Travel The East

This has easily been one of the coldest and snowiest winters to date in Northeast American history.  And when temperatures are hovering around 0°F, we admit the thought of spending your weekend outdoors has very little appeal.  So what to does the outdoor enthusiast (a person who can’t sit still on a couch for longer than an hour), do on the weekend?   Our question exactly, but luckily 1.5 hours away, Dale Wolbrink, Director of Public Relations with the Sea Research Foundation , was reading our minds.  Dale sent us an email inviting Travel The East to visit the Mystic Aquarium this past weekend and we’re very glad he did.  When it’s too cold to go outdoors, what other option is there than to bring the outdoors, indoors! Mystic Aquarium, located in Mystic, Connecticut, was an easy hour and a half drive from our house which is slightly south of Boston.  The aquarium has both outdoor and indoor exhibits with a wide variety of animal species from all around the world.  There were

In the last few weeks, winter has come alive in the Boston area. Snowstorm after snowstorm has pounded southern New England, breaking numerous snow records. The most recent storm, Marcus, hit our town of North Weymouth especially hard, dumping close to 30 inches. Just shoveling the driveway enough to get the car out took hours on its own as the snowbanks on the side of our driveway were around 10 feet high. When we finally got the driveway cleared off we decided to take a ride around the neighborhood, curious to see how others were dealing with the snow. We drove up to Great Hill Park, which boasts fantastic views of the Boston skyline. But it wasn’t the skyline that caught our attention that day. It was the snow, and the hill itself. When you mix those two element together and have been skiing your whole life, it’s tough not to envision floating through 30 inches of powder. So I decided I needed to make this thought a reality. I packed my skis and boots into the car

On one of our recent escapades on the South Shore, we explored yet another terrific property owned and maintained by the Trustees of Reservations .  Located between Weir River Farm and Wompatuck State Park , is the often forgotten piece of land making up Whitney and Thayer Woods. Whitney and Thayer Woods stretches across 10 miles of forestry trails.  From certain lookout points along the these trails, you can catch some amazing views of the Boston skyline.  One of the unique aspects of this area, setting apart from most other parks, are the solitary boulders scattered throughout the reservation.  These boulders are remnants of the last ice age, dating back 8,000 years ago.  A collection of these glacial remains makes up Ode's Den which is situated in the heart of the park and can be seen in our photos below. There are many brooks and streams to be found throughout Whitney and Thayer; most of which have frozen over during the colder months. In addition, there is M