Although Fort Shantok State Park is literally in the backyard of my hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, I have only been here three times or so. Fort Shantock’s location in Montville is just over the town line with Norwich. This was the site of the principal Mohegan settlement between the years of 1636 and 1682 and […]
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Although Martha’s Vineyard is only a short ferry ride from the mainland, the pace and feel of the island is worlds away. My family and I recently spent a few days on the Vineyard for a getaway. Traveling in April, we risked rainy weather. Luckily though, on our three days stay on the island we
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The previous Backyard Road Trips’ article, From Framingham to Fitchburg was a success, so it was time that I headed back to the wilds of north-central Massachusetts to explore what else Fitchburg has to offer. Fitchburg is a post-industrial town that is ripe for exploration. It has tangible pieces of the past such as former
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Since leaving the state and staying overnight at hotels is pretty much off-limits, currently one of my favorite pastimes has become car rides. Sure, when my younger son needs a nap, I often tool around my town for a while to keep him sleeping. What I’m talking about though is a few hour road trip,
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My never-ending quest to find interesting, and if possible, family-appropriate hikes continue. Living in the South Shore, although quite built up commercially and residentially, there are copious numbers of walking trails. Recently, my family and I took a trip to the Stewart/Person Preserve in Kingston, Massachusetts. With the main loop around Sylvia Place Pond about
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Located twenty miles from Boston, Lake Cochituate is a popular freshwater recreation area. With swimming, boating, and grounds for picnicking, Lake Cochituate State Park in Natick is a top destination during the summer. Visiting any time of the year though, the sparkling waters are a much-needed respite from the highly trafficked roads of the Mass
As the care for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled has progressed from state institutions to group homes and day programs, the buildings that once housed the state hospitals are left vacant. The process of deinstitutionalization has left impressive buildings to a variety of fates. Some, like Foxboro State and Taunton State Hospitals, have been
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Boston has been my adopted home town for nineteen years. I thought I had done a pretty good job of exploring almost every nook and cranny of the city. From Maverick to Forest Hills, I knew it all! I was proven wrong when I discovered the Fort Hill Tower in the Roxbury section of Boston
For the last three years, I have been leading a tour around Norwichtown, a village in Norwich, Connecticut, as part of The Last Green Valley’s Walktober series. The walk’s name is “Off Kilter Tales of Norwichtown” and yes, it features an array of ghost stories about the historic neighborhood. The walk is run in conjunction
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In researching and writing my two Connecticut Lore books, the Tory Den in Burlington, Connecticut, was always on my shortlist but never made it into print. Given its proximity, a mile or so from the nearest parking lot, I never had enough time to dedicate to its exploration while in the western part of the
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