Diane Bair

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Diane Bair |Pamela Wright

BEVERLY — Tell someone from out of state that you live in Beverly, and they’ll say, “You mean Beverly Hills.” Uh, no. “It’s in Massachusetts, north of Boston. Next to Salem,” you say. “Oh, Salem! Of course! Witches!” they respond. Every. Single. Time. Everybody knows Salem. Neighboring Beverly? Not so much. And yet, Beverly Farms, a neighborhood of Beverly, was home to the Summer White House of President William Howard Taft from 1909 to 1913.

4 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Diane Bair |Pamela Wright

Atlantis, Paradise Island Resort, with its soaring, elaborate flamingo-pink twin towers and connecting sky bridge, is one of the most recognizable and largest resorts in the Caribbean. The Bahamian vacation complex is modeled after the mythical lost kingdom of Atlantis, rising out of the sea. We avoided it for years. The faux Mayan Temple. The over-the-top, flamboyant design. The requisite casino. The cruise passengers docked in nearby Nassau, busloads visiting on day excursions.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Diane Bair |Pamela Wright

Summer . . . ahh, before you know it, it’ll be gone. Some years, it feels like as soon as we unpack the school bags, we’re out shopping for back-to-school clothes. This year, we’re going to make the most of the fleeting season. We consulted with the kids in our lives and came up with a list of 10 things to do this summer in New England. Feel free to duplicate it or simply use it as inspiration to create your own family wish list.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Diane Bair |Pamela Wright

Want a good excuse to visit Martha’s Vineyard this summer? (Though who needs another one, right?) It’s the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie "Jaws," and Martha’s Vineyard, where most of the movie was originally filmed, is going all out to commemorate and celebrate. “All eyes are going to be on Martha’s Vineyard this year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'Jaws,’” says Erica Ashton, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Diane Bair |Pamela Wright

SANDWICH — “People rush to see Hyannisport, Chatham, or P-town, and skip all the beautiful Cape towns in between. That’s a shame,” says Rich Lonstein, a realtor who focuses on Sandwich. A Sandwich resident since 1986, he describes the town as “very spiritual,” an essence best captured by walking along its coastline. Home to around 22,000 souls, many of them year-round residents, Sandwich is the oldest town on the Cape, founded in 1637 and incorporated two years later.