WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE Season 2 Premieres This April

This April, the popular travel and lifestyle national public television series WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE returns for a second season to explore more of the hidden gems, spectacular landscapes, fun adventures and delectable tastes of New England.

From public-media powerhouse WGBH and the iconic Yankee magazine, WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE is New England like you have never seen it before: 13 episodes that highlight the region's most unique attractions, take viewers on amazing adventures, and showcase some of the most successful chefs and culinary artisans in action. Shot in a cinematic, documentary style, the series serves as an insider's guide to New England straight from THE EXPERTS at Yankee magazine.

Emmy Award?winning EXPLORER Richard Wiese returns as series co-host with Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso. This season, the duo embarks on separate journeys, which are woven together to create the ultimate New England road trip. Wiese is a world-class adventurer who takes viewers into the field for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Traverso, a leading authority on New England cuisine, serves as our essential culinary tour guide. New for Season 2: an "In the Kitchen" segment, in which Traverso prepares delicious dishes inspired by her travels, using iconic New England ingredients. Along with recipes, she offers cooking tips and expert advice for eating well in every season (all recipes will also be published on weekendswithyankee.com).

In Season 2, viewers will accompany WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE on these journeys and more: Come along with Amy Traverso as she travels with some of the region's top chefs (Evan Mallett, Brendan Pelley, Colin Lynch) outside of their restaurant kitchens and to their favorite locales, to explore the ingredients and food traditions that inspire them. She also visits the acclaimed restaurant The Lost Kitchen and chats with owner Erin French.

Get active: Explore the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont on a mountain bike; experience a new take on camping in Kennebunkport, Maine; and hike into New Hampshire's White Mountains with 'hut croos,' young men and women who pack food and supplies up steep trails to the famed lodges along the Appalachian Trail. Sail on historic ships whose voyages offer majestic views, including New Hampshire's Sophie C, the oldest floating post office in the United States. Survey sharks off Cape Cod in Massachusetts with Greg Skokal, a leading researcher who tracks the growing number of great white sharks along the Atlantic coast. Visit enticing locations such as Greensboro, Vermont, considered by Yankee Magazine the 'best little food town in New England'; Castle in the Clouds, a historic estate high above New Hampshire's famed Lake Region; and Chebeague Island off the coast of southern Maine, where oysters are harvested straight from the waters of Casco Bay.

Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston's Studio Six. Executive Producer: Laurie Donnelly (Rare: Creatures of the Photo Ark, I'll Have What Phil's Having, Sacred Journeys). Senior Producer: Anne Adams (Simply Ming, Moveable Feast). Series Director: Rennik Soholt (Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie). Series funding for WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE is provided by State of New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism, Maine Office of Tourism, and Vermont Country Store.

Photo Credit: Meg Haley