Five Great Foliage & Farm Stand Tours
In Southeastern Massachusett
9/27/06
(New Bedford) As the days of Summer end, thoughts turn to Fall pursuits, and nothing tops finding that perfect drive through beautiful foliage, ending your journey at a fabulous farmstand, winery, or cider mill. With its natural amenities and strong agricultural tradition, Southeastern Massachusetts has much to offer in both areas for those looking for that feeling of Fall.

Foliage in Southeastern Massachusetts is every bit as breathtaking as that found in northern New England, and easily accessible roads with less traffic make the journey even more enjoyable. So whether you come from far away, or you’re just looking for an afternoon drive, you can find it here. Some of our favorite routes for viewing foliage & farmstands in the region include the following.

Foliage tour number 1: Coastal Villages Trail
One of our favorite drives is the Coastal Villages Trail, which actually begins just west of the Massachusetts border in Rhode Island. From Rt 77 South, travel to Tiverton Four Corners and bear left onto 179 East…Route 179 will take you to Route 81South which travels right into the the village of Adamsville, From the village travel east on Adamsville Road, left to Main Road in Westport’s beautiful Central Village. While in Central Village be sure to stop at Lee’s Market. More than just a supermarket, Lee’s is a gourmand’s delight, and a great stop for those looking for some food to take on the road with them. Leaving Lees bear left back onto Main Road to continue your journey. Another great stop in Central Village is Partners Village Store & Kitchen 999 Main Road, (www.partnersvillagestore.com) with its distinctive gifts, paper goods, and great new and old local books, plus great soups, sandwiches, cookies and breads!

The trip gets serious now, from Main road in Westport’s Central Village, bear Left onto Hix Bridge Road and cross over Route 88… (for you beach and sand dune lovers, you can detour down Route 88 South to Horseneck Beach to explore to your hearts delight!) But for foliage lovers, Hix Bridge Road is the way to go! While on Hix Bridge Road stop off at Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery (417 Hixbridge Road) for a tasting of their award winning wines and a visit to their retail store full of wine and fine food products plus their highly regarded cookbooks. (www.westportrivers.com) Owned and operated by the Russell family, the winery is a bucolic stop in this hectic world.

A little further down Hix Bridge Road make a brief detour right onto Horseneck Road…at 98 Horseneck Road is Buzzards Bay Brewing, also owned by the Russell family. (www.buzzardsbrew.com) The locally produced Buzzards Bay brew is definitely worth a taste!

Back on Hix Bridge Road, which shortly turns into Gidley Road you see farm fields and beautiful foliage, Gidley Road bears right and follow it straight into Russells Mills village. There you must stop at Davoll’s General Store, in operation since the Revolutionary War; this is an authentic general store, with room upon room to explore!

Another great stop amidst the turning fall leaves on this country drive is Salt Marsh Pottery, (www.saltmarsh.com) 1167 Russells Mills Road which begins just outside Davoll’s. Known worldwide for their pressed/painted flowers on clay designs, their showroom is a must see!
Leaving Saltmarsh’s continue on Russell’s Mills until you see the right hand turn for Padanaram and West Street…continue through this residential neighborhood until you merge onto Gulf Road and travel over the causeway in Aponegansett Harbor which brings you to the center of Padanaram Village. While not as old as its Bible inspired name, Padanaram is a quaint and charming village, home to the New Bedford Yacht Club and is one of the finest sailing ports around. Small shops and galleries dot the village’s two main streets and it’s an inviting stop to end your Coastal Village driving trip with coffee and dessert at Cecily’s Café on Bridge Street.

Foliage Tour Number 2: Route 140 Taunton – Norton – Attleboro
You’re pressed for time, have about 45 minutes to spare and long for a drive to relax your mind and recharge your senses…try Route 140 either north or south between Wheaton College in Norton and the Taunton Green, or you can extend it all the way to Attleboro.

Surprisingly this drive is much more beautiful, and far less crowded than you might imagine. It winds along beautiful country roads, with antique shops, lakes and numerous pumpkin stands.
Beginning at the Taunton Green take Rt 140 North, about 1.5 miles outside the Green the beauty begins. It’s a winding drive through neighborhoods, with plenty of great foliage trees and a few surprising finds. About 2.2 miles into the drive you can bear left to LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro, the signage is clearly marked and it is a beautiful destination, (we’ll have another route there later in this story!). At the 4.5 mile mark you enter Norton, and at 7 miles you find yourself in a quintessential New England village center, where routes 140 and 123 intersect at Wheaton College, (wheatonma.edu). Wheaton itself is worth the stop to admire the architecture or enjoy their extensive arts calendar of events.

You can end your journey here or continue north on 140 through Mansfield to Attleboro. Along the way you will pass the very popular Tweeter Center, site of many summer concerts and the TPC of Boston (site of the Labor Day Deutsche Bank classic with Tiger Woods) and Mass Golf Museum, (www.mgalinks.org) both located just off Route 140 in Norton.Foliage Tour Number Three: Route 118 Swansea – Attleboro

We love this drive, because it’s so unexpected! Just take the Route 6 exit, #3 from Route 195 and head towards the Swansea Mall. Bear left towards the mall from Rte 6 and keep the mall on your left, passing it entirely. You’ll see the signs for 118 and prepare yourself for a wonderful drive.
Although the total distance is just under 15 miles, give yourself 30 minutes if making the drive through…and of course much more if you want to stop and check the numerous farmstands, pumpkin patches and great locations along the drive.

Just into your drive, less than three miles, keep a lookout for Spring Street and turn right. About one mile on the left you’ll spot Gilbert’s Bed & Breakfast (www.gilbertsbb.com); this terrific spot is a wonderful county home, 168 years old. Owner Jeanne Gilbert is a certified riding instructor and quite knowledgeable about the region.

Also off Rt 118 is the clambake fam
ous Francis Farms, about 6.5 miles from the beginning of Route 6. www.francisfarm.net, 508 252 3212. Make sure you check out their schedule of clambakes, and if you’re in the area be sure to stop by.

Back on 118 you will find Rehoboth Village, about 7 miles north. Just west of the Village is the Carpenter Museum which celebrates Rehoboth’s history. And quite a history it is…Rehoboth is the birthplace of Public Education with the nation’s first public school in 1643 and also the site of the final battle of King Philip’s War, detailed in Nathaniel Philbrick’s new book, “Mayflower.”
Back on 118 you’ll cross over Route 44 and continue following Rte 118 and then the signs for LaSalette Shrine. Officially known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette the shrine is open daily, has beautiful, heavily treed grounds with walking trails throughout. It is a peaceful end to a beautiful drive.Foliage Tour number 4: Fall River – Taunton along the Taunton Heritage RiverThis trail is a discovery to all who travel it, whether by car, kayak, canoe, biking or hiking. It’s extensive with many stops to explore, over 20 in Southeastern Massachusetts. Your best bet is to get a copy of the new brochure on the Taunton Heritage River, pick your spots and set off…because with so much to offer, the Taunton Heritage River has something for everyone.

The brochure is available through the Taunton River Watershed Alliance www.savethetaunton.org and the Southeast Regional Planning District, www.srpedd.org.

For those driving, Route 138 beginning either in Taunton or in Fall River will take you closest to the river and all its sites…in addition to the fabulous foliage you will see, several areas are a feast for nature lovers.

In Taunton, the Gordon Owen Riverway has trails for hiking along the Taunton River with parking at the Armory Building. On East Water Street in Taunton is Weir Riverfront Park, an urban park with boat ramp, benches, playground and walking paths. For more information contact the WEIR Corporation
www.ci.taunton.ma.us/msip/weircorp.htm.

Also in Taunton is the Boyden Wildlife Nature Refuge on Cohannet St…nearly 50 acres along Three Mile River with trails, boardwalks, and more. On County Street in Dighton is the Berkley-Dighton Bridge…a one lane iron bridge build in 1888, the oldest swing bridge in Massachusetts offering rustic views of the Taunton River.

Two more stops in Dighton & Berkley are sure to draw your attention, the Bristol County Natural History Center at Bristol County Agricultural High School on Center Street and Dighton Rock State Park and Museum on Bay View Road. The Natural History Center has displays on the river’s wildlife and a walking trail while the Dighton Rock State Park & Museum offers 85 acres and a museum with the mystery of Dighton Rock waiting for you to solve it!

Between Somerset and Dighton is Riverfront Drive…a 6 1/2 mile stretch with estuary grasses, river scenes and historic homes. From Rt 138 in Somerset take a right on Riverside Drive and follow along the river to South Street, go right onto High Street which turns into Pleasant Street and continues north paralleling the river. Go past Broad Cove into Dighton where Pleasant Street rejoins 138.

Closer to Fall River is the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve with 13,600 acres of forest including the Freetown-Fall River State Forest and watershed lands around North Watuppa Pond and the Copicut Reservoir.

In Somerset Village is Waterfront Park on Main Street, with new lighting and sidewalks. Also in Somerset is the Bradbury Museum of the Somerset Historical Society at 274 High Street featuring the work of local 18th century potteries and the history of clipper ships that dominated the river during the 1840’s and other memorabilia 508 675 9010.

And no trip is complete without viewing the Taunton River from Bicentennial Park in Fall River and its new “Gates” installation plus stops at Battleship Cove and all its attractions.

All in all there are 31 stops you can make along the Taunton River, where archaeologists have documented human activity for the past 12,000 years. Again we urge you to contact the Taunton River Watershed Alliance or SRPEDD for a copy of a brochure to guide you along the way. It will be worth your while!

Farmstand Tour number 5: Forage for a Fall Feast!
What could be better than a final tour that takes you from farm to farm in the agriculturally rich Southeastern Massachusetts area and allows you to gather, direct from the farmer, the makings for a great fall meal!

Our selection of farms involves Chamberlain Farm in Berkley, Araujo Farm in Dighton, Oakdale Farm in Rehoboth and Four Town Farm in Seekonk.

We’ll begin in Berkley at Chamberlain Farms, 12 Friend Street, www.chamberlainfarm.com. To get there, take Route 24 North from 195 east or west and go to exit 10, Assonet/Dighton. Take the N. Main Street Ramp and turn slight right onto N. Main, in less than a mile you will turn left onto Friend Street. Open through October the Farm Stand has great fresh produce and a fantastic deli…plus a great corn maze for kids and hayrides. Give them a call at 508 828 6549 for details.

From Chamberlain Farm it’s just a 12 minute drive to our next stop, Araujo Farms at 1460 Williams Street in Dighton, 508 669 6988, www.umassd.edu/semap/handbook/dighton.cfm head west on Friend Street toward Bayview Ave…and take a right onto Bayview then a left onto Elm Street. Elm becomes Center Street then in a half mile go left onto Williams St. This third generation family farm is the perfect place to pick your own pumpkin and the makings for a perfect fall centerpiece. The farmstand is open year round and they do offer haunted hayrides and family hayrides with Belgium Horse teams, call ahead for full details.

Just 20 minutes down the road is Oakdale Farm, 61 Wheaton Avenue, Rehoboth, 508 336 7681 www.oakdalefarms.com. Go south on William Street and turn right onto Cedar Street which becomes Plain Street. Then bear right onto Rat 118/Brook Street and follow .7 miles, take a slight right and stay on Brook Street. Slight left onto Peckham Street, Right onto Providence Street left onto Barney Ave and slight right onto Wheaton Ave…the farmstand is half a mile ahead.

Open year round, Oakdale Farms specializes in fall produce, and is set on 150 acres. The owners, Richard and Marie Pray and their daughter Laura Smith pride themselves on practicing environmentally safe farming. Through Halloween there are hayrides to the Corn Maze and Pumpkin every weekend, a hay maze, farm animals and candy apples and cider to tempt you and your young ones! Oakdale Farms also sponsors many workshops, check out their website for more details.
From Oakdale Farms our final stop is less than ten minutes away Four Town Farm, 90 George Street, Seekonk. 508 336 5587.

www.umassd.edu/semap/handbook/seekonk.cfm. Leaving Oakdale Farm you go northeast on Wheaton Avenue towards Barney Avenue and take a sharp right onto Barney Avenue. Barney becomes Old Providence Rd, from there take a sharp right onto Rt 6/the GAR Highway and follow this until you take a left onto Warren Avenue. Then take a right onto George Street…Four Town Farm is less than a tenth of a mile! This fifth generation family farm specializes in fruits, flowers and features pick your own pumpkins. Open 7 days a week through the holidays, their home baked pies are considered some of the best around and will make the perfect dessert for your farm trip supper!
They also sponsor fall pumpkin tours, and as with all our farms, call in advance for full details.
For more information on any of the above tours contact:
Sheila Martines Pina
508 997 1250 smp@bristol-county.org