Tag: Massachusetts Travel

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Continue the Seasonal Celebrations with Three Winter Beer Festivals

January 3, 2013 at 1:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Of course the majority of the holidays have come and gone, but that just means we need something new to entertain us until the spring and summer warmth returns. There's still plenty of special winter beers and brews to sample, so here’s our picks for three festivals from which to take a sip or two this January.

Columbus Winter Beerfest – Columbus, Ohio

It’s January 11-12 for this year’s edition of the Columbus Winter Beerfest over at the Columbus Convention Center. Two nights mean even more beers, as organizers are promising over 60 breweries, more than 300 craft beers, and 10,000 hop heads enjoying each and every sip and sample.

Regular admission sets you back $35 per person, and that’ll get you a sampling cup and a generous allotment of tasting tickets—25 to be specific. The list of beers is still a work in process, but we’d expect some local options like Barley’s, Columbus Brewing Company, and Four Strings Brewing to make an appearance.

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Three Upcoming State Fairs with Pig Races, Goat Milking and Green Chile Cheeseburgers

August 30, 2012 at 11:16 AM | by | Comments (0)

In some ways state fair season is starting to wind down after a successful summer, but at the same time September isn’t too shabby when it comes to celebrating a little fried food with a side of agriculture. In fact, it might be a little more enjoyable to take in the amusement park atmosphere with a little bit of a chill in the air, so here’s our picks for three states doing the fair thing next month:

Kansas State Fair

Smack dab in the middle of the country, in a way the Kansas State Fair might just be one of the most centrally located option for those looking for some corn dogs and carnies. This year’s events run between September 7 and September 16 in Hutchinson, Kansas, and admission will set you back $6 if your order in advance. Of course there’s extra investment needed for some of the midway attractions and rides, as well as if you want to listen to bands like Boston, Oak Ride Boys, and 38 Special.

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Back to Nantucket: How to Take the High-Speed Ferry

July 19, 2012 at 12:46 PM | by | Comments (0)

In case you missed it, our fearless leader—and editor—headed over to Nantucket for a few days of rest, relaxation, and exploration. We kind of were intrigued by what she saw and what she did, so before we knew it we were looking up the ferry schedule and figuring out a way to blow off obligations for a chance to head 30-miles off the cost of mainland Massachusetts. Unfortunately for us we missed out on the JetBlue deal, but then again there’s always the ferry.

There’s a couple different commercial ships running back and forth between Nantucket and the large island known as the contiguous United States. Freedom Cruise Line, Hy-Line Ferry, and the trusty Steamship Authority all send ferry boats back and forth across Nantucket Sound. We went with the high-speed option from the Steamship Authority, and would recommend it to you as well.

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Nantucket on a Budget: Dining, Drinking and 'BYOF'

June 22, 2012 at 5:53 PM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to summer! Let's talk island, hm? We just got back from a spur-of-the-moment trip to Nantucket and this week we'll share with you all the awesome stuff we loved on the sandy bit of land off the cost of Massachusetts. Pack your Nantucket Reds, your Sperry Topsiders and an argyle cardigan (or four) to drape around your shoulders, and away we go!

Part Four: FOOD.

Well it's been a fun week trying to prove that Nantucket isn't the crazy overpriced island everyone thinks it is. Read the whole series here. For our last hurrah, we'll tackle the dining dilemma.

Since Nantucket suffers from a super short, super sunny summer season with a crazy influx of visitors, the good places book up with reservations well in advance. That's fine though, since we're after the places the locals love, where lobster rolls don't break the bank and cocktails cost less than two digits. We visited (and drank and ate at) all of these ourselves, so let's have at it:

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Foreign Grocery Friday: The 'Sconset Sweets of Nantucket

Where: 79 Orange Street [map], Nantucket, MA, United States, 02554
June 22, 2012 at 4:12 PM | by | Comments (0)

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

This week we've been doing our part to help you enjoy the notoriously expensive summer vacation destination of Nantucket, MA. The island may have no shortage of multi-millionaires wearing Nantucket Reds, spending the season in their fourth home, but it does have a shortage of yummy baked goods.

There are no Panera Breads, Le Pain Quotidiens or other chain bakeries on the island. What it has are small, independent bakeries that run out of the good stuff before noon. We stayed on Nantucket with a descendent of the very first settler, and this man who knows the island inside and out recommended we hit Nantucket Bake Shop, a short bike ride south of town on Orange Street.

There we discovered delightful little powder sugar-coated 'Sconset Sweets, a local pastry named for another town on the island.

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Nantucket on a Budget: The Stuff You've Gotta See

June 21, 2012 at 5:01 PM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to summer! Let's talk island, hm? We just got back from a spur-of-the-moment trip to Nantucket and this week we'll share with you all the awesome stuff we loved on the sandy bit of land off the cost of Massachusetts. Pack your Nantucket Reds, your Sperry Topsiders and an argyle cardigan (or four) to drape around your shoulders, and away we go!

Part Three: Stuff to do and see..

Even though Nantucket costs an arm and a leg to stay and eat in, the actual sights and entertainment are nicely cheap and, for most of the places we loved, free. Even the evening window shopping is excellent, which makes another free thing to do. Alas, you'll find your own favorite places, but here's a short list of ours:

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Nantucket on a Budget: Getting Around on Two Wheels or Less

June 20, 2012 at 12:29 PM | by | Comment (1)

Welcome to summer! Let's talk island, hm? We just got back from a spur-of-the-moment trip to Nantucket and this week we'll share with you all the awesome stuff we loved on the sandy bit of land off the cost of Massachusetts. Pack your Nantucket Reds, your Sperry Topsiders and an argyle cardigan (or four) to drape around your shoulders, and away we go!

Part Two: Getting Around.

Now that we've gotten you to Nantucket, it's time to figure out how exactly to get around this quaint, but wild, island without dropping a fortune on a high-season car rental.

Nantucket's land area is only 50 square miles and you will want to see all of it—from the rose-covered cottages in Siasconset ('Sconset to the locals) to the hang-ten breakers of Surfside. Nantucket's land is also home to many paved bike trails and very easily navigable routes from town to town. Armed with a map from Young's Bicycle Shop, you'll do just fine whether you chose to explore via scooter, bike or jeep:

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Nantucket on a Budget: Getting There by Air

June 19, 2012 at 10:50 AM | by | Comments (3)


Cape Air Cessna 402Cs parked at ACK

Welcome to summer! Let's talk island, hm? We just got back from a spur-of-the-moment trip to the notoriously expensive Nantucket and this week we'll share with you all the awesome, not-so-spendy stuff we loved on the sandy bit of land off the cost of Massachusetts. Pack your Nantucket Reds, your Sperry Topsiders and an argyle cardigan (or four) to drape around your shoulders, and away we go!

Part One: Getting There.

When was the last time you paid less for a flight than for the car service to the airport? For us, the answer is this last weekend. Here's what happened:

JetBlue had an online airfare sale a month or so ago, as they are wont to do. We spotted $35 one-way tickets from New York-JFK to either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. We chose Nantucket simply because it's a little further away. Traveling on a Wednesday and returning on a Saturday, we paid a TOTAL of $73.50—the line-item, gosh-darn truth straight from our AMEX statement—in a world where calling car service just to drive one-way to JFK costs $80.

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Wish You Were Here: The Whaling Museum of Nantucket

June 14, 2012 at 6:22 PM | by | Comments (0)


Scrimshaw from the "Susan" on a whale tooth

What a lunch break! Today, while the sun burned away the grey clouds that had been hovering over Nantucket, we headed into the Whaling Museum to learn exactly why the word "sperm" plays such a huge rule in the history of this tiny island off the coast of Massachusetts.

The answer? Sperm whales and their spermaceti oil, which was used in lighting and candle-making, literally fueled both the development and industrial boom of Nantucket, setting the maritime foundations for history tourism. Have you read Herman Melville's Moby Dick? If so, then you're already well aware of one of the biggest events to feature in Nantucket's timeline: the sinking of the Essex, a Nantucket whaleship rammed by a nearly 90-foot sperm whale in the South Seas. The real-life tragedy of the Essex inspired Melville's fictional Pequod and her captain, Ahab.

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Three Ways to Get Your Dose of Culture This Summer

June 21, 2011 at 11:59 AM | by | Comments (0)

It's officially summer, so to kick off the season, we decided to take a look at the hot cultural offerings popping up in the warm-weather months. Whether you want to catch some dance, theater or art, we'll give you the lowdown on the things you need to do this summer, other than work on your tan.

Check out our top three big summer cultural events after the jump.

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Where to Party for the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup Celebration on Saturday

June 16, 2011 at 3:45 PM | by | Comment (1)

Boston has had quite the decade when it comes to sports victories, and last night’s win by the Boston Bruins in the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals adds a hockey championship to the city’s trophy case. The fans in Vancouver haven’t been taking the loss too well, but on Saturday, Bruins fans in Boston will be happily hitting the streets to celebrate and honor the city’s latest championship.

At this point the city knows how to throw a victory parade, since like 2002 there have been three parties for the Patriots, two for the Red Sox, and one most recently for the Celtics. The fun will begin at 11am on Saturday—which means quite the crowd as most will be out of work—and will wind its way through the city.

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Massachusetts Names Its Own 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

July 13, 2010 at 11:17 AM | by | Comments (0)

All aboard for Boston! Actually, if the Massachusetts Tourism Board could have it their way, you'd be more than Boston-bound; you'd be hopping and skipping around to all 1,000 tourist spots within the state of Massachusetts.

That's right; we said one thousand. It seems a bit ambitious for a tourist to even make it to 5% of the places, but then you know zealous people get over crossing off every item in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. For this Massachusetts version, featured spots include a Thermometer Museum, a vanilla extracts store and the entire town of Newton. We bet that you'll just be just fine going to your eternal rest without having visited a vanilla extracts store, but Massachusetts argues otherwise.

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