Life By Kristen

Hometown Hidden Gems

After I returned from Amsterdam last year, I made it a goal to visit more of the local tourist spots and points of interest in my area. I’m so lucky to live in a spot that is a short drive from so many great places to hike, museums to visit, and fun places to explore. The ocean is only a few minutes away and the mountains only a few hours. Living in New England has many perks!

When Turo ( formerly RelayRides) got in touch with me about writing about some of my favorite spots, I jumped at the chance to highlight some of my favorite places to visit. Turo  is a peer-to-peer car rental service-a hidden gem in itself ( definitely something I’ll be keeping in mind when I travel to other hidden gems around the country!) Other bloggers are doing the same and some of their favorite places can be found over here on Pinterest.

Here are some of my favorite local places to visit in the Southern New England area!

• Horseneck Beach, Westport, MA- can get crowded in the summer, but it’s the beach I grew up going to and still love heading there in the summer, especially early on a weekend morning before the crowds!
• RISD Museum, Providence, RI- amazing collections with constantly changing galleries and great special exhibitions. Definitely a favorite spot for me to get inspired and enjoy beautiful art
• Sachuset Point Wildlife Refuge– worked near here for years before discovering it, but it really is one of the most beautiful places in Rhode Island
• Colt State Park and East Bay Bike Path– walking and bike paths right on the bay? Yes, please.
• Copicut Woods– a recent discovery for hiking. We went there for one of the first warm days of spring and there was still a lot of snow cover in the deep wooded areas, so we’re looking forward to going back, though will probably wait until the mosquito season tapers off!
• DeCordova Sculpture Park– not in Southern New England, but located in Lincoln, MA ( about an hour ride for me)- I finally visited here this past April and really enjoyed not only the outdoor sculpture garden where you can roam and sit to enjoy the art, but the special exhibitions were quite interesting too. Highly recommend.

After another family yard sale this weekend, my summer weekends are wide open and I’m anxious to get out and do some more exploring around my area so I’m sure I’ll have more favorite finds in the coming months to share!