Play Hard, Rest Easy : New England [Paperback]

Malcolm W. Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Play Hard, Rest Easy | Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Do you love the outdoors but not necessarily sleeping outdoors? Who says being outside must mean roughing it? High-energy recreation, stylish lodgings, superb dining and civilized relaxation make the ultimate getaway mix. If you like to play hard during the day--hiking, biking, paddling, skiing, sightseeing, or shopping (yes, there's sport in shopping)--but rest easy at night--dining in an elegant restaurant and sleeping in an upscale inn--you'll find this guidebook indispensable. The book profiles 11 of New England's most beautiful vacation regions. Under Play Hard, you'll find: Hiking-- with more than 150 hikes, including famous summit trails and little known paths · Mountain Biking-- Easy-going logging roads to challenging singletrack · Paddling-- Quietwater, whitewater, and sea kayaking · Skiing-- Downhill ski resorts and Nordic ski centers · Plus Road Biking · Swimming Holes · Rock Climbing · Horseback Riding · Snowshoeing · and Rainy Day Workouts. Under Rest Easy, the upscale lodging covers historic inns, country inns, B&Bs, and full-service resorts, while gourmet dining spotlights restaurants, bistros, cafes, dessert shops, and picnic spots. There's MUCH MORE, including: Shopping · Museums · Historic Sites · Art Galleries · Covered Bridges · Antiquing · Back Roads Touring · Music & Theater · & Long Weekend Itineraries, just to name a few. Put this gem in your pack! You'll pull it out often as you explore the trails, paths, villages, and back roads of New England. Plan the perfect getaway with photos, facts, detailed directions, maps, websites, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This comprehensive guide to New England's fun outdoors and chic indoors introduces a new travel series, "Play Hard, Rest Easy," as well as a new travel publisher, Walkabout Press. Instead of describing every scenic footpath in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, travel aficionado Campbell, the founder of Walkabout, has chosen a select few destinations. Suggesting 11 trips throughout this scenic region (five in Vermont alone), Campbell provides ideas for various outdoor activities, accommodation and dining in any season, and concise, long-weekend itineraries. While many travelers, including this reviewer, may gravitate toward the "rest easy" sections, which offer information on first-rate lodging and gourmet dining, the assortment of activities offered in the "play hard" sections should not be overlooked. These range from such strenuous sports as mountain biking, skiing, and snowshoeing to less taxing activities such as antiquing, visiting museums, and shopping. This guidebook will be indispensable to anyone planning a trip to New England and may convince those who are not to rethink their vacation plans. Recommended for all public libraries and essential for those in and around New England. Thomas O'Connell, Eastern Connecticut State Univ., Willimantic
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"We wish all guidebooks were as good as Malcolm W. Campbell's Play Hard, Rest Easy: New England..." -- New York Magazine, May 7, 2001

A useful and practical guide for those who seek an active vacation but have no qualms about pampering themselves. -- Chicago Tribune, June 4, 2001

This is the only travel guide you’ll need, whether you hike and bike or shop and stroll. Or both! -- Scott Jagow of National Public Radio, June 10, 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Walkabout Press; 1st edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931339007
• ISBN-13: 978-1931339001
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,767,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All You Need To Know About New England Outdoor Fun, May 4, 2001

By 

Ralph H. Alexander, Jr. (Charlotte, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Play Hard, Rest Easy : New England (Paperback)

This is a remarkable Guide Book. It tells you every thing one needs to know about a fun trip to New England. Where to hike, where to bike, what to see, where to eat, and where to sleep. Several years ago I visited Camden, Maine for several days. I was pleased to learn from this book that I stayed in the right place, ate at a couple of the right places, and had one of the best hikes. To accomplish what I did took telephone calls, making many inquires in the local shops and restaurants, and in a couple of cases, made decisions that were off target. If I had only had this book, my trip would have been more fun without having to do the local research on my own. I cannot wait for future editions on other sections of the country.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This has it all!, May 7, 2001

By 

"eslyman" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play Hard, Rest Easy : New England (Paperback)

It's no wonder the subtitle on this book is "The Ultimate Active Getaway Guide" -- it's got all the information you could possibly want! Finally, someone has written a book that not only suggests where to hike, bike, etc. but also gives wonderful information about inns and other enjoyable activities for your leisure time. The suggested itineraries are a big help and the layout is extremely user friendly.

Kudos to Malcolm Campbell for bringing us the Ultimate guide!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play Hard, Rest Easy : New England is a TREASURE TROVE(!!!!), May 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Play Hard, Rest Easy : New England (Paperback)

If only all travel guidebooks were this COOL!!! This book blows the lid off other travel guidebooks!!! Most importantly, it is intelligently written!! Malcolm W. Campbell is obviously a travel aficionado, however, he is also a REMARKABLE WRITER with an OUTSTANDING SENSE OF HUMOR!!! This book is for travel aficionados who enjoy taking "ACTIVE VACATIONS" (such as hikes that deliver you to breathtaking, awe-inspiring, "TOUCHED-BY-THE-INFINITE-UNIVERSE"-feeling-type views; to mountain biking through former "carriage paths" from turn-of-the-century Golden Age vacation playgrounds which happen to be in fabulous, Spruce, Christmas-tree-scented forests of Acadia National Forest near Bar Harbor, Maine; to river kayaking in the White Mountains--just to name a scant few mentioned) but it's also for travel lovers who enjoy the pleasures of sleeping cozily in down-comforted and pillowed beds in nostaligic, cedar shingle inns (with the windows open at dawn) AND who take pleasure in the celebration of true Epicurean delights of fine food and drink on one's odyssey. There's also a cool "Kick Back" section in every chapter that offers more "chillin'" ways to experience the day. I particulary enjoyed the "Historic Wanderings" sections as well as every "Cool Movie Houses" section. (Did you know there's a 10,500 year-old Native American village in Connecticut?) Along with the author's strikingly unique and funny wit, this book also packs much SOUL...I guess the two are related. You could read this book as a novel even if you never intend to travel, though with such descriptive prose and keen observation of the Living World, I bet it would move even the deepest stick-in-the-mud personality. I look forward to future writings -- TRAVE GUIDES **OR** OTHERWISE -- by Malcolm W. Campbell and his unique voice. DON'T MISS THIS BOAT!!!