Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 10, 1994 TAG: 9404130012
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: STURBRIDGE, MASS. LENGTH: Long
But you're not too late to share the rest of the day with hard-working men and women of an 1830 New England community.
You can visit homes like the 1704 Fenno House where a widow and her maiden daughter make silk and crepe bonnets. The 1737 Fitch House denotes prosperity with its picket fence, rose trellis and flower gardens. The Salem Towne House, circa 1796, is a handsome, richly furnished, two-story home whose architectural details are illustrated in a 1792 book for English carpenters.
The center meetinghouse, the bank, the parsonage, the tavern, the tin shop - they all stand in quiet contrast to the bits, bytes and ballyhoo of the late 20th century.
But don't be in a hurry to return to today. Wander slowly around the common and along the dirt roads that lead to the mills and farming countryside. Stand in the covered bridge and savor the charm of times gone by.
The farmer will be haying or shearing sheep, hoeing potatoes, planting or harvesting crops. Depending on when you go, you can try your hand at making cheese, driving oxen, firing a musket or milling grain. Family Fun Weekends feature special entertainment and hands-on activities for all ages.
Old Sturbridge Village, through its live interpreters, heirloom gardens and vast collections showcases the lives and legacies of early American life. The 200-acre living history museum is a multidimensional experience of sights and sounds, textures and taste, history and heritage, work and play.
You don't want to go too fast from the past to the present, so you should plan a few days of acclimation in the town of Sturbridge.
First, find a place to stay. For the historical at heart, the Publick House Historic Inn, built in 1771, has floors with a pitch and a squeak, beds with comforters and canopies, and indoor plumbing, private for every room.
The Publick House also maintains a modern motor lodge and a quiet, exclusive bed and breakfast establishment a couple miles from the inn.
If you or your family likes an indoor pool, fitness center, miniature golf and boating along with your room, check in at the Sturbridge Host Hotel. Sturbridge Country Inn is a cozy little place between shopping stops with a fireplace, whirlpool tub, cable TV and complimentary champagne in every room. There are many motor lodges, motels and bed and breakfast inns in the area.
Once settled, it's time to think about dinner. For a meal that outshines the best in big city fare for quality, atmosphere and service, you have two choices: The Whistling Swan in Sturbridge, and the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, 15 miles northwest of Sturbridge. The Whistling Swan may have the edge on elegance, but the Salem Cross Inn, circa 1705, is a 600-acre country property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
For a less expensive outing, Crabapple's and T.J. O'Brien's are appealing. You can order the best deep-dish apple pie in New England at Crabapple's, and Irish bands entertain at O'Brien's Friday and Saturday nights.
When morning breaks, head over to the Sunburst Cafe for good coffee, pots of tea, great muffins, omelettes, French toast and a hearty egg o' muffin dish. Jean Dahler and Sylvia Moore are hard-working country ladies who put out homemade soups and sandwiches for lunch as great as their muffins and quiches at breakfast.
If you're feeling a little heavy from eating, ride up Massachusetts 131 about a mile past the Publick House to Paoletti's. It used to be a seasonal farm stand, but it's now enclosed, heated and open year round. The Paoletti family runs a top notch operation, picking up produce at daybreak in Boston.
Between eating and sleeping, there's shopping. Antiques, country crafts, folk art, dried arrangements, shoes, clothes, baskets, curtains, copper and tinware, furniture and gift shops line U.S. 20 for more than a mile.
Starting just east of the Interstate 84 and Massachusetts Turnpike intersection is Sturbridge Antique Shops, 75 dealers under one roof. At the entrance of the road to Old Sturbridge Village, Country Curtains displays dozens of window dressings on fake windows so you can see the actual colors and fabric textures.
The Sturbridge Information Center is across the street from Country Curtains in the small yellow house. This is a good place to check out local menus and get information on other places in New England.
Uncle Warren's is above T.J. O'Brien's restaurant and features fine country furniture and accessories, and an incredibly large selection of cotton throws all categorized by themes. Sturbridge Yankee Workshop has closed, but the mail order business is carrying on from 90 Blueberry Road, Portland, Me., 04102.
The Marketplace, a three-story renovated brick mill, houses the League of American Crafters, where 150 artisans display and sell unique, handmade, quality crafts. The Handmaiden is a delightful gift shop, and New England Graphics carries hundreds of prints. Soup to Nuts is a good little lunch spot, and there are about 20 stores worth browsing through here. This is a comfortable place to be on a rainy day.
When you reach the west end of Massachusetts 20, you can bear right on Massachusetts 48 for a country ride to the Brookfields or to go to the Salem Cross Inn - there are signs all along the way.
Or you can go straight. Four miles down the road on May 10-15, July 5-10 or Sept. 6-11 this year, you'll find acres and acres and acres of antiques and collectibles at the famous Brimfield Flea Market.
Depending on what time of what day you drive over, be prepared for stop-and-go traffic the last mile or two. There will be lots of signs "Park Here, $" near the town common, but my advice is drive right into Heart O' the Mart and pay whatever they're asking to park. It's worth having your car close by if you dicker for and win an item too awkward or too heavy to carry more than a few hundred feet. It happens all the time, despite your best intentions!
Sturbridge is a great place to eat well, sleep good and discover the heart and soul of early American village life.
Sturbridge is located at the intersection of the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) and Interstate 84, 60 miles west of Boston, 45 miles northeast of Hartford, 35 miles east of Springfield and Interstate 91, and 100 miles southeast of Albany, N.Y.
For information and a calendar of events, write the Sturbridge Area Tourist Association, 380 Main St., Sturbridge, Mass., 01566 or call 1-800-628-8379.
by CNB