We have long winters in New England, but those only make the summers that much sweeter. And the best part about summer in New England are the road trips. There are so many great day trips and weekend trips to take all right here. And since variety is the spice of life, read on to find out the best places to go in New England this summer, including destinations in the country, city and beach!
Where to go in New England – Visit a Dairy Farm
New England is filled with picturesque farms. Many of them are dairy farms and some are open to welcome visitors to take a tour, sample their products and even see the animals. 29,000 acres of recreational space in Massachusetts is actually protected by dairy farmers. How cool is that?
There are even farms within an hour of Boston that are excited to have people come and spend the day with them. Be sure to add Shaw Farm, to your places in New England to visit list! Located in Dracut, Shaw Farm is a wonderful dairy farm that I had the chance to visit. Shaw Farm is a family owned dairy farm, only 45 minutes north of Boston where families can take a day trip to see the cows and try some of their farm fresh products.
Start by taking a tour of the barn and the fields, visit the cows, see what the daily life of a dairy cow is like and the kids can even see some baby calves!
Next up, stop by the farm store to pick up some farm fresh milk and other goodies. And of course, you have to grab an ice cream cone on your way out! They make all the ice cream in house! If your family ends up loving the taste of the farm fresh milk, Shaw Farm also does weekly home delivery.
A day at a New England dairy farm is the perfect summer day trip! And June is actually National Dairy Month so be sure to check out these other great farm or dairy related events happening throughout New England this month.
New England Summer Road Trip Idea – Head North to Portland, ME
Even if you are a Bostonian, a city escape can be a lot of fun in the summertime, putting Portland, ME on our places to visit in New England list! Head north to Portland, which is only about 2 hours away. The city is filled with things to do including, shopping, dining, and sightseeing. You can even take a ride on a historic schooner in harbor. What’s better than a day spent eating lobster rolls, strolling on the cobblestone sidewalks and sailing in the harbor?
Where to Go in New England This Summer – Go to the Cape
And finally, of course a trip to the Cape & Islands is included on our places to go in New England this summer roundup! Whether you drive out to Hyannis or take the ferry to Provincetown, enjoying a day on the beach on Cape Cod is something every New Englander must do each year. The sandy shoreline, the sunny skies and the blue ocean are what summer vacation was meant to be.
And of course, we should all grab an ice cream cone or two while we are at it! Did you know that in New England many homemade ice creams are made with milk from family-owned local farms?
When you aren’t buying products directly from a farm store, you may be wondering if the product you’re getting is local. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that even the milk we buy at the grocery store is likely from a family farm in our region. In fact, it takes most cow’s milk only two days to go from the farm to the grocery store. So, when you buy real cow’s milk, you are supporting local farming families! Want to know where the milk you bought at the grocery store was processed? Each container of milk is identified by a 5-digit code. The code includes a 2-digit state code followed by a 3-digit processing plant code. Visit WheresMyMilkFrom.com to enter your code. You can also do this for your yogurt, chocolate milk, coffee creamer, cottage cheese, ice cream and more.
For more information about the dairy farm families of New England, delicious recipes and health and wellness topics, please visit Must Be the Milk and New England Dairy & Food Council.
This content was created in partnership with the dairy farm families of New England.