For tourists looking to enjoy New England charm, Westport, Massachusetts' historic district --dubbed Westport Point -- hearkens back to the days of the whaling industry. Tourists can take in historic scenery and buildings, shop, dine on seafood or play at the beach. Lodgings in the area consists of bed and breakfast inns ranging from farmhouses to estates with beaches.
Decorated with whale oil lamps and harpoons and constructed from weathered and salted heavy timbers, the Paquachuck Inn, built in 1827, is one of the area's historic buildings from the whaling era of the early 1800s. This bed and breakfast sits on the Westport Harbor in the city’s historic district. Accommodations offer waterfront views and rustic décor. Guests can fish off the dock, spend quiet time in the library or visit nearby Horse Neck Beach. Breakfast is served between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Guests looking to dine out can sample seafood at The Back Eddy. The nearby Whaling Museum offers tourists history, while the Westport River Winery offers tours and wine tasting. Paquachuck Inn is half a mile from Westport Point.
Located 30 minutes southwest of Westport Point, nestled between Round Pond, Long Pond and Sakonnet Harbor, The Stone House, built in 1854, offers accommodations in the house and in estate’s barn. Suites include amenities like a private entrance, porches and garden, original stone walls, a fireplace and a large soaking tub. The Lantern Suite, which encompasses the entire fourth floor, has a spiral staircase leading up to a tower sitting room with a glass floor. All guests receive in-suite breakfast. The inn also offers an Italian restaurant, Pietra, and 1854, a cellar restaurant, rumored to have been a Prohibition speakeasy. The inn also features a spa that offers massages, manicures and pedicures, yoga and facials.
Across the Rhode Island border, 22 minutes from Westport Point, The Edith Pearl is an 1840s colonial house turned bed and breakfast that sits on 200 acres of working farmland on the Sakonnet river. Guest can lounge on the porch, enjoy croquet, volleyball or badminton or play board games in the lounge. Dogs are welcome, and the inn offers dog sitting, beds and toys. Rooms feature 19th century beds. The Pirate Girl’s King suite offers cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, a double shower and claw foot bathtub and views of the pond.
Though the Inn has been in operation since 1905, the farmhouse dates back to the mid-1700s. Located 20 minutes away from Westport Point, the Harbor Inn offers ten differently decorated rooms ranging from singles to suites capable of sleeping four. The larger suites offer a kitchenette. Breakfast is served daily and can be taken in the dining room or on the porch. A garden path leads to a beach. Local flavor includes the Sakonnet Vineyards, which offers tours and tasting. Hungry guests can dine at the nearby Crowther’s Restaurant, which offers seafood like lobster, shrimp and fresh fish, steak and pasta.
