cavalierfish

My husband and I went on a week-long road trip in NE in May 2023.
Day 1: We flew from DCA to Boston and rented a car with Avis. In NE, you are charged for tolls by license plate, and based on where you are traveling, you may not need to buy a prepaid toll plan for the rental car. We first went to the Salem Witch Museum, which I thought was a good museum. It brought up very good connections throughout history and broader themes and implications . and was not too overwhelming. Next, we went to lunch at Adea's Mediterranean Kitchen, which advertises as vegetarian and kosher. For the kosher part, I did not see a certification for that, so if you're stricter, you may want to look into that. The portions were generous, and the meal was delicious! My husband got the bean soup, and I got the vegan sabich. I was able to have my leftovers as a snack later, and the lunch only cost $20. We then saw the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, which was simple but also very moving. I would advise seeing it after you learn the history of the Salem Witch Trials. We then took a look at the street art and moved on to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Do note that payment is through cash or check only, and some areas may be closed off at certain times of the year due to plover mating season. It is a beautiful area, but binoculars are a must. Afterwards, we moved on to Ipswitch, MA, where we ate at Hart House 1640 at our B and B's recommendation. We were lucky to get in because a reservation was a no-show, but you should make a reservation. We split the cauliflower pizza margharita and duck dish, and both were delicious. We then stayed at the Kaede Bed and Breakfast in Ipswitch. We would highly recommend it. Five options are given for breakfast, one of which is Japanese (Japanese dish needs advance notice, the rest are made to order that day) and range from omelets to French toast to pancakes. The owner (rightfully so) is a stickler for wanting you to remove your items from the communal fridge before you leave.
Day 2: We went to Lexington and Concord, MA and first went to Minuteman National Historical Park. The video was good, and the exhibits were informative. The timeline of how things started and the route the fighting took was made clear and was a much better expansion of the history learned in school. Then, we went to the Hancock-Clarke house. The tour guide was great, and there was an entire room devoted to the enslaved persons at the house and how slavery worked in NE, which I feel is a must nowadays. We then ate at Love at First Bite, a Thai restaurant. We got the bronzini curry and chicken satay, and both were great. Next was Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. The tour was very informative, and you can see copies of Little Women in other languages. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures, but I still thought the tour was worth it, and it helped to see the context of how autobiographical Little Women is. For dinner, we went to the Engine Room in Mystic, CT, where we split the rotisserie chicken and kale salad. We then walked around Mystic a bit before settling in to the Stonecroft Country Inn, grabbing a slice from Mystic Pizza and watching the same movie. Of note of this B and B: if you have a whirlpool in your room, you may use it until 10 PM, when quiet hours start. Breakfast was good, and there was a friendly but unobtrusive dog as well.
Day 3: We took a private cruise in Mystic with Mystic Coastal Cruises, which lasted 90 minutes. I thought the time frame was long enough but not too long. The price is very reasonable, and it was very relaxing on the water. As a neutral analysis to avoid disappointment (to iterate, it's all about preference), Will was great at pointing out some things and answering some of my questions, but he was not forthcoming about the history and ecology of Mystic in great detail, so if that is your expectation, I would find someone else. For our part, we enjoyed the trip. We had lunch at Fords in Noank, CT on Will's recommendation. I was incredibly appreciative that they take precautions for shellfish allergies, as I had one. They even have different buttons on the fryer. That also enabled my husband to fulfill his fish and chips desires without worry. I got the salmon, and both dishes were delicious. We then went to the Mystic Seaport Museum, which is arranged like a fishing village from the late 1800s (unsure of exact time period). If you have gone to Colonial Williamsburg, it's a similar feel. Although the sign doesn't mention it, there is a rate for students. We really enjoyed walking around the buildings and learned a lot. The exhibit on art done by sailors was particularly fascinating. We then had a snack at Anthony J's Bistro of sausage and broccoli rabe and caprese salad before moving on to our VRBO in Providence, RI, where we would stay the rest of the time.
Day 4: This was our Newport, RI day. We went to the Touro synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue in the U.S. The guide was very informative and did mention the founder's connections to the Transatlantic slave trade, which demonstrates how complex people can be, given that he was fleeing persecution from the Inquisition. The synagogue was different from its counterparts in Europe at the time, as there were open windows (they didn't have that luxury and had to keep their synagogues hidden). RI was also unique in that the colony did not have an official religion and was even concerned about initially ratifying the Constitution due to their not being a freedom of religion component yet. There is a good exhibit on the top floor about life during that time period and more details about the synagogue's start and the people involved. We then grabbed lunch at Umi Asian Cuisine and walked along the beautiful Cliff Walk. We then grabbed a snack at Cupcake Charlie's and went back to Providence. We did trivia at Ladder 133 Kitchen and Social. We enjoyed it because the questions were not prohibitively hard.
Day 5: In the morning, we went to the pollinator garden at the Audubon Society Environmental Education Center. We had originally planned to go to Slater Mill and then realized it is not open on Wednesdays during this time of year. We then had lunch at DeWolf Tavern, where we split a really good lamb curry. We walked a bit of the bike path at Colt State Park and then finished the day at the RISD Museum of Art. It is a very doable museum, and has a good mix of pieces between permanent and temporary exhibits as well as works from different time periods. An interesting section of the museum was a collection, but it was arranged as rooms in the collector's house.
Day 6: We went to Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark, and the park ranger was phenomenal. He provided great perspectives and historical context. The Mill also has a very cool new Lego model of the mill with working electronic components to it. There were some very interesting family dynamics going on with family members with competing mills, and at the end of the tour, the ranger was very good at having us think about how the events occurring with the mill reflected current times. We had lunch with takeout from Rasoi restaurant, splitting chicken korma, salad, bhaigan bharta, and potatoes. We walked along part of the Blackstone River Bikeway and then headed back to Providence, where we walked along the Water Place Park. The park has a memorial for military members who died in Lebanon in the 1980s and also a monument to the Irish immigrants. We ended the night with dinner at Bacaro restaurant, where we got a margharita pizza appetizer and a duck dish (I swear, they were different from the one in Ipswitch). I could have done without the pizza. Between the thinness and the amount of charring, it reminded me of a matzah pizza. That's just my take, though. The duck dish was excellent.
Day 7: We went to the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. It was beautiful and had a cool flavor lab. We then got takeout from Aspara Palace, which I would not recommend. Despite my saying I had a shellfish allergy, shrimp spring rolls were still included in our lunch, and my husband's meat was very chewy. We then walked around Federal Hill, where we split an incredible tiramisu at Venda Ravioli.
Day 8: We had breakfast at West Side Diner in Providence, which I would highly recommend, and then we flew from Boston to BWI. We might as well have been in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Due to other conflicts, my husband's family could not pick us up from the airport, so we took a bus from the BWI airport to the MARC station, took the MARC to Union Station, and then hopped on the Metro to meet my in-laws.
It was a great trip! Let me know if you have any questions.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks cavalierfish for this wonderful report!

Even though I feel like the northeast of the US is a region I know better than most, your trip reminded me how much I have left to discover!

Best wishes, Daniel

dfrostnh

Thanks for the triip report. It's always interesting to read where people go when they visit New England. Your raves about the park ranger make me want to visit.

cavalierfish

Happy to help!

cavalierfish

The mill was fascinating to hear about how people were paid for their time for the first time instead of product, how due to the pay gap between males and females, more females were hired, and how this aspect drew people to work their despite horrible conditions. I always hate how you can’t tip park rangers when they provide such a great service.

dfrostnh

several years ago we did a group day trip to the Lowell Mills where we saw a boarding house and visited one of the mills. the group didn't habe to stay together so we were lucky when a park ranger was eager to have someone ask questions and my husband and I were his only audience.

Friends and I visited the Mystic area quite a few years ago and will visit again this September for the garlic festival. Last time we visited a tiny nature museum not too far away where they were holding a wild mushroom festival. My favorite room in the museum was a meadow at night. The room was dark except for stars and the sounds you would hear at night.

Vttraveler

Thanks for this interesting report.
It includes sites in RI and the Hancock-Clarke house in Lexington that I have added to our want-to-visit list. So many fascinating places, so little time!