curiousx

The New Hampshire Highland Games, located since 1976 in Lincoln, are moving to the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds for September 2003. Since all evening events are going to be in Concord, that looks like the place to try and find accommodation for the 3 days of the Games.

Where would you recommend ? Looking for a place that has cooking facilities, a decent bar, and some character, if possible.

I'd also like your assessment of Concord and the Hopkinton venue. The Games organizers have been trying to put a good face on the move, but the Lincoln location was so special, I fear anything else will be disappointing. Your thoughts ?

Thank you all.

Itzy

What do mean by "cooking facilities" and a "decent bar"???

Please explain "character" - in conjucion with "cooking facilities" and a "decent bar".

Whatever was so "special" about Lincoln, you could still stay there, and be a reasonable driving distance away.

Get a grip. If you've found the perfect place to stay in Lincoln, go for it!

curiousx

reply to Itzy

cooking facilites = kitchen or something similar that allows self catering, say for breakfast

character = not part of a cookie-cutter chain but preferably independently owned and operated

decent bar = well,jeesh surely that doesn't need to be spelled out!

why not sick with Lincoln - it's an50 miles or so away from Concord; after driving 7 hours to get to Concord from our home in the first place, adding more driving time early in the morning and late in the afternoon each day of our vacation, just to get the venue does not sound like a cracking good idea.

Thank you, however, for your reply, and the opportunity to clarify. Since you appear to know Concord, your suggestions would really be most welcome.

Donna F

Concord itself has character and good downtown area. I don't think any of the hotels offer cooking facilities. You might have to look in Manchester which is only about 15-20 minutes further south on Rt 93. For bars: try Cheers, Barley House, Tio Juans. If you pick the Holiday Inn, you can walk to these. Other hotels are a very short drive.
I'm not familiar with the Lincoln area where the games were held but the fairgrounds are well forested in the area of the barns. It's a very pleasant area but might not be as picturesqe as being in the mountains. Hopkinton is a small town but the fairgrounds are convenient to Rt 89. If the vendors will be housed in the commercial buildings, they might be very happy to have indoor space if the weather is bad. I've only attended the games once and that was in Brunswick ME and remember that the dancing competition was marred by proximity to a noisy generator. The fairgrounds might be roomier and offer better facilities with the existing rings that have a small amount of bleacher seating. If the sporting events are held in the grandstand area, the seating would be terrific but not as nice as the grassy field in Brunswick that was surrounded by small hills. According to the local paper, Hopkinton should attract more people because it's further south. The fairgrounds are actually located in Contoocook between exit 6 & 7 off Rt 89. If you don't wish to drive the super highway, Rt 103 is a pretty drive from downtown Concord thru Hopkinton and then into the village of Contoocook. This area is considered the foothills of the White Mountains. Nearby Warner has Mt Kearsarge and from Rt 89 you can see Pat's Peak. People who want to spend some extra time in the area might enjoy visiting the Indian Museum in Warner or Shaker Village in Canterbury NH. Downtown Concord is mostly specialty shops including 2 bookstores on Main St, the State Capitol, NH History Museum and the League of Arts and Crafts. Sorry you had to leave Lincoln but I think Hopkinton will be nice.

curiousx

to Donna F

Donna, thank you so much for this great information. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

Donna

For "character", the best place in Concord is the Centennial Inn, which is magnificent. Rooms are gorgeous and there's a very nice bar. I'd recommend booking before they find out about the games and adjust the rates accordingly. This area is not as touristed or full of condos and time shares with kitchens like Lincoln. There are numerous B&B's, inns, and housekeeping cottages within a reasonable drive of the fair grounds, but all are in the countryside. The newest "Common Man" at Exit 13 off I-89 is a magnificent spot for breakfast (lunch and dinner, too).

curiousx

to Donna G

thank you so much - I am on to it !

I wonder how the Concord Bars are going to take to some of the Games traditions - as when the the winning band parade marches in, and plays solid for whoever buys the rounds ! Which places are likely to be most receptive to this kind of carousing ?

Cheers all !

mm

Hey Donna,

Don't forget the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium on the ground of the NH Technical College.

A nice change of pace involving a short drive is to take an evening cruise on the SS Mt. Washington.

MM

curiousx

hello all - just thought I would let you know that I have followed Donna's advice and booked Centennial Inn for the Games weekend. I am now looking forward to following the rest of her advice as well as mm's suggestions re watering holes and sightseeing.

I'll post a short review of the Inn when I get back.

Thanks again to all of those who have contributed to this thread so far.

dfrostnh

Don't forget to try some famous 4-H chicken bbq usually only available during the Hopkinton Fair. This is not a tomato based sauce recipe, it may be unique to the northeast. Just follow your nose to the charcoal pits. Food sold at the 4-H Country Kitchen & BBQ helps support the 4-H program and community service projects.
Looking foward to your report on the Centennial Inn. It's a beautiful building. You won't have to go on the interstate to get to the games, just keep driving west on Pleasant St/Rt 103.

curiousx

Hi, as promised this is a not-so-brief trip report on the New Hampshire Highland Games held this past weekend at their new home in the Hopkinton Fair Grounds, near Concord.

This part of the report deals with our experiences at the Games (accommodation, entertainment etc.).

The next part deals with the Games' move from Lincoln to Hopkinton.

Part I - the Games

We stayed at the Centennial Inn in Concord. It lived up to the recommendations made by the members of this forum (thank you Donna F!). It is an imposing brick pile, built originally as an old age home. After being empty for several years, $3M was recently invested to turn it into an attractive - if sombrely decorated - inn, with large rooms and all mod cons.

The dining room menu was creative and interesting, and the meals we had were just excellent. I was really surprised to see the restaurant at less than full capacity a couple of evenings. Citizens of Concord have an opportunity to support a dedicated chef's determination to create a fine dining place in their community - I hope they will respond !

The other foodie highlight was, as recommended here, the 4H BBQ chicken. Yummy. Thank you dfrostnh!

Clan An Drumma, whose shtick is barbarian drumming and piping in the Braveheart vein, were far and away the crowd pleasers at this year's Games. They are indeed great fun. Some of their music is in the Mel Gibson film, We were soldiers.

At the other end of the spectrum was the difficult and dense Piobaireachd competition, won by the brilliant Ed Neigh. The Gold Medal solo piping competition, held in a small hot church in Concord was also excellent. Tulach Ard won the Grade II pipe band competition. This band has really grown and improved over the years. It has always had a gift for creating melodic arrangements. Now the playing is starting to match. It's not inconceivable that they could reach Grade I.

We finished our little holiday with a jaunt to Tilton for some good outlet shopping (with apologies to MM who recommended we go to the planetarium - maybe next time).

Part II - the Move

The transfer of the Games from Loon Mountain in Lincoln to Hopkinton was not without glitches. The remnants of Hurricane Isabel made the first day (Friday) very damp with rainy patches off and on. As a consequence, many events were moved and, aided (NOT) by a dismal site map, it was very hard to find the events one actually had planned to attend. The second day was hot and humid - this day produced massive traffic jams. These had not been anticipated because one of the reasons for moving to Hopkinton was, supposedly, the easy interstate access and parking. Sunday weather was perfect - sunny and warm with just enough cool breeze to keep everything fresh. And the crowds were smaller because many of the big shows were over.

I found the way the fairgrounds were laid out contributed to a lot of crowding on the pathways in some areas, and no traffic at all in others. I think this could be improved in future. The bathroom situation was bad. This has to be improved. Nuff said.

A large number of those attending were day-trippers taking advantage of the fact that the Games are now only a short drive away from population centres like Manchester. This was a good thing, because the Concord/Hopkinton area does not seem to have the capacity to provide the quantity or quality of overnight accommodation available in Loon.

I was surprised that local residents were not taking advantage of the opportunity to hang out B&B shingles and boost income in what is, according to a local I spoke to, a fairly 'hardscrabble' area. The same local, however, also explained that the Hopkinton community was a bit uptight about the Games (images of wild Scots, I guess). As evidence of this, I was told that the annual, and quite sober (really), 'whisky-tasting seminar' almost did not get licensed by the town because they had somehow got the notion that this was a 'whisky-drinking competition'. And, compared to Loon, there appeared to be a large - and quite unnecessary IMHO - police presence (except not where the traffic jams were !). Maybe the town will get into the swing of things next year.

I heard a couple of members from one of the pipe bands say they preferred the location to Loon because there was more room for them to set up their own tent headquarters on the grounds. OTOH, events such as clan gatherings, which had previously taken place in meeting rooms on the Loon grounds, had to look for space elsewhere. This was hard to find and I heard a number of complaints.

Unlike previous years, there were no bands (and only a few dancers) from Canada. They said the extra distance and difficulty of obtaining overnight accommodation was the most likely reason. This is too bad because the international flavour really adds something. However, the new world junior champion dancer (a Canadian) was competing and that was great.

Apart from Friday, the vendors and entertainers appeared to be happy except for one or two stuck in out-of-the-way locations.

From my personal perspective as an attendee, the performance venues were acceptable but not great. That said, more bleacher seating made it possible for more people to get good views of events such as the massed bands, the athletic competitions and the piping competitions. This is certainly a plus.

On balance, my hope is that the Games organizers make a success of the new location, but for me, it was the Loon location (mists and mountains) that made the Games special. So I will be thinking hard about whether to go back.

Once again, many thanks to all on this board for your help and advice. We would not have had half as good a time without you.

dfrostnh

Thanks for the report curiousx and I'm glad I was able to help. It was someone else who recommended the Centennial Inn and we are some of the locals who haven't been there yet. I was surprised to hear about the Saturday traffic jams. It is too bad everyone was directed to exit 7 and the Main Gate by signs on the highway but I heard that it was to prevent a flood of traffic thru the village. We enjoyed a visit on Sunday when there were far less people. According to the newspaper, the concerts held in Concord were sold out. I know the 4-H leaders were thrilled with sales. Thanks for supporting this great program.

curiousx

dfrostnh. just thought you should know that it was because of your posting that we did not go on the interstate and so missed the traffic jams. Instead we enjoyed the pretty drive from Concord through the towns. I am so grateful to you for that advice !

curiousx

I'm resurrecting this old post to provide the happy update that the New Hampshire Highland Games have now moved back to Woodstock for 2006. Specifically they are in their old stomping grounds at the Loon Mountain Resort. Yay - I've already booked !

The Hopkinton Fairgrounds used since 2003 never really caught on, I gather, and attendance figures did not match expectations.

I confess I was one of the ones who did not care for the Hopkinton site as a good venue for Highland Games and did not return for 2004 and 2005. That said, I really enjoyed the city of Concord and the surrounding countryside and this enjoyment was much nehanced by the helpful Fodorite postings.