Thursday, August 16, 2007

Ashland, NH Area Travel Guide

Planning a trip to New Hampshire? Here are a few places we like to visit.

My mom grew up spending her summers on Lake Winnipesaukee, between Center Harbor and Meredith. When my sister and I were growing up, we always spent our vacation at the family "camp" on the lake. Sadly, the camp had to be sold about ten years ago. But, my aunt now has a great house on Little Squam Lake, so we are able to bring the kids to the same area where we spent our summers.

Squam Bridge in Ashland, NH
Little Squam Lake is also known as Golden Pond because it's where On Golden Pond was filmed.

Ashland is a great town with a very active Historical Society. We were able to attend their annual lobster dinner fundraiser. They were kind enough to have hot dogs and hamburgers available for children and/or those who can't eat shellfish.

I would also like to give a special mention to the Village Pizza & Grill in Ashland. We went there for lunch one day, and the service was amazingly helpful and friendly. Katherine and Eli split a cheese-free bacon pizza and an order of pasta with sauce. All the staff was very careful and understanding, and there was no cross-contamination of ingredients. Plus, the food was excellent. Katherine ate four pieces of pizza, a personal record.

Just a few miles down the road is the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, NH.
We had never been there before, and it is amazing. They have all kinds of native NH animals that have been injured and are living in natural habitats while they recover. The black bears, bald eagles, and bobcats were our favorites.

The Old Country Store
The Old Country Store in Moultonborough, NH, has always been the rainy-day place to take the kids. Penny candy! Weird old machinery in the museum! More candy! While the price has risen to two cents per piece of candy, it's still fun, and there are plenty of dairy-free candies available to choose from.

Weirs Beach
Usually we spend one evening at Weirs Beach playing games at the arcades on the boardwalk. Our favorites are Whack-a-Mole, Skeeball, and the ancient Dodge City Shooting Gallery. We also stopped at the Hart's Slush stand for some dairy-free frozen goodness.

Rein's Deli
Another family tradition is to stop at Rein's Deli (Warning: the site plays music) in Vernon, CT, on the drives to and from NH. They, too, are excellent about dairy-free orders. Katherine likes their turkey breast on a plain bagel with a side of plain Cape Cod potato chips. I just wish I could get her to try their fantastic dill pickles!

We had a wonderful time. It's a great place to vacation!


8 comments:

  1. Wow! Great travelogue! NH would be a faaaaaar drive, for us, but I would so love to tour New England some day. I guess fly out and rent a car would be the thing to do.
    Was Katherine in Kindergarten last year, or pre-K? She's young, like Ben. Speaking of which - I need to call the Montessori school today to see about setting up a meeting...
    And order a birthday cake...

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  2. Katherine was in preschool last year. Her birthday is so close to the cut-off date, and we wanted her to have the best understanding possible of her allergy before starting school. Speaking of, I have a meeting with the school about her allergies on the 29th. I'm sure I'll be writing about it, hopefully all positive things....

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  3. Since we might be switching to the Montessori this year, there's a chance Ben may repeat Kindergarten. But lately he's all into math (adding) and reading. The montessori only goes to grade 4, then he would re-enter the public school system... Oh, so much to deal with! But this is a responsibility I like - I like taking an active role in his education. And by the way, I think having Katherine learn to understand her allergy during her preschool experience was brilliant! She will know how to be responsible for her own body, not something very many 5/6 year olds are good at. Bravo for you!
    (word verification: "iokyhump")

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  4. Wow, that looks like a lot of fun. I've never visited NH before. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.

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  5. Pretty! It looks so New Englandy!

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  6. I love love love NH! Sounds like you had a great time!

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  7. I've been reading your blog for the past hour:) I have a 2 year old daughter with severe dairy allergies along with beef and eggs. I am from NH, so I just had to comment here:)

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