- For other places with the same name, see South Coast (disambiguation).
SouthCoast is a region of Southeast Massachusetts. Commonly stylized as Southcoast or South Coast, it follows the coastline from the eastern border of Rhode Island to the Cape Cod Canal. The area has a history of whaling and fishing, agriculture, and, in the cities, a collapsed textile industry. Its many harbors, offshore islands, and features make it a good recreational fishing area, particularly in autumn.
Cities and towns
Cities
- 1 Fall River - "The Spindle City", home of Battleship Cove and Lizzie Borden.
- 2 New Bedford - "The Whaling City" inspired Moby-Dick and houses a Whaling Museum.
Towns
- 3 Acushnet - Birthplace of the Titleist golf ball.
- 4 Dartmouth - Home to UMass Dartmouth and Padanaram Village.
- 5 Fairhaven - A residential coastal community.
- 6 Freetown - Visit Freetown State Forest, Assonet Village, and the Assonet River.
- 7 Lakeville - The region's only rail connection with Boston.
- 8 Marion - Home of Tabor Academy.
- 9 Mattapoisett - Classic coastal small town.
- 10 Rochester - A "Right to Farm" community.
- 11 Seekonk - Home of the oldest continually family-operated racetrack in the USA.
- 12 Somerset - Small town with river views of Fall River.
- 13 Swansea - Quiet residential town and former home of the Swansea Mall.
- 14 Wareham - "The Gateway to Cape Cod."
- 15 Westport - Seaside with dramatic Horseneck Beach.
Other destinations
Understand
This diverse and beautiful region runs between Rhode Island on the west and Cape Cod on the east and covers the spectrum from blue collar to wealthy towns. The SouthCoast region is anchored by its two harbor cities of New Bedford and Fall River, both of which have deep roots in fishing and whaling. Fishing brought a large population of Portuguese and Azoreans to the area in the late 19th century, making that a distinctive feature of the area.
Get in
Interstate 195 runs between Providence, Rhode Island and Cape Cod and services most of the SouthCoast towns.
Major airports are in Boston(BOS IATA) and Warwick (Rhode Island)(PVD IATA). New Bedford has a regional airport.
Boats can harbor in many of the towns, including Fall River, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion.
Get around
Though there is public transportation, a car is the best way to see the area.
- Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA), 134 Elm Street New Bedford Transportation Center, (508) 997-6767 (email: [email protected]), [1]. Bus service between SouthCoast towns.
See
Itineraries
- A nice scenic trip in the eastern end of the SouthCoast area can be had by just following Route 6 along the coast through Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett and Fairhaven while watching for points of interest and making the occasional side trip toward the shore.
- At the western end of the SouthCoast see Padanaram village in Dartmouth (Route 6 to Tucker Rd to Gulf Rd). Then travel west to Russells Mills village at Russells Mills Rd and Rock O'Dundee Rd. From there head to Hix Bridge Rd across the Wesport River to Westport and Little Compton and Tiverton, Rhode Island. These towns are largely rural, with the attractions being mostly scenery.
Do
Eat
The region has direct access to fresh seafood and the local chefs know what to do with it. Also try some of the Portuguese specialties such as "cacoila", a marinated pork, often served in a sandwich. Visit a Portuguese bakery -- if only to try the subtle "sweet bread".
Drink
Stay safe
Go next
A good next stop could be: