Behind-the-Scenes Food
As delicious as well-crafted food and drink can be (and New England has plenty of both to offer, in high-end restaurants and neighborhood eateries alike), somehow it’s even more satisfying when you understand where these things come from. There’s a special feeling in connecting with the makers, or seeing how things are harvested, or learning the history of a dish or a foodway. Luckily, there are many opportunities across New England to get this kind of “insider” look at local drinking and dining, ensuring that you capture the true flavor of this region on your travels.
FOR WINE CONNOISSEURS
Connecticut may not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of vineyards, but insiders know that this small coastal state has a surprisingly robust wine scene. The Connecticut Wine Trail connects more than 20 local purveyors, including some of the finest vineyards on the East Coast, so hit the tasting rooms, meet the makers, and pick up a bottle or two to take home. For a fun twist, you can download the Wine Trail Passport app and collect stamps based on how many number of places you manage to visit. But taking it slow has advantages, too, allowing you to order a glass of local wine and linger a while, often amid beautiful surroundings. For example, in the southeast corner of the state, Stonington is home to no fewer than three top vineyards: Plan a picnic at Jonathan Edwards Winery, pair your drink with something tasty from the food trucks at Saltwater Farm Vineyard, or relax to some music on the patio at Stonington Vineyards.
For a bigger-picture view, the Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England connects seaside wineries in not just Connecticut but also Massachusetts and Rhode Island; farther north lies the Maine Wine Trail, with nearly 30 locations to choose from. Other states are not to be overlooked, with tasting trails offered by the New Hampshire Winery Association and the Vermont Grape & Wine Council, respectively.
FOR SEAFOOD FANS
While the vibrancy of the New England wine scene might be a revelation for some, no one will be surprised by the popularity of the region’s seafood. The Maine Oyster Trail is an interactive guide to the state’s oyster industry, from tours of natural habitats and oyster farms, to raw bars, restaurants, and markets. The trail’s trip planner lets you customize an itinerary to suit your interests and location: Perhaps your journey will begin in Brunswick, where Alice’s Awesome Adventures offers sea kayaking tours focused on oyster farming that provide a new appreciation for the journey that brings this seafood treat to your plate. Or maybe you’ll stop off at the Yarmouth Oyster Company, to load up American Eastern oysters grown in the waters of Casco Bay between Lanes Island and Little Mosier Island.
Similarly, the Rhode Island Oyster Trail celebrates the Ocean State’s aquaculture and promotes local farmers that grow oysters and the restaurants that serve them year-round. And while Connecticut, where more than 200,000 bushels of oysters are harvested every year, doesn’t have an oyster trail per se, you can take tasting tours of select farms as well as dine at many outstanding eateries that specialize in bivalves, including Shell & Bones in New Haven, Oyster Club in Mystic, and Liv’s Oyster Bar in Old Saybrook.
FOR CHEESE AFICIONADOS
Vermont’s cheese industry has truly come into its own in recent decades, and the 40-plus farms and creameries on the Vermont Cheese Trail cover every corner of the state. A favorite place to start is Cabot, where the Cabot Cheese Visitors Center demonstrates the workings of a large-scale creamery. At the other end of the spectrum is Woodstock’s Billings Farm & Museum, a historic dairy farm where old-fashioned, small-batch cheesemaking is on display. Some of the stops on the cheese trail are new, but at others the roots run deep: Plymouth Artisan Cheese, for instance, was started by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge’s father in 1890, while Grafton Village Cheese Company carries on local cheesemaking traditions that first began in 1892.
Elsewhere in New England, the New Hampshire’s Wine & Cheese Trails guide highlights more than 30 vineyards and creameries, and the Midcoast Maine Cheese Trail likewise features local vineyards and breweries alongside its namesake attraction, cheese. (Tip: For a taste of the unexpected, look for M.E. Water Buffalo Co., a farm in Appleton, Maine, that specializes in crafting Italian-style cheeses from water buffalo milk.)
FOR BEER LOVERS
With the explosion in popularity of New England’s craft and microbrew beers, brewery tourism has become a popular vacation activity in this part of the country. Gone are the days when beer was brewed in nondescript industrial warehouses: Today’s breweries are family destinations and popular hangouts, often with tours and on-site dining. There are also beer trails in a number of New England states, offering a “passport” system for logging visits and often leading beer lovers to small towns and off-the-beaten track destinations. To begin exploring the world of New England beer, visit the brewers guilds’ websites, linked here:
- New Hampshire Brewers Association
- Vermont Brewers Association
- Maine Brewers Guild
- Connecticut Brewers Guild
- Rhode Island Brewers Guild
- Massachusetts Brewers Guild
FOR CULINARY EXPLORERS
The state of Rhode Island is blessed with two great foodie towns, Providence and Newport, so it’s no surprise that Rhode Island Red Food Tours continues to find a hungry audience for both its Downcity Providence Food Tour and its Newport Neighborhoods Food Tour. The guides on these immersive walking tours use history, hidden art gems, and local stories to connect stops at memorable eateries. Another terrific coastal expedition can be found at Maine Day Ventures, which offers foodie tours of popular Maine destinations—Kennebunk, Portland, Boothbay Harbor—as well as oyster cruises in Casco Bay. In New Hampshire, the well-named Portsmouth Eats conducts “Walk, Talk, Meet, Eat” food tours in that historic waterfront city, while Connecticut’s Taste of New Haven leads food-specific tours focused on pizza, tacos, or tapas.
FOR SWEET TOOTHS
We’ve saved the sweetest for last: ice cream samplers. The New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail features more than 40 stops, all chosen by Granite State Dairy Promotion for their high level of commitment to serving local ice cream. That means you’re getting a true “cow-to-cone” experience at places such as The Barnyard Scoop at Sherman Farm in Center Conway and Sanctuary Dairy Farm in Sunapee, both situated on working family farms. The same local focus can be found on the Real Maine Ice Cream Trail, which spotlights places using Maine milk and cream, and other farm-grown ingredients. Meanwhile, the Vermont Maple Creemee Trail curates spots where you can try the Green Mountain State’s signature dessert, and the Connecticut Office of Tourism puts a creative twist on the concept with its Sundae Drives Ice Cream Trail, which pairs standout scoop shops with suggestions of nearby tourist attractions to see.
