Patriot Place , off Route 1 in Foxboro includes Gillette Stadium, home of the champion New England Patriots football team, but there is much more to the Place than football alone. The property includes 1.3 million square feet of shopping, dining, and entertainment, along with a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the Patriots. Major retailers are represented, including a massive Bass Pro Shops store, with every little (and big) thing and outdoorsman or outdoorswoman could desire. Dining runs the gamut from basic burgers to seafood to a gourmet bistro. Phone: 508-203-2100.

Broadmoor Offers Broad Variety

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Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary on Eliot Street in Natick offers nine miles of walking trails through a variety of field, woodland, and wetland habitats. A quarter-mile, accessible trail and boardwalk along the bank of Indian Brook and over the marsh offers great opportunities for birdwatching, photography, and sketching. To enjoy this site in the winter, bring your snowshoes or cross-country skis. Stroll along the edge of Indian Brook, which flows into the Charles River at the sanctuary, and look for wood ducks and signs of beavers and otters from the 110-foot-long bridge. Phone: 508-655-2296.

Craftwork with Sass

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A small, interesting museum on Oak Street in the city of Brockton, the Fuller Craft Museum displays unique craftwork, with frequent changes in the exhibits. Recent shows include glass sculpture, cloth paintings, ceramic art, wire and metal sculpture. Some recent exhibits have showcased intriguing themes, like The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories and Beyond the Embargo: Cuban and American Ceramics. Take a break stroll in the quiet solitude of D.W. Fields parks and gardens, where the museum is housed. Phone: 508-588-6000.

Cranberry Wine is a Unique Bay State Taste

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The family-owned Plymouth Bay Winery , at 114 Water Street in Plymouth, overlooking Plymouth Bay, produces cranberry and other fruit wines. The winery is located in the heart of Plymouth's historic waterfront district, close to the Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, and other historic attractions and great places to dine. The owners welcome the public for tastings, saying, “There isn't an event or holiday that cranberry wine won't serve as a warm embrace.” Open daily, March 1 to December 31. Free tastings, with no appointment necessary. Phone: 508-746-2100.

Dynamic Theater Hosts <br>Wide Range of Performances Dynamic Theater Hosts
Wide Range of Performances

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For lively, dynamic, creative entertainment of all stripes, stay tuned to the Zeiterion Theatre on Purchase Street in New Bedford. This historic performing arts center is located in a restored 1923 vaudeville house. Its programs include summer musicals; comedy, great American music, dance, global beat; special events and family fun. The 2009-10 season includes The Moscow Ballet, July Collins, Emerson and Lake, the Doo Wop 5, the Paul Winter Consort, Queen, The Hobbit, and more. Sound interesting? Check out the schedule. Phone: 508-997-5664.

Farmers Market With a Hint of Bay Breezes

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Hingham Farmers Market at 95 Otis Street in Hingham operates on both Saturdays and Wednesdays, so each week offers two occasions to review, preview, and take home some of the produce, baked goods, flowers, plants, eggs, jam with native strawberries, macaroons, zucchini loaves, granola mix, live lobsters, pesto, fresh homemade salsa, Italian cookies, vegetable plants, fresh eggs, and fresh cut flowers. In addition, some handcrafted items such as jewelry, pottery, and furniture are available. Phone: 781-856-5358

Old country Store Brings Back<br>Era of the Nickelodeon Old country Store Brings Back
Era of the Nickelodeon

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Step back in time with a visit to the Old Country Store & Emporium on Otis Street in Mansfield. Many of the sights, sounds, and aromas that our grandparents knew are here in the rambling wooden buildings. The West Mansfield Fire Barn next door now houses the Firehouse Candle Shop. The Emporium houses a restored soda fountain and apothecary shop, featuring barber shop items, fragrances, furniture reproductions, curios, cranberry glass, fine pewter, and forged brass candlesticks. The sound of the three restored nickelodeons brings back memories of an earlier time. The Barn contains organized clutter, offering shopping for the whole family. Stuffed bears, pictures, linens, braided rugs, jelly cupboards and occasional furniture, kitchen and dining room tables, hutches and lighting fixtures and gifts galore. Open daily. Phone: 508-339-8128.

Paul Revere Is Smiling

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Reed & Barton, one of America's oldest privately held silversmiths, operated a company store in one of its former manufacturing buildings on West Britannia Street in Taunton. Shoppers are charmed by the original wooden floors, the remnants of old machinery, and the discounted prices. Sterling, silver plate, stainless steel, Belleek China, Miller Rogaska crystal, Christmas ornaments, baby goods: it is all here and it is all beautiful. Phone: 800-343-1383

Sip Hearty

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Wine lovers would be well-advised to make a side trip to Westport Rivers Winery, a family-owned vineyard on Hixbridge Road in Westport. Its wines include traditional method sparkling wine, Chardonnay, Rosé of Pinot Noir, Riesling and other Alsatian varietals. The winery, location an hour’s drive south of Boston and a stone’s throw away from one of New England's best beaches, Horseneck Beach, hosts many fun and education events for visitors. The winery is open daily, year round, Tuesdays-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday-MOnday, 1-5 p.m. Public yours are on Saturday and Sunday, 1 and 3 p.m. and are free. Phone: 800-993-9695.