Newport

Once the summer playground of America's wealthiest families, Newport remains a popular vacation destination at any time of year. The famous Newport mansions, offer detailed tours and give a fascinating glimpse into Gilded Age extravagance. While the town rightly emphasizes its history with a variety of museums and tours, Newport also has a vibrant, contemporary side, with quirky shops and great restaurants.

 

Newport is favorite day trip of mine for sure. There are so many yummy restaurants, shops to visit and not to mention the beautiful Newport Mansions! Newport is right on the water as well, which makes this destination just that much more enjoyable!  Newport is fun for the whole family too. There are many places to bring little kids but Newport can be used a perfect date night spot for couples as well.

 

A few of my favtiore restaurants in Newport are 22 Bowens and the Brick Alley Pub. They both  have a wide range of foods ontheir menue including seafood which Newport is famous for. Most of the restaurnats in Newport are procey somake sureyouhave enough money to cover the bill!

 

My favorite part of Newport is the mansions. If you have not yet taken a tour it is definitely worth it. The architecture is amazing and great for those who are into photography.  Not only are the mansions themselves breathtaking but they also are situated on large pieces of land right by the water. Newport is beautiful all on its own and the seaside is breathtaking. I would recommend a visit to Newport and the mansions for families and couples. The best time to visit would be in the summer but anytime of the year will do!

Cape Cod

There are so many different vacation places in New England. From the Berkshires in Massachusetts to ski resorts up north, there are countless options. If you are looking for pristine beaches, tasty restaurants and gorgeous sunsets, Cape Cod it the place for you.

 

Growing up, I vacationed in Cape Cod every summer. My family and I have a summer home in Orleans which is a quaint little town in southern Cape Cod. All together there are 15 different  towns on the Cape. My favorites are Chatham because of the shopping and restaurants, Plymouth for its history, and Orleans for its beaches.

 

My favorite beaches on the Cape are Skaket beach and Nauset beach. They are both in the town  of Orleans. Nauset is the beach to go to if you love to surf or boogie board. The waves  are incredible! The water is usually pretty cold year round but the view of the ocean and the size of the waves are definitely worth it. Skaket is more of a quiet beach. There are no waves and I have experienced the water to be as warm as 75 degrees!

 

There are so many sights to see on the Cape. A few that I would recommend are Plymouth Plantation, and the Pilgrim Monument. Plymouth Plantation is an indoor and outdoor museum giving the history of the Native Americans and Pilgrims who lived on Cape Cod. There is so much to see and learn and it is great for families with children as well. The Pilgrim Monument in Province town Cape Cod. Standing at 252 feet, the Monument commemorates the history of the Mayflower Pilgrims. It’s the tallest all-granite structure in the United States. When you climb to the top  you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular view of Provincetown and beyond.

 

The great thing about Cape Cod is that it is not too big and not too small. Vacationing there for a week is just enough o enjoy most of the sights and experiences that the Cape has to offer.:)

New Hampshire Skiing

Living in New England does come with enduring some harsh winters. With temperatures below zero at times and lots of snowfall, you can say that winter in New England may not be a favorite to all. In my opinion there is nothing that wee can do to change the weather, so why not make the most of it? Fortunately, there are countless winter activities to take up including skiing, tubing, snow shoeing and snow boarding. A favorite of mine is definitely skiing.

 

I learned to ski a few years ago up in New Hampshire. My Dad's cousin owns a ski house in Bethlehem,  New Hampshire (beautiful town to check out if you can ) so my  family and  I are there a lot during the winter. There are over 20 different ski mountains to choose from in New Hampshire. A few of my favorites are Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods and Loon.

 

Bretton Woods is the mountain where I first learned to ski. It is a great beginners mountain as well as having a bunch of black diamonds to suit the well experienced. There are always ski instructors available to give lessons daily and there's even ski school where you can spend a few hours learning to ski before heading out on the slopes alone.

 

When you ski you have two choices on how to get to the top of the mountain. There first is by chair lift and the second is rope pull. If you easily get  motion sick, I would highly recommend the rope pull. The chair lifts tend to sway a lot and it can cause nausea. I know this from personal experience. Other then that the view is great and can be peaceful. The rope tow is when you hold on to a rope on the side of the mountain and it pulls you up. You have to be able to hold on to the rope for a while because it does take a good ten minutes to get to the top of the mountain.

 

I have been skiing for about four years now and it is definitely a fun and enjoyable winter sport. There are different levels of difficulty for each mountain so there are many options for each skier. Please take the drive to New Hampshire when you can! You won't regret it:)

Autumn Adventures

Out of all four seasons In New England, my absolute favorite by far is autumn. With all of the beautiful leaves changing color, the crisp fresh air, and the many sights to see, the fall is  one of the best aspects of living in New England. Growing up, I would always look forward to when the fall was coming. There were always little signs here and there that I could look for and be sure that autumn was right around the corner. Ones that I can remember most, are noticing the change in air from the hot summer afternoons to more of a cool morning, or seeing that the once new green leaves were fading to a crimson tone.

Once autumn officially hits New England, the sights to see are like no other. The colors of the leaves are absolutely breathtaking and there are countless places to go to if you want to see hundreds of beautifully colored trees lined up. When I was young my parents and I would always go on Sunday drives to Massachusetts or Connecticut to see the leaves changing color. I would always look forward to this because I  knew the lovely sights I would soon be seeing. A family tradition of mine growing up would be visiting various apple orchards in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Picking apples was a great way to enjoy the outdoors in the fall as well as getting to enjoy the most popular fruit that comes about in the autumn months.

Other various autumn events include farmers markets, hiking and  biking. A favorite of mine would definitely be hiking through the woods on a calm autumn day. The birds are singing, the air is fresh and the view is absolutely breathtaking. I have hiked in many different New England areas including, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine. Even though I've been to many places to hike, my favorite is right down the street from my home. Arcadia is a popular trail that goes for roughly 7 miles and takes you on a trip through Rhode Island's largest protected area.  While hiking you can enjoy the autumn foliage, as well as wetlands, marshes, and open bodies of water.

For me, autumn is a very relaxing season where you can enjoy countless activities as well as doing something so simple as taking a hike. It is important to remember that there are very few places that can offer such a beautiful time of year, which is just one of the many reasons why, New England is the best place to be.