The most breathtaking way to see a New England landscape is from a hot air balloon floating at five miles an hour.

In this photo essay, the author travels to the family home in Westerly, Rhode Island. In 'Field of Dreams' meets 'Sanford & Son' it looks much like it must have when his colonial ancestors first settled there amongst the Narragansetts in the 17th century -- almost.

“When passengers come on board,� says a Maine schooner captain, “they are wild around the eyes. By the end of the cruise, they are professional loafers.�

Courtesy of TheConcordLife.com...Its April in Concord -- You can almost hear the hum on Main Street as preparations continue for the Patriot’s Day celebrations. The dust and debris that gathered on sidewalks from endless plowing over a very long winter, is now gone. The store front windows are gleaming and several shops have opened their doors, displaying their merchandise to passerbys, in equal celebration of Spring. This is a Town embracing its splendor and tradition. Weeks of preparations have resulted in striking red, white and blue banners and graceful half arches over every doorway, window and pillar.

Driving along Route 7 in northwestern Vermont, visitors aren’t surprised to see Camel’s Hump Mountain off in the distance, but they are surprised to see a real camel. The Bactrian camel is part of what Judith Giusto, owner of Round Barn Merinos, a farm and shop in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, calls her “fiber zoo.� Judith uses the down from Ollie’s coat, along with the fiber from fourteen purebred merino sheep, a few alpacas, and a mohair goat to create her extraordinary sweaters, scarves, afghans, blankets, socks, and more (prices range from $20 for a small hat to $560 for a cabled heavy blanket). Each item is made from yarn that is both hand-spun and hand-dyed. (Round Barn sells the yarn itself, too, for knitters.) All of the animals were chosen specifically for their fine fibers, says Judith. “Merinos are the Rolls Royce of sheep,� she says.

Generations of families who have vacationed at the Indian Head Resort in quiet Lincoln, New Hampshire, have been ardent fans returning again and again to the funky, retro family escape snuggled between Mount Pemigewasset and Shadow Lake on Route 3.

Long before the witch trials of 1692, John Higginson, a minister, worried about evils lurking in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1678 he sent a sharply worded petition to the Essex County Court, but it was not witchcraft that prompted Higginson to speak out. Instead, Higginson warned of another serious danger: the “sin of drunkenness and the excessive number of drinking houses� in town.

Wander around New England long enough, and sooner or later you trip on a story that’s so bizarre you will feel compelled to pass it along to your children and grandchildren while seated near a crackling fire. (Though, with this gem, we suggest a flashlight pressed up against your chin for better effect.) We’re about to share the story known as the root that ate Roger Williams.

I am standing on a bluff overlooking Long Island Sound, only ten miles away from the sheer opulence that is Mohegan Sun Casino Resort. The forest of this lovely and quiet Rocky Bluff State Park was used to model the environment of the tribal villages in the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.

Suzanne Strempek Shea, one of the Pioneer Valley's best-loved writers, is the author of five novels and three memoirs, including Shelf Life, about her year working at a local independent bookstore in Western Massachusetts. She's also read her work at dozens of shops around New England. These are her favorites.

When snow falls and temperatures drop in the Mount Washington Valley, the fun heats up.