Yankee Magazine celebrates the farm coast region

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Growing up in Tiverton, Yankee Magazine’s Marketing Director Kate Weeks is well aware of the effortless appeal of New England’s farm coast.

“It’s an area that’s always been on people’s radar but remained a hidden coastal treasure,” she said.

The secret is officially out, though, as the iconic magazine highlighted southern New England towns such as Tiverton, Little Compton and Westport as must-see travel destinations in their July/August issue.

Senior Photographer Mark Fleming and Home and Garden Editor Annie Graves spent several visits exploring the area’s farms, markets, restaurants and artist havens as they strived to fully capture what made these small-town communities so unique. With their untouched beauty and preservation of the land—ranging from the sandy shores of Horseneck Beach to the sweeping acres of Pardon Gray Preserve--the job was easy.

“The first thing I said when I saw this spread was that it made me homesick,” Weeks said.

Complete with a schoolhouse-turned-vacation-rental to sea-to-table dining, the latest Yankee Magazine issue is filled with bucket-list itinerary items for both the far-away traveler and long-time native in order to make the most out of their time spent in this idyllic region. With nearly half of its readership located outside of New England, the magazine has always strived to pass along insider secrets that satisfy both camps of subscribers.

“Millions of people will see this story, so whether it’s people like me based in Boston, making it a day trip or coming from another part of the country, we want to make it easy to get here,” said Weeks.

Weeks is excited for people everywhere to see her beloved southern New England so beautifully captured; though it feels largely unchanged, the increased distance over the years has allowed her to look at this area of the country through new eyes.

“You see people like Steve Johnson of the Red Dory, an example of a New England all-star chef, and Carolyn at Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyards, and what they’ve done to put their communities on the map in a different way,” she said.

Though the country may be dazzled by what Editor Mel Allen calls “a New England-state-of-mind,” to these coastal farming towns, it’s simply their way of life. Weeks grew up working at Evelyn’s Drive-In during the summer, her father helps tend to the land at Pardon Gray Preserve.

Kristin Silveira will leave farm-fresh eggs for guests in the renovated Old Tiverton Four Corners Schoolhouse No.1 vacation rental.

“People come here for these types of experiences,” said Weeks.

With so much to do on such a captivating landscape, Yankee Magazine’s expose is sure to have everyone dreaming of packing their bags for New England’s farm coast.

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Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.