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For all of its charm, Martha's Vineyard does not have particularly beautiful indigenous plants. But the island is a botanical haven nonetheless, thanks in large part to Polly Hill. The celebrated horticulturist demonstrated the viability of growing non-native plants on Martha's Vineyard by creating verdant gardens filled with a wide variety of exotic flowers, trees, shrubs, and other flora at her summer home on the island. In 1997, she established a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing her pioneering research and education and opened up her property, now known as the Polly Hill Arboretum, to the public. Hill died last week at the age of 100, but the sprawling gardens that bear her name live on.

There are over 1700 kinds of plants on display at the Arboretum, including native varieties and ones cultivated from seeds imported from around the world. Visitors are welcome to stroll the grounds year round, and regularly scheduled tours are offered from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. The Arboretum offers educational programs, workshops, lectures, field trips, and other events.

The Polly Hill Arboretum
West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard
Open daily sunrise to sunset, year round.
Visitors center and tours available Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
Suggested $5 donation for admission. Children 12 and under, free.

Photo: Polly Hill Arboretum

Over 150 vintners are expected to participate in the 11th annual Nantucket Wine Festival scheduled for May 16 to 20. The highlight of the event will be the Grand Tastings, during which all 150-plus wineries will be uncorking their bottles. At first glance, the $100 admission fee ($75 if purchased before May 1, multi-session packages also available) might sound a bit steep, but there will be hundreds of wines to sample (as well as food samplings from some of the island's premier eateries, cooking demonstrations from noted chefs, book-signings by food authors, and other presentations).

Then again, how much wine could a person drink? Sure, the tastings will only last 2 hours (although for another few dollars, guests could attend 2 back-to-back sessions), and each wine sample will be relatively small. But after imbibing the first 15-or-so glasses, I wonder whether guests will be shedding their madras garments and doing the Macarena on the otherwise hushed streets of the tony island--or passing out. Since Nantucket has held 10 previous wine festivals, I guess the organizers will have everything under control. In addition to the Grand Tastings, a film about California wineries will hold its premiere, and there will be winemaker symposia, wine and food seminars, a gala party, a celebrity chef and wine auction dinner, and, for those still able to hold their liquor after all that wine, prix fixe winery lunches and dinners. My advice to those planning to attend the festival: Leave your car on the mainland and use taxis. For a modest tip, island cabbies will indulge nude fares singing and dancing the Macarena.

Nantucket Wine Festival
May 16 to 20
Grand Tastings to be held at the Nantucket Yacht Club

Chris sent me this question:

I will be visiting my aunt in Salem at the end of May. How do I get Red Sox tickets without breaking the bank? Thanks for your help.

Thanks for writing. From the nature of your question Chris, I think you already know the likely answer: There's probably no way you'll be able to get Sox tickets, unless you, your aunt, or some kindly and relatively wealthy soul can pony up a lot of scratch. It's a simple matter of supply and demand. The Red Sox are wildly popular and Fenway Park doesn't have nearly enough seats to go around. As you've no doubt discovered, tickets to the late-May series against Cleveland are sold out--as are the majority of home games. That's just the way it is here in Red Sox nation. That doesn't mean you don't have any options, however.

• Many Sox fans purchase tickets for away games and hit the road to see their favorite team play live. It can actually be cheaper (not to mention a fun adventure) to add in the cost of transportation and lodging in another city than to get Fenway Park tickets. But, that wouldn't help you or your aunt in this situation.

• The Red Sox Web site does make tickets to sold out games available through charity auctions and from season ticket holders who want to resell their tickets. There are also third-party ticket resellers who offer Sox tickets. But, the prices for these options tend to be quite high.

• All is not lost, however. Here's my recommendation: Find a decent sports bar, such as Sidelines in Salem, order a pitcher of beer, and watch the Sox crush Cleveland on a big screen TV. There will undoubtedly be a large and vocal hometown contingent on hand to make you almost feel as if you're at the game. But you could still visit Fenway Park. The ball club offers tours of historic Fenway seven days a week. For a mere $12 each, you and your aunt could gawk at the Green Monster, learn some behind-the-bench tidbits, and soak in the Sox ambiance. Have your aunt take some photos of you inside the park, then show them to the folks back home and brag how you visited Fenway. They'll never have to know that you didn't actually attend a game. I promise not to tell. Enjoy your visit to Massachusetts!

Photo: Boston Red Sox

Here's a fairly well-kept secret about the Boston Symphony Orchestra: In addition to its regularly scheduled performances, the Symphony Hall artistes also present open rehearsals. The freewheeling run-throughs give inquisitive music mavens a chance to peer behind the music-making process as well as enjoy the beloved orchestra at a greatly reduced price. The final open rehearsal for the BSO's current season will take place this Wednesday, April 18.

Under the baton of Andre Previn (excuse me, Sir Andre Previn--the conductor and composer was knighted in 1996), the BSO will welcome violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 1 as well as Previn's own Double Concerto for violin, double bass, and orchestra. The latter will be a world premier. The program will also include Ravel's complete Mother Goose and Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Now that you're in on the BSO's open rehearsal secret, let's keep this between you and me, OK?

Boston Symphony Orchestra: Mozart, Previn and Ravel
Open rehearsal on April 18 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: $17
(Regular performances to be held April 19, 20, 21, and 24)
Symphony Hall in Boston
617-266-1492

Photo: Boston Symphony Orchestra

Restaurant Week, during which participating eateries offer three-course, fixed-price meals at bargain prices, has proven so successful in Boston, the promotion is now scheduled twice each year (and the summer version of it extends for longer than a week). Recognizing a good thing, Salem restaurateurs have banded together to present their own Restaurant Week, which kicks off tomorrow, Sunday, April 15, and continues for 6 days through Friday, April 20. It's a good deal for both diners and the establishments; we get sated with some delicious food without breaking the bank, and the restaurants get patrons, including many inquisitive first-time customers, to fill up their places during an otherwise slow time--and hopefully pad their checks with high-markup drinks.

Here's how it will work: Participating restaurants will offer selected menu items, including an appetizer, main course, and dessert, for a fixed price of $16.26 (the year Salem was founded) at lunch and $26.26 at dinner. Price is per person and excludes beverages, tax, and gratuity. For example, among the Restaurant Week choices at Strega, which offers inspired fare that's largely Italian, will be Apple, Walnut and Mixed Green Pasta, Chef's Shrimp Scampi, and White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. Yum! Among the 17 other establishments joining the promotion are the Lyceum Bar and Grill, a longtime Salem favorite that serves exquisite, creative dishes in a elegant, inviting nineteenth-century building, Victoria Station, a waterfront steak- and chophouse, and Passage to India, one of the North Shore's best Indian restaurants. Discount validated parking will be available during Restaurant Week.

For a complete listing of restaurants:
Salem Restaurant Week
April 15 to 20

Photo: Lyceum Bar and Grill

Earth Day is fast approaching. What began as a crunchy granola mission to focus on the planet's health and humankind's role in shaping (or misshaping) the environment has taken on new meaning and significance in an era when even conservatives like Newt Gingrich acknowledge the inconvenient truth about global warming. Eco-activism, education, and fun will be on the agenda at a number of Earth Day events around the state, including exhibits, activities, a parade, and clean-up volunteer opportunities.

• Earth Day Celebration at Heritage Museum and Gardens
  April 21 in Sandwich
  Free with museum admission
  508-888-3300
  Crafts, trail explorations, and conservation-themed games.

• Party for the Planet
  April 22 at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Stone Zoo in Stoneham, and Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford
  The Boston-area zoos will celebrate Earth Day with animal encounters, environmental exhibits, craft making, and other activities. The New Bedford Zoo will offer music, puppets, recycling info, crafts, and activities.

• The Greater New Bedford Earth Day Parade
  April 12 in downtown New Bedford
  The parade kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at the Whaling Museum.

• Earth Day Charles River Cleanup
  April 21, 9 a.m. to noon at sites along the Charles
  781-788-0007 X 303.
  We may sing about loving that dirty water, but if Boston is your home, you'd probably rather have a clean Charles River, wouldn't you?

Photo: Charles River Watershed Association

Are you among the two-thirds of U.S. households that has at least one pet? America's love affair with dogs, cats, and other animals goes way back. So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that the National Heritage Museum is featuring a "Pets in America" exhibit. Subtitled, "The Story of Our Lives with Animals at Home," the intriguing and whimsical exhibit offers dozens of archival photographs and objects such as a vintage dog treadmill (which, I suspect, got about as much use as most of today's in-home treadmills intended for humans) that date back to the early 1800s.

The exhibit explores the evolution of veterinary doctors, the rise and fall in the popularity of caged birds, classic pet food packaging, and other pet-related artifacts and info. It also takes a look at the roles of animals as beasts of burden, show animals, celebrities, and family members. Pet-loving children on school vacation break next week would enjoy "Pets in America." The good news: Admission and parking at the museum are free. The bad news: Pets are not welcome. I guess we haven't quite come that far with pets in America.

National Heritage Museum
(781) 861-6559
33 Marrett Road (At the intersection of Route 2A and Massachusetts Avenue)
Lexington

Photo: petsinamerica.org

There are some things that are indelibly linked to Boston such as scrod, the Red Sox, and wicked bizarre driving habits. Just as Bostonians welcome Opening Day at Fenway Park as a sure sign of spring, the return of the Swan Boats to the Boston Public Garden are another pleasing harbinger. Established in 1877, the curious blend of an eco-friendly, human-powered peddle-boat and a swan remains pretty much unchanged. The unique and popular attraction has inspired works such as "Make Way For Ducklings" and "The Trumpet of the Swan."

The Swan Boats, which take a leisurely figure-eight jaunt around the Public Garden Lagoon, can accommodate about 18 adults on 6 benches. A single operator propels the boat at a cruising speed of approximately 40 rpm. The drivers never seem particularly winded. Why is it that most peddle-boats, which are often available for rent as two-person fiberglass contraptions at waterfront vacation spots, leave their users peddling furiously, yet hardly moving? Perhaps the folks at the Swan Boats of Boston could consider manufacturing their sleek, efficient boats for commercial use.

The Swan Boats of Boston
Opening day is Saturday, April 14
Adults $2.75, Children (age 2 to 15 years)$1.25, Seniors $2.00
Boston Public Garden
617-522-1966

Photo: The Swan Boats of Boston

Joyce sent this email to Explore New England's plush, but not overly ostentatious, Massachusetts blogger headquarters:
Where might I take my seven-year-old grandson for a fun day somewhere on the North Shore April 3?

Thanks for writing Grandma Joyce. It's sweet that you'll be spending some time with your grandson, but I am a tad concerned: Why won't the seven-year-old lad be in school? Here in Massachusetts, the public schools' April vacation won't be for another couple of weeks. I was considering alerting the truant officers, but I'm guessing that your grandson is from outside the state and is on a different vacation schedule. Unfortunately, because most local kids will be contending with pencils, books, and teachers' dirty looks tomorrow, there aren't a heckuva lot of kid-centric activities from which to choose. And because spring hasn't truly sprung, most outdoor attractions aren't open for the season yet. (Tuesday's forecast calls for overcast skies and relatively chilly temperatures, anyway.) Your options, therefore, are mostly limited to indoor venues. So, how about treating your (presumed) out-of-town grandson to a day on the town--in one of the North Shore's most famous towns, Salem?

• To get you from place to place and help provide some context, consider hopping aboard The Salem Trolley. You're in luck, since the shuttle, which offers a narrated one-hour tour, just resumed its daily schedule yesterday.

• Start your day at the National Park Service Visitor Center on Liberty Street across from the Museum Place parking garage. Admission is free.

• Visit the Salem Witch Museum and/or the Witch Dungeon Museum. Your seven-year-old grandson should be fascinated by the witch hysteria that struck the region, and equally fascinated by the fact that many witches reside in Salem today.

• Stop by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site to learn about Salem's historic role as one of the nation's earliest and most important ports.

• Check out The House of The Seven Gables and discover the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous novel. Your grandson will especially enjoy the secret staircase. After your tour, head across the street to Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie, America's oldest candy shop. (Don't worry, there's no actual pepper in the candy.)

• I'm not sure how much will be open at Salem Willows, but as of April 1 it's scheduled for daily operation, so hopefully you could enjoy the arcade, take a spin or two on the carousel, and enjoy a unique chop suey sandwich (yep, you read that right: sandwich) and some of the area's best ice cream and air-popped popcorn at Hobb's.

• If you still have some energy, go to the recently remodeled Peabody Essex Museum and explore the maritime art, art from the Far East, and other exhibits.

• You might want to catch the afternoon performance of "Meet the Robinsons," the slick new Disney computer animated film, that's showing at CinemaSalem inside the Museum Place Mall.

Whatever you end up doing, have a wonderful day together. And make sure your grandson returns to school next week!

Photo: Daniel Goodwin