Sunday, July 17, 2011

Farmcoast Delights: Beaches, seafood, fresh produce

I'd heard it called "Vermont with beaches". That's a perfect description of the Farmcoast -- a small group of picturesque coastal villages and farmlands in southern New England.

The RI towns of Little Compton and Tiverton, and the Massachusetts towns of Westport and Dartmouth comprise a beautiful region of farms, beaches, nature preserves and galleries that's only an hour-and-a-half from Boston. Much more restful than Newport (most restaurants stop serving at 9pm).

Highlights of my weekend trip:


  • Open Studios for South Coast Artists (July 16-17 and again August 20-21).

  • Saturday farmers' market in Tiverton Four Corners

  • fresh produce stands all along Route 77

  • sunset over the Sakonnet River, visible from Route 77

  • dinner al fresco at Stone Bridge Restaurant, with a view of Grinnell Beach and boats in the harbor

  • South Coast Beach, where you can walk along the sandy crescent of beach for a mile or so, reaching Goosewing Beach and watching children on their boogie boards ride the current from inland out to sea (unless their parents catch them first :-) )

  • Fogland, a slipper shell and pebble-strewn beach with a beautiful, kid-friendly cove, windsurfers and kitesurfers

  • a hike in Tiverton's Weetamoo Woods, a 450-acre nature preserve with Atlantic white cedar trees and thus a rare "cedar swamp"

  • begonias and lillies at Young's Family Farm (next to the Edith Pearl B&B in Little Compton)

  • Dell's Lemonade!

I'll go back, if even for a day trip. Things to see and do when I go back:



  • Other Little Compton beaches, specifically Sakonnet Point, Warrens Point and Briggs Beach

  • Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary along Route 77

  • The Boat House Restaurant in North Tiverton

  • The Back Eddy Restaurant (recommended by the B&B innkeeper)

  • ice cream at Gray's Ice Cream stand in Tiverton Four Corners

  • The towns of Dartmouth and Westport (including its three villages -- Westport Point, Central Village and Head of Westport).

  • Maybe a trip to Newport!

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