Had a delicious ginger snap molasses ice cream the other night and was it ever good! The place has expanded over the years with two fantastic mini golf courses, an animal area, batting cages, bumper boats, an "outdoor seafood shack and grill," country store and arcade games. It's all so fun and not tacky at all -- everything seems to fit in nicely to make for a great morning or afternoon itinerary... One of the highlights of the summer was dining on lobster and lobster rolls at around $10.00 a dish a Markey's Lobster Pool in Seabrook, N.H. (Route 286, just off Route 1A). How they keep the prices down, I don't know but I'd certainly recommend going there is you love lobster and low prices. Of course, the market value changes the prices, but we've always found the dining bill to be quite low. The outdoor waterfront dining is a real plus, too... I love the Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury, Vt. (3600 Waterbury-Stowe Rd.). Cold Hollow makes apple cider the old-fashioned way with a rack and cloth press built in the 1920s. The taste is amazing! Cold Hollow is not just a cider place, however. They have a bakery (including delicious homemade donuts), Green Mountain Coffee, Vermont-made wines and a toy store. This always makes a pleasant fall foliage season destination... The Raven's Nest in Walpole, Mass. (998 Main St.), is what I'd call a "major league" restaurant.  Mark and Maura McCauliffe have gone through painstaking efforts to make the Raven's Nest look like an Irish pub (Mark is from Ireland). The bricks on one dining room wall were even hand-painted one-by-one! It's a ultra cozy place with fabulous contemporary cuisine and upscale pub fare, lots of draft beer selections, open air windows, an outdoor patio, seven plasma televisions to watch the game, and a nice fireplace for the winter. My favorite dishes: the baked mac and cheese, Shepherd's Pie, fillet of salmon with a soy ginger glaze, and the pesto chicken sandwich. Everything about The Raven's Nest just looks and feels right. Love this place; every hometown should have a downtown restaurant like this... All country stores that I have been to in Vermont are worth a trip, but my favorite is still the Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vt. (right in the heart of the quaint downtown). The place is huge and full of everything you could ever want in a country store. They haven't gone "Hollywood" either, keeping the authentic feel well intact... We started this post with a mention about a local fair, and we'll end it that way, too: the Topsfield Fair will be held this year from Sept. 30 to Oct. 10 at the Topsfield Fairgrounds in Topsfield, Mass. Not as large as The Big E, it's still worth a trip. The Topfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in the United States has a wonderful mix of agricultural exhibits and presentations, a good midway area, and entertainment (Phil Vassar, Sean Kingston and Ayla Brown are a few of the scheduled performers this year)... That's about if for now. Come back soon as we'll post some more New England travel thoughts not too far down the road!