Boston Day Trip: Visit Horseneck Beach and Westport Rivers Winery

If you're looking for a fun day trip within an hour of Boston that combines summer sun, beach, and alcohol, consider taking a trip to Westport, Massachusetts. Westport is a small town close to Dartmouth, Fall River and Buzzards Bay in the southeastern part of the state. In 1670 when Westport was settled, it was the westernmost port of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; the name stuck.

Driving through Westport on Route 88, you'll notice a lot of forestry, spread out homes and farms. On a recent Saturday in July we saw postings for a local farmer's market and quaint yard sales which would have made for nice stops along the way. Route 88 culminates with Horseneck Beach - a long strip of sand dunes and beach. Horseneck is one of the most popular Massachusetts beaches according to the mass.gov website and its close proximity to Boston makes it an ideal destination for a Boston day trip.

The Horseneck Beach reservation area covers over 600 acres and allows for about 2 miles of beach. A friend from California noted that out of all New England beaches, Horseneck reminded her the most of home because of the fine sand, and the wide spread of the beach area. We started our day at the beach around 11am. As has been our experience in the past, Horseneck beach tends to be windy. On very hot, still summer days, the breeze is a relief. On this particular Saturday, it was only 75 degrees and the wind felt quite chilly. The water on the other hand was comfortable, by Massachusetts standards, and probably around 60-62 degrees. If it hadn't been for the wind, we would have spent a lot of time swimming!

Horseneck Beach generally has waves - big enough to play, too small to surf. It's advisable to watch out for lifeguard announcements about rip tides as they occur frequently on the beach. As far as water safety is concerned, there are plenty of lifeguards and many families with small children. The beach seems to attract everyone from young couples, to families, and large groups of teenagers. You will normally find yourself close to your neighbors but I've never felt over-crowded or inconvenienced. It's just not a beach to go to on a weekend if you are looking for solitude or a quiet walk.

If you have extra time in your day, I would highly recommend driving all the way to the end of the Horseneck reservation as well as driving around the side streets off of Rt. 88. I particularly enjoying stopping off of Rt. 88 right before the big bridge that leads to the Horseneck Beach Reservation. You will recognize the bridge when you're on it - it's the only bridge of Rt. 88 and always has a lot of fishermen on it. To the right side below it, you'll see a small dock and some small houses surrounding it. It makes for a nice scenic stop. The houses are old, historical fishermen's homes.

Horseneck beach has nice bathroom facilities - newly redone over the last two years - and beach volleyball areas on the beach. Alcohol is strictly prohibited and you frequently see policemen on horses escorting those who break the rules out of the beach.

After a lunch on the beach, we got back on Rt. 88. Going back the way we came from, we turned right at Hixbridge Road and stopped at Westport Rivers Winery (about 2 stop lights from the beach). Westport Rivers is New England's largest winery and sits on 80 acres of land near the Westport River; it's also a popular tourist destination. They have 90,000 vines and the free tour they give at 1pm and 3pm every Saturday and Sunday provides all the history of the land and great information on how they make the wine. Although the winery is not 100% organic, the staff does its best to work in a sustainable way to protect the local environment and produce healthy wines. Because of the climate and the region, Westport Rivers mostly produces white wines. They do have a rose but this wasn't very popular with my family or our fellow wine tasters. The bubbly chardonnay and the other wines though were a big hit. Westport Wineries follows a traditional method for making sparkling wine similar to that of Champagne, France. The tour guide explained this process in detail and also pointed out that this method really sets Westport Rivers apart - it produces high quality wines that rival many top global varieties.

This is the mission statement found on the winery's website that describes the background and motivations of its staff:

"In 1982 the Russell Family purchased the historic, 140 acre "Long Acre Farm." Following a family discussion, a stewardship statement was drafted. At the heart of this statement is the Russell Family's belief that they are stewards of both land and possessions; that these are not truly owned, but rather are temporarily gifted and to be used in a fashion honoring those who came before and those who follow afterward. The family declared they would use this South Coast farmland both for agricultural products (including food, wine and beer) and for education (about the value of working natural resources)..."

The tour guide emphasized the family-business aspect of Westport Wineries, setting their wines apart from commercial, big corporations. The highlight of the day for us was the scenery at the winery and the experience of tasting wines made off the vines we were looking at by a family business. After the tour, the staff sets up a beautiful tasting area, with tables set over wine barrels overlooking the vineyard. For $7 dollars each we were able to taste 6 wines and take the tasting glass, with a Westport Rivers logo, home with us. There is a store at the winery where you can get considerable discounts on the wines produced there. We bought a case of Chardonnay for 40% off of the actual price.

While we were there we noticed some small groups who had brought food to the winery to have a picnic on the lawn with wine bought from the store. We will definitely consider doing this in the future with friends or family.

Cost:

In total this Boston day trip is very cost effective and budget friendly. Because Horseneck Beach is a state reservation, you won't feel the pain of a $25 dollar parking fee (nor will you have to waste time circling around a full parking lot - there are plenty of spaces.) In total, this trip will cost you: gas for 2 hours of driving, $7 for beach parking, the cost of the food in your beach cooler, $7 dollars for the wine tasting. The winery tour is free - you don't have to stay for the wine tasting, though that's the best part!

Logistics: Getting There

The beach is easy to find: from Boston, take Rte. 93 south to Rte. 128 north. Follow Rte. 128 north a short distance to Rte. 24 south. Follow Rte 24 south to Fall River and the intersection with Rte. 195 east. Follow 195 east to exit 10 and Rte. 88 south. Follow Rte. 88 south 11 miles to the end and follow the signs. The phone number to call for questions is: 508-636-8816

The Westport Rivers Winery is open 7 days a week, year round except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day and Easter Sunday. The times of operation are: Tuesday - Saturda 11am-5pm and Sunday - Monday 1pm-5pm. Public tours are offered on weekends at 1pm and 3pm for free. Tastings are available any time for $7 per person. You can also schedule private tours and tastings with a reservation for $10 per person.

Want more?

If you want to turn your day trip into an overnight stay, you can head to the 100-site campground at the eastern end of the Horseneck Beach Reservation - keep driving past the beach entrance. Camping season runs from mid-May to mid-October and the campground office is open 8am-10pm. When we researched the camping facilities, we found out that there is a two night minimum for your stay. Swimming is also only allowed in the designated beach area and there are restrictions on all the sand dunes - entrance is prohibited to protect the natural habitat of local birds and other species.

You can spend the second day on the beach and also driving around this part of Massachusetts. There are a number of other beaches within 15-20 minutes of Horseneck Beach and a lot of scenic driving to be had off of Rte. 88 and the surrounding areas.

Additionally, Westport Rivers hosts live music on its beautiful lawn every Friday evening in the summer from 6-8pm. Visitors bring blankets and food to enjoy the music and are free to purchase wine at the winery store for the evening.

If you want to skip the day trip and just enjoy the wine, you can buy some at the winery's online site. They ship to customers in these states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, IO, IL, KY, MA, ME, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NM, NY, OH, OR, RI, VA, WI, WV.

Sources: http://www.westportrivers.com/about-historyandmission.htm