The Berkshires in Massachusetts is a place once you visit you keep going back because you’ll find it soothing to get wonderfully lost in the atmosphere.

The view most people see of the region is from the Mass Pike as they travel to New York State going west or heading to Boston going east. And that’s about as far as it goes, and that’s a shame as it holds many riches as I discovered a number of years ago.

I love to weekend hike and prefer hills and mountains that are enjoyable to walk rather than prepare me for the next ascent of Everest. The Berkshires is perfect for my abilities and needs. I can even cope with the likes of Mount Greylock.

I have a few favorite places in the Berkshires that I’ll share with you today. You know things to do and places to stay.

One thing I enjoy doing in this region is just driving around picking out villages and small towns to stop for awhile and find a general store or a place to grab a coffee and sandwich and hang out. There are plenty of these as you travel south on route 8 which you can pick up at the town of Adams and then work yourself across and back up along Route 23, Route 112 and finally Route 116 back to Adams.

Favorite villages for me include: Cheshire, West Stockbridge, Sheffield, Monterey, Otis, Blandford, Russell, Huntingdon and Ringville on the road to Worthington. These places are about as far away from the larger towns in the Berkshires as you can get and a world removed from Boston and Springfield.

If you’re like me and enjoy walking but maybe not the fittest person in the world then you’ll enjoy Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield and Mount Washington State Forest in Mt. Washington. The oddly named Bartholomew’s Cobble is ponds and easy rambling trails and a few hills to climb for views. Mount Washington State Forest has Bash-Bish Falls which I imagine would be spectacular during the foliage season. One of my goals is to get to the region during fall foliage season.

My final time spent when I visit is indulging in a little culture. I’d read this area is known for its outdoors during the day and cultural entertainment at night. However, I’m not a great Shakespeare or dance person but do enjoy galleries and in North Adams you have the Mass MoCA if contemporary art is your scene. This is a huge place and known for its controversial exhibits.

A short trip further north to Williamstown – another scenic town close to the Vermont border – you can visit the Williams College of Art and the Sterling and Francine Clark Institute. You may need a weekend to do these places and the town justice especially if you include Mass MoCA.

Of course there is all the other stuff such as Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge and the Hancock Shaker Village but now you’ll need a week.

The Berkshires has a number of old stagecoach roads that were once used as overnight stops on the way to Albany when this was more of a pioneer region. Inns used to dot the coach roads and while many have vanished a few are left and reasonably priced if you’re looking for a weekend getaway.

The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and the Merrell Inn in Lee fit the olde New England stagecoach inn perfectly. The Red Lion Inn is large and does evening dining along with traditional bed and breakfast. The Merrill Inn only has eleven rooms last time I checked and offers just bed and breakfast. And for something special there is the Inn at Stockbridge.

I’m not sure when I’m going to get to the Berkshires again to tour around, but we haven’t picked a weekend fall foliage destination yet and as I’m writing this you know it sounds awfully tempting to spend it in my Berkshires. We’ll see.

Jacky “dude” Spratt

Mystic Country is a region in eastern Connecticut used to describe the area around the town and coastline of Mystic. It has a lot of attractiosn for the visitor.

Most people usually get to visit this region because of Mystic Seaport or one of the entertainment complexes of Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. I’m not a gambler myself, although I’ve been known to blow $100 dollars once on a night out in Las Vegas, but I did appreciate the attractions of Mystic Seaport and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum when I visited this region.

I have been to Foxwoods and it is quite a complex but I went for a show which unfortunately was canceled because the performer preferred to be on drugs than meet their obligations. It was a long way to go and a large disappointment. But we had a nice meal at one of the superb restaurants in the casino/hotel.

I definitely recommend Mystic Seaport and Pequot Museum. The Pequot tribe also owns Foxwoods, and their Museum is considered to be the largest devoted to Native American history and artifacts in the world.

Exhibits there include “The Glacial Crevasse,” “The Arrival of the People,” “Life in a Cold Climate,” “The Changing Environment,” “The Pequot Village,” “The Arrival of the Europeans,” “Prelude to War,” “The Pequot War,” and “Life on the Reservation.” Each of the displays provides insights into the celebrations of their life and the struggles they endured. Stirring and educational stuff

Mystic Seaport is the recreation of a New England Whaling town. It has shops and Tall Ships and exhibits to fill in the details about life in the Nineteenth century for the families that provided the wealth for many a New England town.

The Whaling industry center moved around New England from Cape Cod to Nantucket and eventually to New Bedford. And evidence of the fortunes amassed can be seen in these areas. But at Mystic it brings it together under one roof and you can still see the skills used to build those wonderful whaling ships practiced in the workshops. The skills help keep the Tall Ships they have in tip-top shape.

Plan to spend a whole day at Mystic Seaport and another one at the Pequot Museum.

Another stop we made was at the Mystic Aquarium. This is a little different than the one in Boston. A lot of the exhibits are outside and frankly I like it. You get to see some unusual seas creatures like Beluga Whales and Northern Fur Seals. And if the weather is nice then it makes for an exciting time. The underwater viewing window of the Polar Bears alone was worth the price of admission.

The coastline along this part of Connecticut is picturesque and with a side trip out to Stonington Harbor we saw the unusual Stonington Harbor Lighthouse built in 1840 and now a museum open in July and August.

Outside the obvious accommodation at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun there are a number of Bed and Breakfasts and Inns around Mystic Country. And they cater well for the getaway couple but you’ll need to do some serious hunting if you’re on a tight budget. The Mystic area is not inexpensive I’m afraid. Top rated inns include Steamboat Inn and Mermaid Inn where you can expect to spend around $200 for a room, and good value at a cheaper rate can be found at the Harbour Inne and Cottage.

Check Mystic out next time you’re travels take you to eastern Connecticut.

Jacky “boy” Spratt

Over the years I’ve had a lot of trips to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and seen it in just about every season. It’s the largest lake in the so called Lakes Region and one of the deepest. This is one of those places in New England you either love or hate. I took that straight out of my journal entry back in the 90′s.

What’s there to love about Lake Winnipesaukee?

If you have a boat then the lake really welcomes you. There are plenty of water sports and activities to do on the lake and the only thing to remember is the traffic can be high at times so you have your wits about you. Jet skis in particular always seem dangerous to me.

The Lake has a number of towns dotted around the lake where you can lodge or get dinner. These include Meredith, Weirs Beach, Alton, and Wolfeboro – there are some smaller ones but I forget their names. There is no shortage of places to stay and you can rent a house much cheaper here than on Cape Cod.

For food Weirs Beach is your “fish and chip” town, but for fine dining Meredith and Wolfeboro take the cap. And of course there is everything in between.

You can take a lake cruise on the M/S Mount Washington for a view of the multi-million dollar homes and see the town from a different perspective. This is a pleasant cruise for a few hours and on a hot day you’ll get some cooling breeze of the lake.

Also leaving from the same location in Weirs Beach as the cruise ship is the railroad trip along the shoreline and back. At times I think it went slower than the cruise ship but nonetheless it was a good waste of time.

The surrounding mountain ranges are really foothills of the White Mountains and most trails are easy to hike but give you excellent views. But if you want an easy hike with great view try the Rattlesnake Trail out near Squam Lakes – in about 15-minutes of walking you have some of the best views south of Mount Washington.

And if you need to pick up supplies or get to a large supermarket or discount store then Laconia is just a short hop away from Lake Winnipesaukee.

What is not to like about Lake Winnipesaukee?

Weirs Beach I guess.  It’s not my favorite place on the Lake. Somewhat tacky and brash and just an okay place to take kids for entertainment – and parking can be a frustrating experience in summer.

If it rains there’s not a heck of a lot to do as it really is geared up for outdoor activities. I know we had a few days rain once and I was struggling to keep my sanity – but the same could be said of the Cape as well but at least you can go down to the beach and watch the storm.

There’s more to like about Lake Winnipesaukee than dislike. People tell me that you either love the coast or love the lakes and mountains. I think this is a lot of BS – I know plenty – and I include myself in this – that loves both.

But for me Lake Winnipesaukee can’t hold a candle to Cape Cod or the Maine coast or lakes. But I keep going back there as my travels take me through it.. or around it.

Jack Spratt

Cape Ann is a collection of small towns north of Boston, and tends to play second fiddle to its more famous peninsular south of Boston – Cape Cod.  But my visit there proved there is nothing second-fiddle about Cape Ann.

My first encounter with Cape Ann was back in the ‘80s and like many my introduction was through a whale watching cruise I took from Gloucester harbor. Since then I’ve also visited Rockport and Manchester-by-the-Sea on separate occasions. I’ve still to visit Essex, which is the other town in the Cape Ann collection.

Gloucester is a hard-working fishing town. The spotlight was thrown on the town most recently as the main setting for the book and movie “The Perfect Storm.” As a fishing port it is America’s oldest and has suffered the most through loss of lives at sea – the number is staggering. The New England coast is famous for its raging and angry storms especially around the Capes.

Gloucester has a number of whale watch cruises that leave for Stellwagen Bank daily during the season and the one I went on gave us a rain check because I didn’t see any whales. Unfortunately, on our return trip I had a boat load of school kids who kept throwing-up! But I did get to see the whales – which were awesome.

I also managed to squeeze in a trip to Hammond Castle on the outskirts of town, and which is only open at weekends – interesting place. An American’s version of a medieval castle and crammed with all the European artifacts John Hammond collected

Rockport is an artist community and most famous as containing the red-painted fishing shack depicted in so many photograph collections on New England. The actual shack is called “Motif No 1.” People pass time on visits by walking up and down the gallery and art shops spread out around the town.

When I visited Rockport it was a “dry” town – no bars, etc. This may have changed. Anyway this is one town it would have been nice to have more time to spare. We didn’t get to Halibut Point – great for hiking – and there’s plenty of opportunity for fishing and kayaking as well.

Manchester-by-the-Sea – apparently the town renamed itself to avoid confusion with Manchester, New Hampshire – is the closest Cape Ann community to Boston. Its most famous landmark is “Singing Beach.” But it also has the Trask House Museum, a scenic harbor and shops and restaurants for “wasting” an afternoon.

Singing Beach is apparently so named because of the sound it makes when you walk on it. Hmm – I may have to revisit to get that one again, I didn’t hear too much of singing. It is considered one of the North Shore’s best beaches. It is a gorgeous beach as New England beaches go. Just difficult to find parking – actually impossible – and even if you walk on you get charged.

Jack Spratt “yer buddy”!

In an earlier post my travel journal took me to Watch Hill in Rhode Island. Today my journal discusses Newport, RI. – a place I visit regularly and here’s why.

It doesn’t matter when I visit Newport, RI it never disappoints. Summer is popular but I’ve also traveled there in the fall and enjoyed the ocean breeze and walking around the harbor alleyways. I’ve even visited during the holiday season when some of the mansions are decorated and special events are going on.

But the summer is the best for family entertainment.

The most famous attractions are the Mansions you can visit and tour. Over the years I’ve done most, and if you’ve never done any before then you should at least do a couple.

The mansions are mostly on Bellevue Avenue just outside the downtown harbor and shopping area. You can buy tickets at any of the mansions. They’re all group tours and my advice is not to plan on too many in a day – two is plenty and three is overkill unless you don’t want to do anything else.

I don’t do the Mansions anymore as after a few they all begin to look the same. I found Marble House grotesque even for Newport – but enjoyed the Astors’ Beechwood and Rosecliff. At the Astors’ when I visited the tour guides were actors and performed the tour in role play and it made the visit fun and engaging.

But Newport has much more than just the Mansions.

If you have a bike, take it with you and park you car at the large garage at the Newport Gateway and forget about it for the rest of your trip. You can cycle out to Bellevue Avenue and then pick up Ocean Drive at the end of Bellevue and this will lead you out of the town and along the coast to Brenton Point State Park.

Be sure to take your camera and stop frequently along the way. Many times I see people fishing out on the rocks and I’ll take a break to see what they’re catching. There is always a breeze along the coast and I can sit for hours listening to surf and enjoying the solitude.

At Brenton Point people have picnics and fly kites and play Frisbee and tag football. If you want to get a picnic table come early at weekends and grab one of the BBQ pits available. I can barely get one of the simple one string kites up and running, but “experts” perform complicated maneuvers with multiple string kites. I wonder sometimes how long it takes to get to that level and whether I have the passion enough to put the necessary “time in” to get those skills – anyway they are wizards to watch.

With the cycle back into town you have choices on the route. You can go back passing Fort Adams State Park – another great place to stop and admire the view across the harbor – or you can shortcut back to Bellevue Avenue when you see the sign at one of the crossroads. If you have the time take the Fort Adams and then Harbor route back to town as it’s more interesting and offers a chance to make frequent stops and get out your camera.

You can also do the same Ocean Drive route in your car and have almost as much fun.

Newport also has some nice beaches and the famous Cliff Walk that is accessed from Easton’s or First beach. I’ve done the Cliff Walk a few times and it takes you around the back of many of the mansions and at points offers dramatic views of the Newport coastline. Just remember this is an out and back walk and so allow plenty of time for retracing steps. It’s also a little rugged in places with some steep drops hidden by bushes.

A perfect end to a visit to Newport, RI for me is to walk around the harbor alleyways with their specialty shops and café and have a drink and an ice cream.

If I can swing it and have time to spare I’ll also take one of the harbor cruises and just soak up the sun and the cooling breeze out on the water. For others it’s a history trip as the narrator talks about who owns what houses and points out isolated houses on rocks and smugglers coves – all good stuff.

I confess I enjoy Newport, RI for the scene and the biking and walking opportunities. The scene is multi-million dollar yachts and homes and surrounded by New England history and great dining and bars.

Enjoy.

Jack “the dude” Spratt

The folks over at New England Vacation Guide have produced a promotional video for the region highlighting a lot about New England that attracts visitors.

I love the video and the great images they chose to use to showcase the region.

My only criticism with the video is it would have been nice to have the name of the location for each image. Some of the images – like Boston – are so well know that you don’t have to name them. But others – like the lighthouses, covered bridges and fall mountain pictures – could have been identified so viewers could have included those locations in planning their trips.

Outside that it’s way better than the average YouTube video about New England which is usually somebody with a handheld video camera driving around on their vacation and boring the pants off everybody for 40 minutes with a “cloverfield”-type video of their car, hotel room and feet.

Sorry – it’s a pet peeve of mine about YouTube.

Anyway here is the video:

This weekend is Memorial Day in the U.S. Have a safe one and get out and enjoy some of the destinations and locations in the video!

Jack Spratty

A few years ago my travels took me to Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, and close to the town of Peacham. Peacham has the distinction of being the most photographed town in Vermont.

I visited in the spring but am told it is beautiful in the fall when the foliage is in full bloom and the town has a special celebration called Peacham Fall Foliage Day. I had to make do with a visit when the town was awakening from its long winter in this wilderness area close to the Canadian border.

Peacham boasts a population hovering around 650 and the town was settled in 1776 – so when people ask you what was the year of the American Revolution you can tell them it was the same year that Peacham in Vermont was settled.

Peacham is a little under 200-miles from Boston and located just south of St. Johnsbury, the largest town in the Northeast Kingdom and a place for travelers to stay if you’re in the area.

The town of Peacham attracts visitors for its remoteness and scenic beauty of rolling hills and city dwellers romantic imagination of how Vermont should look. The town has a white clapboard church, red barns, an intriguing country store, a blacksmith shop, and close to town are an Alpacas farm and the Peacham Bog Natural Area.

In the summer and fall visitors stroll around the town with nowhere in particular to go and relax and enjoy the hospitality of the residents, and sooner or later wander into Peacham Store – an old-fashioned Vermont country store.  The store sells light fare to take out and eat on the porch but dining requires driving to nearby towns.
The town is featured in a coffee-table book called “New England’s Most Beautiful Villages” and I certainly wouldn’t argue with the selection.

The main road through Peacham is called the Bayley Hazen Road and it connects Peacham to another celebrated village in the Kingdom called Craftsbury. The road was originally commissioned by George Washington in anticipation of military campaigns against the British Troops located across the Canadian border. But it was abandoned once it was realized the British could also use it for conducting their campaigns. The road stretches for 54-miles.

Traveling in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont offers peace and uncomplicated relaxation that most of us will find hard to enjoy. If you find yourself visiting and looking for a list of things to see and do then you’ve missed the point of visiting Peacham. Peacham is a village to relax in and not do anything but wander around and wish there were a few more days in the year when you could do the same.

Enjoy a visit to the Kingdom and Peacham.

Jack Sprat

Flume Gorge in the White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire is one of those spots in New England I never tire of visiting. It is an easy hike and colorful in summer and fall.

Located at the base of Mount Liberty and in Franconia Notch State Park allow a few hours to explore not only the gorge but other rock formations, waterfalls, and scenic views from along the trail beyond the gorge which winds back to the visitor’s center. The trail passes by one of New Hampshire’s most photographed covered bridges as it traverses over the Pemigewaset River and built in 1886.

Formed over 200 million years ago and worn down by the Flume Brook, the gorge has a walkway through it so you can experience this impressive geological formation.

The gorge was formed when the original soft basalt rock was worn down by the brook still passing through the gorge, leaving the harder granite exposed, and forming the 70-90-feet walls of the gorge. As you wander through the gorge you’ll see trees and moss clinging to the steep walls.

The visitor center has a short introductory film about the gorge and Franconia State Park. The gorge is open early May to late October.

The Flume Gorge is one of New Hampshire’s most popular natural wonders and can be reached by taking exit 34A on Route 93.

Franconia Notch State Park also includes the famous Old Man of the Mountain face which crumbled a number of years ago, Echo Lake where you can stop for a swim, and Cannon Mountain that runs its aerial tramway through summer and fall offering views of the surrounding mountains. Cannon is also home to the New England ski museum.

The park also offers a number of walking and bike trails.

Jack Sprat

I came across this the other day – Six Flags New England Gets Ready for Bizarro! Turns out a new thrill ride is coming to the park this Memorial Day. With the last year of stock market news do we really need another big roller coaster ride?

Well, the folks at Six Flags New England obviously think we do.

To be honest I can take or leave the big thrill rides. I think I lost my thirst for them with a ride on the “Tower of Terror” at MGM in Orlando back in the nineties with a bunch of six-pack buddies. I’ve come to prefer to be more in control of any death-defying acts I chose to take part of these days – and roller coaster or similar rides don’t fit into that category.

But my traumatic experience should not deter you – or me from that matter – from visiting New England’s most grand theme park – Six Flags. There’s plenty of other stuff – like a water park – to enjoy.

Located in Agawam – where? – A town just outside Springfield, Six Flags is a clean, if a tad expensive, park. Well run and maintained it has the feel of a modern theme park rather than a throwback to amusement parks of the seventies with questionable safety and operator concerns. I remember my parents taking me there back in… no; we don’t have to go there.

Six Flags New England is part of the national Six Flags chain and a large chunk of investment has been made in the park over the years since change of ownership.

I’ve included it in my journal because it’s timely – Six Flags opens during school vacation week in Massachusetts – and guess what? It’s that time of the year already. If you’ve got kids – of any age – then maybe this is a chance to get them out for a day and let all that winter energy they’ve stored up be released!

The water park doesn’t open until Memorial Day – but then neither does Bizarro! And though its way too early for outdoor water activities in New England anyways – somehow I’m not too disappointed that Bizarro is not ready to accept screams and yells yet.

Like its big brother – Disney – Six Flags New England offers a “jump the line” method they call Fast Track. Fast Track is a device you pay extra for, and it sends you an alert when it’s your turn to take the ride(s) you choose. Effectively you still wait but not in line.

In my life I’ve experienced Disney theme parks in Orlando and California in addition to Six Flags in New England and the major difference for me is Disney is all about the experience, and Six Flags is about the rides.

You can’t describe Six Flags as quaint or charming or even historic, but entertaining for a few hours it certainly can be. And as a destination for most kids on Spring break it’s a welcome distraction from exams and the final rush towards last term at school.

Jack – who the heck was Bizarro anyway? – Sprat

The Boston Marathon is one of the few prestigious marathon races left in the world that has a point A to Point B course, and this post is written just a few days before the 2009 race in April on Patriots Day.

The Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, a small town west of Boston, and finishes 26-miles 385-yards later in Boston’s Back Bay. People line the streets and roads for just about its entire length. It is quite a spectacle, and marathon fever is infectious.

I have the seen the event a number of times and the best viewing is early in the course, or later if you’re prepared to camp-out for a few hours. The finish is most popular for obvious reasons but the famous “Heartbreak Hill” 5-mile section a close second.

But back quickly to the course. Because Boston has chosen to stick with its original route it means it can never qualify for a World Best time in this distance. Only so called “out and back” marathon courses now qualify for records. An “out and back” course ensures an even terrain course and reduces the chance of wind being a factor.

The current marathon distance (26 mi., 385 yds.) was set for the 1908 London Olympics so that the course could start at Windsor Castle and end in front of the Royal Box. Not until 1921, however, was that distance adopted as the “official” Marathon distance by the IAAF – and for a record to be accepted the course has to meet certain IAAF standards.

On average 20,000 runners pass along the route, with the record being 38,708 entrants for the Centennial in 1996.

New England weather is difficult to predict and I’ve known it cold enough to snow and warm enough to watch it in T-shirts and shorts. For the runners though it doesn’t make much difference once they get warm.

If you’re a spectator – just dress in layers. This race is one of the sights of New England and should be on anybody’s travel journal.

You can find more details about the race at www.bostonmarathon.org

Jack