New England Trip: New Hampshire

Our trip continues…
I want to start out by saying that out of the three states we visited, we loved something about them all, and NH was the most colorful! It was almost as if Maine was a little pre-peak (not much though!), NH was in peak season, and VT was just past by a few days. I am sure that changes from year to year, that was just our experience. And while we expected to love Maine or even Vermont the most, New Hampshire stole our hearts!
DAY 5 – Thursday: Arriving in New Hampshire
After a day of driving and sight seeing, we finally made our way to our next lodging location, The Wilderness Inn Bed & Breakfast, located in Woodstock, New Hampshire.
I want to be totally upfront with you about the inn, it was not our favorite place. The innkeepers were not very personable and welcoming, and the overall vibe in the house, even among the guests, was just not as warm and friendly as our other stays. The inn itself was clean with a definite old cottage feel but it didn’t have any amenities to offer and it didn’t have the “ooh, I’d like to stay here again” feel. And we wouldn’t.
That being said, the breakfasts were delicious, and the location of the inn was within an easy walking distance of downtown which we loved !



Day 6 ~ Friday: A day in New Hampshire
This was our big day to ride the train to the summit of Mt. Washington on the Cog Railway! Note, you need reservations well ahead of time to do this and you can choose from what seats are open and there is not a bad seat. I’ve read some people prefer right over left, and the way they do the train, you do have the same view going up and coming back, but both sides had amazing views on the ride up and down!
We were so excited although we’d been warned repeatedly how windy and cold it would be so we boarded the train wearing 3 to 5 layers of anything we could get on. The train was warm, however, and has an old-timey feel as it makes it way up Mt. Washington very slowly – it took about an hour to get to the top – but the view along the way is spectactular, especially in the fall as you can imagine, and the conductors are entertaining and friendly. As we got closer to the top, our view faded into the fog, and it got windy and cold, and while we were thankful for our layers, it wasn’t as bad as we’d heard it could be.
Initially, we could not see anything, not even a mountain, because the fog was so dense. We settled into the coffee shop thinking that was just the way it would be and then, slowly, the fog starting blowing out, which in itself was breathtaking. Suddenly, there were the mountains we’d been surrounded by and we had no idea! It – was – magical. All the train riders got up from drinking their coffee and made their way to the windows – we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Then, despite the wind and cold, we were all outside taking photos! We stayed at the top about an hour and had coffee before descending back down. The entire excursion lasted about 3 hours. Definitely a must do in our opinion if you are ever near Mt. Washington! The train does not run all the way to the top in the winter so be sure to check their schedule ahead of time.









After our train ride, we toured the mountains just taking in all the incredible scenery. A lot of our scenery photos are below this post. We’d stop on bridges and beside the road anytime we saw something we wanted to capture but there were so many great spots in New Hampshire, we could have done that all day! Out of the three states we visited, New Hampshire was the most colorful! Absolutely gorgeous! While out and about, we came up on a great little restaurant in Jackson, New Hampshire, called Sarah’s Yesterdays. It was like a small town diner with wonderful food and a counter where you could eat, like going back in time!


That evening, we decided to walk to downtown Woodstock and have dinner. Downtown there is wonderful with shops and several restaurant options! We had a hard time choosing but settled on Pemi’s Public House. It was too cold to eat outside but they do offer a pub like experience inside along with great outdoor seating options. This meal was one of our favorites! We had the delicious Street Corn Shrimp and it would be worth going back to NH just for that!


After dinner, we were strolling back to the Inn when we passed a really happening place with live music, so we decided to stop in. It was Twin Barns Brewing North Taproom that we learned had just been opened! We loved the fun open atmosphere with lots of craft beer choices, and they serve light small plates, and there we met another wonderful couple who lived in New Hampshire. They sat with us and we laughed and learned more about the state and their adventures, so much fun!




And let me tell you – the music at Twin Barns was worth stopping in for. The singer was Kimayo, an adorable, quirky, fun girl who could belt out any tune with a folksy beautiful sound! I am sharing just one of the many videos I got of her that night! She came over between sets and had us laughing and so entertained, we just fell in love with her. B said we should adopt her but most definitely get her to NC to our anniversary party next year and some of our local establishments in Mebane. She is AMAZING! I hope you’ll go check her out and follow her, the girl has a dream, and she will make it a reality, I am sure!
This was our last evening in New Hampshire before heading off to Vermont excited to see even more!
ITINERARY & LINKS TO NEW HAMPSHIRE:
I am not listing our lodging as I would not recommend it. We do recommend looking for places close in or close to the downtown of North Woodstock, it is a great town to spend an afternoon walking and shopping and eating in! Lots of restaurant and shopping choices.
Twin Barns Brewing North Taproom
Fabulous-ness: Kimayo
JUST A FEW PHOTOS FROM OUR DRIVING TIME IN NEW HAMPSHIRE – I have to say these two things:
- Pictures cannot capture the true colors of the season – it is not possible for me – so picture these magnified in vibrance!
- You have to be adventurous and pull over, not just in the usual scenic overlooks, but anywhere you see a gorgeous spot! On a bridge, down a hiking trail, just stop – you will not regret it. Just be careful! But we barely stopped at any scenic overlooks that were public – there were a lot of people. Every once of these were from places we found along the way and pulled over.









Can’t travel anymore so really enjoy your “bentures” (our great grans word!) ?
Aww, I’m glad you do! And I love ventures, lol. My grandson’s word right now is lesterday- everything is we did that lesterday, haha. Aren’t grandkids the best?!
Hey C Girl! We did enjoy our grandkids but oh these great grands! They are now 16, 14, 12×2 (I call them cousin-twins, born 12 days apart) and Kylee Jane is 7! Oh my but she gives “Clyde” a hard time: she is a jokester like him! Since the grands call him “Clyde”, that makes us Bonnie & Clyde! Love to u and B! ❤️