Long Weekend New England Spring
Jan 12th, 2010, 10:42 AM
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Long Weekend New England Spring
Hi. I'm looking for a quaint town in either New Hampshire or Vermont to take a relaxing long weekend with my husband. We like craft communities and arts fairs, wineries, shopping, and antiquing, maybe some light hiking. We want to go in April or May, and we'd like to stay in a secluded cottage in the woods type place, a carriage house, or B&B, but something more private. Is there a good place to base ourselves? Thanks for the help!
Jan 13th, 2010, 06:16 AM
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Funny - I was going to suggest Portsmouth as well but couldn't think of anywhere to stay that met the seclusion request. Forgot about Kittery. Love Portsmouth. Even though we live only 30 minutes away we often stay at the Wentworth by the Sea for quick getaways.
Jan 13th, 2010, 09:10 AM
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Portsmouth is wonderful but I'm not sure it fits the OP's request for quiet and secluded. I agree April might be too early. We've enjoyed visits to the Flag Hill Winery & Distillery in Lee NH which isn't far from Portsmouth. Kittery Point is lovely, far different from the area of outlet malls. You also might check to see when UNH Durham has open greenhouses and the home show. It wasn't a great show but the cooking demonstrations were great. (sorry looks like it might be end of march 2010)
Last year Warner NH had a spring festival mid-May. It was a nice community event with a lot of activities for children. Warner is also home to Kearsarge Mountain for some easy hiking. Check out events at the independent book store Bookends. There's some local artists who may be participating in the event or having an open house such as David Carol, author of Year of the Turtle.
We haven't stayed but only driven by a little b&b in nearby North Sutton called Dragonflies or something like that. Very quiet little town. Home to Musterfield Farm Museum which is pretty quiet unless they are having an event.
Mid May is when apple orchards will be in bloom. It can be very pretty with spring bushes and flowers. I agree April is to early.
Last year Warner NH had a spring festival mid-May. It was a nice community event with a lot of activities for children. Warner is also home to Kearsarge Mountain for some easy hiking. Check out events at the independent book store Bookends. There's some local artists who may be participating in the event or having an open house such as David Carol, author of Year of the Turtle.
We haven't stayed but only driven by a little b&b in nearby North Sutton called Dragonflies or something like that. Very quiet little town. Home to Musterfield Farm Museum which is pretty quiet unless they are having an event.
Mid May is when apple orchards will be in bloom. It can be very pretty with spring bushes and flowers. I agree April is to early.
Jan 13th, 2010, 10:34 AM
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May is better than April, as many innkeepers and B&B owners take a break in April, and cottages tend to be seasonal - many not available until May or later. The arts and craft fairs generally don't start until later as well.
Your best bet is probably somewhere near a year-round destination.
Portsmouth is an excellent destinations. Two places that are quiet and offer cottages are Atlantic Four Winds in nearby Rye, and Wren's Nest Village in Portsmouth, but you'd have to check for their seasonal availability.
April and May are very early, so just about anywhere will be quiet.
Have a look at www.visitnh.org for what's going on and places to visit stay. Vermont has an excellent website as well.
Newburyport, MA is also a wonderful destination, or mid-late May, Rockport, MA (lots of cottages there).
Keep in mind that the trees are often bare until mid-late May, so a destination where there are gardens and lots of flowering trees would be a good choice.
Your best bet is probably somewhere near a year-round destination.
Portsmouth is an excellent destinations. Two places that are quiet and offer cottages are Atlantic Four Winds in nearby Rye, and Wren's Nest Village in Portsmouth, but you'd have to check for their seasonal availability.
April and May are very early, so just about anywhere will be quiet.
Have a look at www.visitnh.org for what's going on and places to visit stay. Vermont has an excellent website as well.
Newburyport, MA is also a wonderful destination, or mid-late May, Rockport, MA (lots of cottages there).
Keep in mind that the trees are often bare until mid-late May, so a destination where there are gardens and lots of flowering trees would be a good choice.
Jan 23rd, 2010, 05:02 PM
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Portsmouth is a beautiful, fun, and charming town, but I'm not sure it's going to offer you a "secluded cottage in the woods type place."
There are a plethora of arts/crafts-oriented towns with antique shops and the like in northern New England. In NH, I might suggest looking near Wolfeboro or Peterborough. Also, North Conway has an arts and crafts fair on Memorial Day Weekend.
As for Vermont, Woodstock might be a good base. You can also hop across the river into NH to visit towns like Hanover and Cornish, which also have various connections to the arts. Bennington also has an Arts & Crafts Fair on Memorial Day Weekend (you might consider staying in nearby Manchester VT). A lot of towns further north near Burlington might fit the bill as well. Perhaps Stowe?
I hope that helps you a bit. I definitely advise coming in May rather than April. May is one of my favorite months in New England. Everything's beautiful and all the tourists are gone (until Memorial Day Weekend
)
There are a plethora of arts/crafts-oriented towns with antique shops and the like in northern New England. In NH, I might suggest looking near Wolfeboro or Peterborough. Also, North Conway has an arts and crafts fair on Memorial Day Weekend.
As for Vermont, Woodstock might be a good base. You can also hop across the river into NH to visit towns like Hanover and Cornish, which also have various connections to the arts. Bennington also has an Arts & Crafts Fair on Memorial Day Weekend (you might consider staying in nearby Manchester VT). A lot of towns further north near Burlington might fit the bill as well. Perhaps Stowe?
I hope that helps you a bit. I definitely advise coming in May rather than April. May is one of my favorite months in New England. Everything's beautiful and all the tourists are gone (until Memorial Day Weekend
)
