Barbara Rogers - New Hampshire Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun

Barbara Radcliffe Rogers and Stillman Rogers have, jointly and singly, written and illustrated dozens of books, most of them on travel, wildlife, and gardening. Titles include It Happened in New Hampshire, Galapagos, Safari, Drive Around Portugal, Big Cats, Giant Pandas, Exploring Europe by Boat, Drive Around Italys Lakes and Mountains, Travellers Milan and Italian Lakes, Adventure Guide to Canadas Atlantic Provinces, Adventure Guide to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Adventure Guide to the Chesapeake Bay, Eating New England, Secret Providence and Newport, and The Rhode Island Guide. They have written and illustrated several books in the Children of the World series and written several others in the Enchantment of the World and Cities of the World series, describing the lives and cultures of children from Argentina to Zambia. Barbara has written articles for Yankee magazine, Country Journal, the Boston Herald, the Los Angeles Times, and others, including a monthly column for New Hampshire Magazine. Stillmans photographs have illustrated hers and other articles.

Although Amanda Silva was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, she didnt return to the state until 2005, when she embarked on a Masters Program at Dartmouth College. Up until then, she had spent her life relocating with her family across the United States and abroad. Whenever possible, her parents prioritized trips home to visit relatives in New Hampshire, where Amanda spent many summers on the seacoast. After graduating from Dartmouth in 2008, she began teaching at schools in southern New Hampshire and now works full-time as a writer. Amanda is surprised, but pleased to have returned to her roots.

In loving memory of George Radcliffe and Norman Rogers, the fathers who chose New Hampshire as our childhood home, and of James C. Cleveland, who as a US congressman worked so long and hard to preserve its character and protect its land.

Amanda Silva would like to thank her parents, who, no matter how far away their familys latest relocation took them, always made it possible to come home.

All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.

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Copyright 2019 Barbara Radcliffe Rogers and Stillman Rogers

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ISBN 978-1-4930-3755-1 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4930-3756-8 (e-book)

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Printed in the United States of America

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The tremendous diversity of New Hampshires landscapes makes it visually exciting and also provides a wide variety of activities, particularly for those who enjoy the outdoors. The challenges of its terrain, soil, and climate have given its people a unique characteror perhaps such a place has always attracted those of independent and self-sufficient spirit.

New Hampshire people do tend to be an independent lot; most of them say exactly what they think. Another bewildering trait to those who dont know us well is that you cant always tell about us by our looks. The size of a persons fortune often bears no relation to the size of ones home or the make of ones car. It is often said of Boston ladies that they dont buy their hats; they have them. New Hampshire people are like that, too. The beautiful farmhouse may be all thats left several generations later and may be kept up by a lot of hard work alone; the tiny cottage with the gate askew may be the home of a millionaire. We tend to live in what we have.

The same trait is true of restaurants, which is very confusing to the traveler used to decorated interiors and flashy exteriors. You cant always judge a restaurant by its cover, and very often the plainest place or the most staid of inns may have a chef who retired to the country from a four-star bastion of haute cuisine. Surprises are what New Hampshire is full of, and they make each day a happy adventure.

Off the beaten path is a relative thing. By most standards, the whole state is off the beaten path. There are only three areas that are congested by traffic, even in the height of tourist season. When lodging is heavily booked during the most popular weeks, it is not because there are too many people here, but because resorts do not line our roads. Reservations are always a good idea during July and August and around the first week of October. Places such as Garfield Falls, which even many local people have not seen, require travel on unpaved roads. But none of these require four-wheel-drive vehicles, except in winter or early spring, when some roads are muddy or not plowed.

You Cant Get There from Here

As a rule of thumb, you can get north and south, but not east and west, on public buses. The main routes run from Boston to Montreal or Portland, Maine, passing through Portsmouth, Concord, Keene, Manchester, Nashua, and a few other cities farther north. But you cant get from Portsmouth to Keene without going back to Boston. The major bus lines are Concord Coach Lines (800-639-3317; concordcoachlines.com) and Greyhound (800-231-2222; greyhound.com). You can fly into Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, served by four major airlines: American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United.

Which brings us to the question of when to visit. New Hampshire is a seasonal state, and each month has its attractions. The best time for you to explore the Granite State depends upon your tastes and interests. Winter is glorious, filled with crystal-cold days for skiing or snowshoeing across white meadows with clear views of mountains through leafless trees. Night brings the stars so close you can spot constellations you never saw before and is a good time for a sleigh ride and a blazing fire in the hearth. Snow covers all the hardscrabble farms and rock-filled fields, and the air is clear and smells of wood smoke. But if you like little museums or want to hike to waterfalls, winter is not the best season.

Spring is good for country walks and hikes. Sugar houses come briefly to life, shrouded in steam and smelling of sweet maple syrup. With the end of the sap run, spring wildflowers carpet the woodlands, and the view of the mountains is softened, but not obscured, by leaves the size of mouse ears. Spring peepers fill the evening air with chirping. A lot of the little places arent open yet, but people in those that are have time to chat and suggest other local gems you wont want to miss. Bed-and-breakfast hosts have time to share a glass of sherry with you after dinner. Spring comes so fast that you can almost watch the apple blossoms unfold.