GOOD TIMES
A walking tour summer After months of Stay-At-Home guidance, we’re now entering a Safer-At-Home summer – which recognizes the need to get out, soak up some sunshine, and become a part of society again. Steven Froias
Businesses are slowly and carefully reopening – and you can probably start to patronize some of your favorite spots in a socially distant manner. A good excuse to get off the couch and away from Netflix is to follow one of the many self-guided walking tours created for your warm-weather enjoyment. Once out and about, you can check in curbside at your regular haunts, and perhaps do some shopping or even get yourself some take-away lunch or dinner! Following are a few tours to help you rediscover the South Coast during the most epic staycation you will likely ever take.
New Bedford Creative’s
public art New Bedford Creative has three self-guided walking tours, all dedicated to public art in the city. In fact, in the process of putting them together, it was discovered that over 50 works of art dot the landscape throughout the city. They range from sculptures to murals. New Bedford Creative states, “Reimagining urban spaces is second nature to New Bedford artists. Throughout the city, you’ll find public areas that have been either activated or redefined thanks to the creative impulses of artists in this authentic seaport destination on the South Coast.” Patricia Thomas, New Bedford Creative Consortium Public Art & Facilities Squad co-chair and Artistic Director of the playwriting group culture*park, says in a
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S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
release announcing the tours, “With these designated Walking Tours, New Bedford is right alongside other great cities where artists, art and community matter! “Being able to visit works of art outside, and in person now, is an extra special gift. I hope folks will get out and walk to see the murals, statues, and other outside art that may have been hiding in plain sight.”
“I
hope folks will
get out and walk
to see the murals, statues, and other outside art that may have been hiding in plain sight The self-guided tours are available to residents and visitors alike as either downloadable PDFs or via a specially created Google map. You can find links to both on NewBedfordCreative.org. They are arranged into three distinct areas: The Seaport Cultural District – Downtown; The Seaport Cultural District – Waterfront; and Love The Ave in the North End, centered along Acushnet Avenue.
Trees of New Bedford – mapped! The group Out On A Limb, operating out of the James Arnold Mansion on County Street in New Bedford (also the home of
J uly /A ugust 2020
the Wamsutta Club), has done something remarkable for the last year. Each month, they have selected a different species of tree found in the city, and commissioned a column that delves deep into its historical roots. Who planted the tree? What legendary person of New Bedford cared for the property where it stands? Why was a certain type of tree chosen for that spot? What does the tree and its surroundings reveal about the history of the city? Now those featured Trees of New Bedford have been assembled into their own self-guided map that brings you all over the city – from the South End to Haskell Public Gardens; to Oak Grove Cemetery to the Armory; and from the James Arnold Mansion itself to the Rotch Jones Duff House just a few blocks away – sporting a magnificent Copper Beech Tree to welcome you. The Trees of New Bedford tour can be found via NewBedfordNow.com. They have been arranged on a Google map, but very well may also be available as a downloadable PDF by the time this issue is published thanks to a partnership with New Bedford Creative. In this social distancing age, rest assured that it is safe to hug a tree!
New Bedford Preservation Society featured properties The subject of a The South Coast Prime Times article just a year ago, New Bedford Preservation Society walking tours have adapted to this moment. The group is offering their own selfguided tours with an eye on architecture and have launched a special “Spotlight” series of unique buildings on their Facebook page. Each week, a different property is explored virtually and you can then make your own pilgrimage to the place of
