2018 New England Travels
As 2018 draws to a close I've been reflecting on my New England travels this year. Very few are chronicled on the blog (2019 will be different!) so wanted to do a retrospective of some of the delightful places in New England we visited this year.
January - New Year's at Sugarbush Ski Resort
Rang in 2018 at Sugarbush Ski Resort in Warren, VT. We have wanted to check out the mountain for awhile now and Sugarbush runs these great 2-for-1 lift ticket deals that you can get before the season starts. We rented an Air BnB with another couple near the town of Warren and explored the area. The weather was frigid but it's a charming town, the drive through the Green Mountains was picturesque and we had a lovely holiday dinner at Mad River Barn in Waitsfield.
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| Gatehouse Lodge at Sugarbush |
Stratton is another Vermont ski resort that had been on our New England Bucket List (NEBL). We booked an Air BnB with my brother and his wife and checked it out. I enjoyed Stratton - it had a cozy, comfortable vibe and there are shopping outlets in nearby Manchester, VT for the non-skier types as well. Unfortunately the Patriots did not win the Super Bowl (sad) and my husband thought it was too crowded with Stratton's southern Vermont location making it an easier drive for NYC-area skiers so not sure if we'll be back to this ski resort in 2019 (so many places to ski, so little time).
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| Stratton - Feb 2017 |
We bought a house outside Boston in March so much of the spring was spent on house projects. When summer rolled around our New England travels resumed with my father-in-law's 50th Dartmouth reunion (great class of 1968!). We drove up to visit with Chris's parents while they were in Hanover over graduation weekend. We were 'gypsies in the palace' at our friend's home in Norwich, VT for the night, and then joined in the graduation festivities on campus. Had a delicious graduation dinner at Canoe Club - our last visit before the restaurant closed this past fall. RIP Canoe Club - now Pine's the place for cocktails!
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| Dartmouth Winter Carnival Posters for the class of 1968 |
June - Weekend in Rockland, ME
My grandparents love Maine - the coastal area of Camden in particular - and this year they rented a house in Camden's sister city, Rockland, so we headed up for a weekend visit. Rockland isn't as polished as Camden, but it has its own charm. We enjoyed walking around the downtown waterfront area and Rock City Coffee Roasters, baked goods at the Atlantic Baking Company and lunch at the Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery. Chris ran out to the well-known and often photographed Rockland Breakwater lighthouse, and while we were visiting we went down to see the nearby Owl's Head Lighthouse and enjoyed boiled lobster at McLoon's Lobster Shack in South Thomason, ME. I always find that the best lobster comes from shacks at the end of long and winding roads.
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| Waterside lobsters at McLoon's |
June - Mystic, Connecticut Wedding Weekend
My brother was married at Jonathan Edwards Winery outside Mystic, Connecticut in June so my family rented a house in Mystic for the weekend. The house was within walking distance to Main Street and the waterfront / marina area so it was easy to explore. Mystic was so cute and charming (and only 2 hours from Boston!) that we would definitely like to go back. We loved Sift Bake Shop - a delicious French bakery a short walk from the house (we went several times for macaroons and iced coffees) - and enjoyed our breakfast by the water. The rehearsal dinner was held at Latitude 41 - a casual restaurant also near the water (several wedding events were being held at the same time) - and my parents loved Mystic Seaport (they described it as Plimouth Plantation meets Old Sturbridge Village by the sea - living history heaven). We also had lobsters from a lobster pound in Groton - Abbott's Lobster in the Rough.
July - Trail Run at Magic Mountain
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| Those in the know ski Magic (during ski season) |
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| Lowell Lake near Magic Mountain |
In August we went up to Vermont for my college roommates bachelorette weekend. We rented a house in Quechee, VT (I do love a good house party - can you tell?) for the weekend. Our main activity was a 6 mile hike up to Killington Peak up the Bucklin Trail in Mendon, VT. The trail intersects the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail and features a rock scramble up to the top (1841 feet!). On the way back to Quechee we stopped for a beer at the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater, which we enjoyed while dipping our toes in the Ottaquechee River (great way to soothe sore muscles). We also enjoyed dinner at Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock, VT - casual, farm-to-table dining and delicious craft beers and good for large groups!
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| Killington Summit |
August 19 was our one-year wedding anniversary. We spent a mini-moon in the Camden, ME area after the wedding last year, so we decided to return to (Southern) Maine for our anniversary. We rented an Air BnB in Biddeford, Maine, between Kennebunc and Portland. Our hostess works at LLBean and the apartment was adorably decorated with LLBean home furnishings, down to the LLBean boot key chain. We explored the mill towns of Biddeford and Saco Maine - craft beer at Banded Brewing and lobster at Goldthwaite's Lobster Pound out at the Biddeford Pool beach. We went up to Portland for a day trip and enjoyed the namesake product at The Holy Donut, the West Coast vibe at Tandem Coffee & Bakery and craft beer at Bissell Brothers Brewing.
September - York, Maine Wedding
My college roommates wedding took place in York, Maine in mid-September. The wedding party stayed at a beautiful house called Overbank overlooking the ocean and York Beach. The ceremony was held in the Hartley Mason Reserve park by the ocean and the reception was held at the York Harbor Reading Room - a beautiful location for a wedding! We walked to Yoga on York for some exercise before the festivities, and the after-party was held at the York Harbor Inn in the Ship's Cellar Pub (the space is teak and looks just like a ship's cabin - neat!).
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| York Reading Room |
October - Mount Washington Cog Railway - New Hampshire
My girl friends and I have been doing Fall weekend trips in New England for the last few years and another item on my New England Bucket List was the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire and my friend was game to check it out. It's possible to drive to the top of the Mount Washington via the auto road, or hike of course, but the drive sounded pretty precarious. Plus how cool is a train that goes up a mountain? With a 33% grade at its steepest point it did not disappoint, especially given it was a spectacular foliage season. We successfully summited the mountain, had lunch at 6,288 feet and learned a bit about the history of Mt Washington (it used to be owned by Dartmouth! They sold it to the State of NH in 1964). Mt Washington is know for its crazy weather and I am a weather nerd. (you pretty much have to be in New England). I've started following the Mt Washington Observatory on Instagram (@mwobs) and it's wild what they experience . After the railway we headed over to the Mt Washington Omni Hotel. The hotel is one of those grand hotels that harkens back to the days of summering in the White Mountains. We had cocktails on the famous hotel porch with Mt. Washington in the distance and scored some smores at the fire pit to round out another fab fall weekend.
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| The Cog Railway! |
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| Successful Summit |
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| Viewing and praising the foliage |
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| Mt Washington Omni Hotel |
We spent a mid-December weekend at one of our favorite New England Ski Resorts in December - blog recap here.
Looking forward to chronicling 2019's New England adventures here in real time staring with our New Year’s trip to New Hampshire and Vermont. Happy New Year!
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