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WESTPORT - A picnic and a shoreline stroll.

A tasting at a local winery, and then, to end things with dessert, some of the best local ice cream in the state.

It might be hard to find a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Combining several of my favorite summertime activities into a day trip to Westport, home of Horseneck Beach (a favorite destination among my friends), seemed like a fantastic way of conning my boyfriend, John, into the day-long date I've been not so subtly hinting at for months.

(Truth be told, it didn't take much conning, as a day of shared interests was enough to tempt him.) The plan involved traveling less than 50 miles from my home and centering a day's worth of activities around a budget of $50 for the two of us.

All it took was a little pre-planning to figure out we could bring a light lunch to the beach, work off our food induced lethargia with a romantic walk along the sand, skip off to Westport Rivers (a local winery I've spied several times during beach trips), and cap the day off at Handy Hill Creamery with a strawberry cone for two.

Then the weather decided to throw us a curve ball. It rained, so we instituted a "plan B" that still cost us under $50 and produced several hours of uninterrupted "us" time.

Either way you play it - with the A or B plan - this is a day worth taking.

The beach

Horseneck Beach State Reservation (Route 88, Westport Point), coming in around 36 miles from North Attleboro, is nearly 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh.

Extremely clean and well-patroled by local law enforcement, weekend afternoons are generally quiet and calm, with very few, if any, loud parties that could threaten your tanning and relaxing time.

You're more likely to find families, children and lots of organized Frisbee and volleyball games decorating the sand than trash and alcohol bottles (alcohol is not allowed on the beach). Even the bathroom facilities are well maintained, though occasionally they are closed for cleaning and you may have to use a porta-potty.

Park for $7 in the guarded lot and take in the ocean view opening in front of you as you walk across the decked passage to the beach. Spread open a comfy giant towel or blanket, and open up your picnic basket for lunch.

You don't even have to make an extra (as in extra money) trip the grocery store. Since we planned on the picnic, we grabbed the weekend's leftovers (some peach-glazed chicken with roasted celery, blueberries and banana bread) for our meal.

Be sure to bring the nibblies with you, though, because a trip to the overpriced, but pretty yummy, food stand is going to put a dent in your day's budget.

After lunch, it's swim and stroll time. There are dunes and more private areas to also explore.

John's a swimmer who loves getting far enough out in the water to enjoy the bigger waves, while I'm more of a from-afar admirer of the ocean's power, but we both enjoy getting our toes wet on the shore.

Though that didn't happen this particular day, it's also a good photo op spot.

It wasn't part of the day-trip plan, but the beach also offers a 100-site campground, behind the dunes near Gooseberry Neck.

Westport Rivers

Trying new wines is at the top of the list of things John and I really enjoy doing together. Hardly connoiseurs - we usually just like what tastes good that night - we are regular cooks who pair our meals with complementing vinos and are always in search of something different.

An afternoon tasting for $7 each, including a souvenir glass, was the first time we actually visited a winery together. John once took a trip to Europe that involved a healthy dose of wine tastings and he's passed some of that knowledge on to me, so I was eager to test my skills at the tasting bar.

Westport Rivers, 417 Hixbridge Road, is on the way back to the highway from the beach and looks like a farmhouse set on a private road.

There's good reason for that. The winery is in the Russell family's dairy farm. They purchased in 1982 and started growing vines several years later.

They pride themselves on having the largest vineyard in New England, producing "traditional-method" sparkling wine (which they are best known for), chardonnay, Rose of Pinot Noir and table wines.

Once featured in Oprah magazine as one of Oprah's famous favorite things, their wine once was served at the White House during the National Governor's Dinner in February 2000.

It's part of the New England Coastal wine trail, which includes seven wineries that stretch to Cape Cod.

Craig Caesar, the company store manager, led us through a 20-minute or so tasting of six wines, including their recently introduced 2003 Brute, which he tells us we are among the first to try. (It's rather tasty, and since I don't usually take to sparkling wines - champagnes that are not from the Champagne region of France - we pick up a bottle of the $23 sparkly.)

It's an informal setting with extremely friendly staff who are happy to pause the tasting for questions, which makes the experience informative and fun.

As a bonus, the winery's bathroom is quite nice, and there is a small gift shop to peruse in case you have to wait a few minutes for your tasting.

If you so choose, there are winery tours at 1 and 3 p.m., and the setting provides a good chance to make new friends, like the older couple we met who use their RV to annually travel cross country for wine tastings.

The Russell family invites visitors to picnic at their outside tables, hopefully enjoying one of their wines. There are plenty of inexpensive souvenirs to pick up, including cute $12.99 T-shirts and, our pick, a "Wine 101" book for $5 that we enjoyed on the hour-long ride home. (I read tidbits to John as he drove.)

The Back Eddy

This is where our Plan B came in.

Since the rain washed away our plans for a picnic lunch, we hit up the winery first, and upon their suggestion, headed to The Back Eddy, One Bridge Road, for a light lunch.

Warned that their delicious, all-local seafood might set us back a few too many bucks, we made our selections very carefully, deciding that splitting a few appetizers was our best bet.

While the sticker price on the entrees may be a little scary (most of them are over $20), the restaurant is totally laid back and feels more like a cozy cabin-type local joint than an upscale bistro.

We dined on a steaming hot, huge bowl of The Back Eddy's signature roasted corn and clam chowder ($), a dozen cultivated oysters with house migionette and lemon ($), and bass ceviche with mango salsa ($), for a total of $36.

As a bonus, it was my first time eating oysters (I figured a stay-cation type of trip was the perfect opportunity) and they were delicious.

For non-seafood enthusiasts, there are inexpensive sandwiches available.

Handy Hill Creamery

We'd already spent our $50 between the wine tasting and our unexpected food expenditure, but I just can't pass up some good ice cream.

We stopped at Handy Hill Creamery, 55 Hixbridge Road, on the way back to the highway, and splurged on a $4.55 strawberry waffle cone.

The bonus at Handy Hill Creamery is that it also is a food stand, serving up some of the best fried clam strips and full belly clams I've ever had, though they will set you back a good $15 to $20 if you indulge.

There are shaded picnic tables that provide refuge after a long, hot day at the beach, and a friendly staff of mostly teenagers who always greet you with a smile.

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.

Westport trip receipt

Miles logged: North Attleboro to Westport, around 36 each way for a total of 72 miles

Money spent: (on our actual trip)

Westport Winery

Wine tasting, including souvenir glass $7 per person.....................$14

The Back Eddy

Mid-day meal of shared clam chowder, oysters on the half shell and bass ceviche......................................$36

Total....................................$50

(what we would have spent on our planned trip)

Parking at Horseneck Beach....$7

Wine tasting............................$14

Ice cream cone.......................$4.55

Total........................................$25.55

(That would have put our souvenir champagne right into our budget)

If you go ...

Horseneck Beach

Route 88, Westport Point

508-636-8816

Take Route 195 east to exit 10 and Route 88 south. Follow Route 88 south 11 miles and ride it right to the end, following the signs. You can't miss it, and you'll likely smell that fresh ocean air first. Be smatter than I was, and check the weather ahead of time to see if it's a good day for swimming. (Pets are prohibited)

Westport Rivers Vineyard

417 Hixbridge Road

800-993-9695

It's open through Dec. 31 seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Tastings are every 15 minutes, and free vineyard tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m. If you're going with a big group, as in 10 or more people, you have to make a reservation for a private tour and tasting and fork over $10 per person. Visit the winery's Web site for information on their many special events and offerings at www.westportrivers.com.

The Back Eddy

One Bridge Road

508-636-6500

The laid-back seafood specialty restaurant is open from 5-10 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They'll take reservations for parties of six or more before 6:30 p.m. or after 8:30 p.m. only. It's one of several New England locations where you can order a glass of Westport Rivers wine and take in an amazing harbor view on a good day. Ladies can wear their bathing suits into the restaurant, but it must be worn with an appropriate sarong or wrap. Check out their menu at www.thebackeddy.com

Handy Hill Creamery

55 Hix Bridge Road

508-636-8888

A great place to grab a spot in the shade after a day under the sun. They have dozens of ice cream flavors and treats, including several sugar-free options. There also is a pretty extensive snack menu, including very yummy full-bellied clams. They're open seven days, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kitchen closes at 8 p.m.