Summer weekends in New England (Cape Cod and the Berkshires)
Aug 4th, 2014 | 06:34 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2014
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Summer weekends in New England (Cape Cod and the Berkshires)
If you live in New England (or are visiting in the summer), there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate every summer weekend - within a two hour drive. I am sharing our family's recent weekend trips to New Hampshire, Cape Cod and the Berkshires.
(for the accompanying pictures, here is the link to my blog http://celebratetheweekend.com/summe...ncluded-handy/
Our family’s summer celebrations this year started with a last minute getaway to the lake house on Long Pond in East Lempster, New Hampshire. Unplanned celebrations do happen – thank you, dear O. and M. for inviting us to share the breathtaking lake sunset with you! And while boating, fishing, and kayaking are all pretty typical New Hampshire’s activities given the state’s many beautiful lakes, I cannot guarantee that you will be as lucky as we were with a view from your deck. I am sure it will be still worth your drive.
The Cape Cod weekend was next. I never stop being grateful for this (mostly) unpretentious piece of vacation land nearby with its numerous lakes, forests and ocean beaches to satisfy almost every beach goer style. During this particular weekend in July we revisited our “old time” favorite pass time- camping in the Nickerson State Park in Brewster ($15 overnight per site).
There are several lakes with sand beaches at the park ($5 daily pass if you just want to spend the day). The park is so popular with campers from the US Northeast and Canada that you have to make a reservation six months in advance. We did not have a reservation but our long time camping “buddies” invited us to join them for a weekend of campfires, guitar singing and long morning philosophical coffee talks. (It is possible to put up two or even three reasonably sized tents at one site.) Nearby Sweetwater Forrest is a private campground and is much easier to book (nightly family rates start at $35; there are no lakes).
Nickerson’s another advantage is its location on the family biker’s paradise- Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT). CCRT is a relatively flat paved bikeway that runs 25 miles from South Dennis to Wellfleet along scenic lakes, meadows and ocean vistas. There are some elevations in Orleans and Wellfleet where it nears the sea but we have not actually made it that far on the trail yet. We usually start at the trail entrance in Dennis and bike for 6 miles to the pond in Brewster where we picnic and sometimes swim. If we are especially hungry we may make it to Cobie’s (11 miles one way) for some fried seafood right off the trail (beware: cash only).
There are several bike rental place on the trail, the biggest one is Barb’s bikes at the trail entrance in Dennis on rt 134.
Our next “traditional” summer celebration stop is Berkshires mountains in Western Massachusetts – summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and numerous dance and theater companies from around the world.
This year we planned to go on a day trip but a change in the forecast made us rush to the evening concert in Tanglewood instead.
Summer day concerts in Tanglewood are suitable for families with kids of all ages (lawn tickets start at $10, free for kids), and if you are romantically inclined –opt for an evening concert under the stars. Regulars bring their dinner tables set for six and glass goblets, but a lawn chair and some snacks will do for the first timer. Check out Tanglewood’s summer schedule and note special family days with instrument Playground and live performances for the kids.
On this trip in July we enjoyed the Ravel under the stars before settling in an overpriced motel “from hell” for the night (I would strongly consider day trip next time).
In the morning we walked the beautiful grounds of Kripalu yoga center across the street from Tanglewood (some of you may remember my post from Kripalu ) and swam in the nearby Stockbridge bowl.
Hungry for some more culture, we headed to the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio (a contemporary art museum and educational center in Lenox) but did not make it far into the grounds. Be prepared for the fees even to walk the woods to the main property (we were not, and decided to come back another day). Judging from this glimpse of the collection in the parking lot, the visit should be enlightening.
Instead we opted for the gardens of the “Age of Innocence” writer Edith Wharton’s estate ($18 admission for adults includes guided tours of home and gardens- $12 for grounds only, kids under 18 are free).
And that just about made our day.
(and if that was not enough to fill up yours, I suggest visiting a free dance performance by students of the Jacobs Pillow Dance Center in the nearby Becket. Jacobs Pillow is a home of summer dance festival with participating best dance companies from around the world. )
(for the accompanying pictures, here is the link to my blog http://celebratetheweekend.com/summe...ncluded-handy/
Our family’s summer celebrations this year started with a last minute getaway to the lake house on Long Pond in East Lempster, New Hampshire. Unplanned celebrations do happen – thank you, dear O. and M. for inviting us to share the breathtaking lake sunset with you! And while boating, fishing, and kayaking are all pretty typical New Hampshire’s activities given the state’s many beautiful lakes, I cannot guarantee that you will be as lucky as we were with a view from your deck. I am sure it will be still worth your drive.
The Cape Cod weekend was next. I never stop being grateful for this (mostly) unpretentious piece of vacation land nearby with its numerous lakes, forests and ocean beaches to satisfy almost every beach goer style. During this particular weekend in July we revisited our “old time” favorite pass time- camping in the Nickerson State Park in Brewster ($15 overnight per site).
There are several lakes with sand beaches at the park ($5 daily pass if you just want to spend the day). The park is so popular with campers from the US Northeast and Canada that you have to make a reservation six months in advance. We did not have a reservation but our long time camping “buddies” invited us to join them for a weekend of campfires, guitar singing and long morning philosophical coffee talks. (It is possible to put up two or even three reasonably sized tents at one site.) Nearby Sweetwater Forrest is a private campground and is much easier to book (nightly family rates start at $35; there are no lakes).
Nickerson’s another advantage is its location on the family biker’s paradise- Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT). CCRT is a relatively flat paved bikeway that runs 25 miles from South Dennis to Wellfleet along scenic lakes, meadows and ocean vistas. There are some elevations in Orleans and Wellfleet where it nears the sea but we have not actually made it that far on the trail yet. We usually start at the trail entrance in Dennis and bike for 6 miles to the pond in Brewster where we picnic and sometimes swim. If we are especially hungry we may make it to Cobie’s (11 miles one way) for some fried seafood right off the trail (beware: cash only).
There are several bike rental place on the trail, the biggest one is Barb’s bikes at the trail entrance in Dennis on rt 134.
Our next “traditional” summer celebration stop is Berkshires mountains in Western Massachusetts – summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and numerous dance and theater companies from around the world.
This year we planned to go on a day trip but a change in the forecast made us rush to the evening concert in Tanglewood instead.
Summer day concerts in Tanglewood are suitable for families with kids of all ages (lawn tickets start at $10, free for kids), and if you are romantically inclined –opt for an evening concert under the stars. Regulars bring their dinner tables set for six and glass goblets, but a lawn chair and some snacks will do for the first timer. Check out Tanglewood’s summer schedule and note special family days with instrument Playground and live performances for the kids.
On this trip in July we enjoyed the Ravel under the stars before settling in an overpriced motel “from hell” for the night (I would strongly consider day trip next time).
In the morning we walked the beautiful grounds of Kripalu yoga center across the street from Tanglewood (some of you may remember my post from Kripalu ) and swam in the nearby Stockbridge bowl.
Hungry for some more culture, we headed to the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio (a contemporary art museum and educational center in Lenox) but did not make it far into the grounds. Be prepared for the fees even to walk the woods to the main property (we were not, and decided to come back another day). Judging from this glimpse of the collection in the parking lot, the visit should be enlightening.
Instead we opted for the gardens of the “Age of Innocence” writer Edith Wharton’s estate ($18 admission for adults includes guided tours of home and gardens- $12 for grounds only, kids under 18 are free).
And that just about made our day.
(and if that was not enough to fill up yours, I suggest visiting a free dance performance by students of the Jacobs Pillow Dance Center in the nearby Becket. Jacobs Pillow is a home of summer dance festival with participating best dance companies from around the world. )
Aug 5th, 2014 | 04:26 AM
#4
Joined: Sep 2004
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Do you ever visit Cape Cod in October? We will be in the area and thinking of making an off season visit. My husband has never been to the Cape. We love to bike so the trail sounds appealing.
I love quick getaways and day trips. How great that you take advantage of the wonderful places to visit near you. We're headed to Lake Erie this weekend. It's 30 minutes to 2 hours away, depending on where you go. So close but only a few of our friends take advantage and visit--except to go to Cedar Point.
I love quick getaways and day trips. How great that you take advantage of the wonderful places to visit near you. We're headed to Lake Erie this weekend. It's 30 minutes to 2 hours away, depending on where you go. So close but only a few of our friends take advantage and visit--except to go to Cedar Point.
Aug 7th, 2014 | 07:45 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2014
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Yes we do bisit in oct - you will have an awesome time. Make sure to visit national seashore beaches for walks - in truro and provincetown. Some rstrnts may be closed off season so you may have to check on that but there are plenty of interesting food places in provincetown. Wellfleet and hyannis
Aug 8th, 2014 | 03:15 AM
#6
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 21,937
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My husband and I were just talking about a trip we took to the Cape in October years ago. It was wonderful--good weather, very few people around.
This year we stayed with friends at a very nice house in Brewster at the end of June through July 4th. The house was a hundred yards from the Rail Trail bike path and it was much easier/more pleasant to get around by bike than by car
We have taken a few short weekend trips this summer and have enjoyed these brief getaways very much. A few weeks ago we saw two places we have wanted to visit in NH--the Canterbury Shaker Village and the (Frank Lloyd Wright) Zimmerman house in Manchester.
This year we stayed with friends at a very nice house in Brewster at the end of June through July 4th. The house was a hundred yards from the Rail Trail bike path and it was much easier/more pleasant to get around by bike than by car
We have taken a few short weekend trips this summer and have enjoyed these brief getaways very much. A few weeks ago we saw two places we have wanted to visit in NH--the Canterbury Shaker Village and the (Frank Lloyd Wright) Zimmerman house in Manchester.
