RI RHODE ISLAND'S BEST-KEPT SECRET? "We saw the universe." That's what one visitor said after spending time in Rhode Island's South County. The area's Tourism Council, an ABA member, wants to be your group's launchpad. It suggests using the area for hub-and-spoke tours of New England. (It's only 80 miles south of Boston.) But Destinations thinks you should spend more time there. After all, Money magazine calls it "one of the best 12 places to vacation in North America," and Yankee magazine praises its pristine "secret beaches." The council has posted more than a dozen group itineraries on its website. We like the "Lobsters & Lighthouses Tour," which bundles a 90-minute, narrated bay cruise on a high-speed catamaran with a jaunt to Wickford Village-which recreates a 1700s seaside village-and tops it off with dinner at George's of Galilee, serving super-fresh local seafood. To learn more, contact marketing director Diane Patefield at (800) 548-4662 or dpatefield@southcountyri.com. ■ South County Tourism Council (800) 548-4662 42 DESTINATIONS /MAY-JUNE 2018 | www.southcountyri.com, KATHERINE GENDREAU. Wickford is a picturesque village in North Kingstown.http://www.southcountyri.com http://www.conwayscenic.com