The Latest New England Travel and Social Issues Articles at VisitingNewEngland.com

Article by Eric H.

We're back! Call it an upgrade to 50,000 watts of new online content centering on New England travel and vacation ideas.

So, what's been going on the the VisitingNewEngland.com newsroom? Well, we're currently featuring a photo essay of Cohasset, Mass., one of New England's most beautiful coastal towns. With a pleasing harbor and a quaint village setting, it's hard to believe that peaceful Cohasset is a suburb of Boston.

Due to popular demand, we also added a "Vacations Package" element to VisitingNewEngland.com. Here, the potential to save money is enormous by combining hotel, air and car rental bookings into one package. The Vacations Packages is powered by Orbitz, one of the true leaders in the travel industry.

For horse lovers, we think you'll enjoy our article on a Lakeville, Mass., farm that showcases several Clydesdale horses. The horses are stunning up close, surely different than what you see in those beer commercials!

On the restaurant side, we recently visited the Tock of the Town restaurant in Medfield, Mass. This relatively new breakfast and lunch place goes beyond your typical townie restaurant. Pride of ownership and a chef who knows what he's doing elevate this small restaurant
to another level.

We had fun putting together "Remembering Locally-Owned Boston Area Stores From Yesteryear," that includes mentions of Zayre department store, Grover Cronin's in Waltham, Mass., Eric Fuch's railroad store in Boston and Samtron Electronics in Somerville. We encourage readers to post comments on their memories!

We have begun to include articles that address social issues around New England, including a homeless shelter in Boston that helps families overcome the cycle of poverty.

We are currently working on a spring travel newsletter. Please feel to sign up for free on any VisitingNewEngland.com page (sign-up form is located in the right column). Additionally, we are pleased with the growth of our Facebook and Twitter social media pages where we feature the latest updates and discussions centering around New England.

We are currently working on more articles, and will alert you here when news breaks. Welcome back to the 50,000 watt blowtorch for New England travel writing!

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Favorite New England Restaurants

Article and photo (Salem Cross Inn) by Eric H.


This list is always changing, but here are my five current favorite restaurants in New England:

Salem Cross Inn, West Brookfield, Mass. - Charming, historic restaurant beautifully situated around open fields and rolling hills in the idyllic, Norman Rockwell-type central Massachusetts town of West Brookfield. Wonderful New England fare abounds for lunch and dinner, including chicken pot pie, Yankee Pot Roast, maple salmon, apple pie, prime rib, and homemade breads made in a beehive oven from 1699. With gleaming hardwood floors, post and beam ceilings, roaring fireplaces, antique furnishings, and a serene candlelight glow at night, the Salem Cross Inn will truly make you feel like you're in New England! The Salem Cross Inn also features some very "New England" special dining events, including multi-course fireside feasts, apple pie contests, herb sampling, fireplace pit roasts and hayrides and sleigh rides at various times of the splendid New England four seasons. Salem Cross Inn, Route 9, West Brookfield, Mass.. Tel. (508) 867-2345

The 1761 Old Mill, Westminster, Mass. - This former sawmill offers one of the most scenic restaurant settings we've seen in New England. A pond (with lots of ducks) and waterfall, two covered bridges, and a lovely restaurant interior with old wooden floors, and post and beam ceilings in the main dining rooms create a very cozy atmosphere. The food, while not quite as good as the Salem Cross Inn, is, nevertheless, very good -- especially the roast duck with apple-based stuffing and a choice of orange glaze or gravy, and a chicken pot pie with tender chicken, fresh vegetables and a perfectly-formed, flaky crust. If you're a fan of dessert, the homemade apple crisp and carrot cake rank amongst the best we've sampled in New England. The Sunday morning buffet is a traditional favorite with a nice variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner selections (the popovers are a highlight!). The 1761 Old Mill also features a downstairs gift shop with architecture twists and turns that seem to go on forever. The 1761 Old Mill , Rte. 2A, Westminster, Mass. Tel. (978) 874-5941

Parker's Maple Barn, Mason, N.H. - Rustic and secluded, this rural breakfast and lunch spot specializes in the "Parker's Special" with two eggs, two pancakes (or one french toast), two bacon strips, two sausages and ham or ham hash in place of all meats, home fries and toast. The maple baked beans with ham, maple Swiss burger with maple caramelized onions and maple ribs (do you detect a theme here?) are simply delicious and worth any extended drive to this isolated southern New England restaurant. The atmopshere is wonderful, too, set within an authentic 1800s dairy barn and silo. Inside, antique cow stanchions are integrated into handmade wooden tables and antique farm items. Over a small walking bridge near the restaurant resides a country store with maple products, jams, gourmet coffee, toys, herbal teas, a folksy book collection, natural log furniture and an impressive Native American section downstairs with arts, clothing and jewelry. Parker's Maple Barn, 1316 Brookline Rd., Mason, N.H. Tel. (603) 878-2308

Wright's Farm Restaurant, Nasonville, R.I. - Wright's features wonderfully succulent family-style chicken, homemade rolls, salad (with Wright's Farm Classic Italian Dressing), fries and macaroni at ridiculously low prices in a restaurant that seats over a 1,000 people. Not for the Atkins Diet set, but for those with no respect for calorie restriction, the comfort food is simply fabulous. Wright's also features one of the area's better gift shops, most notably for its figurines, jewelry, leather goods, souvenirs, and toys, games and stuffed animals. Wright's Farm Restaurant, 84 Inman Rd., Nasonville, R.I. , Tel. (401) 769-2856 (call ahead for days of operation and hours)

Clay Hill Farm, Cape Neddick, Maine - Lovely upscale but casual rambling farmhouse restaurant set in the countryside, but yet near the all coastal splendor of southern Maine (and only two miles from the famous Village of Ogunquit). Clay Hill Farm is a true dining romantic getaway with candlelit ambiance on the inside and rolling lawns, colorful gardens and protected woodlands on the out. The city sophistication that meets country atmosphere presence results in everything you could ever want in a "date night" restaurant. The food is expertly prepared, and the service classy and friendly. The menu is seasonal and never misses the mark; we've had roasted duck, scallops and steak dishes that were as memorable as the special atmosphere. Down East Magazine recognized Clay Hill Farm as "one of the five finest and reliable restaurants in Southern Maine!" Clay Hill Farm, 220 Clay Hill Rd., Cape Neddick, Maine. Tel. (207) 361-2272

Do you have a favorite New England restaurant? Please feel free to post a comment in this post!

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A Library Where Eating is Allowed

Article and photos by Eric H.

If your town or city has too many empty storefronts or municipal buildings, we suggest frequently reminding your local appointed and elected officials that there is a way to make good use of these structures. Of course, it all starts with your community encouraging local businesses to come into town -- so if that isn't the case, remind your local reps of that, too!

One of the best examples in New England of re energizing an empty town building is the Somethin's Brewin' Cafe, a library-turned-cafe in Lakeville, Mass. Holding onto the overwhelming charm of this 1913 Andrew Carnegie-funded former library, Somethin's Brewin' has created an unofficial, relaxed town meeting place where locals can have a cup of coffee or two over a delicious breakfast or lunch. The food is delicious, the atmosphere one-of-a-kind!

To read the full review on Somethin's Brewin', click on the link above.

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Unusual, Offbeat Looking Restaurants in New England

Article and Photos by Eric H.

If you're tired of dining at those box-shaped restaurants that all look the same (and often offer the same tasting things), then we suggest taking a look at some of the photos below. Every once in a while, there's a restaurant that stands out from the others -- unique in appearance and usually with an endearing gimmick. Before briefly describing each restaurant, we present to you the photos:

Prince Pizzeria, Saugus, MA


Beef Barn, North Smithfield, RI


Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs, Attleboro, MA


Milk Bottle Restaurant, Raynham, MA


The Traveler Restaurant, Union, CT (look at all the books!)


The Lyndon Freighthouse, Lyndonville, VT


The Western Hotel, Harrisville, RI


The Prince Restaurant, in Saugus, MA (517 Broadway, Route 1 South, Tel., 781-233-9950) with its "Leaning Tower of Pizza" structure, features some wonderful Italian-style pizza and pasta with homemade sauce. The Beef Barn, in North Smithfield, RI (1 Greenville Rd., Tel. 401-762-9880), showcases a huge silo just minutes from the City of Woonsocket, brings back dining prices from 20 years ago and specializes in delicious roast beef. Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs, in Attleboro, MA (31 County St., Phone: 508-222-9787), is quite noticeable with its giant hot dog sign (seemingly larger than the tiny restaurant) and some amazing, low-priced hot dogs. The Milk Bottle In Raynham, MA (785 Broadway, 508-822-6833), is famous for its towering milk bottle structure, some very friendly service and excellent lunches and breakfasts. The Traveler Restaurant in Union, CT (Rt. 84, exit 74, Union, CT. Tel. 860-684-4920), looks rather generic from the outside, but inside, the booths and tables are surrounded by a virtual library of books. Each customer is allowed to take home a book after dining at the Traveler! The Lyndon Freighthouse, in Lyndonville, VT, (1000 Broad St., Tel. 802-626-1400) is a full-service restaurant (excellent organic breakfast, lunch and dinner selections), gift shop, railroad museum, coffee shop, ice cream parlor and information center, all set within a historic, former freight house! The Western Hotel, in Harrisville, RI (610 Douglas Ave., Tel. 401) 568-6253), is a former 1700s stagecoach stop and looks like something out of the wild west -- they happen to serve great Rhode Island clam chowder, steaks and bar pizza.

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