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Juldie Dec 7th, 2008 06:14 PM

Mount Sunapee New Hampshire
 
I am going to be at Mountain Edge Resort and Spa in Newbury, NH this coming weekend. Can anyone recommend any great restaurants? Brunch? Dinner?

We won't be skiing so if you know any quaint or not to miss places while in the area, I would love to know.


dfnh Dec 8th, 2008 03:01 AM

I believe Warner NH (closer to Concord via Rt 89) is having a holiday weekend. Here is a link to a small gift store which offers a coupon http://www.countrycobwebs1.net/id4.html
Warner is small, but quaint. The independent bookstore Book Ends has a showing of artwork by the Carrol family (David Carrol is author of several nature books, Year of the Turtle etc). I have not been to the Kearsarge Indian Museum but it gets good reports. The Foothills of Warner is a popular breakfast restaurant. Here is a link to Warner Festival of trees that are on display and other events this weekend.
http://wba.warner.nh.us/calendar_of_events.htm
New London is a pretty college town. We enjoy lunch at Peter Christians. It is closer to Newbury than Warner and also has several interesting small shops. If you want to enjoy a view google Winslow state park in Wilmot NH, just a few miles from New London. It's a pretty drive up one side of Mt Kearsarge. I think the gates will be open so you can drive to the picnic/parking area. There's a steep trail to the top of the mountain but the views are very nice from the parking area.
I think Quechee VT is less than an hour away. Dining at Simon Pierce is a special treat. We have only been there for lunch. If you go to Quechee you can also visit Woodstock VT shops. It is a very popular tourist town.

Juldie Dec 8th, 2008 05:59 PM

dfnh, Thank you very much for responding. Is it true that Newbury is very isolated with no quaint town close by? It looks like I am going to have to get on Mapquest and see the distances because we are getting away to relax and probably won't want to spend too much of our time away driving long distances.

Is Simon Pierce special because of the view over the gorge or is the food something unique?

dfnh Dec 9th, 2008 03:33 AM

Newbury to Warner via Rt 103 according to Mapquest is 14 miles/24 minutes. The town in between is Bradford which is quite small. The Sutton area is also nearby but not as picturesque as Warner. We enjoy events at Musterfield Farm in Sutton but it is basically a very small farm museum, equisite in summer when special events are held, but not so this time of year. I think of Newbury as a vacation area, small but hardly isolated. NH towns are funny. They can be very small without stores and restaurants yet be next door to a busier town with more things to do.
Simon Pierce is a combination of restaurant, glass blowers and potters. They make their own hydro electric power. You can watch the artisans and the restaurant uses the plates, glassware, etc. There is a large gift shop. Expect unusual menu items. This is not a prime rib type of place. My friends had a wonderful special of the day - salmon on top of a bed of squash and potato hash with a mustard flavored sauce. I was less happy with my dish only because the other's choice of salmon was incredibly tasty. Quechee itself is very small. The gorge is interesting. The nearby antiques center can be fun or a big bore depending on your likes.
Depending on your route home, if VT is out of the way, Manchester NH has quite a variety of great restaurants. I'm not very familiar with them, however, just read the reports on Chowhound.com.
It's hard making recommendations, not knowing your tastes. If you want to browse used book shops, there's a great one in Henniker (also a college town) which would be within 1/2 hour. Daniels is a nice restaurant, also on a river and less expensive than Simon Pierce. Hillsborough next door to Henniker has a German Bakery. If you just want a pleasant drive, no shopping, then find Hillsborough Center and Washington NH nearby. Both very quaint and scenic. You are still within an hour of Newbury.
Berlin NH is isolated. Newbury is not.

Juldie Dec 11th, 2008 04:03 PM

dfnh, Thanks for taking the time to write. We are heading up tomorrow and I am sure we will check out some of your suggestions.

gail Dec 11th, 2008 06:46 PM

If you are headed up tomorrow, please check weather and road conditions first - there is currently a significant ice storm going on in the area you are visiting according to TV - may continue into tomorrow.


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