Issues → May/June 2010 → Travel →
16 Favorite Water Days
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A Night to Remember
Yes, it's hyped, and yes, more than 10 million people have seen WaterFire Providence--Barnaby Evans's installation of 100 bonfires, with mysterious boats gliding through the darkness and haunting music spilling across the three rivers that converge in the heart of the city. But here's the thing--the whole scene always works. There may be no better free event this summer. 401-273-1155; waterfire.org
Your Own Golden Pond
Thirty years ago, when Hollywood came to New England to find a hauntingly beautiful location to become On Golden Pond, they chose Big Squam Lake, with its islands, coves, and miles of shoreline, seemingly unchanged by time. In Holderness you can rent a canoe, kayak, or sailboat and even get instruction from the people who for a century have kept Squam golden. Squam Lakes Association, Holderness, NH. 603-968-7336; squamlakes.org
Follow the Light
Stay for a night (in the first floor museum bedrooms) or a week's working vacation (in the keeper's quarters upstairs) at Rose Island Light, situated in Narragansett Bay's East Passage. The 1871 house and light tower, on the National Register of Historic Places, was abandoned in 1970, and later restored to become one of the state's most authentic and charming destinations. Arrive by ferry, sleep surrounded by the sea, awaken to gulls chattering, watch the seals, and teach the kids about washbowls and pitcher pumps. 401-847-4242; roseislandlighthouse.org
At Day's End
A Nantucket sunset cruise aboard the Endeavor with Captain James Genthner is a lesson in beauty and local history. Captain Genthner built this wooden Friendship sloop himself, and his respect for his vessel runs as deep as his respect for the island waters he sails. As the summer sun heads toward the horizon, a golden glow bathes Brant Point Light as you head out into Nantucket Sound. The Endeavor glides over secret fishing spots, while Genthner narrates stories about the long-gone whaling industry and points out seals and other marine life. For family outings, he lets the kids help raise the sails; for more romantic pursuits, he knows when to stay quiet--he'll even let you bring some food and wine along. Slip #1015, Straight Wharf, Nantucket, MA. 508-228-5585; endeavorsailing.com
Picnic On the Rocks
Star Island, one of the nine Isles of Shoals, lies some 10 miles out from Portsmouth Harbor. Arrive aboard the Thomas Laighton, a three-decker ferry; then disembark and for the next few hours explore this rock-strewn, sea-splashed nugget. On a hot, blue-sky day, give yourself the shivers: Read Anita Shreve's The Weight of Water, her historical novel about the real-life double murder that took place on nearby Smuttynose Island in 1873. Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, 315 Market St., Portsmouth, NH. 800-441-4620, 603-431-5500; islesofshoals.com
Inside the Roaring Water
When Wayne Hockmeyer guided the first raftload of thrill-seekers down the roiling Kennebec River in 1976, he started a new way of life in the Forks region of central Maine, which quickly became New England's epicenter of whitewater rafting. Whether it's down the Kennebec, the Dead River, or the Penobscot, no two trips are ever alike. It's no Disney set: People sometimes topple from the rafts and have to swim the turbulent waters. The adrenaline rush is for real--and the adventure all the more memorable because of it. raftmaine.com; 800-765-7238, 207-663-4466, northernoutdoors.com
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