September 11, 2017
Overnight Adventures: Sleep Like a President
In last year’s print issue, we set out to find a half dozen cool overnight adventures on the South Coast. We’re rolling them out online for those of you who don’t have the 2016 magazine. Today’s feature: staying at FDR’s summer home in Fairhaven. If you’d like to see it as it appeared in the magazine, click here. Otherwise, just read on….
George Washington didn’t sleep here. But Franklin Delano Roosevelt did.
The Delano Homestead was the family home of Sara Delano Roosevelt, the mother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Young Franklin spent summers, as well as holidays, at this home. He continued to visit as an adult, even visiting with Eleanor when he was president.
Set on a quiet, lovely street that still retains hitching posts from the days of horses and carriages, the neighborhood looks much the same as it did a hundred years ago.
After Sara Roosevelt died in 1941, the Federal/Greek Revival home was sold at auction. In 2001, Paul Beauchamp bought the grand home, decorated it with period furnishings and graciously opened the doors to guests. Old home fans will love the original details: a majestic rosewood banister that gracefully sweeps you upstairs, handmade keys to the the original hardware on the doors, the arched fan transom windows and gingerbread bracket mouldings.
History buffs will appreciate all the historical pictures and books that Beauchamp has collected. Set on a quiet, lovely street that still retains hitching posts from the days of horses and carriages, the neighborhood looks much the same as it did a hundred years ago.
Overnight stays from $130 – $170/night (depending on the season). For more information, go to the website or call 508-992-5552. Delano Homestead Bed & Breakfast, 39 Walnut Street, Fairhaven.
Onset Beach Kite Festival
Feast of Our Lady of Angels
Dartmouth Grange 2017 Rural Community Fair
Brahmin Tent Sale
William Street Neighborhood Festival
Working Waterfront Festival
4th Saturday Contra Dance
Fort Phoenix Historical Encampment
Docked in the Taunton River is the USS Massachusetts, a steady and impressive presence in Fall River for over 50 years. Christened by her wartime crew as Big Mamie, she was rescued from the scrap heap by them and by Massachusetts’ citizens in 1964. At the time, thousands of Massachusetts schoolchildren helped by contributing their pennies to bring the World War II battleship home. It’s appropriate then that today, thousands of children come to her each year to enjoy an overnight stay in the nation’s oldest maritime camping experience.
Like real WWII sailors, you’ll find yourself bunking in narrow cots stacked four cots high. You’ll line up for dinner and breakfast chow-line style in the officer’s mess. If the weather cooperates, you can bring your sleeping bags up and sleep under the big guns (and the stars). You can’t beat it for a piece of living history.
John and Gracia Tripp are among the Horseneck faithful. The Westport residents live just twelve miles away but a few times each summer, they pack up their RV and spend several nights at Horseneck Beach. Darcy understands the draw. He came to work at the campground twelve years ago as a summer job in high school and he never left. “I’ve been here since I was 17,” he says, “I understand the need to come back every summer.”
Your insider tip: You need to know there is fierce competition for the sixteen sites directly on the waterfront. John Tripp says that getting a spot in the front row during the busiest months is “like hens’ teeth,” or pretty rare (I needed a translation). According to Tripp, you have to be ready to book the beachfront spots online as soon as they become available 6 months before the reservation date at exactly 9 a.m. No worries, though. There is more flexibility with the other sites, all of which are within a short walk of the beach.
Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon’s Relentless Madre de Dios by Holly Fitzgerald
Ashes by Steven Manchester
Freedom’s Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli
Contribute by Kristy Acevedo
Quicksand Pond by Janet Taylor Lisle
The school bus that every kid dreamed of! This bakery on wheels sells gourmet cupcakes in all your favorite flavors and then some. Beside the more predictable chocolate and vanilla, Mad Batter isn’t afraid of mixing things up so they also serve flavors like lemonade or Guinness. They can be found on 
Also in Fall River, Mad House Grill serves fresh American classics with a Portuguese influence. Keep an eye out for the hot pink truck as it drives through the streets. Find them on 
Chicken, chicken, and chicken! Located in Wareham, Big Daddy’s has all the fried chicken that you could ask for. Its specialty are chicken tenders in a variety of different sauces (anything from Teriyaki to Extra Hot Buffalo), but it also serves up delicious wings, BBQ, ribs, burgers, dogs and more. Check them out 
By the time the day of the sale arrives, there is palpable excitement in the air. It’s reminiscent of the 
At South Coast Almanac, we’re partial to Brahmin bags because we asked them to accessorize our looks for our 2017 fashion shoot and they were wonderful to work with. Sonia Arruda helped pick out bags that worked well with our looks. The only problem: we hated returning them. Conveniently, the tent sale was within the same week as our fashion shoot, so I popped into the tent sale and I’ve now got my own Brahmin bag. I get compliments on it all the time.
You could be in Ireland looking across at sheep grazing in green fields, a lazy river and stone walls in the background completing the perfect vista. Or you could be in Westport, ready to roll up your sleeves and learn what it takes to be a farmer.
Farm stays are popular in Europe and are gaining popularity in the United States with people who are intrigued by farm life. In Westport, Merlier has hosted visitors from near and far, including many international visitors. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see where your food comes from. Maybe owning a farm has been a romantic dream of yours. Maybe you just like being surrounded by outdoor beauty and animals. Stonehaven Family Farm is the place to go.
All photos by Andrew Ayer. For more information about the farm,