Downtown Newburyport, MA (photo by Eric H.)

New England offers a remarkable concentration of preservation in its communities. Unlike other parts of the country where you have to travel miles and miles of strip malls and faceless condos, New England has an innate respect for history including its Colonial homes, buildings, town commons, churches, and farms.

Although New England has seen its share of cookie cutter

enterprises threatening our blessed landscape, there's still enough old-time character to make the six state region unique and unforgettable. Picture yourself in Stonington Borough, CT, wherethe old sea captains homes are right up on the front sidewalk and the local bakery, toy and news shops are housed in old, well-maintained buildings shaded by trees near the sea. Imagine being in Weston VT where the whole town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a great place to admire the old homes, tour the local shops including the famed Vermont Country Store, and walk the small but beauitful town common. Newly revitalixed Providence RI has not forgotten its past as Benefit St. that has perhaps the largest concentration of Colonial homes in the United States. Deerfield, MA, might challenge that claim, however, as this classic New England town has a mile of Main St. homes -- around 80 originally built in the 18th and 19th century. In Old Lyme, CT, sea captains lived in many of the homes of tree-lined Main St. -- most of those homes are still standing today. Newburyport, MA, is a wonderfully restored town with brick sidewalks and buildings that now house interesting little shops and wonderful restaurants. High St. offers some incredible and plentiful examples of Federalist architecture.

New England preservation not only exists in the well-known areas, but also the small communities that we call home. There's the citizens of Walpole, MA, that saved Adams Farm from becoming a golf course or a housing development. Today, the 365 acres -- run by the Friends of Adams Farm, a group of area residents -- provides a true respite from the stresses of modern day life. It's a great place for fall foliage leaf peeping, hiking, picnics, cross country trail walking,, non motorized bike trail riding, nature photography, bird watching, cross country skiing, snow shoeing and sledding. The Friends of Adams Farm recently raised over $100K to create a beautiful red barn and pavillion. Not only is it a rural visual delight, but also a wonderful place to have a picnic -- the open fields, distant farms and woods create a dining atmosphere better than any restaurant! The otherwise urban city of Dover NH has 1675 Garrison house nearly in its original form. Nearby Portsmouth NH has the 10-acre Strawberry Banke, an outdoor museum of sorts, where you can tour 42 buildings dating back to 1695. Whethersfield, righ outside Hartford, CT, is a charming place with many buildings dating back to the Revolutionary War.

The list of New England preservation goes on and on. We recommend reading our original New England travel articles, that frequently mention our commitment to preservation in New England. We hope you enjoy our one-of-a-kind-region. Know that if you're stuck in an area bereft of any charm, it'll be right around the corner from the generic areas, here in New England.

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