After we all get through the Christmas and New Year’s season, we will really need to get outdoors from time to time this winter. One excellent solution to this question in New England is simply: Maine. Every region of this state of dramatic outdoor beauty has outdoor winter activities to offer, usually with extra help…
Give a little; get a little; support local businesses a LOT at the Portland City Gift Swap. Several Portland organizations have dreamed up a variation of the Yankee Swap Meet with the idea of pushing dollars into local businesses this Christmas holiday season. Participants must sign up by December 16. They will be randomly assigned…
To protect public health, Massachusetts on Sunday, Dec. 13, tightened Covid rules by reducing capacity in retail shops, offices, libraries, and museums, and closing indoor recreational venues. In Boston, gyms, movie theaters, museums and other indoor event spaces will close for in-person use starting Dec. 16. Sightseeing and organized tours must cease operation; indoor historical…
The exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through February, is a wonderful display of nearly 3 dozen paintings by the Impressionist master. The museum requires strict masking and social distance rules. so this is a wonderful and relaxing time to visit, with NO crowding. Take advantage; Monet is waiting! See information on hours…
When hard times happen, New England people join hands and push back. Rock My Soul, a New Hampshire roots-based, raise-the-rafters gospel group, has spent months recording a Christmas album from singers’ homes. It is OUT! Need Joy? Since 2004, Rock My Soul has been known in northern New England as a rafters-raising, top-notch roots and…
The Trustees of Reservations owns, preserves, and protects a hundred properties – historic homes, farms, museums — and thousands of acres throughout Massachusetts. Beyond that, the Trustees make these beautiful places available to the public for learning and enjoyment. We are all taking our fun and socializing outdoors these days. The Trustees, in true form,…
Many Polar Express-type Santa train rides for kids are sidelined this year, but a handful still plan to run. Should you buy tickets soon? Oh yes. We know of three Santa trains that plan to thrill kids in 2020: Santa Express with the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, NH The Polar Express Train Ride with Cape…
In some ways, this November might be an ideal time for a family visit to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the Pilgrims touched down with high ideals but poor preparation 400 years ago. This November, crowds are low but hotels and inns are open and eager to receive guests. Museums that tell the Pilgrims’ daring story –…
Vermont ski areas have created a detailed plan for keeping ski mountains open and operating in winter 2020-2021 while protecting workers and visitors from Covid-19. The document is the Vermont Ski Resort COVID 19 Winter Operations Guidance. The plan relies heavily on methods like use of masks, social distancing indoors and outdoors, contactless ticketing and…
Two ways that you Christmas and holiday gift-giving process is going to get a big boost on this page: First, many people were unable to travel to their favorite New England place in the summer of 2020; second, shopping in person at retail stores may seem a little risky this fall for many people. The…