Cupid Knows Wine Is For Sharing

If you are thinking of doing something really special this weekend for Valentine's Day, you should consider taking a nice leisurely ride to Little Compton and visit Sakonnet Vineyards.

It is such an incredibly beautiful place, even in the winter months. The fireplace is always going, the people are friendly and helpful and there is always something to look at or learn about. It is just fascinating that we have such a place here in Rhode Island. What a great opportunity to visit a working vineyard!

Sakonnet Vineyards are having a special Valentine's Day weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am - 5 pm. Featuring red wine for Valentine's Day, you can sample chocolates and special cheeses, warm up by the fire with a glass of mulled wine, or talk to the winemaker and learn about dessert wines.

In fact, it is such a romantic place that several couples every year get married right at Sakonnet Vineyards.

A Captivating Lifestyle

One of the liveliest and most recent art groups to form is the Sakonnet Arts Network.

They have a great website and on it you can find all sorts of interesting events and classes for the artist and for the arts patron.





You can participate in Plein Aire painting – I have seen small groups of local artists set up along the Sakonnet and I always want to join them. You can enroll in evening figure workshops, learn how to make paper incorporating flower petals (love that!), meet for Dancing with Sculpture in Little Compton (sounds intriguing)
or maybe drop in for a pilates or belly dancing class with Barbara, the Dancing Spirit (that’s her studio on Main Road near Coastal Roasters – you have to check it out).

South Tiverton is a short ride from Newport and has so much to offer. Whenever I stop in at the town hall, I linger over the current art exhibit. There is always some new and delightful art to look at on the walls of the meeting room.

Congratulations to Tiverton for being such a lively and artistic locale – when you combine that with all the conservation land and open space, it really is a great choice if you are looking for a new place to live.


Call us – we can show you many beautiful homes in Tiverton.

Little Known and Liking It

While doing some research recently, I came across this great article in the New York Times Escapes section all about Tiverton.




Tiverton is one of those towns that is easy to miss or dismiss because it is not on the 'island' and often takes a backseat to its neighbor, Little Compton. Yet it has the same rolling meadows, historic stone walls, sparkling salt water beaches and thousands of acres of conserved land like the Pardon Gray Farm,
Ruekers Audubon Preserve, and Weetamoe Woods.




There are only 4 stoplights in all of Tiverton! You can spend a whole day just browsing the shops and art galleries in Four Corners. Then get an ice cream cone at Gray's. You won't be sorry.

Tiverton is less than 30 minutes to both Newport and Providence. And highway access to Boston is right off Main Road and you can be in Boston in an hour or less.



You can find houses in all price ranges. Even if you are not thinking of buying a house, I would recommend you spend a day in Four Corners and see what a treasure it is.

Meadows

While visiting one of my favorite houses recently, I was struck by the sheer beauty of the adjacent meadow, and I realized that it had been awhile since I had seen a true meadow. Unfortunately, they are disappearing.

This house sits on the site of a former farm. Part of the land is still used to gather hay for horses by a neighborhood farmer.

Not simply a field, I have learned that a meadow is a small, flower-rich, grassland that is most likely bordered by stone walls or hedges, remnants from the original farm. Undisturbed areas with grasses, wildflowers, like buttercups and thistle, attracting butterflies and bees, are allowed to grow tall before mowing and baling.

Many meadows have disapppeared over the years and have been replaced with housing developments or if the land is still farmed, with higher yield cash crops. But in Tiverton and Little Compton, you can still come across them. Lots of open space.

If you do happen to be driving about on your busy days, and come across a meadow, please take a moment to appreciate the simple beauty. I did, and I keep thinking about it.

Charming Tiverton

One of the nicest places I've discovered is the southern part of Tiverton which borders Little Compton.

I was so taken with the efforts to preserve the natural beauty that for the past several years I have become a supporter of the Tiverton Land Trust.

If you decide to take a drive to the phenomonal and great shopping area called Tiverton Four Corners, you will pass right by The Pardon Gray Farm, 230 acres of preserved land saved as open space.

This farm is adjacent to the 550 acre Weetamoo Woods. The farm contains many colonial artifacts, the Gray family historic cemetery, and original stone walls.

Pardon Gray provided food and supplies to the 1,500 Revolutionary Army troops that were camped at Fort Barton, just a few miles north, also in Tiverton. Quite an historic place.

And if you are into serene settings and waterfront homes with meadows and stone walls sweeping down to the sea, we have just the house for you.