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History.
Natural Beauty.
American Roots.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut offer a quintessential New England experience.
New England Summer
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you.
New England Summer
New England Summer
Part 3 of our New England Summer started with an easy 3-hour travel day. We moved the rig from the Lake Champagne Resort in Randolph, Vermont to the Circle CG Farm Campground in Bellingham, Massachusetts. About 45 minutes southwest of Boston, this 30-acre, 150 site RV park is a third-generation family business founded in 1968.
Beautifully wooded and landscaped, we set-up camp under the shade of tall pine trees in the back corner of the property. We knew this would be a great launching point to visit a long-list of historical sites and attractions throughout eastern Massachusetts.
New England Summer
One of our first outings was a short road trip to the west along MA State Hwy 16. We passed through dozens of quaint towns and villages along the route, such as Mendon, Uxbridge, and Douglas, admiring some gorgeous colonial architecture and interesting historical markers. We also passed through a few nature areas, including the Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park, Douglas State Forest, and the Mine Brook Wildlife Management Area.
Our destination was a beautiful lake area near the town of Webster, called Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
Did you try to pronounce that? Oh my!
Make no mistake, this is not a spelling error. It truly is the actual name of the lake.
The 45-letter title means “fishing place at the boundaries” in the Algonquian language, but many have shortened the name to Lake Chaubunagungamaug, or Webster Lake.
For me, I now know it as Lake Long Name!
New England Summer
The Algonquian people represent a broad mixture of indigenous Native Americans that once flourished in this lake region. Familiar tribe names such as the Ojibwe, Shawnee, and Mohican. We spent a few hours circling the lake, making several stops to view the scenery and enjoyed a fine lunch at the lovely Point Breeze restaurant.
Our next point of interest was in the northeast corner of the state. Well-known for its maritime history, we wanted to visit Gloucester and the Fisherman’s Memorial. We explored a few other towns in the region as well, including Ipswich, Essex, and Manchester-by-the-Sea.
New England Summer
Mother Nature offered us a challenge when an Atlantic hurricane hit the New England area. We were far enough inland to miss the worst of it, but took the advice of the Circle CG Farm people and moved the RV out of our spot under the trees into an open field, just in case the wind decided to knock down a tree or two. The storm passed with minimal impact and we re-parked the trailer back under the trees in a couple days.
New England Summer
The next place on our list to see was Cape Cod, specifically, Provincetown. The original landing spot of the Pilgrims, before Plymouth Rock, this historic location is situated at the far end of the signature hook-shaped peninsula. Commemorated by a 252-foot towering monument, we climbed the 116 steps and 60 ramps to see stunning views of Provincetown, the surrounding seashore, and the harbor where the original signing of the 1620 Mayflower Compact happened.
We toured the amazing Provincetown Museum and learned many interesting details about the early days of colonial America and the Native people of that time.
New England Summer
We turned our attention to the central attraction on our list … Downtown Boston. With so many incredible historic sites throughout the city, we opted to use the hop-on-hop-off service of Old Town Trolley Tours. We planned our points of interest primarily along the Freedom Trail route, using two full days to see many popular spots.
USS Constitution & USS Cassin Young: These two famous ships are on display in the old Navy shipyard. We climbed all over them viewing historic relics and story boards.
Bunker Hill Monument: A short walk from the old shipyard is the iconic obelisk overlooking the harbor, marking the spot where colonists engaged the British Army in one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War.
Old North Church: The oldest standing church building in Boston is famous for its role in Paul Revere’s historic midnight ride. When two lanterns were hung from the church steeple, Revere and other riders rushed away to alert area colonists to British military movements.
Old State House: The site of the infamous Boston Massacre, the “shot heard ‘round the world“, and also where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the public from the balcony.
This marketplace and meeting hall near the waterfront was the site of several famous speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and many more who encouraged American independence from Great Britain.
It is now part of the Boston National Historical Park and a well-known stop on the Freedom Trail.
Old South Meeting House: Another famous old church building used by colonial patriots to meet and discuss matters of independence from British rule, including planning of the Boston Tea Party.
Abigail’s Tea House & the Boston Tea Party: This famous site is where the Boston Tea Party was carried out. We watched a reenactment and enjoyed a beverage and pastry overlooking the harbor.
Cheers Bar: This historic site was well-known long before the 1980s TV series made it famous. Originally known to locals as the Bull and Finch Pub, it was often recognized among the best bars in Boston.
We included an afternoon Harbor Cruise that carried us out to the Boston Lighthouse and back, passing by some iconic landmarks, such as Fort Independence and Spectacle Island.
Next on our Massachusetts bucket list was Salem. Besides the obvious historical significance surrounding the Witch Trials of the 1690s, this small town north of Boston is a beautiful coastal community tucked away inside a quiet New England harbor. We explored the many shops and park areas around Salem Common, including a leisurely stroll out to the Derby Wharf Light Station.
Our target attraction was the Salem Witch Museum, where stage actors portrayed the tragic tale of mass hysteria that led to the torture and death of so many innocent people. It was quite the show, provoking an emotional response as I imagined what it must have been like for the people who were caught-up in the events of that time.
We finished our visit to Salem with a stop at the Memorial Park and Burial Site.
It was a sad and somber closure as we wandered through the old cemetery reading headstones, plaques, and letters from descendants of many who were brutally executed.
If you’ve been following our RV Life stories, then you probably know that we are big fans of the Wahlburgers restaurant chain. We first learned about Wahlburgers by watching the reality TV series about the family business owned and operated by the Wahlberg brothers; Paul, Donnie, and Mark.
As a result of watching the show, we knew that the original restaurant was nearby in the Boston area, along with an upscale, fine dining location next door named after their mother, Alma Wahlberg. So, we made two special trips to Hingham, first to enjoy an original Wahlburgers lunch, then again to celebrate our anniversary with a fancy dinner at Alma Nove. Both were fantastic!
Our stay in Massachusetts concluded with a visit to what might be considered the most iconic historic site in America … Plymouth Rock. We included a tour of the replica Mayflower ship and explored the town of Plymouth.
We also spent a few hours at the Plimouth Patuxet Museum, where a living museum has been constructed with Pilgrim and Native American actors in period dress and structures offering a real-life glimpse into what life may have looked like over 400 years ago.
We left the Circle CG Farm Campground in Bellingham and pulled the RV southwest about two hours into Connecticut, parking at the Riverdale Farm Campsites near Clinton, CT. Another lovely, family-owned campground tucked away into the New England countryside.
We originally chose this location as a launching point for a day trips into New York City. We had it all planned out to enjoy train rides into the Big Apple to see several bucket list locations, including the 911 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, a Broadway play, and many more.
Sadly, a couple weeks prior to our arrival in Connecticut, New York officials decided to invoke a COVID vaccination passport policy. This required all visitors to present proof of COVID vaccination before being allowed entry into nearly all of the locations we wanted to visit. Cheri and I had already refused the vaccination and had no desire to give in to social and political pressures.
I can hardly describe the mix of emotion we both felt as we canceled every event and outing we had planned for NYC. Sad, mad, and disgusted, we were forced to re-plan our entire stay.
We made the best of it and decided to visit several area attractions. Some of our favorites included …
Mystic, CT: Of course, we enjoyed a slice of Mystic Pizza and found a few places where various scenes from the Julia Roberts movie were shot. We strolled along the banks of the Mystic River near the Mystic Seaport Museum, viewing some interesting displays and historical exhibits.
Hartford, CT: We toured the beautiful state capitol grounds and visited the Mark Twain House & Museum.
Stonington Lighthouse: A beautifully crafted stone structure over 170 years old perched on the tip of Stonington Point.
Fort Trumbull & Fort Griswold: Two great military forts dating back to colonial times, each with a storied past with strategic interests during the war.
Yantic Falls Indian Leap Nature Area: This interesting spot commemorates an old Native American story and is a nice place for a short nature hike.
Newport, RI: This whole area showcases some amazing wealth and prestige as hundreds of amazing mansions line the coast of Easton Bay, including the Vanderbilt home known as The Breakers.
Rhode Island State Parks & Lighthouses: We visited several gorgeous park areas and light stations, including Fort Adams, Brenton Point, Beavertail Point, Point Judith, and Watch Hill.
Connecticut State Parks: Chaffinch Island, Hammonasset Beach, Campbell Falls, Haystack Mountain
We were quite impressed by the hidden jewel of Rhode Island. Such a tiny state, but packed with some surprising natural beauty. The gorgeous rocky coastline reminded me of Maine and Acadia National Park.
Despite our immense disappointment with losing our New York City plans, we thoroughly enjoyed Connecticut and Rhode Island. It was a fitting conclusion to our New England Summer.
Late September was approaching as we packed up the rig and pulled-out for Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Stay tuned for another great Autumn season from our RV Life adventures!
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