Shelter Harbor Inn A classic New England inn with white clapboards, blue shutters, and carefully tended gardens From the April 22, 2002 Issue of New York Set far back from Route 1 in Westerly, Rhode Island, the white clapboards and blue shutters of Shelter Harbor Inn -- a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the city -- are framed by carefully tended gardens. Guest rooms are comfortable and unpretentious; when days are warm and nights are chill, reserve a room with a spacious private deck and a wood-burning fireplace. After delicious dinners of crab-salmon cakes, flounder with capers and roast tomatoes, and peach-blueberry crisp, simmer in the inn's rooftop hot tub. Work up a morning appetite with a walk on the serene mile-long Weekapaug beach, a short drive away. Nearby you'll find the Victorian-era village of Watch Hill, with its imposing mansions; neighboring Stonington offers handsomely restored Colonial homes and the Old Lighthouse Museum. Easy day trips include Mystic Seaport, Foxwood Casino, Mohegan Sun, Newport, and Block Island. -- SANDY SOULE Details Shelter Harbor Inn (doubles from $96; 800-468-8883).