By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The Daily Meal has released its list of 25 Best Ice Cream Parlors in the World and we were a bit shocked to find not a one from New England. Rubbing salt in our legendary Big Apple vs Hub wound were two from New York City, Big Gay Ice Cream and The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. The rest were from the world over, including a few in Italy (no surprise, gelato rules), Canada, Brazil, France, Ireland, as well as New Mexico, California and Minnesota. For the full list, check out www.thedailymeal.com

Now if they do a survey on best lobster ice cream, we expect things to be much, much different.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Blount Small Ship Adventures, based in Warren, R.I., is offering $1,000 savings per couple on sailings of its “Islands of New England” trips this summer, including three new enrichment cruises focusing on arts and crafts adventures, food and wine discoveries, and Native America history. The six-night cruises on the Grand Caribe hits six ports including the Massachusetts islands of Cuttyhunk and Nantucket, and Block Island in Rhode Island. The sailing also features onboard entertainers, a lobster bake, three meals a day (with beer and wine at lunch and dinner) and snacks around the clock. Unlike many cruise operations, here you can bring your own bottles, and they’ll provide mixers and cocktail setup. 

The Grande Caribe, which has 48cabins and a capacity of 88 passengers, was built by Blount Boats in Warren in 1997 and renovated in 2009 with new furnishings, décor, cabins and dining rooms. With discount applied, rates start at $1,599 per person, based on double occupancy, and doesn’t include a port charge of $185 per person. Booking must be made by May 31. 

For info, visit www.blountsmallshipadventures.com/ine.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

AAA Southern New England can design trips for members just about anywhere, but in the interest of saving money and patronizing businesses in its own area, is also keen on creating trips closer to home, officials there say. One of them is “The City Get-Away Boston,” where you can spend the night at the Revere Hotel in the Hub’s theater district, eat at Four Diamond-ranked Asana at the chef’s table, go to Fenway Park for a ball game and get 10-percent off at the team store. You can also hit Huntington Theatre for a $5 discount per ticket or get $10 off at Blue Man Group.

Further south is the “Family Friendly Resort Cape Cod” offering, with a stay at Four Diamond-ranked Wequasset Resort & Golf Club, dinner at the resort’s twenty-eight Atlantic, and a whale-watching trip with Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch, where AAA members get discounts. There is also the “Ultimate Luxury Beach Vacation Rhode Island,” with a stay at Five Diamond Ocean House (a giant hotel on the bluffs that was rebuilt in place of the original one that stood for many years, and using more than 5,000 artifacts and furnishing elements from the original), dinner at the hotel’s Four Diamond Seasons restaurant, and theater at the nearby Theatre By the Sea, a classic barn theater that in its glory years saw the likes of Marlon Brando and Mae West tread the boards there, and where AAA members get 10-percent off select performances this summer.

For all info, check out www.southernnewengland.aaa.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

You don’t have to wait for the summer heat anymore to find things to do in Nantucket. Though things ramp up mostly after Memorial Day, and certainly by July 4, the island has a variety of early-season offerings, and hotels and inns with deals to take advantage of them.

One popular event is the Nantucket Wine Festival, marking its 17^th year May 15-19, with a schedule of special events such as celebrity chef cooking demos, tastings, seminars, symposia, auctions and a charity gala. For full event schedule and pricing, visit www.nantucketwinefestival.com

The White Elephant is hosting many of the festival events, including the Grand Tastings and Harbor Gala, the former featuring more than 150 wineries from around the world. The gala is the festival’s signature event with 40 stations of dishes prepared by the country’s best chefs, which, naturally, are paired with appropriate wines. The White Elephant and sister properties, White Elephant Village and The Wauwinet, are offering weekend packages including stays, event tickets, dinners at Brant Point Grill and Topper’s, as well as brunches. Rates start at $500 a night. For info, check out www.nantucketislandresorts.com

At Harborview Place, offered by Beautiful Places villa rentals, stay three or more nights in a one- to three-bedroom residence and get a wine festival package with access to a variety of events, including the tasting, VIP party, auction, Friday night supper club and breakfast on the harbor. Visit www.beautiful-places.com/location/massachusetts for information.

Orla and Michael LaScola, owners of American Seasons, are partnering again with West Coast wineries such as Donelan Family Wines and Flowers Winery to host seminars and dinners highlighting domestic wines paired with LaScola’s take on American dishes. For information on the events at the restaurant, visit www.americanseasons.com

If you have flexible travel plans, the antique inn Century House celebrates its 180^th anniversary this year by offering a weeknight stay in a queen room for $180 plus tax and service during select dates in May and June, based on last-minute availability. There is no online booking for this deal: Call 508-228-0530 on the preceding Saturday or Sunday to secure a stay the following Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night. You can also combine the special with multiple week-night stays at standard rates. And you can help celebrate innkeepers JeanEllen Heron and Gerry Connick’s 30^th anniversary running the inn. Connick’s famous and massive berry breakfast alone is worth the stay.

The next month, the spring version of Nantucket Restaurant Week runs June 2-9 (another runs in the fall), with a variety of restaurants participating, including American Seasons, where they offer three-course dinners from $25-$45. For a full listing, visit www.nantucketrestaurantweek.com Writers have long been drawn to the island, including historic scribes like James Fenimore Cooper and Edgar Allen Poe, and modern authors such as Nathaniel Philbrick. The 2nd Annual Nantucket Book Festival runs June 21-23, with panel discussions, interactive readings for adults and kids, and “Authors in Bars” events giving festival goers a chance to personally toast their favorite writers. A roster of more than 20 notable American writers are expected, among them Philbrick, Paul Hendrickson and Lois Lowry. The Brant Point Grill at the White Elephant, the event’s host hotel, will host the weekend’s closing brunch June 23 with Alice Hoffman, author of more than 20 novels including “Here on Earth,” an Oprah’s Book Club choice. Other events include breakfast receptions with authors Ann Leary and Amy Brill, and a pig roast at Cisco Brewery. Check it all out at www.nantucketbookfestival.org

And lest we not forget the island’s nautical roots, the Egan Maritime Institute will hold “Red, Right, Returning: Present Day United States Coast Guard Lifesaving Procedures and Boat Safety” at the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, May 23-Oct. 14. The outdoor exhibit features present day Coast Guard lifesaving procedures, guide to boat safety and a recreational four-person life raft for anyone to try out on dry land. Back by popular demand is last year’s exhibit, “Guiding Lights: Nantucket’s Lighthouses, Keepers and Their Families,” that includes hands-on activities.  Visit www.eganmaritime.org for more information.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Home cooks take note: The 5th Annual Inn to Inn Spring Herb Tour runs June 8-9, when 11 White Mountain inns in New Hampshire present an in-depth look at a popular culinary herb. Tour-takers will take home herb trivia, historical facts and ideas for growing your own, getting seedlings from each inn. In the past, people have grazed from inn to inn sampling tomato basil soup, carrot chervil dip, sage biscuits, tarragon egg salad and rosemary chocolate cookies. This year’s offerings feature a new menu of herb-inspired tastings, organizers said.

Six northern inns (Jackson to North Conway) take part June 8 and five southern ones (Conway to Chocura) on June 9. Northern inns, and the herbs they’ll highlight are: Inn at Ellis River, mint; Glen Oaks Inn, lemongrass; 1785 Inn, parsley; Eastman Inn, thyme; Old Red Inn & Cottages, anise; and Admiral Peary House, sage. Southern inns are: Darby Field Inn, basil; Snowvillage, lavender; Inn at Crystal Lake, rosemary; Riverbend Inn, chives; and Brass Heart Inn, oregano. The spring herb tour is held primarily for those booking a two-night package at one of the inns, but those not staying can get tickets from May 11-25 for $25 per person by calling 603-356-9025. Lodging packages start at $178 per couple, which includes two nights, herb-themed breakfasts each morning and two tour tickets. Prices vary from inn to inn and depend on room choice; some packages include special five-course, herb-themed dinners. One-night packages start at $99 per couple for the room, breakfast for two and a pair of tour tickets.

For information on all, visit www.CountryInnsintheWhiteMountains.com or call 603-356-9025.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Windham Hill Inn, a Relais & Chateaux property in West Townshend, Vermont is marking spring with its first Gardener’s Luncheon and Market May 18, bringing together local Vermont vendors to showcase the area’s seasonal offerings. The inn’s gardener Claduia Dekany will also be on hand to give garden tours and tips. Spring-inspired paintings, prints and notecards will be available in the hotel’s Sun Lounge and gift shop.

Activities include seasonal lunch, cooking demos with the inn’s chef, with an eye on how to prepare early-spring veggies, and herbs and perennials available for purchase from local gardeners at Griffin Gardens. For information, visit www.windhamhill.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Ocean Edge Resort & Beach Club in Brewster on Cape Cod, has relaunched its mansion side of the property, part of a $40-million ongoing renovation of the resort that is now complete. The Mansion at Ocean Edge now has 31 two- and three-bedroom Presidential Bay Collection villas (formerly the Bay Pines Villas) on or close to the beach, and 90 Mansion guest rooms that were done last spring.

The resort is offering an intro “Relaunching Luxury” rate for the Presidential Bay Collection. Book by April 30 and get 20 percent off regular rates. Guests booking five or more nights have a choice of a free added amenity, which include a round of golf at the resort’s Nicklaus Design course when accompanied by one paying round; two kids’ day passes to EdgeVenture; or use of two bikes for a day. 

Spring isn’t a bad time to save some money at Ocean Edge: Rates at the Mansion wing start at $139 a night in spring, with Presidential Bay Collection villas starting at $600, and jump in summer to $425 and $1,250 a night, respectively. 

For information and to book, visit www.oceanedge.com or call 800-343-6074.

Children 10 to 16 years old can gather eggs from a chicken coop, collect fresh ingredients from veggie and herb gardens, and then whip up mouth-watering dishes during The Essex Resort & Spa’s Camp Cook program. The resort hosts nine summer camp sessions beginning June 17. Book the Five Night Holiday Package for $199 per night, based on double occupancy, and then pay $400 per child for the five-day Camp Cook program. While your kids immerse themselves in culinary adventures, you can go hot air ballooning, fly-fishing, or biking, visit the resort’s spa, or explore nearby Burlington and Stowe. 800-727-4295, www.vtculinaryresort.com

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

Want to discover Nantucket’s best family beaches and bike routes, track down good kid-friendly restaurants or rainy-day activities, or find out how to rent baby equipment or hire a local babysitter? A new website, Nantucket-Bucket.com, offers up-to-date info on family-oriented events, activities, and resources island-wide. Look up activities and programs by topic or date. The site, started by Nantucket resident Logan Gomes, also has a blog with do-it-yourself craft projects and entries by guest bloggers from the Nantucket community. Register on the website and receive a weekly e-mail with information on activities, discounts, and special promotions. www.nantucket-bucket.com

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

Go on a wild mushroom hunt and then dine on fresh morels at Twin Farms resort in Barnard, Vt., during one of several special events this year that celebrate the property’s 20th anniversary. This all-inclusive five-star resort, once home to Nobel prize-winning author Sinclair Lewis, hosts a morel and wildcrafting weekend June 1-2, when wildcrafters Les Hook and Nova Kim show guests how to properly forage for mushrooms, and discuss mushroom lore and spring edibles. Then hike along wilderness trails on this 300-acre property, swim in Copper Pond, and fly fish in nearby rivers. Leave time for the Japanese-style soaking tub and the spa. Rates: $1,400-$3,100 per night, based on double occupancy.  800-894-6327, www.twinfarms.com

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

Readers of our In Transit column in the Globe Travel section know that we're partial to the Downeaster train. Now Amtrak would like to win over the skeptical. For National Train Day on May 11, Amtrak is celebrating at the Brunswick, Maine, station from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with train tours and cafe samples during the 1-4 p.m. time slot. They also promise activities for kids, educational exhibits, and ticket giveaways.

Even better, for three weekends in a row, Amtrak is offering $5 tickets on the northern half of the Downeaster line. They're good from Haverhill to Brunswick, Maine (or points in between) on May 4-5 and May 11-12, and between Exeter, N.H. and Brunswick, Maine April 27-28. That's definitely something to toot about.

By Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

Plan a getaway at 10 Distinctive Inns of New England on April 9 or May 9 and your room rate will be $9. In return for this special rate, guests make a $100 donation that goes directly to the food bank or hunger relief program in the inn’s community. Each inn has a designated number of rooms for the DINE at 9 campaign that are reserved on a space-available basis by calling the inn directly. The participating properties: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina, Niantic, Conn.; Camden Maine Stay, Camden, Maine; Captain’s House Inn, Chatham (below); Gateways Inn, Lenox; Deerfield Inn, Deerfield; Chesterfield Inn, West Chesterfield, N.H.; Manor on Golden Pond, Holderness, N.H.; Inn at Thorn Hill, Jackson, N.H.; Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, Vt.; and Grafton Inn, Grafton, Vt. www.distinctiveinns.com/new-england-inns.html

Gray seals littered the beach on Cape Cod's Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, one of the most popular spots in New England for the mammals to enjoy the spring sun. The most recent count showed more than 15,000 seals off the coast of the region.

Can you guess how many seals are in the above photo? You can also check out more of Globe photographer David Ryan's photos from the refuge here.

Answer: 153

Using tilt-shift photography, German photographer Joerg Daiber has created the latest in intriguing destination clips to hit the web with his “Mini Maine,” which depicts various scenes in Portland that appear miniaturized.

"I kind of like to put things in the right perspective,” Daiber told the Portland Press-Herald. “Sometimes I think people take things too seriously.

"It turned into an obsession.”

The clip already has more than 25,00 views since being posted on YouTube on Tuesday.

Check out some more popular tilt-shift videos below.

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

Take a long weekend and explore the Johnny Appleseed Trail in Central Massachusetts and the upper Connecticut River Valley on the Mass BikePike Tour, Aug. 1-4. Choose from a shorter (25- to 45-mile) or longer (45- to 70-mile) route and receive full support along the way. Go on an optional adventure to Swanzey, N.H., to celebrate the Cheshire Fair’s 75th anniversary, and hang out around the campfire each night to refuel with s’mores. Camp out (bring your tent or pay for a luxury camp setup) or arrange your own accommodations. Registration of $416.49 includes breakfasts, dinners, support, and more. Round-trip transportation from Boston to Fitchburg, the start and end point, runs $50. 617-710-1832, www.massbikepike.org

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Newport is not a bad place to be in April when the weather warms up, hopefully, and prices are cheaper. Free is the best price of all, and newportFILM has just that in a free Earth Day screening of the documentary “Elemental” April 22, hosted by The Aquidneck Land Trust as part of its Conservation Speaker Series, and in partnership with The Newport Tree Society’s Newport Arboretum Week. The film tells the story of three people on three different continents united by a deep connection with nature, driven to confront pressing ecological challenges. To check out the trailer, and reserve seats, visit  www.newportfilm.com/films/elemental The film airs at 6 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theater.

Another film, one that costs $20 a ticket but includes cocktails and light refreshments, is “Venus and Serena,” about the Willams tennis siblings, said to be a “warts and all” look at the powerhouse sisters. It is being shown in partnership with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and airs April 25 at the Casino Theater on Freebody Street. The film’s director, Michelle Major, is scheduled to hold a post-screening Q&A session with the audience. For information and tickets, visit www.newportfilm.com
 

By Necee Regis, Globe correspondent

Take advantage of preseason rates and start dreaming about the beach. Nantucket’s retro-chic hotels, The Veranda House and Chapman House, are offering Countdown to Summer 3-2-1 packages (May 19-June 27). Includes two complimentary round-trip passes on the Steamship Authority’s Fast Ferry service from Hyannis (valued at $138) for a three-night stay, and one complimentary pass for a two-night stay. Rates start at $199 midweek and $249 on the weekends at The Veranda House, and $169 midweek and $209 weekends at Chapman House. Both offer a complimentary morning meal, free Wi-Fi, and afternoon chocolate chip cookies.  877-228-0695, www.theverandahouse.com

While Boston is in the midst of its own restaurant week, this week and next, they’re gearing up in Portsmouth, N.H., for the Portsmouth & The Seacoast Spring Restaurant Week, taking place April 4-13 with more than 45 area restaurants participating on the seacoast of New Hampshire, including many featuring gluten-free and vegetarian menus.

Visitors can choose from one of two options: A three-course prix-fixe lunch for only $16.95, or a three-course dinner for $29.95. Some of the participating restaurants include Black Trumpet Bistro, The Common Man, Grill 28, and The Portsmouth Brewery.

Visit www.portsmouthchamber.org/restaurantweek.cfm for menus, as well as lodging specials should you choose to make a weekend out of it.

By Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

Indulge your passion for food while getting away from it all. In the village of Brandon, Café Provence and the Lilac Inn have teamed up to offer Vermont Culinary Retreat Weekends for couples (March 22-24, April 5-7, 19-21) that celebrate farm-to-table cuisine with a focus on Vermont ingredients. Chef Robert Barral, former executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, leads a hands-on class where you’ll help prepare (and later eat) a four-course meal, and a Sunday brunch cooking demonstration. Includes a champagne reception, two nights’ lodging at the luxury inn, all meals, and a tour of goat cheese-making facilities at the nearby Blue Ledge Farm. Limited to six couples, $995, includes taxes and gratuities.  802-247-5463, http://lilacinn.com

By Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival hosts its 13th annual event (March 15-17) at the Chilmark Community Center with films from the festival circuit as well as shorts and features with local appeal. Watch movies on comfy couches in the “community living room” outfitted with state-of-the-art projection and sound. Stay for post-screening discussions with filmmakers and others. Events include live music hosted by the Hay Cafe and a daily feast prepared by chef Chris Fischer. Tickets $15, members $7. Couch seating add $5. Weekend pass $150. 508-645-9599, www.tmvff.org. The Harbor View Hotel & Resort in Edgartown is offering a Martha’s Vineyard Movie Escape package, including two-night stay (March15-16) and two all-access festival passes, $479, with reserved couch seating $679.  800-225-6005, www.harbor-view.com

Harmless or careless?

There’s a furor brewing in Truro, where some Cape Cod residents aren’t pleased with the town’s depiction of a smiling shark on this year’s beach sticker, arguing that the image downplays the recent fears of sharks swimming along the shore during the summer months.

According to the Cape Cod Times, the sticker won unanimous approval from the town beach commission.

Kelly Clark, director of the town's recreation and beach department, told the Times that she was concerned about the repercussions of taking the Cape’s shark issues too lightly, but was essentially told to “lighten up.”

Truro boasts four beaches, all which require a parking sticker, which can be purchased $15 a season for residents.

More at the Cape Cod Times web site.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The inaugural Eat Drink RI Festival is being held April 19-20, running throughout downtown

Providence, a city ranked number one in the food/drink/restaurant category in Travel + Leisure's "America's Favorite Cities 2012." The festival has more than 40 chefs, farmers, bartenders and food producers scheduled to take part, including Champe Speidel of Persimmon, a James Beard Foundation Best Chef Northeast semifinalist; Blackbird Farm, Jonathan Edwards Winery; Benjamin Sukle of The Dorrance, a James Beard Foundation Rising Star semifinalist; the United States Bartenders' Guild R.I.; Revival Brewing, Allen Farms; Dave's Coffee, and others.

Highlights include a "Truck Stop to Benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank" on April 19 in Kennedy Plaza; Education panels on April 20 that will discuss the abundance and quality of local food and drink, followed that night by a grand tasting , the festival's main event, at the Providence Biltmore; and a grand brunch April 21 at Gracie's, the city's only AAA Four Diamond restaurant.

For information, event pricing and a full schedule, visit www.eatdrinkri.com/festival

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

New England, despite the cold and snow, isn’t a bad place to warm up for Valentine’s Day, and here are a couple of deals out there.

Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard has a pair of offers for the romantic day. On Feb. 14, guests can get a free overnight stay when they reserve a spot for the resort’s Water Street’s Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe dinner, designed by Executive Chef Shaun Brian Sells. For $75 per person, you get entrees like the cast-iron seared sous vide filet, sautéed bay scallops and farrotto with roasted root vegetables and confit tomatoes, not to mention desserts like dark chocolate molten cake and profiteroles. The resort is also offering a weekend away, with rates starting at $299, which includes a Saturday night stay at the resort’s main building on Feb. 16, chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne upon arrival. Water Street’s Sunday brunch for two is included. More nights can be booked at $129. Check it out at www.harbor-view.com

Down in Newport, The Chanler at Cliff Walk, the only hotel smack dab on the city by the sea’s fabled cliff walk, has a two-night stay deal, with rates from $345 for weekday nights and $395 on weekends. The stay includes a full breakfast each morning, one dinner at the Spiced Pear restaurant on property (with killer ocean views), a bath butler service on the night of your choice (we did this one night last year and the romance level really ramps up when you come back to your room and find a hot bath drawn with rose petals strewn on the water and candles burning all around the tub for two), a bottle of Spiced Pear sparkling wine and two tickets to visit the Newport mansion of your choice. For more info, visit www.thechanler.com

Also in Newport, the historic Vanderbilt Grace, is running a Gracious Valentine package through Feb. 17, with rates from $575 for a deluxe room and $735 for a junior suite, where couples can take a special chocolate lover's master class, learning how to make hand-crafted goodies, lead by the hotel chef. Other parts of the package include a two-night stay, free glass of champagne upon arrival and free continental champagne breakfast, 15-percent off a couples massage and a three-course set menu for two at the hotel's Muse restaurant. Check it out at www.vanderbiltgrace.com 

Providence is getting in on the act, too, a city named one of the top five most-surprising romantic destinations by Yahoo. Hotel Providence in the heart of the city has three packages: The Sweetheart’s Package for $229 a night, getting you a superior room, breakfast for two and valet parking; the Be Mine package for $279 a night that includes a deluxe room, champagne, breakfast for two, rose-petal turndown and valet parking; and the Hopeless Romantic package for  $499, which nets you a king suite, breakfast for two, dinner for two (not including liquor however), rose-petal turndown, signature bath items and valet parking. All are available Feb. 14-16, check out www.hotelprovidence.com for information.

Other Providence trips could include the Christopher Dodge House Bed & Breakfast’s Romantic Getaway Package for $379, which includes two nights in best available room, flowers, gourmet chocolates and a $100 gift certificate to Mill’s Tavern, Hemenway’s or Cassarino’s. Check www.providence-hotel.com for info.  You might not think an airport hotel as romantic, but the Raddison Hotel Providence Airport hotel has a package Feb. 14 starting at $199 a night, that includes a whirlpool bath suite, champagne and chocolates in the room, a $50 gift card to Libations Restaurant, room service breakfast and late checkout. Visit www.radisson.com/warwick-hotel-ri-02886/riproair for information. And the Omni Providence has a Romance Remembered package for $182 a night, that gets you a room, sparkling wine, concierge pre-call to assist with special romantic touches, turndown that includes robes, music and lighting, breakfast in bed for two and late checkout. That can be had from Feb. 1-Dec. 30, and for all the details, visit  www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/Providence.aspx.

Get the kids involved at  the John Brown House Museum on Feb. 16 is hosting an afternoon tea from 2-3 p.m., which invites kids and accompanying adult to join a tea party, tour of the 18th-century mansion and making a Victorian Valentine’s to bring home. That costs $15 per child and accompanying adult, and for info, visit www.rihs.org

Up in Maine, the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, is running a deal all month with its Ultimate February is for Lovers package, with rates starting at $1,590 per night for two people (additional nights at $380), that gets you a night at the inn, chocolate dessert class with the hotel's pastry chef, a couples Swedish massage, private champagne tasting in the hotel's wine cellar followed by a candlelit dinner for two, and horse-drawn sleigh ride through Kennebunkport. For info, visit www.whitebarninn.com

 

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

The eagles have landed in western Connecticut’s Litchfield County. Each year, bald eagles journey from the frozen north to the Housatonic River in Southbury. They hang out around the Shepaug Dam, where the running waters prevent ice from forming and therefore keep the fish accessible. Visit the Shepaug Eagle Observation Area, where you can look through telescopes to get an up-close view, then chat with Connecticut Audubon volunteers. You may see up to a dozen eagles a day. Viewing runs on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through March 13. Entry is free, but reservations are required to avoid overcrowding.  800-368-8954, www.shepaugeagles.info

By Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

Rockland, Maine, goes pie crazy on Jan. 27 with the 9th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour. From 1-5 p.m. sample more than 40 pies at businesses, restaurants, and inns throughout town. The 20 participating venues will serve both a savory and sweet pie, including galettes, tarts, quiches, pot pies, pizza pies, and even a grilled pie. Adults $25, children ages 10 and under $10. Ticket sales benefit the local food pantry. The Historic Inns of Rockland — Granite Inn, Captain Lindsey House, Lime Rock Inn, Berry Manor Inn — offer a Pie Tour package. A two-night stay includes two tickets to the Pie Tour, silent auction, wine and pie tasting, $50 credit for dinner Saturday night, two personally baked pies, breakfast, and more. Rates from $345. 877-762-4667, www.historicinnsofrockland.com