3 Best Sights in Milford, The Monadnocks and Merrimack Valley

The winding 10-mile drive through Russell-Abbott State Forest is part of the fun of visiting this enchanted—and secluded—1786 red clapboard cottage on which artist Elizabeth Orton Jones based her illustrations in Little Red Riding Hood in the 1940s. Surrounded by fragrant, organic herb and flower gardens (you can buy seeds and plants in the nursery in back), the house today contains a sweet gift shop that sells dried herbal blends and other gourmet products, a small museum with Little Red Riding Hood memorabilia, and a wonderful little restaurant that serves five-course lunches featuring herbs and produce grown on-site.

More than 80 contemporary sculptures, reached by 11 hiking trails, dot this 140-acre former ski hill. Established in 1996 by local engineer Paul Andres and sculptor John Weidman, it's the largest outdoor sculpture park in New England. Exploring this tranquil site, you'll discover these abstract works set amid leafy woodlands and occasional garden clearings. Some trails are open to mountain bikers in summer and snowmobilers in winter.

Set on a leafy hilltop midway between Milford and Manchester, this contemporary winery with high ceilings and tall windows contains a tasting room, a bistro serving excellent lunch and dinner fare, an art gallery with rotating exhibits, and a spacious dog-friendly terrace.