On our long road trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts, our final destination was the neighboring town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts.  We arrived in Fairhaven just in time to enjoy the open air bar by the marina.  We settled in for a much deserved drink and dinner.  Fairhaven was a beautiful surprise and nestled right along the water’s edge.  In additional to stunning views, we found several amazing buildings with impressive architecture, and a town that invited exploring.

Road Tripping to Massachusetts

In case you weren’t aware of this: the entire state of Connecticut is a traffic jam. We crawled along the entire state at a comfy 30mph.  We stopped in New Haven for some amazing pizza (must try!), and then continued the slow traffic crawl towards Massachusetts. At one point we found the Hoxie Scenic Overlook and slipped out of the traffic to enjoy the view.  We found an informative plaque detailing the town Mystic.  The region looked so beautiful and charming that we agreed to try and visit Mystic before we returned home. The overlook itself was a bit overgrown with foliage that should have been trimmed back more.  But there was still a good view of the riverside towns and some of the larger ships moored along the harbor.  It was a nice stop to enjoy the view, but there’s nothing else to do after you’ve snapped a few pics, so we got back on the highway and made our way to Fairhaven.

Traveler Tip: If you have a tripod and zoom lens, you might get a great shot from this stop.

Fairhaven

We continued driving until we arrived at our hotel. After checking in and hauling luggage around, we were eager to relax by the open-air bar.  In unison, we made our way to the outdoor seating and found an empty table. We settled at a table next to the water’s edge and ordered cold drinks for everyone. Since my driving was done, it was time for a nice cocktail. It wasn’t long before we began to relax and melt into the soft evening air. The marina chimed and clinked with rhythmic sounds that soothing me, and my eyes kept falling on beautiful or interesting sights.  There were only a few sea gulls, and they did not behave like the birds from Atlantic City.  Was it possible to find better behaved sea gulls in different locations?  Hmmm….

The sun painted the marina in vibrantly warm colors.  We shared a relaxing evening bathed in the warmth of summer, with a cool breeze coming in off the water, and sipping our drinks and eating amazing fish tacos.  It seemed an ideal New England night.  Fairhaven really stepped up to give us a glorious welcome and amazing sunset show.

Architecture

The next morning we prepared for the day’s adventure in New Bedford.  But we all agreed we wanted to drive around and explore Fairhaven a bit before crossing the bridge into New Bedford.  After enjoying the hotel’s breakfast and hot coffee, we piled into the car and started randomly exploring the tallest buildings we could see in town.  I was amazed at how beautiful the buildings were in the town, and I’m sure there is history in each structure.  Sadly, we didn’t have the time to deeply explore this down.  We could only carve enough time to drive around and admire these buildings from the side of the road.  I wish we had more time to walk and truly explore this beautiful city, but we had a schedule to keep.

The town hall and library were stunning buildings, and the churches reflected the wealth of the area.  We’ll have to be sure to explore Fairhaven more thoroughly the next time we’re in the area. But after driving around, it was time to head into New Bedford.

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