Get in the Zone

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Cool in Cambridge: Sprinkler Park Crawl

One of my very favorite resources for the question of "Where can we go to COOL DOWN with little kids" is Cambridge's awesome map of its 24 (that's Twenty-Four!) sprinkler parks, in every corner of the city and then some.

One thing we did last summer that was a blast on medium-hot days was a "sprinkler park crawl" (a healthy alternative for those who have outgrown "pub crawls") where I'd throw the kids into a car, pull out a map, go to a sprinkler park, jump out, everybody'd play for a bit, jump back in the car with towels set up on the seats, go to another, get back in the car, drive to a third park, after which those kids slept VERY WELL that night (as did I).

Particularly fun with another family, especially with a van with electric doors. It's a like the Keystone Cops every 16 blocks.

So print out the map and go crawling! Or at least get sprinkled, spritzed, splashed and COOLED ON DOWN. Enjoy!

- by Robin, Greater Boston DayTripper Diva

Drop of Hope Photography Project

The Roots & Shoots youth organization invites everyone to participate in this year's Drop of Hope Water Photography Project. There are even a couple of spaces left in a special photography workshop at Deer Island on Sunday, August 23.

The project encourages youth participation in celebrating bodies of water, building awareness about water issues, as well as creating and enjoying art. Roots & Shoots is again working with the Griffin Museum of Photography and Boston Photography Center on this project. Roots & Shoots is founded by chimpanzee researcher and environmental activist Dr. Jane Goodall.

This project involves three stages:

1. Young people take photos and briefly write descriptions about bodies of water they have visited, projects they have done with water or water issues that are of concern to them.
2. Exhibit the photos and descriptions in an online Roots & Shoots photo gallery, allowing visitors to the gallery to learn about and comment on the photos. (Anyone may submit photos for this portion of the project.)
3. The eventual exhibition of a selected number of the photos in the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. (Only photos taken by Roots & Shoots members can be selected for this opportunity.)

click here for more information

Into the Mystic - and Stonington

Stonington & Mystic, Connecticut, are less than 2 hours from Boston and make a fabulous extended day trip at any time of year.

Stonington's big draw is a charming, very walkable village known as Stonington Borough, with several terrific restaurants on Water Street, which is the narrow, one-way main road along the water through town. Noah's and the Water Street Cafe are both charming, casual, with upscale menus, open for lunch and dinner, reasonably priced, and Skipper's Dock is on the water, in good weather definitely opt for the deck, good food, especially seafood. Boom is at Dodson's Marina and has a view of the water, a little pricier and the food's richer. The best and most charming place for coffee, tea and cookies in Stonington Borough is The Yellow House.

Water Street is lined with wonderful antique stores, art galleries, marine shops, unique clothing boutiques, and such, but it's relatively low key, very tasteful and not too touristy. Lots of artsy New Yorkers summer here, but there's also a working group of fishing boats. Down near the boats, there's a house where you can buy local fish and scallops on the honor system. You just pick out what you want, put the money through a slot, and take your change out of a can. There's a farmer's market nearby every Saturday morning in season, and some gorgeous old captain's houses. Everyone likes to walk around on the docks and see the boats at Dodson's - there are some beautiful classic yachts there. The lighthouse (above) and museum at the end of the Water Street is open to the public, and you can climb up to the light for spectacular views. Nearby, the Palmer House is also worth a visit, as is Stonington Vineyards, which is open year 'round and offers tours. (continued below)

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Just down the road is Mystic (interesting note, Mystic is not a town - half of it is part of Stonington and half is part of Groton). The Mystic Seaport Museum is definitely worth a visit - you and/or your kids will love climbing over the old ships. There are restaurants in and near Mystic Seaport, but the best is Bravo Bravo in Mystic Village for either lunch or dinner. The village has good shopping, a little touristy, but the drawbridge is fun to watch - the river's busy, so it goes up and down a lot.

On the way home, go via Rt 1 through Westerly, RI. In Charleston, stop at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory on the Old Post Rd. - a unique shopping experience. It's a collection of artsy shops in old barns and sheds with treasures like great inexpensive clothing, cards, musical instruments, toys, jewelry, and posters - a really crazy mix. There's also a good vegetarian restaurant called the Spice of Life alongside a garden center and petting zoo and farm. It's straight out of the hippie sixties! I think it's just open weekends. Definitely not upscale, but fun.

The nice thing about heading to Rhode Island and Connecticut is that people from Boston mostly go to the Cape, so even on busy summer weekends, there's not a lot of traffic coming and going - and it only takes a bit more than 1.5 hours to reach Stonington and Mystic.

- The Day Tripper Divas thank reader Betsy Baldwin for this excellent roundup!

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