A New Hampshire historic attraction and wedding destination

Castle in the Clouds
Historic Mountaintop Estate

Perched high up in the pristine Ossipee Mountain Range overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee lies the “turn-of-the-century” 16-room Arts & Crafts mansion cleverly named Castle in the Clouds. This beautiful estate vents the enticing nature and landscape of Moultonborough, New Hampshire in the heart of New England. No matter what age nearly everyone can thoroughly enjoy this quaint area with incredible views, hiking, waterfalls, gardens, mountains, plenty of history, a fabulous Arts & Crafts Castle, and an acclaimed Cafe and Patio. The 45 miles of hiking and walking trails will lead you along lavish gardens and gorgeous waterfalls where you can even feed giant trout in Shannon Pond. For the next few months, Castle in the Clouds will be hosting many events either free or for a small charge such as jazz concerts, exhibition and sales of paintings, pet shows, history lectures, car shows, and plenty more. For the engaged, there’s no better place to hold whatever size wedding in front of the iconic Castle followed by cocktails at the Patio and dinner in the Winnipesaukee Room. For more information check out their website or call 603-476-5900.

Nearly an hour past Squam Lake is the Manor on Golden Pond whose special of the month for August is a Midweek Boost. When you book Monday and Tuesday night any time during August, you’ll get Wednesday night 50% off. The Manor began as a love story at the turn of the 20th century when a wealthy Englishman captured the heart of a beautiful debutante. On Shepherd’s Hill, in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, amid the tall sentinel pines, they built a magnificent country estate with sweeping vistas overlooking Squam Lake, of Golden Pond fame. E-mail info@manorongoldenpond.com or call (603) 968-3348 or (800) 545-2141.

Visit home of Robert Frost, famous American poet, & writing classes and museum in Franconia, NH

Visit the home of where infamous Pulitzer prize winning American poet, Robert Frost, unraveled his work in the early 1900′s. He is known for his realistic portrayal of rural life in New England by expressing his intricate social and philosophical ideas. His home for 5 years with Elinor Frost has now become The Frost Place, a non-profit educational center for poetry and arts owned by Franconia, NH. Since 1977, the Frost Place awards an emerging American poet one summer of full-board residency to flourish their mind and work. Every year this historical home hosts an annual Festival and Conference on Poetry for writers seeking classes and workshops, which have opened up to high school students, teachers’ conferences, and advanced seminars. The Frost Place is a “house museum” with spectacular views of the White Mountains and isn’t your typical museum with multi-media displays and cafes. It’s simply an exhibit in itself for you to see first hand exactly what Robert Frost lived in during his time. The museum is free of admission, welcome to donations, and opening hours are not all-year around.

About a one hour drive east through Crawford Notch State Park is The Inn at Thorn Hill who are having affordable July getaway packages. The Midweek ‘Spa-aaaah’ Getaway Package is added to any Midweek Room Rate with the addition of two 60-minute Swedish massages, two healthy, chef-made spa lunches, a complimentary half bottle of sparkling Prosecco upon arrival, and finally a three-course dinner. Also, for the entire month of July will be best available room rates for the month, midweek AND weekend. Book any two consecutive nights midweek and get the best rooms in the house for $259/per night. Check out their website for further restrictions on these fantastic, cheap, summer package deals.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”
- Robert Frost

A fun-for-the-family Cape Cod Beach – Race Point Beach in Provincetown, MA

RACE POINT BEACH
Provincetown, MA

Travel to the absolute tip of Cape Cod and you’ll arrive at Race Point Beach, which is recognized as one of the best beaches in the country. Why is it called Race Point? Those strong Atlantic offshore currents can travel you so fast that it makes for an exciting race amongst your friends as you let the fierce rip tide take you away. This beach is said to be the “wilder ocean sister of Herring Cove” as all the sand collected in this spot and then formed the sandy Race Point Beach we know today. The best part of this area is that swimming and sun tanning aren’t just the only things to do. Take a stroll through Provincetown‘s spectacular sand dunes or over to Race Point Lighthouse, which marks the tip of the Cape. The shoreline at Race Point has an incredible drop off that welcome occasional whales and sailboats coming from the deep water close inshore. Being the Atlantic waters it’ll surely be a chilly swim, but you can easily warm up again for Race Point faces north and gets sun all day long.

Before you enter the beach on Race Point Road off Rt. 6 you will see the Province Lands Visitor’s Center for you to find out more about the area and also the many summer activities offered by the Seashore. Parking costs $10 per day with facilities including  restrooms, lifeguards, and showers. Seasonal Oversand vehicle permits can be purchased at Race Point Beach from April 10-November 15 for $60. SUV’s with these permits can drive from Race Point all the way to High Head Beach in Truro.

Caledonia County Fair – fun, crafts, games, demolition derby and more! Rabbit Hill Inn ranked #1 hotel in US by Travel & Leisure

Caledonia County Fair 2009

Lyndonville, VT

The town of Lyndonville, Vermont is celebrating 162 years of Caledonia County Fair at the Mountain View Park this year. There will be plenty of games, food, fun, and best of all… the demolition derby! The 1st place winner for being the last car standing will walk away with $600. There will be plenty more exhibits such as antique demos, floral hall and craft exhibits, cattle/sheep/poultry/aquarium exhibits, a maple display, Alpaca demonstrations, Children’s Freedom Train, and of course King of Silly . There’s surely no county fair without the rides and this year Dreamland Amusements is proud to present exciting attractions for all ages for the last 8 years in a row. For more information visit their website . About a half an hour down the road lies the Rabbit Hill Inn which was recently ranked in the top 100 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure. With a handsome score of 91.9 and ranked #1 in the U.S. for all aspects such as environment, ambiance, hospitality, service and accommodations. Featured in previous blogs is their Pink Slip Getaway Package that will help those unemployed take some vacation time, too.

“We’re very proud to be placed in such good company with the most distinctive hotels, resorts and inns in the world,” said Leslie Mulcahy, co-owner of the Rabbit Hill Inn. “Knowing that chateaus, safari clubs and island resorts were included on the list, it’s quite a humbling notion to be ranked among the best in the world. We’re delighted that our guests and Travel & Leisure readers shared their insight into our highlights to secure us a place on this list,” finished Mulcahy.

Guinness Record Maker for World’s largest 3-D Earth museum exhibit – Eartha in Yarmouth, Maine

EARTHA EXHIBIT IN THE DELORME HEADQUARTERS

YARMOUTH, ME

Always wondered what the world looked like from the outside? Take a trip to Yarmouth, Maine and you’ll be able to do just that at the Eartha exhibit in the DeLorme headquarters. This 3-dimensional, 42-foot scale model of our earth with mountains and landforms all in 3-D set the Guinness record for the “World’s Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe” in 1999. How did they make such a masterpiece? It took David DeLorme, the CEO of DeLorme, one full year to compile satellite imagery, shaded relief, colored ocean depth data, and information from actual earth grounds to create 140 gigabytes of mapping data. The Eartha’s lightweight aluminum surface is perfectly shaped to replicate the earth and then actually revolves on a specially designed cantilever arm while rotating on an axis. Every continent is meticulously detailed with vivid colors illustrating all levels of vegetation, major roadways and cities, and ocean depths. And best of all, it’s all free! The DeLorme headquarters are open Monday-Saturday from 9:30am to 6:30pm and re-opening on Sundays starting April 19, 2009. For more details call toll free at 1-800-642-097 or locally at 207-846-7100.

“Eartha is the largest image of earth ever created,” says DeLorme. “Eartha will instill a sense of wonder in people when they first see it and we hope they walk away from it with a better appreciation and knowledge of the world around them.”

With the few extra bucks you save visiting this New England attraction, put it towards a State of Mainer one-night getaway package at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, ME. You’ll receive the best room available in the entire inn for the lowest prices around including dinner and breakfast. Enjoy your Maine stay and your visit to our earth right before your eyes.

Small ship cruises of the U.S. east coast on American Cruise Lines

American Cruise Lines tours all the nooks and crannies of the magnificent inland waterways, bays and rivers of the east coast United States where all those big, commercial cruise ships can’t get to. This makes for the perfect romantic getaway as you can choose to explore anywhere on the coast between Maine, New England Islands, Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay, the historic Old South and Florida. Having ship capacities of no more than 100, you get the very personal and friendly atmosphere and will have a good chance of witnessing each port of call, up close and personal. All you need is some comfortable attire and your sandals then kick back and enjoy the scenary. American Cruise Lines does everything they can to make your journey as effortless as possible, which is why they have their own travel agents that will match you to the perfect itinerary . There’s a choice between 4 remarkable cruise ships (American Spirit, American Glory, America Eagle, American Star- built in 2007) that are perfectly designed for inner explorations of off-the-beaten-track waterways and charming ports that passengers on large ships will never see. For more information call 1-800-814-6880 or request more information here .

America’s best jazz-pop vocal quartet – The Manhattan Transfer at the Colonial Theatre in Keene, NH

The Manhattan Transfer at the Colonial Theatre
October 9, 2009
Keene, NH
“A jazz-pop vocal phenomenon, for over 35 years…”

Back in 1972, a group of four American singers put their jazz vocals together to release their first album under the new line-up, The Manhattan Transfer. As they skyrocketed through the Box charts throughout the 80′s and 90′s, they reached the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Since that time, they have continued to stay together and produce more albums with their sizzling four part jazz harmonies. Now, you may have the chance to see them live at the Colonial Theater. The Colonial in Keene, NH continues to fulfill its promise as the flagship performing arts center for the Monadnock region, presenting some of the best performers from around the world. On Friday, October 9, 2009 at 8pm, the Manhattan Transfer will be performing at this truly cultural town hall and destination venue. Tickets are currently selling from 44-58 depending on the seat. Click here for more information on the theater, directions, ticket prices, and much more.

A few tunes you may know are:
Operator – the 1st hit single in 1975
Birdland – brought their 1st Grammy award (Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal, or Instrumental) in 1980
Tuxedo Junction – their theme song debuted on their 1st album in 1975
Boy from New York City – a cover from the 1965 hit by The Ad Libs and won Grammz award in 1981
Route 66- another Grammy-winning rendition in 1982
White Mystery – best-loved song R&B- chart single
Twilight Zone – their 2nd U.S. top hit

A great way to finish off the weekend is to relax with the Stress Reduction Package with the Chesterfield Inn. On this weekend getaway offer, you’ll receive a massage or facial at Devine Day Spa, a bottle of Chardonnay and chocolate covered strawberries on arrival, two nights stay, one gourmet dinner for 2, and full country breakfast each morning. This comfy, and relaxing farmhouse inn is located only 25 minutes down Rte. 9 and will make your work-week stress disappear with all their luxurious amenities.

Museum of Fife and Drum Corps and a Connecticut country inn in Essex

THE MUSEUM OF FIFE & DRUM

Essex, Connecticut

At the Museum of Fife & Drum learn about America’s visual and music background dated from the Revolutionary War to today. Listen to shrills of fife and the beats of long drums as you observe the numerous artifacts on display such as drums, fifes, military swords, uniforms, medals, awards, and photographs. If you enjoy colorful and upbeat parades, then this is the perfect place for you to visit on your next Connecticut River vacation. There will even be free concerts every Tuesday evening during July and August usually featuring two corps per night. If you’re a drum corp, club, historical society, or college/high school music group, call the museum at (860) 767-2237 to arrange for a group tour. The donations are only $3 for adults, $2 for youth (ages 13-17), and children under 12 are free. Click the link proceeding for travel directions. Not even one mile down Comstock Avenue is the Copper Beech Inn, a four-star country inn and four-diamond, wine-spectator-award winning restaurant. It’s located in the beautiful Connecticut River Vally aside the Long Island Sound shoreline nearby several charming historic towns, shops, attractions and many outdoor activities. Currently they are advertising a two-night Summer package highlighting an Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Cruise, champagne upon arrival, free dinner for two one night in Brasserie Pip, and VIP discount coupons for Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets. Add a 3rd night for 50% off the regular room rate and enjoy your stay in Ivoryton, Connecticut.

Laconia, NH Motorcycle Bike Week 2009

Laconia Bike Week 2009

June 13-21

The Summer is coming closer and that means one thing for every New Hampshire motorcyclist. Laconia Bike Week is America’s oldest bike week hosting this June for the 86th time and the turnout will be better than ever. On Saturday June 13th, the extravaganza will begin with an all-you-can-eat pig roast, live music, and a Harley Fashion Show. For the following 8 days, there will be plenty more music, food, shows, and of course motorcycle rides to experience. The top ten features for this year will be:

Aquarium and animal petting zoo in Cape Cod, MA

For 40 years now, the ZooQuarium in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts has provided a fun-filled family adventure for you to explore and discover the marvelous creatures that live close by to the busy roads of Cape Cod. At the Petting Zoo you can get right up close and feed the farm animals while learning how they came to be such an important part of human life. At the Aquarium, you’ll see up close the creatures that lurk the Cape Cod waters from Stripers to Lobsters, Frogs to Turtles. You can even pick up and touch the little critters that inhibit the shoreline at the Tidal Touch Pool. You may see hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, mussels, sea stars, urchins, clams, fiddler crabs, and much more. At the Zoorific Theater, the naturalists present and will teach you about the animals that you may have never gotten close to like skunks, alligators, or even hedgehogs. In one upcoming event (July 18 & 19, September 5 &6), the Rainforest Reptile Show from Beverly, MA will demonstrate why reptiles are so important to the planet and will let you get up close and personal with many different type of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. About 25 minutes east down Route 28, is a four-diamond sea captain’s estate nestled on two acres of Cape Cod soil now called the Captain’s House Inn. Check out their many specials and packages and enjoy a luxurious weekend in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.