1. Country Curtains
City: Sturbridge, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (508) 347-2158
Address: 371 Main St.
Insider Pick:
Description: The flagship store of the national mail-order curtain company is located within the Red Lion Inn. Founded by the Fitzpatrick family in 1956, the company operated out of the family’s home until 1969, when the Fitzpatricks purchased the Red Lion Inn and moved the business there. Enter the showroom from Main Street or from within the hotel and you’ll find rack after rack of ready-to-hang curtains, tablecloths, and bedcovers. Not just “country curtains,” the store also stocks an impressive array of sophisticated striped, floral, and toile designs as well as fine, lined silk panels at affordable prices. Don’t forget to bring your window measurements!
2. Old Sturbridge Village
City: Sturbridge, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 347-3363
Address: 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: With 40 original buildings on 200 acres, this living history museum provides a glimpse into 18th- and 19th-century rural life in America. Old Sturbridge Village has been carefully re-created, from the period furnishings in the homes to the tools that were used in the blacksmith’s and potter’s shops. The “villagers,” costumed historical interpreters and tradespeople, can be seen baking bread in a wood-fired oven, cutting lumber at the working sawmill, or tending to longhorn livestock in the fields, completing the film-set effect. For families, there are loads of daily activities geared just to kids: They can try on 19th-century clothing, dip candles, and meet the animals in the barn. Your kids will learn a lot and have more fun than they expect. There is a lot to see here, so plan on spending at least half a day. The food choices feature strictly modern-day fare. At the Village Cafe sandwiches, salads, soups, fresh baked goods, and coffee are offered. The Bullard Tavern Cafe is larger; it’s a cafeteria setup that offers some hot lunch choices along with sandwiches and salads. The museum is open year-round and closed Mon. And as this is an outdoor museum, wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. In winter the buildings are heated—but only by “cozy” fires (it’s cold!).
3. Pan Mass Challenge
City: Sturbridge, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Attracting more than 5,000 cyclists, this bike-athon raises money for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is the country’s largest mass-participation charity event. There are now 11 routes for the riders to choose from, but the original route starts in Sturbridge and is the most grueling. The first Saturday of August, the streets of Sturbridge are lined with residents and thousands of supporters cheering on the cyclists as they begin a trek that ends 192 miles and 2 days later in Provincetown on Cape Cod.