Around New England

This week we travel to Vermont to start our family trip!  We are so excited to share all the fun things we did in the Green Mountain State!  Our first stop was to the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS) Center in Quechee.    

After exploring the VINS, we were hungry!  We stopped by a restaurant we've been meaning to try out on the way.  Worthy Burger in South Royalton did not disappoint!  It was fantastic and we can't wait to go back!

After that we stopped by a really cool book store in Rochester, Vermont called Sandy's Book and Bakery.  This place was so cute!  We waited out a rainstorm inside here before heading to a really cool natural watering hole.  There were plenty of people swimming and taking advantage of this amazing place called Warren Falls!  

Finally, we hit up the famous Cold Hollow Cider Mill on the way to check in to our hotel. We had our first (of many) Maple Creemees.  If you don't know what a maple creemee is, be sure to give this episode a listen!   Day 1 was huge success!   

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Join us this week as we explore Bear Brook State Park.  No, we didn't find any bodies in barrels.  If you don't understand that joke, listen to Bear Brook Podcast narrated by Jason Moon (right after you listen to ours).  This 10,000+ acre state park is a fantastic way to get out in the woods without going too far.  They are even one of the only parks around to have a new Track Chair that allows handicap people to explore more of the parks!

After our hike we found the most amazing coffee shop in nearby Pembroke, NH!  The Vintage Coffee Cup Company was soooo good!  Their caffeinated drinks were amazing but the star of the show were the donuts!  These donuts from Brother's Donuts in Franklin, NH and they were amazing.  If you know donuts, these are on par with Allie's Donuts in Rhode Island.  The cruller was great too.  It isn't like the ones at Lil's Cafe (Although those crullers are in a catagory of their own really)!  We can't wait to return!  Thanks for listening!

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This week we go Glamping at Suncook River Campground!  That's right, glamping, like glamorous camping!  We are very excited to share all about our weekend with you all.  Even as inexperienced campers, we had a blast here.  The owners of this campground revived it a few years ago and are still making many improvements to make it even better!  Our dome style tent had A/C and a king size bed!  That's our style of camping!

Hopefully you have fantastic weather like we did.  There is really no need to leave the campground!  They have all the amenities that you might need or might have forgotten.  Just shoot the main line a text, and they will deliver whatever you need to your site and charge the credit card on file.  Easy Peasy!!  

The campground is centrally located in southern New Hampshire, so if there is bad weather, there are many things to do.  The Currier Museum and the See Science Museum are both in nearby Manchester.  Even the seacoast of New Hampshire isn't too far.  The Seacoast Science Center is another great rainy day activity.  

Bear Brook State Park is a very short drive from the campground.  We hiked about 4 miles there and barely scratched the surface of the 40+ miles of hiking the park offers.  Stay tuned for our podcast about our hike at Bear Brook State Park.

Before our hike we really enjoyed our breakfast at the very cute Shirley's Kitchen in nearby Pembroke, NH.  We highly recommend checking out all these fun spots.  Thanks for joining us!  

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This week we explore Rockport, Massachusetts including Bear Skin Neck and Halibut Point State Park.  We also talk about Castle Hill at the Crane Estate in Ipswich.  

Our first spot was to check out the quarry, the hiking path, and the rocks on the bold ocean facing the Atlantic Ocean.  Halibut Point State Park has some interesting history, the quarry business was run from the mid 1800s until the great depression in 1929.  Back then they didnt have the technology that is used to harvest granite now.  Mike talks about the history.  The trails are fun and the views are incredible!

For lunch we went to a delicious lunch at Fresco's Seaside which was located just outside of the Bear Skin Neck area of Rockport.  The food was awesome and this place had the  classic New England vibes.

The Crane Estates is another incredible place in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  This place is jaw-dropping.  We discuss a wedding we went to this year, and the beautiful grounds.

As always, thanks for listening and keep exploring New England one trail at a time!

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This week we headed back up to Crawford Notch State Park and checked out two of New Hampshire's most beautiful waterfalls, Ripley Falls and Arethusa Falls.  We first stopped at the AMC Highland Center to use the bathrooms and to check out the gift shop of course!  The AMC staff is always super helpful and are more than willing to talk to you about your hiking plans.  On this day, the staff member gave us a good recommendation for a fun side adventure.  It had rained a lot during the week prior to us hiking, so we were in for a treat!

The first spot was Ripley Falls which was a short but steep hike to a unique type of waterfall.  This one kind of slid down a 45 degree rock face and the views were really cool!  

Arethusa Falls is probably the most popular waterfall in New Hampshire.  It is also the tallest at 160 feet!  This trail is longer and a little more challenging than Ripley Falls.  On the way down, we took the advice of the AMC staff member and took the Bemis Trail down.  

On the way home we stopped in North Conway at Frontside Coffee Roasters for some caffeine and sweet treats.  Then we strolled down the main street to one of our favorite spots to poke around, Zeb's General Store.  

One last stop in Conway at Tuckerman Brewing for a quick beer.  It was a fantastic day with the family seeing some amazing views in the White Mountain National Forest.  Who could ask for anything else?

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Maine's coastline has a ton to offer starting with one of the first towns you enter as you cross over from New Hampshire.  In this episode we highlight our favorite places in a town that is very special to us.  We discuss many hotels in York including the York Beach Surf Club, York Harbor Inn, Stage Neck Inn, Union Bluff Hotel, and the stunning Cliff House overlooking the cliffs into the Atlantic Ocean.  

There are many activities for any age group within York.  Check out our previous podcast about Mount Agamenticus and Vaughn Woods (Located in nearby South Berwick, ME) for some hiking ideas.  The beaches are the main attraction in York during the summer.  Long Sands and Short Sands are the popular ones, but don't sleep on Harbor Beach next to the Stage Neck Inn.  

Regardless if you hiked all day, shopped, or even just chilled at the pool or beach all day, you gotta eat, and this town has you covered!  For breakfast, St. Joe's Coffee is a great way to start the day.  Bagel Basket is another "must-stop" for us when we are in York.  Anthony's Food Shop is surprisingly good for grabbing some quick food for the beach.  

Some great lunch and dinner spots that we mention in York are York River Landing, Fat Tomato Grill, and the famous Goldenrod, where you can see them making the salt water taffy right in the window.  It's classic, pop in even if it's just to try a piece of the taffy!  

If its a rainy day, maybe some shopping in the Kittery outlets is in order.  Kittery has some amazing food spots to check out too.  You really can't go wrong with any of these that we mentioned; Pepperrell Cove, Bob's Clam Hut, Robert's Maine Grill, When Pigs Fly Pizzeria, Lil's Cafe, Beach Pea Bakery, Carl's Meat Market, and Golden Harvest.  Seriously, this area has some amazing food options!

Book that trip to York, Maine today.  It really is "The way life should be"!

Join us as we hike another 52 with a view, Mount Cube.  We loved this hike from the start to the end!  Both peaks had views but the south peak had the best views of the day!  

We were pressed for time this trip so we couldn't stop for food but we found a place that we can't wait to try soon!  The Last Chair Brewery looks like it's our vibe and it has good reviews on google.  

Until we try it ourselves, we can always recommend Biederman's and Cafe Monte Alto when in the Plymouth, NH area.  Both are great!

This week we go to Western Maine and explore Grafton Notch State Park in Newry Maine!  There are many different areas we explored right off the road.  Table Rock trail was the main hike we did and the views at the top did not disappoint!  We even hiked a small section of the Appalachian Trail!

We also stumbled upon an amazing little roadside bakery stand called Puzzle Mountain Bakery.  Be sure not to drive by without stopping on the way home!  It is right on the road that the park is on.  The treats were amazing, but the wild Maine Blueberry Pie was to die for!   They take cash and Venmo!!

We also grabbed a great round of post-hike appetizers and beers outside on the patio at Steam Mill Brewing.  This dog-friendly brewery has many outdoor activities to do while enjoying your food and drinks.  It was a great way to refuel for the ride home! 

We tackled our 4th NH 4,000 foot peak!  Actually....G explains why it's barely on the list.  Mount Tecumseh is the mountain that Waterville Valley Ski Area is located.  We talk about our experiences including some excellent views from the ski trails!  

After the hike, we went to a favorite amongst many hikers and skiers, Mad River Coffee.  The drinks, scone and the molasses cookie were top notch!

You can also check out the Around New England Blog about all 4 of the 4,000 footers we have done so far.  

Articles G Mentions:

Still 48 4,000 Footers?

A 4,000 Footer Controversy 

This week we check out a few different segments of the East Coast Greenway.  The section in Maine is called the Eastern Trail.  We went from Kennebunk to Saco and back.  The trail goes through the woods and even crosses over Route 95 near the rest area in Kennebunk. 

The segment in New Hampshire is called the Seacoast Greenway.  The sections from Portsmouth to Hampton have been completed so far.  

In the morning, we finally checked out Rover Bagel.  They have great bagels, and even have some gluten free options. 

After our biking adventures, we decided to check out Lucky Pigeon Brewery in Biddeford.  They have a great selection of gluten free beer and snacks.

Another favorite of ours in that area is the Hidden Cafe in Arundel!  Don't sleep on the mini churro donuts!