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Hartford, CT to White Mountains, NH... what to see in between

Hartford, CT to White Mountains, NH... what to see in between

Old Aug 7th, 2009, 07:37 PM
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Hartford, CT to White Mountains, NH... what to see in between

Hello:

We are taking a week long vacation (8/20 - 8/27) in New England. We are fling in and out of Hartford, CT since I have a good friend who lives there. I have already made reservations to stay a couple of night in White Mountains in NH.. My friend is suggesting we also go to Lake George, NY for a night or two... however looking at the maps and mixed online reviews, I am a bit skeptical about it... Wanted to see if anyone has any other suggestion to spend a night or two somewhere nice that is not very out of the way since we have a 2 year old and want to reduce the time in car

We are trying to stay away from big city life, bars, downtown, museums on this tour since I am sure my daughter wouldn't appreciate those at this age... We are rather focusing on natural beauty, mountains, water falls etc..

Thanks in advance..
rkumar3 is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2009, 07:54 PM
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Vermont, of course! I would look into the Woodstock/Quechee Lake region for a start, but there are many other lovely areas.
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Old Aug 8th, 2009, 03:08 AM
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I hope you have already planned to drive up rt 91 thru western MA. The drive is very nice but I don't usually make any stops. Hartford to Concord NH area is about 2 1/2 hours. You can take the Brattleboro exit to head to Keene NH. From Keene you can either head to Concord/Rt 93 or take a southern route via Rt 101 toward Nashua. A very unusual stop would be a visit to Pickety Place in Mason NH. Although an herbal luncheon wouldn't be fun for a 2yo, a walk thru the gardens might be a good way to stretch little legs. Little Red Riding Hood was based here. Day lilies are blooming now and there are one or two large day lily nurseries in the Hancock NH area. Might be fun to get out to see the pretty colors. Please consider PYO blueberries. A very simple, easy snack is to mix berries with vanilla yogurt. My GDs love blueberries. Here's a link to Edible White Mountains, about eating locally. http://www.nheatlocal.org/
We have yet to take our two small GDs to Charming Fare Farm near Manchester NH but a friend takes her GD there.
http://www.charmingfare.com/
Get a NH (or VT) Atlas and Gazetteer published by Delorme, at most bookstores. It gives the location of covered bridges and waterfalls throughout the state. Some are just a short walk into the woods (we picniced by the small one on the Sandwich Notch road, open summers only, dirt road).
Relatives stay at the small Daniel Webster Motor Lodge in Boscawen NH near Rt 93/exit 17. I can't find a rating for it. It's an old-fashioned motel set back from the road with plenty of grassy area. The kind of place you could sit on lawn chairs while your child played. Walking distance to a pizza/family restaurant. Fairly busy road during commuting hours but otherwise small town. But relatives aren't fussy and this is an older, low-key type of place. The problem with modern motels/hotels is too much parking lot and not enough grass. Apple Hill Farm with PYO blueberries (apples too but it would be too soon for apples) is nearby with a small children's playground. Definitely not the place if you need room service.
hint: many town libraries offer story hours during the summer. Your child might be too young but it's something to check out. Little children love to be around other little children.
Hope someone else can give you a rave report on lodging because you can easily find wonderful places to visit within a few hours of Hartford.
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Old Aug 8th, 2009, 04:35 AM
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If you follow DHFrost's suggestion, a nice place to stay with kids is Inn at East Hill Farm which is pretty close to Route 101 as you drive through Marlborough, NH. Also along the way is the Friendly Farm right off Route 101 in Dublin, NH.

Both would be excellent with a two year old.
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Old Aug 8th, 2009, 06:33 AM
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In Hartford there is a new science museum with things to interest a little one. Down in Mystic, CT there is an aquarium which is great for kids and right off Cottrel street in Mystic is a small playground to get some energy off, these are about an hour from Hartford. In Springfield, MA half an hour north is a quadrangle with a children's museum, and a Dr. Seuss sculpture garden which also might be a fun place to break up the trip to NH.
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Old Aug 9th, 2009, 05:17 AM
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Thanks everyone for their input. We will certainly take these into consideration... Mystic, CT really does sound like a good idea, we will probably do a day trip there.
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