Bookworm Cottage Style

^ Peach Picking at Nashoba Valley Winery

^ Wine sipping at Nashoba Valley Winery

^ Blueberry Picking at Russell Orchards

^ Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA

^ Drinks at Idle Hands Brewery

^ Salem Willows Park

Getting to enjoy a summer break as a family of three has been a dream come true. Once I felt healed enough to venture out of the house, I enjoyed finding little excursions to break up the monotony of day-to-day infant care and add a little bit of adventure back into our lives. Luckily, our little one has been a fairly sleepy newborn and has been game to let us practice parenting on the go before he becomes a mobile toddler with opinions. Here are some of the adventures we managed to squeeze in:

• Idle Hands Brewery. Taking your baby to a brewery is a millennial parenting milestone. We’ve been here a couple times with our little one for a weekday flight around 3pm. During the workday, parking is easy and the brewery isn’t busy, so it’s a very stress-free outing. I brought the Ring Sling but any baby carrier (or stroller) would do. I imagine that other breweries would also be very baby-friendly. Baby age: 5 weeks & 10 weeks. Gear of Choice: Ring Sling.
• Berry Picking at Russel Orchards. On a beautiful 80-degree day in July we drove about 45 minutes to Ipswich to pick raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries at Russell Orchards. We went on a weekday around lunchtime and it was such a lovely outing! We kept baby in the stroller with the sun shade and mosquito net the whole time, since there wasn’t really any shade on the property. Baby age: 6 weeks. Gear MVP: UppaBaby Vista with Bassinet and Mosquito Net 
• Nature Walk at Breakheart Reservation. Anytime we’re craving a “hike,” this is where we bring baby. The trails are paved making them super stroller friendly, and parking (at least at the Wakefield entrance, near the vocational school) is very easy. We keep baby in the UppaBaby in the bassinet with the mosquito net on. Baby age: 5 weeks, and many times after that. Gear MVP: UppaBaby Vista with Bassinet and Mosquito Net 
• Beach Day at Jenness Beach in Rye, NH. We met friends of ours at Jenness Beach on a 70-degree in July with their 3 kids. We arrived at 10am on a Friday and parking was easy, though the lot was full and cars were circling for spots by the time we left around 2:30. Although there are plenty of beaches closer to Boston, our friends had had great experiences here this summer and the company was worth the drive. Baby napped on a little quilt in our popup tent while we chatted in beach chairs with our friends. This popup tent was the absolute MVP of our trip. It is large and comfortable and the assembly truly could not be any easier. On a slightly warmer beach day a few weeks later, we also brought this portable fan for the tent to point at baby which was great to have. I felt a little silly putting it on our baby registry but we will have this for life. Highly recommend! Baby age: 7 weeks. MVP Gear: L.L. Bean Popup Tent
• Peach Picking and Wine Sipping at Nashoba Valley Winery. We went on a gorgeous 70-degree Monday in late August. On a weekday, it wasn’t busy at all. The peaches we picked were SO delicious. As with berry picking, we kept baby snug and secure in the UppaBaby with the sunshade on and the mosquito net. After peach picking, we had lunch and a wine tasting flight at one of the outdoor picnic tables overlooking the property. If I am being brutally honest I probably would not come here for the food and wine alone — there are plenty of restaurants with better food, great wine lists and outdoor dining closer to Boston. But if you are looking for a spot to go peach picking, the winery element definitely puts this orchard over the top and makes the drive feel worth it. We hope to make this an annual tradition! Baby age: 9 weeks. Gear MVP: UppaBaby Vista with Bassinet and Mosquito Net.
• Outdoor Lunch + Waterfront Stroll at Salem Willows. To ring out the end of summer before my husband’s parental leave ended, I wanted to outdoor dine as a family. Somewhere casual where we could bring the stroller, ideally with a scenic view to soak up the sunny, 70 degree weather. My husband suggested The Clam Shack at Salem Willows Park, and boy did it deliver! Super casual, great food, and a beautiful park to stroll around. (Note that The Clam Shack is only open seasonally for the summer.) Parking on a Tuesday at midday was super easy (and cheap!). Baby age: 11 weeks. Gear MVP: UppaBaby Vista with Bassinet.

One glaring omission from this list? Boston! I can’t believe I have made it this far without taking baby into the city yet. I have a few ideas, so I hope to make it happen soon! My neighbor also told me about an infant-friendly workout class so we plan to check that out in the next couple of weeks.