Where was I? Oh yes. Jackson, New Hampshire and more specifically, kipping at The Christmas Farm Inn and Spa. Even more specifically in Room 3 of The Carriage House at the top of the hill. It wasn't more a room as a suite. It's bigger than most one bedroom flats in London. www.christmasfarminn.com
We had a good look around as we swung down the hill for another magnificent East Coast breakfast and this is what is all looked like in day light.
The Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre
The Carriage House
The Barn
The Main Inn complete with Dining Room, Bar and Shop.
The Sign
BREAKFAST! Well it was of epic proportions, as one would expect and as well as a cold buffet you could help yourself to, with fruit, yoghurt, cereal, juices and pastries; you could also choose a hot dish off the menu. Yes! They really don't want you to go hungry. And who are we to complain. So after cereal and fruit, I chose what I considered a small option, the french toast avec bacon. Hmmm. Small option?
Time to walk some of that off. And Jackson is fantastic place to explore with many trails and walks within easy reach. It is also a premier skiing destination especially for cross country skiing. So if you like your outdoors vast and wild with an unkempt beauty, peppered with falls and covered bridges, then Jackson is the place for you. Situated within the White Mountain National Forest it is a great place to stay and a great base to explore from. http://www.jacksonnh.com/about-jackson-village-nh.php Find links to events, hiking trails and waterfalls in the area, here.
Jackson Falls
There's a lovely short trail which takes you to Jackson Falls and then you can walk alongside the river, where it leads you back into the village centre. /http://www.jacksonnh.com/
Cutest Library ever!
Pretty cute post office too.
Then we stumbled upon what has to be one of the best shops in the entire world: Raven Wood Curio Shoppe on Main Street.
The sculpture garden.
A magical world of creativity, art and sculpture: a retail dreamworld.
Then it was off to The White Mountains National Forest and Ellis Falls. Take Route 16 out of Jackson and a few miles up the road will be a turn off for The Glen Bolder and Wildcat Ridge trails and a Forest Service parking area. The short trail to the falls can be accessed from there. There is a parking fee of around $5 and if there is no ranger on site then there are handy envelopes to put your payment in and display the slip in your car. The trail is around 0.3 miles and should only take a few minutes but you are rewarded:
One of two fantastic book shops on Main Street. Bear Pond Books. http://www.bearpondbooks.com/
Even the Firemen were getting involved with the trick or treating.
The garden is mesmerising: colour, sculpture, fountains, metal work, wood work, mosaic, flower pots, garden ornaments, pretty much anything you could dream up you'll find in here. It makes you wish you had a great deal bigger baggage allowance, or lived in the general vicinity, or had a garden (Damn London living.).
We were lucky enough to have a chat with one of the owners: Debbie Siebert. It's really interesting the way they take student interns to live and work and create with them. Imagine that opportunity as an artist. It must be fascinating and in amazing surroundings.
If you are ever in this neck of the woods, as they say, you need to stop by but I promise you'll need at least an hour. Better ear mark two just in case. And that's just for the garden. Once you step inside the fairy tale shop you need your observer eyes on because there is stuff everywhere: hanging from the ceiling; coming out of the walls; on shelves; in cabinets, everywhere. There is a lot of stuff made by local artists as well as a broader spectrum of artists from all over the US.
It is the Hogwarts of independent retail. (Minus the mini witches and wizards.) And it's one of those places you would travel miles to return to. Shame there isn't a handy platform 9 and 3/4 because I live close by King's Cross.
We had the joy of visiting them on Halloween morning and seeing all their fabulous Halloween decorations too. A truly memorable shop and a lot of successful Christmas shopping done. Please visit! http://www.ravenwoodcurio.com/
Then it was off to The White Mountains National Forest and Ellis Falls. Take Route 16 out of Jackson and a few miles up the road will be a turn off for The Glen Bolder and Wildcat Ridge trails and a Forest Service parking area. The short trail to the falls can be accessed from there. There is a parking fee of around $5 and if there is no ranger on site then there are handy envelopes to put your payment in and display the slip in your car. The trail is around 0.3 miles and should only take a few minutes but you are rewarded:
Glen Ellis Falls
You are able to walk alongside the river until the drop of the falls, when you can take a steep set of steps to the bottom and see the falls from both perspectives. The trail continues following the river for a short time.
The spray is incredible. You have to be really quick with the camera otherwise it gets soaked. Definitely a water proof coat moment.
Now we had hoped to take the cog railway up to Mount Washington, the highest peak in the North East but it was closed due to the weather and so sadly no railway or mountain. But it's fair enough, as we wouldn't have seen much anyway. If you happen to be around in Jackson or the vicinity when it is better weather, check out the cog railway. It looks amazing! http://www.thecog.com/ And it is also not affected by The Shutdown so get out there.
Instead we took a driving loop around the White Mountains and took in some of the incredible surroundings.
Continue North on Route 16 and you hit the cute town of Gorham, rich in railway history. Then take route 2 West until it hits Route 3, then follow it South until it links up the I-93 and you've done a nice little loop. It also set us up for our later voyage to Vermont.
The spray is incredible. You have to be really quick with the camera otherwise it gets soaked. Definitely a water proof coat moment.
Now we had hoped to take the cog railway up to Mount Washington, the highest peak in the North East but it was closed due to the weather and so sadly no railway or mountain. But it's fair enough, as we wouldn't have seen much anyway. If you happen to be around in Jackson or the vicinity when it is better weather, check out the cog railway. It looks amazing! http://www.thecog.com/ And it is also not affected by The Shutdown so get out there.
Instead we took a driving loop around the White Mountains and took in some of the incredible surroundings.
Gorham.
Route 2 and 3 providing much scenic interest.
Heading South on the I-93 we stopped off in North Woodstock for some lunch and we found a gem: Truants Taverne and Restaurant. http://truantstaverne.com/
Think hearty food; bonny portions; a huge choice and great prices, with great service.
Mmmmmm, Fajitas.
It really was a short stay in New Hampshire but that is the nature of speed tourism. We will be back in a couple of days as we swing back through Concord and some time in the future we will return to take the cog railway and explore more of New Hampshire's delights. http://www.visitnh.gov/
So on to our next destination: Montpelier and hopefully before the State House closes. From North Woodstock it is easy to navigate out, just take Route 112, meet up with the 302 which hops the border into Vermont and keep going till you hit Montpelier, Vermont's capital.
It is the smallest state capital in the US with only around 10,000 inhabitants. We arrived five minutes before closing time (Augusta ME flashbacks) and they let us in for a brief look at the 1st floor. Thanks for that.
Then we took off into town to be overwhelmed with Montpelier and it's community. All the kids and parents and business owners and towns folk were dressed up for Halloween and the children were doing trick or treat on the high street with all the shops and businesses giving out candy and treats to those dressed up. We also found some incredible book shops and craft shops and continued with the Christmas shopping. Lovely stop off and beautiful town.
A zoom in to the dome of the State House.
Lovely independent cinema.
Court House
Down Town getting into the Halloween spirit.
The funky spire of Trinity United Methodist Church on Main Street.
And across the road from Bear Pond is Rivendell Books. http://www.rivendellbooksvt.com/
Both have fantastic selections of new and used books; gifts; local history and interest sections; wonderful children's rooms and a charm that only independent book shops can have. There are two more book shops on State Street as well, so something for every reader in Montpelier. Love it!
Another amazing find was the Artisans Hand Craft Gallery. A beautiful array of art and crafts from local and US artists. I found out the Vermont state bird is The Hermit Thrush as I bought an ornament for my mum. To be honest I didn't even know there was a state bird for every state. Incredible. Lovely find and friendly staff. http://www.artisanshand.com/
Our final stop before heading back to the car was the Cocoa Bean of Vermont. A chocolatier with a queue out the door. Of course everyone wanted to trick or treat here. We made off with some Cranberry Bark (dark chocolate with cranberry, in big slabs) for later and savoured the smell. Hmmmmm.
For more retail, commerical and business information for Montpelier, check out: http://www.montpelier-vt.org/category-display/501.html and more information on Montepelier in general go to http://www.montpelier-vt.org/
Also check out the article from August 2012 in The New York Times for 36 Hours in Montpelier. http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/travel/36-hours-in-montpelier-vt.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 It might be a year old but a lot of the info is still relevant.
So saying goodbye to Montpelier it was only a short drive along Route 2 or I-89 to Waterbury and our accommodation for the night: The Old Stage Coach Inn. http://www.oldstagecoach.com/
As we only had one night in Vermont and it was Halloween night we decided to hop foot it over to Burlington: Vermonts' big city and see what was going on. Again you can take Route 2 or the I-89 to Burlington which is nestled on the edge of Lake Champlain; boasts some great restaurants; waterfront attractions and a bustling commercial district.
It was interesting to be in a City after a few days of smaller towns where there is little life after dark. Here the mall was open until 9pm and there were bars and live music only just beginning around 8/9pm. We found a lovely Italian for dinner named Trattoria Delia and hailed as the second best restaurant in Burlington. http://www.trattoriadelia.com/
It was yummy, but also the restaurant itself was beautiful and cosy and romantic. It had a great atmosphere and even my pirate dress (worn especially for Halloween) didn't warrant too many strange looks.
After our delicious meal we headed down to the waterfront but of course it was pitch dark and really cold at this point, so we didn't stick around too long. However, in the daylight there is much to do, with an aquarium and science centre; waterfront parks and cruises. http://www.burlingtonvt.gov/ Check out the Burlington site for museums, galleries, entertainment and more.
Then we took a nice drive back to Waterbury for a well earned sleep. Thank you New Hampshire and thank you Vermont. We like what we've seen.
Next time we will be salivating over apples, maple syrup and ice cream as well as more shopping and exploring in Vermont. Until then........
The Sarky Traveller
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