NARRATOR: This week on Weekends with Yankee, Amy visits Rhode Island's Castle Hill Inn to experience its famous clam bake and tour Newport's iconic harbor.

And at Sweet Berry Farm, Amy arranges fresh blooms.

AMY TRAVERSO: To have these flowers ready for you, somebody has gone to all the trouble of growing them, and you can just pick them and arrange them, that is really nice.

NARRATOR: Richard explores autumn in Stowe, Vermont, from The Lodge at Spruce Peak, taking in fall foliage on horseback and fly fishing on the Lamoille River.

RICHARD WIESE: I got it, got it, got it... - All right, beautiful.

WIESE: Look at this fight on this thing.

NARRATOR: Finally, Amy gets some tips on growing an herb garden at home.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before.

A true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

- Major funding provided by: ♪ ♪ - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

♪ ♪ - Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

♪ ♪ TRAVERSO: I'm in Newport, Rhode Island, a city famous for its Gilded Age mansions, its wonderful food, and its boating culture, and I'm going to get to experience all of those.

I'm going to be taking a cruise around Newport Harbor, I'm going to Sweet Berry Farm to pick beautiful flowers, and I'm going to have a classic New England clam bake at the Castle Hill Inn.

NARRATOR: The day begins at Sweet Berry, a pick-your-own farm in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Jan and Michelle Eckhart started with a few acres of strawberries, and now cultivate over 100 acres of crops.

Their business includes a store and café, but farming is the Eckharts' passion.

TRAVERSO: It's so nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

TRAVERSO: I have been a fan of your farm for quite a while, and it's really great to be back.

- Well, welcome.

TRAVERSO: So, Jan, what kind of experience do you want people to have when they come here?

- It's mainly to experience the farm, how your food is actually grown.

A lot of kids don't have that experience.

A lot of adults don't have that experience anymore, of coming to a farm and picking fresh fruit, fresh vegetables.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

So, Michelle, I'm going to a clam bake later today, and I would love to bring some flowers.

Do you still have any that are in season?

- I do.

It's the tail end of the season, but we successive so, so I always try and make sure there are flowers as late as possible.

TRAVERSO: What is the secret to having a really good flower garden for cutting specifically?

- Most seed catalogs will state that they're good for cutting, and also to make sure you have enough variety, color.

These are one of my favorites.

This is Celosia.

TRAVERSO: Mm.

- And this comes in three different types.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- Three different varieties.

TRAVERSO: Should we put some of these in the bouquet?

- Definitely, definitely.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- You can cut as far down as you can get.

TRAVERSO: Far down?

Okay.

So, kind of where it branches off from the main set?

- Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: Okay?

- Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: To have these flowers ready for you, somebody has gone to all the trouble of growing them, and you can just pick them and arrange them, that is really nice.

♪ ♪ This looks like a big bouquet in the making.

- I like to have plenty to work with.

TRAVERSO: Yeah, yeah.

- And even if we don't use it, they'll never go to waste.

TRAVERSO: Yeah-- oh, good.

Okay, perfect.

NARRATOR: With a basket full of flowers, Michelle shares tips on creating the perfect bouquet.

TRAVERSO: What are the principles of making a beautiful flower arrangement?

Well, you want to have a lot of different textures... TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

- Shapes, sizes, colors, lots of contrast.

That's why I love these dark Celosias... TRAVERSO: Yeah.

That's so pretty.

- With the bright, bright yellow sunflowers.

TRAVERSO: So, you did greenery first, and then you did accents.

- Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: And now we're doing the primary flower?

- Yes.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

Maybe one more there.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- Let's add some of the... TRAVERSO: Cosmos?

- Cosmos.

TRAVERSO: Okay, I'll give you a few.

- And these are fun, because they're nice and... TRAVERSO: Frothy?

- Playful.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

Well, I will be very proud to bring this to the party tonight.

Thank you so much for the lesson.

- You're welcome, my pleasure.

NARRATOR: The Castle Hill Inn.

It's a luxurious seaside retreat that dates back to 1875.

It has long been a New England destination where guests can experience the gracious Newport lifestyle.

For Amy, it begins with a cruise aboard a classic yacht.

TJ Harris captains the Barton and Gray fleet.

TRAVERSO: Hello, Captain.

- Good morning, I'm Captain TJ.

TRAVERSO: So nice to meet you.

Oh, well, you know, my favorite day is a day where I'm on a boat.

So, this is already very exciting.

- Excellent, excellent.

TRAVERSO: So what's our itinerary for today?

- We are going to cruise around the beautiful Newport shoreline.

(boat engine rumbling) We're in the mouth of Narragansett Bay.

It's one of the deepest natural harbors on the entire East Coast.

It actually gets to 190 feet less than 100 feet from shore.

TRAVERSO: Wow, I see a lighthouse ahead.

- Yes, that is Castle Hill Lighthouse, the unofficial symbol of Newport.

Professor Agassiz used to own Castle Hill here, and it was actually a marine research facility.

TRAVERSO (laughing): The nicest marine research facility in the world.

- Yeah, yeah, the entire-- the entire first floor was all aquariums.

TRAVERSO: So what's that beautiful, huge estate over there?

- So that's Hammersmith Farms.

It's actually where Jackie O grew up, and... TRAVERSO: Oh, right.

- ...where her and JFK had their wedding reception.

She threw her bouquet out of the second-story window.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- And through the trees over there, you can see that yellow building.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- That's actually the Eisenhower House.

TRAVERSO: Huh!

- Where President Eisenhower used to summer, and it was his summer White House.

TRAVERSO: Any other special celebrity spots?

- Yes, actually, the famous actress Grace Kelly has a spot where she used to stay at Castle Hill Inn, and there was Grace Kelly Beach, they call it.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- It's a nice little secluded spot where she used to hide from the paparazzi.

(Traverso laughs) TRAVERSO: That was wonderful.

- That was a pleasure.

TRAVERSO: Thank you so much.

- Thank you, thank you.

TRAVERSO: I will remember this day, it was amazing.

This is such a beautiful property, and it's so unique.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Castle Hill Inn?

- It's been here since 1875, when it was first built by a Harvard professor who used this as his summer residence.

And his name was Alexander Agassiz, and he's known as the father of marine biology.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- And he used to bring his family and his students here every summer.

TRAVERSO: So this is such a stunning location with this sweeping view.

- We are on the east passage of Narragansett Bay.

So when we have sailing regattas, which we have often in, in Newport, the guests who are here on the lawn swear that the boats are going to come up and sit down with them, they're so close.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

NARRATOR: Chef Jen Backman is about to prepare one of the legendary clam bakes that defines the summer culinary experience here.

(flames crackling) - A Castle Hill clam bake is an opportunity for everybody to experience a classic New England cooking technique with a beautiful backdrop of the Narragansett Bay.

TRAVERSO: Mm.

- It doesn't get much better than that.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

NARRATOR: The clam bake preparation begins in the culinary gardens.

TRAVERSO: So what are you harvesting?

- Right now I'm grabbing some peppers.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- We have some Mamma Mia golden horns... TRAVERSO: Gorgeous.

- Which we're actually harvesting in a couple different stages.

- So we've got some green ones and some golden ones.

TRAVERSO: Oh!

I don't think I've ever seen this variety before.

- Yeah, they're super sweet and delicious.

TRAVERSO: Mm, yum.

- We have some nice ground cherries here.

TRAVERSO: Oh, I love ground cherries.

- Right behind you, we have some wax beans.

TRAVERSO: Ooh.

- Lots of edible flowers.

So I'm just going to grab this last one here.

All right, that should do it.

TRAVERSO: Beautiful.

Can't wait to have these.

- Excellent.

Well, now we have all the harvest from the garden.

TRAVERSO: Yay!

- We're gonna put this together quick.

TRAVERSO: All right.

- The fire's ready.

TRAVERSO: How often do you do these, and is this something that the general public can go to?

- We do a few of these public ones a year.

It's a great event for families and, you know, we do music and the whole thing, so it's really special.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

Typically a clam bake will have lobster, shellfish of some kind, sometimes people put mussels, sometimes they don't.

Corn and potatoes and some type of sausage.

- Yeah, so let's add some of the stuff that we harvested a little while ago.

A couple pattypans in there... TRAVERSO: Okay.

Eggplant?

- Yeah, why not?

Let's have some fun with it.

We're just going to finish this off with a little bit more seaweed.

TRAVERSO: Mmm, naturally salty.

- Yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

All right, well, the fire's ready.

TRAVERSO: All right, we're gonna make a clam bake!

- Right?

NARRATOR: After several hours, the bake is ready to be unveiled.

A beautiful table is set overlooking the bay, and Amy has asked Michelle and Jan from Sweet Berry Farm to join in the festivities, along with some other guests.

TRAVERSO: This is a little more elegant than your average clam bake, I would say.

(laughs) - I like it.

TRAVERSO: What do you want people to feel or to, you know, walk away with when they've eaten here?

- Just a sense of luxury, just full of memories.

That's really what it's about.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

Well, I just want to thank the Castle Hill Inn for this incredible experience today.

And I want to thank the farmers who grow our food and flowers and the chefs who feed us.

Cheers.

- (all): Cheers.

(glasses clinking) ♪ ♪ WIESE: Many people think of Stowe, Vermont, as a world-class ski resort, and you know what?

They're right.

The skiing here is awesome, but guess what?

This is also a year-round resort.

NARRATOR: With the majestic Mount Mansfield towering in the background, The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe offers visitors a luxury resort experience.

Each guest stay is designed to incorporate nature into its many year-round activities.

- This is a group of people that-- they want to be here.

They want to enjoy the recreation.

They want to enjoy the quality of life, and you feel that as a guest.

WIESE: Driving here yesterday, I was like, "Whoa."

I got peak fall foliage and snow on the top.

- Yeah, it's...

I want to say it's rare, but it probably happens every other year, and it's just a spectacle.

The foliage itself, the brightness of the colors, the oranges, the yellows, and contrasted with the white snow, and apparently over a foot of snow on top of the mountain.

It's really something that we take great pride in, because, after all, we are stewards of this special place.

Just to, to create the Spruce Peak Village, we protected over 2,000 acres of wilderness.

NARRATOR: The Alpine Village is a shopper and food lovers' delight and hosts many culinary events.

WIESE: They also hold the Taste of New England here, right?

- I think one of the showcase events in all of New England for culinary...

It's, it's where we kind of hand select about five to six different chefs throughout New England, and they come here and they, they really show off for us and curate a dinner, as well as other culinary events throughout the weekend.

WIESE: What's the best part about being here with a family?

- You know, it's, it's really a playground, an all-season playground for a family.

It's really just an incredible way to live life where recreation is just outside your door.

NARRATOR: The Lodge at Spruce Peak offers numerous adventures, from skiing and biking to golf.

One of the classic experiences is horseback riding at Lajoie Stables.

For over three decades, Amanda Lajoie has called this place home.

- My father started the business a little over 30 years ago, when I was a little girl.

He actually had a dairy farm and just decided that that wasn't working out for the times and had a horse-crazy daughter.

And so it seemed like a great idea, to be able to start a horse farm, to be able to support her love of animals, which is me.

So we brought trailers and horses and just discovered that this was our forever place.

NARRATOR: In addition to a stable of 50 horses, Lajoie is also home to other creatures big and small, many of which have been rescued by Amanda.

- Well, they always seem to find their way here, or find me, I should say.

I have a big spot in my heart for rescuing, so, we have little Wilbur back here, a little pig that we got at just a-week-and a-half-old and had to bottle feed him every two hours.

WIESE: Is this Wilbur?

- Yep, this is Wilbur.

He's three months old.

WIESE: Okay.

(Wilbur grunting) Hello, Wilbur.

- This is Larry.

He's five years old.

WIESE: And this is Sally?

- Yep, she's retired.

She gets to hang out and kind of be the boss of these guys.

WIESE: Okay.

Hello.

Come here, Wilbur.

Come here.

(snorting) - (laughs) WIESE: Come on, Wilbur.

Here.

There you go.

Seems pretty happy with his friends in here.

- He is.

His best friend is Larry.

WIESE (laughs): Best friend is Larry.

- Best friend is Larry.

WIESE: You know, everybody deserves a friend.

I would like to meet my horse.

- Yes.

(voiceover): When folks come riding, it's very easy to know what horse that they need to ride.

Their personalities often will match, or maybe it's kind of better if they don't.

WIESE: So this is Alex?

- Yes, it is.

WIESE: Alex is huge.

- He is.

Let's meet him.

WIESE: Oh, my gosh.

I mean, look at the size of this.

This is a horse.

You are a good-looking horse.

I'm not building you up because I'm going to ride you.

You are literally...

This is... - This is-- watch this.

No, watch this.

Seriously, watch.

WIESE: Okay.

- Come.

- This is his bad habit.

Not even kidding.

He does this in the morning, when we're giving him grain, and he will go and stand there, and often walk in because he knows the treats are on the windowsill.

(Wiese laughs) See?

(horse steps echoing) WIESE (laughing): This is very funny.

- And he'll wait.

He knows.

And he waits... WIESE: Look at this horse.

- For his... treat.

WIESE: Oh my gosh.

I'm impressed.

I mean, I've seen a lot of horses around, I've been on-- but this is just... - (laughs) WIESE: And he's actually pretty gentle, taking the food out of your hand.

- He's very gentle, yep.

NARRATOR: Guide Makaylah Mullins has been a part of Amanda's family for years.

She gets Richard ready to hit the trail.

WIESE: I am so excited about riding here, and I hope you're gentle, because Alex is so much bigger than I am, and... - Alex is way more gentle than any of us here... (Wiese laughs) ...but I will try my best to match him.

Bring him right up to you and do all the instructions.

WIESE: Okay, that sounds great.

- Absolutely.

NARRATOR: Lajoie Stables maintains trails that meander through the forest and meadows, all tucked into the shadow of nearby Mount Mansfield.

♪ ♪ (distant chatting) - (voiceover): I think what's important about the horseback riding experience and being able to trail ride together is getting away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Taking yourself and putting it down, closing your iPad, getting one with nature, and just feeling the rocking of the horse as you're walking down the trail, the movement, the fresh Vermont air.

It bonds you with your family and loved ones and you leave with a smile every time.

♪ ♪ WIESE: Alex, have some water.

People don't drink enough water.

Here we go.

There we go.

That's a good boy.

I, I don't know if this is customary, but I just feel like I should give Alex a hug before I leave.

- (laughing): You probably should.

WIESE: What a good horse.

- It's actually a hug and a kiss... (patting) WIESE: What a good boy.

I enjoyed that.

What a, what a... - How could you not?

WIESE: How could you not?

I mean, you've got the beautiful fall foliage, you see snow in the mountains.

I have my trusty friend Alex here, who-- we're now fast friends.

Thank you very much.

- Good.

WIESE: I really enjoyed it.

- Awesome.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: For over three decades, the Fly Rod Shop and owner Bob Shannon offered guided trips and instruction to anglers of all abilities.

Richard joins Bob and his guides on the Lamoille River to try his hand at fly fishing.

WIESE: I always like the beginning of a fishing trip, because it's like with all fishing trips.

The beginning always has promise, right?

- Definitely.

Fly fishing is a much more technical sport, where you become more connected with the science aspect of fishing.

So you tune into the aquatic insects, the bugs that fish are feeding on.

It's the speed of the movement of the food that attracts the fish to bite.

What you want the fly to do is swing through the current like a minnow pattern.

WIESE: Right, so twitching a little?

- To-- give it a little rod twitch as that fly travels downstream.

Okay, now, as that fly drifts down, keep the rod tip nice and low.

WIESE: Yeah.

- And then every few feet, just give it a little twitch.

Like a darting minnow.

Nice cast, awesome.

WIESE: Thanks.

- So that's going to swing through that fast water, when that fly comes into that quiet spot right there... WIESE: Oh, I got it!

- Fish on.

WIESE: I got it, got it, got it... - All right, beautiful.

Ooh.

WIESE: This feels monstrous.

- (laughing): Nice one.

I don't know how big it is, but look at this fight on this thing.

- Ooh.

WIESE: Oh no!

I lost it!

(shouts) - All right, we're in the spot, so let's give it another try.

WIESE: Why have you forsaken me?

- (laughs) WIESE: (grunts) I got a fish on.

Okay... - Looks like a rainbow, Richard.

WIESE: Can you see it?

- Keep it tight, keep it tight.

WIESE: Ooh, please... - Now take the rod tip and steer-- turn it to your left.

WIESE: Okay.

- And I'll get down and land that for you.

WIESE: All right-- please don't drop it.

- So, I want you to keep the rod tip high.

WIESE: Please don't-- all right, you got it.

- All right, fish on.

WIESE: Nice.

All right.

So what do we have, a rainbow here?

- Rainbow trout.

WIESE: I'd like to say he's 20 or... 20 inches, but the reality is this little guy is probably... - Probably ten, 11.

WIESE: Ten or 11.

- But that's a nice cookie cutter rainbow for the Lamoille River.

WIESE: There... NARRATOR: Bob and Richard safely return this trout to the river, hoping it will continue to grow and give play to future anglers.

- There he goes.

So, now that we've had a couple of fish on... WIESE: Right.

- ...we've done well in the lower section here by the ledges, let's head up into the gorge.

It's a beautiful section of river.

It's a bit of a hike.

So, this beautiful stone section of the river... WIESE: Yeah.

- ...is actually a canoeing kayak portage.

So this trail is for the, you know, the canoers and kayak.

They want to get through that set of waterfalls.

WIESE: Sure, they walk around.

♪ ♪ - Before we head up any further, I just want to stop and show you the gorge.

Beautiful section of the Lamoille River.

It's one of my favorites.

WIESE: So beautiful they would say it's what, it's g... - Gorge-ous.

(laughs) WIESE: Yes, it's gorge-ous.

- One could say.

WIESE: One could say.

NARRATOR: Chloe Benoit is a native Vermonter and guide for the Fly Rod Shop.

For six years she's cast her flies on the river and is passionate about the sport.

WIESE: What do you love most about fishing?

- I just love being out in nature.

That is a given with fly fishing, but, it'd have to be the learning aspect.

As soon as you step into it and you're confident with yourself, even if you're not confident, it's-- that all melts away when you're on the river and you're learning and you're catching fish, even if you don't know what you're doing.

There's always something, something to take away from an experience out on the river.

NARRATOR: Richard tries a different technique called roll casting.

- Roll casting is a great way to cast when there's too much debris around you and you want to make short, precise casts.

You want that line to be either above you or in front of you.

So, say you have a woolly bugger on the end, and you want to get your fly above you, so that when you roll cast, it's more effective.

- The biggest satisfaction for us is that we're very fortunate to be able to take beginners out and get them on to fish.

So once you've hooked, whether you've landed or not landed the fish, but felt the tug, the tug is the drug.

To feel the pull of a fish on the end of the line, that's what attracts them to the sport.

♪ ♪ WIESE: It's just such a pleasant place to be and there's such a Zen to going back and forth with your rod and presenting your fly.

And that's why I love fly fishing.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ NARRATOR: The Castle Hill Inn is known for its spectacular setting and culinary delights.

Amy gets some tips from horticulturalist Leita Lord on growing an herb garden at home.

TRAVERSO: Hey, Leita.

- Hey, nice to meet you.

TRAVERSO: Nice to meet you, too.

So, okay, let's say I'm a total gardening novice and I want to grow some herbs.

What would you recommend starting with?

- I usually say to start with the Mediterranean herbs.

TRAVERSO: Okay, - So, think rosemary, thyme, sage, these things, they all require the same amount of water, which is not very much, which is nice.

TRAVERSO: Oh.

Yeah, that is nice.

- And they'll do well in a pot.

So if you don't have a lot of space, you can put Mediterranean herbs in a pot, water them every few days, and you're probably good to go.

TRAVERSO: Right.

So now I want to level up.

What would be my next step?

- Okay, well, conveniently right behind you... (Traverso laughs) we've got the parsley and chives are also two great go-to herbs.

They require a little more water.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- They don't like to get too, too hot, so that means they're just a little more finicky.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- But they are also cut-and-come-again herbs.

So you can cut them right down... TRAVERSO: Wow.

- And they will grow back all through the season.

TRAVERSO: That's great.

- Yeah.

TRAVERSO: And then what's this here?

- That is holy basil, or tulsi.

TRAVERSO: Oh, yes, that's delicious.

- So you can make a really yummy tea out of that.

TRAVERSO: Oh, it just smells incredible.

It's so sweet, it's like almost like a floral basil kind of aroma.

- It makes an amazing iced tea.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that smells... - Or hot tea, either way.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that's-- yes, that would be so good.

So what's your favorite lesser-known herb that you love?

- Do flowers count?

(laughs) TRAVERSO: Sure, yes, edible flowers.

- Because I would suggest putting in either nasturtiums or something that I absolutely love: marigolds.

you'll see little white flowers throughout the garden.

Those are called sweet alyssum.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh, yes.

- So those are some real staples, I would say, in the culinary garden, and absolutely can go into pots as well.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

Any other advice for growing herbs?

- It's a great idea to keep it right by your kitchen door or somewhere where you're going to be walking by it often.

TRAVERSO: Yes.

- That way you'll actually remember to take care of them, but also you'll get more use out of them.

- Yeah, that's a great idea.

- All right.

TRAVERSO: Well, thank you so much.

NARRATOR: For exclusive videos, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors and access to the Weekends with Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com, and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

One year for $20.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

- Major funding provided by: ♪ ♪ - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

♪ ♪ - Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪