Our Recommended Things To Do/Places to Go
Feeling like a 24 hour getaway? We've got some itineraries on the South Coast just for you. They include places to Stroll, Play, Taste, and Learn, and include dinner and breakfast/brunch eating options, with reasonably-priced places to stay for each excursion.
Enjoy!
Fall River/Tiverton
STROLL At Four Corners Tiverton, peruse the wares and art at Carmen and Ginger, Cottage, and the Gallery at Four. Then grab a cup of coffee at the Groundswell Cafe and Bakery. Head up the road to visit the Tiverton Farmers Market at the Sandywoods Center not far away on Tuesday afternoons and some Saturdays.
PLAY Place your best at Tiverton Casino. Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat. Not into the player games? Hit the slots.
LEARN Battleship Cove boasts the USS Massachusetts (BB-59), destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr (DD-850), submarine USS Lionfish (SS-298), PT Boats 617 and 796, and German missile corvette Hiddensee. Its Maritime Museum was founded in 1968 and is known nationwide for its renowned Titanic exhibit.
EAT • Caldeiras Restaurant (Dinner) • The Cove Restaurant (Dinner) • Boat House (Dinner) • Tipsy Toboggan (Dinner and Brunch) • The Barn (Breakfast)
STAY • Tiverton 4 Corners Schoolhouse No.1 • Hampton Inn Fall River/Westport • TownePlace Suites by Marriott Fall River Westport
Dartmouth/Westport
STROLL Some of Southeastern Massachusetts’ nicest stretches of beach can be found between Demarest Lloyd State Park and Horseneck Beach State Reservation, which conveniently bookend Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. Just want to stroll a cute downtown? Head to Padanaram.
PLAY Go ahead; swing away! Take advantage of Caddy Shack’s double-deck driving range, or their fast and slow pitch batting cages. Or just have fun on their scenic miniature golf course or bumper boats.
TASTE Enjoy Westport Sea Farms’ Riptide, Taber Point, Beach Plum, or Spindrift oysters, served with mignonette, rice wine cucumber, and a lemon wedge.
LEARN Walk the Westport Historical Society’s Handy House Heritage Trail in the virtual company of professional archaeologist Holly Herbster. Or check out the special exhibition “Headwaters to Harbor, Westport’s Heritage of Water.”
EAT • Back Eddy (Dinner) • Brazilian Grill (Dinner) • Little Moss (Dinner) • Lexi-Lu’s (Breakfast) • Persy’s Place (Breakfast) • Wild Honey Café (Breakfast)
STAY • Best Western Dartmouth/New Bedford • Baymont by WyndhamNorth Dartmouth • Residence Inn by Marriott New Bedford Dartmouth
Wareham/Buzzards Bay
STROLL/BIKE Start at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and make your way via the train bridge to the northside path along the Cape Cod Canal. You can rent a bike from Buzzards Bay Bikes or do it on foot.
PLAY Rent a swan paddleboat at the Nemasket Kayak Center on Tihonet Pond, golf at two great local courses—Little Harbor or Bay Pointe Club, or head off the pier in Onset for a Cape Cod Canal Cruise.
TASTE Get your vegetables (and great farm vibes) at Bay End Farm.
LEARN The Wareham Historical Society operates the Capt. John Kendrick Maritime Museum and the Fearing Tavern Museum, which was a tavern, stagecoach stop, temporary jail, private residence and allegedly 1) a hiding place for Hessian soldiers seeking refuge from rebellious colonists during the Revolutionary War and 2) a stop on the Underground Railroad used by enslaved people escaping to freedom
EAT • Ella’s (Dinner) • East Wind Lobster (Dinner) • Stonebridge (Dinner) • Quahog Republic (Dinner) • Leo’s (Breakfast) • Riverside Café (Breakfast)
STAY • Hampton Inn Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay • The Inn at Buzzards Bay, Bourne • Glen Cove Hotel, Onset
New Bedford/Fairhaven
STROLL For shopping and historical context, meander through the cobbled streets of downtown New Bedford. If you want a little more interaction with nature’s fauna, convene with the animals at Buttonwood Park Zoo.
PLAY Mass Escape is the area’s only escape room. Play Arcade recently opened with many old school video games to play. Wanna get some zen exercise? Try Yoga at Seaman’s Bethel with Power and Grace Yoga.
TASTE You scream for ice cream. Acushnet Creamery has a great selection down on Pier 3.
LEARN The list is long here. Experience New Bedford’s unique history with a bygone industry at the Whaling Museum. Understand how Fort Taber/Fort Rodman are representative of the development of coastal fortifications from the Revolutionary period though the mid 20th century. Do a harbor tour or sunset cruise with Whaling City Expeditions. If you wish to learn about the Underground Railroad, the New Bedford Historical Society has an extensive black history trail and is building a park in an underutilized lot as an extension of its Abolition Row.
EAT • Black Whale (Dinner) • Cork (Dinner) • Elisabeth’s (Dinner) • Kyler’s (Dinner) • Margaret’s (Breakfast) • DōCo. (Breakfast & Lunch) • Tia Maria’s European Café (Breakfast)
STAY • New Bedford Harbor Hotel • Fairfield Inn & Suites, New Bedford • Hampton Inn New Bedford/Fairhaven
Inland Communities
STROLL Downtown Middleboro is small-town Massachusetts at its finest. If you want a hike that combines some historical lore, try Anawan Rock in Rehoboth.
PLAY If gaming is of interest, try Platinum City Gaming in Taunton. If you want to hit the links, we suggest Lakeville’s Poquoy Brook Golf Course, Lakeville Country Club, or the Lebaron Hills Country Club—all public courses. Rainy day? Head to the Broken Tee Virtual Golf Club in Lakeville.
TASTE Head to Keith’s Farm in Acushnet or Spring Rain Farm in Taunton to pick strawberries.
LEARN Check out the Robbins Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Middleboro or the Old Colony History Museum in Taunton
EAT • The Cabin in Middleboro (Dinner) • Blue Point in Acushnet (Dinner) • The Nephew’s in Freetown (Dinner) • KP Grill in Rehoboth (Breakfast) • Nanna’s Place in North Dighton (Breakfast)
STAY • Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Middleboro • Fairfield Inn and Suites, Raynham • Hampton Inn, Raynham
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