Things to Do in Stafford

Since 2007, the team behind Historic Tours of Newport has carefully consulted literature and publications documenting Newport’s heritage in its effort to chart engaging and enlightening van tours that propel passengers through more than 365 years of history. Expert guides dispense factoids about Newport’s social, religious, and architectural past on 60- to 90-minute Ten Mile Ocean Drive tours, which whisk visitors past a plentitude of sites including Bellevue Avenue’s 17th-century buildings and mansions, Chateau-sur-Mer’s dainty gardens, and the tree stump where town loon Humphreys McCaw declared himself king. Guests eager to peek inside one of myriad mansions detailed on the tour can opt for a Majestic Mansion tour, which permits escorted entry into one of six elegant manors during Ten Mile Ocean Drive excursions. Patrons purchasing private tours can additionally elect the two-hour Newport Now tour, which explores the city’s contemporary shopping malls, farmers' markets, and secret Redcoat-revivalist meeting places or custom design a tour around whatever sites and they yearn to behold.

North Fork Bike Tours leads wine lovers on foot-powered excursions through the picturesque farms, gardens, and vineyards of local wine country. Tours traipse across the North Fork of Long Island and offer a rare, on-the ground view into local wine culture. Riders progress at a leisurely pace over predominantly flat terrain and well-surfaced roads while stopping to enjoy sips at local vineyards. All riders are provided with bicycles that feature baskets for carrying home souvenirs and bottles freshly plucked from the vineyards' wine trees.

Before helming Paddle Board RI, John Andel was working as an IT consultant, itching to hop onto his board as the hours crept by each day. An erstwhile surfer, scuba diver, and spear fisher, John had encountered standup paddleboarding while visiting Costa Rica and fell in love with the aquatic pastime faster than two cupids in an archer's duel. "You get a whole different perspective,” he says of standing up on the board. “Sometimes you can see 20 feet down into the water.”

Drawn to the sport’s flexibility, John has engineered a diverse selection of tours, including the full-moon paddle, the business’s most popular tour, which takes groups out on quiet waters to gaze up at the glowing orb and stake out real estate for the moon colonies of the future. Another tour, the Tuckered Dog, invites pooches to hop on board with their owners at a dog-friendly pond. Paddle Board RI also offers classes from introductory lessons to less traditional options, such as paddleboard yoga taught by a certified yoga instructor, meditative sunrise sessions, and muscle-sculpting workout classes.

Although his business has taken off, Andel still leads the vast majority of the tours: at the heart of the venture still beats his own passion for being out on the water and sharing his love of paddleboarding with others. “We’re not just a rental company,” he says. “We’re about enjoying the water.”

"There is this amazing energy out on the water; you get a chance to ride Mother Nature. It doesn't cost anything, and there is always a freshness to it." When Global Boarding's founder Robb Reid describes his profession, it's hard to believe he has been at it for more than a quarter of a century. Mr. Reid remains as passionate as when he first discovered surfing as a young boy. "It has always brought me happiness," he says.

As a professional wakeboarder and coach, Mr. Reid's dedication took him across the globe. He traveled to the beaches of Central America and learned to do everything upside down in Australia. Despite each country's beauty, it wasn't until Mr. Reid and his wife found the clear waters and nature preserves of Sag Harbor that they knew they had found what they were looking for: a home. In 2001, Global Boarding was born.

Along with a team of ARC, Level 2 Paddle Fit-certified professionals, Mr. Reid keeps his customers from surfing in the bathtub May through September of each year. Their fleet of boats can pull water gear such as tubes, wakeboards, and water skis. In Global Boarding’s kids' surf program, Mr. Reid uses wake surfing as a transitional tool to teach new surfers how to find balance atop the ocean's natural playgrounds.

At Connecticut Cycle Center, indoor spinning classes or triathlon training with coach Kelli Montgomery beckon students to wheel in their own bikes and affix them to cycling apparatuses. Both classes and training sessions emulate outdoor adventures thanks to ErgVideo and CompuTrainer systems, which mimic famous routes on TV screens. Virtual Tour de France inclines or Spanish plains challenge cyclists to push their endurance to the brink as they mingle with peers. Classes, like the art of hanging out in an operating laundry machine, range from beginner base spins to high-power interval training. Feedback after each session charts your ascent to fitness. High-quality Apex bikes are available for rental and can be taken to nearby roads for an alfresco adventure.