Looking for other things to do with your friends than just dinner and drinks? I always am. While dinner and drinks or coffee are always welcome, I like to look for fun experiences. I have known about Weesh Bake Shop for a long time. Elyse’s dad used to be our vet when I was a kid. At my most recent job, before having kids, a lot of friends had her make some amazing cakes! When I saw that she was offering cake decorating classes, I grabbed my best baking friend, and we met in the Seaport for a fun night out.

The event was held at Travelmug Cafe in the Seaport. The cakes are already crumb coated when we arrive and we practiced icing techniques before decorating the actual cake. So fun to see that we all started with the same blank canvas, and everyone’s cake turned out so unique! I kept mine pretty simple. It was a small group of lovely ladies, and we decorated and chatted while sipping some complimentary wine.

We even got to bring home a complimentary signature Weesh tart! Elyse offers private classes at the Roslindale location of her bakery. Check out all of her offerings here.

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One of our favorite places to be in the summer is Falmouth, in Cape Cod Massachusetts. The first of six must do things in Falmouth is catch a Falmouth Commodores baseball game. Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and head down to Guv Fuller Field with the whole family. There are no tickets, just a suggested donation at the gates. You can bring your own food or purchase something from the snack shack. They always have some fun events for the kids (from t shirt toss to running the bases after the game) – they even run a baseball clinic for kids ages 5-14 during the day.

The second must do is stop in to Duke’s Donut Worx in Mashpee Commons. These are hand cut donuts made fresh on site throughout the day. They have both cake and yeast donuts – super tasty. Pre-order is available.

Or third must try is new on the scene cookie company Hatchville Baking Co, also in Mashpee Commons. This mother-daughter baking team has lines waiting around the block to get their baked goods.They run six monthly flavors, and if you can’t make it to Mashpee Commons, they can also be found at the Falmouth Farmer’s Market on Thursdays.

It isn’t a Cape Cod vacation without some fried food. Our fourth must try is Seafood Sam’s, open through 11/30, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. It is always packed, and what we like is the ability to call ahead or order online. You can order mixed fried plates and there is something for everyone, whether you’re a seafood lover or not.

A family favorite is our fifth must do on the list, a visit to the Carousel of Light, for a spin on Patriot, Butterscotch, or Pearl. $4 a ride or pick up a punch ticket, $25 for 10 rides.

A trip to Cape Cod wouldn’t be complete without mini golf, so our sixth must do is a visit to Cataumet Crossing. They have mini golf, ice cream, bumper boats, penny candy and batting cages – a little something for everyone.

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Sponsored Post: I worked with Cross Sound Ferry, who graciously gifted us round trip travel tickets. As always, all opinions are my own.

I had been wanting to take the kids to the Mystic Aquarium all summer, and we finally went last weekend. We couldn’t have asked for better weather all weekend. So we piled up the car with our 8,000 bags, the stroller, the pack and play, snacks for the ride and floaties for the pool. We survived the 2 hour road trip with a promise of stopping halfway for some munchkins!

The aquarium was our main reason for going to Mystic. We arrived Friday, late morning, and headed straight there. You can bring your own lunch – they have tables outside for you to eat at, or they have a restaurant where you can find the usual suspects: pizza, chicken fingers, etc. After filling our bellies, and making new friends with a very friendly duck, we went on to explore the aquarium. My kids loved the Beluga whales, one of them was particularly photogenic! We looked at penguins, jellyfish, touched string rays, and even caught a sea lion show (get there early for a front row seat and you will be able to get up close and personal with them when the show starts!). We bought our tickets ahead of time to get the best prices!

After the aquarium, we checked into our hotel and went exploring. I always like to check out the local shops and bakeries in any city we travel to. Before dinner we went to the Lighthouse Bakery, a little bit tucked away from the main road. There weren’t a ton of options since it was late in the day, but we walked away with some very delicious treats, including tiramisu (not pictured) and some AMAZING raspberry bars.

Dinner came from a recommendation from a friend, the Engine Room. They weren’t accepting reservations that evening, but we went early and didn’t have to wait for a table. They have a cute little patio out front if the weather is nice, and high top tables and high top booths inside. The decor was definitely Instagram-worthy, the service was friendly, and the food was delicious. I wanted one of everything on the menu and could have definitely come here two days in a row. Everything was flavorful and we walked out full!

They have a kids menu that includes: Grilled Cheese, Chicken Tenders, Cheeseburger, Hot Dog, Mac and Cheese and Pasta with Butter. I was afraid that the kids weren’t going to like the Mac and Cheese, because they really only like Annie’s, and this was house made, but they licked their plates clean. That should say something to you right there.

After dinner we walked around a bit to work off dinner. There were a bunch of cute shops that we walked by (that were all closed), that I will have to visit on another trip here. FYI, we could have used one more day in Mystic, just to visit shops and wander around town.

Shops to stop at next time include: Trove, Mystic Sweet Shop, Fat Face, Sea Bags, and the Candy Shop (to name a few). Vault Coffee Roasters was also on my list, and if you go on Saturday or Sunday at 8am you can catch the Deviant Donuts pop up!

Even though we were stuffed from dinner, there is always room for dessert. We stopped into Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream for a little treat. It’s hard to tell what the kids enjoyed more, hanging out at the drawbridge or having ice cream. I tried the white pistachio and strawberry ice creams, both were very tasty. Other original flavors include: Mystic Mud, Chocolate Chambord, Lemon Chocolate Kiss, Chocolate Mint Oreo, Seaport Salty Swirl, and Mystic Turtle to name a few. They also make shakes, smoothies, and New York egg creams!

We decided to stay at the Hampton Inn, right near the aquarium. The hotels in the area were pretty booked, as Mystic gets a lot of overflow when there are shows at the casinos. We weren’t planning on staying at the hotel except to sleep and swim, so it didn’t really matter where we stayed as long as the rooms were quiet and clean (which they were). Pools are key with our kiddos to tire them out . Breakfast was included, so we filled up on waffles, eggs and yogurt before we packed up for our day trip to Long Island.

We picked up the Cross Sound ferry in New London, about a 10-15 minute drive from Mystic. We arrived about 30 minutes early to get our tickets and square away things since we were driving our car aboard. My kids were super excited about the idea of driving a car onto a boat! The process was smooth and everyone was loaded on quickly. It was a beautiful morning to be out on the water. I always love taking boats places when we can – another favorite thing is taking the water taxi in New York. The boat had upper and lower decks, so it wasn’t super crowded anywhere. There is a snack stand on board in case you get hungry, with plenty of tables both inside and out. The kids loved exploring all the decks of the ferry, we didn’t even have to break into our bag of tricks to keep them occupied. The ferry takes about an hour and 20 minutes, while the passenger only high speed ferry takes about 40 minutes.

Side Note: Cross Sound Ferry also offers a wonderful lighthouse cruise. Read more about it here.

If you’re traveling with kids, you know that they get hungry about every 12 seconds. I know for a fact that at school they have ONE snack between when I drop them off and when they have lunch, so how come whenever they are with me all day, they are hungry for snacks 8,000,000 times a day?!?! But in our house, being hangry is a REAL THING, so we stopped into Blue Duck Bakery for a treat (note: the kids had a muffin, I didn’t feed them cookies first thing in the morning. Although, truth be told, it has happened on occasion in our house). There were a lot of delicious cookies and pastries, top choices of ours included the sour cherry danish and the Linzer cookies.

There is also another coffee shop next to the carousel, across the street from the Blue Duck, Aldo’s Coffee Company .

The carousel was a big draw for my kids – they could have stayed here all day and their afternoon would have been complete. The carousel is located in a beautiful park with lots of grass for the kids to play on, and it overlooks the water.

The carousel is 100 years old and it is open year round. In season it is open daily and off season it is open on the weekends. The carousel features 36 horses, and while it says that you can grab rings (like the one on Martha’s Vineyard), it was not working when we were there.

There is two hour street parking right across the street from the park and public restrooms nearby.

Staying out all day can be tricky. One of my kiddos still takes naps – so when we got to lunchtime, there was an EPIC meltdown (to end all meltdowns). I took the other kids for lunch at Crazy Beans, a very family friendly place, while my husband handled the tantrum outside. Crazy Beans can get very busy (and the tips are cash only), so make sure to get there early.

There were so many cute shops right in town that I would have loved to check out, but didn’t have time due to said EPIC meltdown. Here are a few places I’ll check out next time: Goldberg’s Famous Bagels, Flavors Dessert Cafe, Kate’s Cheese Co., Sweet Indulgences, and Hampton Chocolate Company.

Side (kind of funny) story: when we came out from lunch, kiddo #1 was still having a meltdown. I carried him over my shoulder kicking and screaming, because we were way past the point of no return (if you have kids, you know just what I’m talking about). Now, you know that when your kid is having a meltdown in public, the last thing you want to do is have to deal with strangers who are a) trying to ‘cheer your child up’, b) trying to tell you a personal story about their own kids when they were young, c) trying to tell you that you should enjoy the kids while they are young because they grow up so fast, etc. or d) just trying to talk to you in general while you are trying to deal with your screaming child. An older man came up to me and said, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you if you were kidnapping this child…” and proceeded to just stand there are stare at me. Ummm….yes, if I was indeed kidnapping my child, I would have totally marched him down Main Street where hundreds of people could see me and I would totally admit it to you when you asked me just now. Meanwhile, my husband, who is Caucasian, walked up and the man takes one look at him and say, “oh, you’re together, ok then” and proceeded to walk away.

So after we get the kids into the car, we decide to drive around to see if we can get them to nap in the car (and avoid any more meltdowns). We drive by some amazing looking farm stands and an insane amount of vineyards. A few years back I came to Greenport and did a little vineyard trip with some girlfriends. If you come without kids, you may want to check them out – see more about my previous trip here. We drove by an old pickup truck with the bed overflowing with ripe tomatoes, a place selling fresh roadside oysters and there were more charming places than I could count.

We just drove down Main Street to see where it would take us, and happened upon North Fork Doughnut Company. I ran in while the kids were snoozing and picked up a half dozen for the road. How cute are these handmade doughnuts? They’re made with local ingredients, so just another reason to love them more.

The glazed and the cinnamon sugar doughnuts were delicious classics – fluffy and light. The Samoa tasted almost exactly like those delicious cookies, the closest I’ve tasted so far. The apple fritter just tasted like fall, delicious and sweet. The black raspberry jam filled doughnut did not disappoint, and they didn’t skimp on the jam.

When I was growing up, we didn’t have sugar cereal, except for special occasions. I loved Frosted Flakes and Apple Jacks (but only the orange ones – not the green ones). Fruity Pebbles were never my thing, but I bought one just for fun (it would look good in photos). The glaze on the cereal doughnut was delicious and I actually liked the Fruity Pebbles, well done!

After naps in the car, we head back into town and have some ice cream and one last ride on the carousel. We stopped at Greenport Creamery for a cone and I had just enough time to pick up a vintage bag from Sea Bags.

After a full (and eventful) day on Long Island, we took the ferry from Orient Point back to New London. We took a different boat, so the kids were again, happy to explore.

Did you know that the ferry offers a rewards program? They also have casino packages if you are coming from the Long Island side – your choice, Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods.

There is something so calming about being on the water. The evening boat ride was exactly what we needed at the end of the day. When we arrived back in New London, we were off the boat in under 10 minutes after we docked – perfect timing to grab a quick bite to eat for dinner.

Another friend had recommended the Mystic Diner. It was just what you would imagine it to look like on the inside and very family friendly. Let me just say three words: BREAKFAST. ALL. DAY. Either that or just skip straight over dinner and have pie!

Looking for pet friendly restaurants in Mystic, try Sea View Snack Bar, a cute outdoor clam shack with picnic tables that overlook Mystic Harbor. You might also try Pizetta, Pink Basil or Dog Watch Mystic.

We had the pool to ourselves Sunday morning and got all our energy out before our car ride home. The good news is that the hotel is right near the ramp for the highway, gas stations, the aquarium and bonus, there’s a Dunks right next door!

There were two bakeries that I wanted to check out before we left Mystic. The first was Li’s Bake Shop. This is the kind of bakery that reminds of you things your grandmother used to make (nostalgic baking). You can taste the love (and butter) in every bite. The buckeye brownie was my favorite – but you can’t go wrong here. Also pictured: whoopie pie, chocolate chip cookie, Mystic cookie, peanut butter cookie, croissant and lemon bar.

Sift Bake Shop reminds me of Paris. Adults turn into children as they drool over towers of pastries behind the glass. They have a large picture window so you can see the pastry chefs mixing up all the delicious treats in the back. The picture above does not do that sticky bun justice. It is big enough to share, but trust me, you aren’t going to want to. That caramel and pecan topping will make you think you’ve died and gone to heaven. I love macarons, not to be confused with macaroons, and these ones were just perfect. The shell had a little bit of a bite to them, but they melted in your mouth. We tried vanilla, pistachio, Meyer lemon and key lime.

So that was our weekend in Mystic. We stopped in RI on our way home to see if they had my favorite jam, but we were too late in the season. We will have to come back earlier in the season next year!

Tell me all your favorite things to do in Mystic, CT!

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After eating lunch over at West Street Tavern, we went back around the corner to check out a bakery I had passed on the drive in. It appeared to be a new spot, but we found out when we went in, that they have been open for about a year. Still new to us! We tried out their honey cake which was just the right amount of sweetness and bought a few other things while we were there. How delicious does that caramel cake look? They also have fresh basked breads, macaroons, and tasty croissants.

Prelude Bakery

140R Adams Street, Newton, MA

www.preludebakery.com

MON. WED. THURS. FRI 8am-6pm. SAT. 8am-2pm. SUN 8am-2pm. TUES closed

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I hadn’t been to Mashpee Commons in a while, and was excited to see that the space where we used to get sandwiches has turned into Washashore Bakery. They have the cutest little desserts that taste good too. We picked up a few teats to bring home for dessert – the lemon tart was just perfectly done and the kids adored the little lobster cookies. The shop offers cinnamon buns, scones, coffee cake, pop tarts, lemon squares, blondies, brownies, cheesecakes, bread puddings, cookies, cupcakes, tea breads and more.

The bakery was opened in 2016 by Sandy McPherson and you can pop in and see them icing cakes or making desserts in their open kitchen.

For Thanksgiving they are offering pies at $23 in the following flavors: pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream, apple cranberry, apple, cherry and blueberry.

Washashore Bakery

14 Central Square, Mashpee Commons, Mashpee, MA

www.washashorebakery.com

Monday – Saturday 9:30am – 4:30pm

Sunday 10am – 4pm

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A lot of memories from my childhood are around food. On the weekends I would look forward to going to Eagerman’s Bakery on Route 9 in Natick.  My dad would get his danish and he would get me a half pound of their delicious butter cookies (I only liked the ones with Jimmy’s – because yes, they tasted different). I would devour them in the car, barely leaving any for when we got home. Eagerman’s was an old school bakery, and when I walked into Crown Bakery in Worcester, I felt that same old, familiar feeling. While I know that no butter cookie will compare to the memory I have of the ones from Eagerman’s, I decided to pick out a few new treats to try. The heart dessert in the top right corner was filled with cut art and the lemon bar on the bottom right was tart as could be. I tried their signature crown cake, a nice gentleman recommended them while he was waiting, and it was delicious.

Here’s a photo of what it looks like inside – an almond cake with a cherry on the bottom and it’s topped with powdered sugar. Classic flavors, and not too sweet, I could have had a dozen of these!

Service was helpful and friendly – and the prices were so good!

Have you been to Crown Bakery? What is your go – to sweet?

Crown Bakery

133 Gold Star Boulevard, Worcester, MA

Crown Bakery on Facebook

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My friend Kim is a big fan of Worcester, so when we decided to head out in that direction, she was my go-to woman for bakery recommendations. She suggested The Queen’s Cups bakery on Water Street – a from scratch cup-cakery. Drive slow down Water Street, the bakery comes up on you quickly. On second thought, find some on street parking at the meters and walk a few feet to the shop.

The cute shop has a small seating area so you can enjoy your goodies right away – and there are so many to choose from! Cakes, brownies, cupcakes, macarons, and these cute little cookie dough cones! Cupcakes will run you $3.35 each or 4 for $13.

Make sure to head over to their Facebook page to get a current list of flavors. Here is just a sampling: Pudgy Cake, Old Fashioned Wedding Cake, Coffee and Donuts, Cookie Dough,Vanilla Dirt Cup, Blueberry Pancakes with Bacon, Snickers, Lemon Lovers, Tropical Paradise, Cannoli, Cookie Crumb, Cotton Candy Milkshake, Matilda and Cookie, Red Velvet, Reese Pieces, Lemon Raspberry, Strawberry Brownie Batter.

I’d have to say that the blueberry pancakes were my favorite to look at (bottom right) and the cannoli was my favorite to eat!

The Queen’s Cups

56 Water Street, Worcester, MA

www.thequeenscups.com

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We recently headed out to Worcester to check out a few shops and grab some breakfast at the Birch Tree Bread Co. See my previous post here. In the winter, the Canal District Farmers’ Market heads indoors to a room off of the Crompton Collective. Birch Tree Bread Co. is located right upstairs, so it was packed. We waited in a long line to order our breakfast sandwiches and then I went on the hunt for a seat. Seats are a on a first come basis, with many people sharing tables and grabbing any free corner they can find. I managed to score a corner of a large table in the back and we all waited for them to bring out our breakfast.

I had been before and tried their breads and desserts, but this time I went with something savory – the egg sandwich. The $6.50 sandwich is worth the price: North Country ham and Cabot extra sharp cheddar topped with a fried farm fresh egg on a bacon fat brioche bread. Birch Tree Bread Co’s menu includes other delicious breakfast items such as a rotating selection of toasts (Brittany’s toast is champagne and orange cream cheese with strawberry coulis on toasted challah!!), bread puddings (sweet and savory), quiches, and a nice selection of gourmet sandwiches. Make sure to add a specialty drink to your order, like a gin rickey or a bourbon hot apple cinnamon cider!

Birch Tree Bread Co.

138 Green Street, Worcester, MA

www.birchtreebreadco.com

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3 Little Figs has also been on my list of ‘go to’ places for quite some time. While Leah and I were doing a little tour of Somerville, we stopped in here for breakfast on a Saturday. Packed. Jam packed actually. Line outside the door.

Totally worth the wait. Leah and I grab a seat at the bar at the window and wait for our breakfast. Want an idea of what is on their menu:

SAUSAGE BREAKFAST PIE (weekends only) – local pork sausage from MF Dulock, egg, potato, cheddar, sun-dried tomatoes, flakey crust

SPINACH PIE (best ever!) – sheep’s milk feta, spinach, leeks, buttery phyllo dough

I chose the avocado torta because it reminded me of Chacarero. So this delicious sandwich may sound a little odd, but the flavor combination just works. Trust me. Avocado, green beans, muenster cheese, tomato and a spicy walnut chili pesto. This is like the more sophisticated version of the Chacarero sandwich.

3 Little Figs

278 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA

www.3littlefigs.com

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What do you get for your dad for his birthday when he doesn’t want or need anything? You make the trek out to Medway (yeah, I had to look up where it is too) and pick him up some of his favorite muffins at the Muffin House Cafe. Sheldon used to have a little shop in the back of JJ McKay’s in Wayland, but then they closed. You can still pick them up at Mel’s in Wayland if you don’t want to drive to Medway, or their other location in Mendon.

Every day they make the muffins from scratch. They have over 20 varieties of muffins. Individual muffins will run you $2.59 and they are generously sized. Here are the flavor options:

Blueberry, Coffee Cake, Corn, Raisin Bran, Chocolate Chip, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Banana Nut, Cranberry Orange, Pumpkin, Pistachio, Lemon Poppy, Banana Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Strawberry, Double Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, Pina Colada, Morning Glory, Cappuccino

They were packed when we went in the late morning. I grabbed the muffins and had to jet, but next time we go, I will certainly go during breakfast or lunch – they had some tasty looking breakfast sandwiches and their lunch menu includes items like: chicken quesadilla, turkey club sandwich, Thanksgiving wrap, and buffalo chicken wraps.

Muffin House

116 Main Street, Medway, MA

http://www.muffinhousecafe.com

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