July Trip

I am currently planning our vacation. I have booked 2 nights in Jurys in Boston, 2 nights in a Falmouth hotel (2 and 3 July - to try to beat some of the 4th July traffic) and a week in a house in Chatham. We are left with 11-16 July to plan. I would love to explore a little of New Hampshire. We have 2 teenagers with us. I am sure we will be %26#39;beached out%26#39; and a bit tired of traffic and crowds after our time on the Cape. We would like somewhere near mountains or a lake. We dont like it too isolated - boys like a bit of activity. I would appreciate any local advice. We had been very adventurous- intending to go to Montreal etc. but I feel I would like to make the most of the places around us. we like nice scenery, shopping, sightseeing, good food and relaxing.

July Trip

Biancat-

Given the fact your going to be driving from the cape to NH, I suggest the sourthern end of the state. Comming much further north will take a whole day to make the drive, it may take you that just to get of the Cape Cod. In addition I am assuming your flying into Logan.

Canobie Lake park is an excellent theme park and its in Salem www.canobie.com.

From the Salem area, you can visit Straberrybanke in Portsmouth and perhaps the beach again in Hampton or Salsbury, if your still wanting to get into the sun again.

Perhaps on of those days you could travel a little further north as a day trip to say North Conway - Summertime is very busy, so be prepared for the crowds and traffic.

Travel Well!

Tazman

July Trip

The Lakes Region has everything you want. The Weirs or Meredith should suit you just fine. Close to nightlife, close to great mountains and hiking. Right on the lakes. We have numerous lakes to pick from and they are all fabulous.

July 11-16 is great...driving around NH is nothing like driving around Boston and Cap Cod in the Summer time. I am down here in the Southwest part of the state but I would encourage you to drive and explore many parts of the state.

Here in the Monadnock region (1.5 hours from Boston), we have some wonderful hiking including Mt Monadnock, the most climbed mountain in the Western Hemisphere and just second in the world to Mt Fuji (but with 40 miles of trails it is not hard to find some solitude). There are also plenty of ponds and lakes for kayaking and swimming.

I should mention that Dublin, NH is located in the Monadnock region right near Monadnock State Park.

Take a driving tour of covered bridges (there is a tour of six here). The Peterborough Players is a professional summer theater group that will be showing two different shows during that time and is housed in a renovated 1700s barn...it is a fantastic way to see a play. Hillsborough is having its 22nd annual balloon festival over the weekend you will be in NH, and of course there is wonderful (non-chain) shopping in quaint towns like Keene (the downtown setting for the Robin Williams movie ';Jumanji';) and Peterborough (named one of the top ten coolest small town in the U.S. by Budget Travel Magazine in 2007).

I hope while you and the kids are in Chatham you take in a Chatham A%26#39;s baseball game. Baseball is an American summertime tradition and the post high school-pre college age kids playing in this league play it in one of its purest and fun forms. If the family enjoys the experience and atmosphere, there is a similar league with a team in Keene. South of Keene in Winchester (on Saturday nights) you can catch some auto racing at the Monadnock Speedway.

The Monadnock region also has fantastic non-chain dining...and some awesome ice cream :)

That is some ideas for the Monadnock region in case you are thinking of getting away from the beach for a few days in Southwest NH. Sure you could spend your entire five days there but I would not hesitate to use the car, drive the backroads and explore the Sunapee region or the Lakes and White Mountain regions as well. They all have fantastic things to offer and you have enough time to explore the different areas.

LittleriverBB. Thanks so much for that - wow. Amazing - I will certianly investigate. To be honest I am getting a bit frustrated - there is so much to do and see - I am finding it hard to narrow my search down. I think the best thing is to get specific recommendations - and work on them from there.

I like the North Conway area of NH, including the towns of Bartlett or Jackson. I have two teenage boys and they are never bored in this area. I find Weirs beach a bit boring. There is an arcade and some shops on a short stretch of the lake. The lake is huge and beautiful but IMO not enough to do for teenagers.

Yes, having done some homework on the areas, I am a bit concerned that a lot of the activities etc. are geared towards younger kids. Mine are almost 15 and 19!!! How far would N Conway be from Cape Cod. I am trying to estimate how far it would be from Chatham (we leave our rental house on morning of 11th July and then head off to expolore New Hampshire). I dont want to spend all day driving - wouldnt mind maybe 3 hours or so. Even if we stayed in some nice town overnight on 11th and then moved up to Jackson - which looks great. All your advise is really appreciated.

Yes, having done some homework on the areas, I am a bit concerned that a lot of the activities etc. are geared towards younger kids. Mine are almost 15 and 19!!! How far would N Conway be from Cape Cod. I am trying to estimate how far it would be from Chatham (we leave our rental house on morning of 11th July and then head off to expolore New Hampshire). I dont want to spend all day driving - wouldnt mind maybe 3 hours or so. Even if we stayed in some nice town overnight on 11th and then moved up to Jackson - which looks great. All your advise is really appreciated.

Biancat -

Just a footnote w/re to Little River%26#39;s suggestion, the SW corner of the state is awsome, a true colonial period expreience in New England. The VT folks only wish they could compete with this region of NH - LOL! I use to live in that general area, but dare I say south of the MA/NH boarder. Prior to stepping out of Corporate Life and detemining my OWN destination - After a post 9/11 deployment.

A very large portion of the state of NH is just like this area, as well as offering other unique things to do as well. This is why those of us that contribute here have to ask what are you into, your not spending enough time in NH or you need to stop trying to cram to much in - I understand your trying to see everything possible too, but like my friend Newlaw1 always says, stop to smell the flowers!

I have to leave you with the idea of Exploring/Experiencing NH in all of its corner%26#39;s if you can, even over a couple 2/3 trips, it truely is a beautiful state - Where else can you find beaches, forest, rivers, mountains, and lakes all within less than a days drive?

With that said, if you choose to explore the SW corner, your going to have a great time. To bad your not going to be around for the Jack-o-Lantern/Pumpkin Festival in Keene - I believe they took their world record BACK last year - True Statement LittleRiver?

Travel Well!

Tazman

biancat, in case you are considering the Monadnok region, I cannot predict the traffic on the cape but it is about two hours from the Bourne Bridge to our area as it completely bypasses Boston.

Taz, I don%26#39;t believe Keene re-took the jack-o-lantern record this past year. I think they will try some new things to keep growing but no matter how you look at it...22,000 or 25,000 j-o-l is a lot of j-o-l!

I know I am 100% trying to cram too much in. Would you believe my 2 sons want to go to Montreal as well in the space of about 5-6 days!!!!! Anyway we got over that one. Yes, I would love a nice leisurely drive and explore the south of NH.

So far the plan is roughly - overnight in Jurys 1st July - travel to Cape on 2nd to 11th (between Chtham and Falmouth). Spend 2 days maybe around Keen/Manchester/Peterborough and then head north maybe to North Conway, Jackson. I know so little about the place, my Geography, sense of direction etc. is all over the place (sorry). I need recommendations for nice accommodation - in south for 2 nights (11 and 12) and then another 2-3 nights in North Conway area. (13-15) Then we head back to Boston and overnight in Jurys on 16 - drop back our rental car - do some shopping in Boston on 17th before we catch our flight back to Ireland on night of 17th? We love nice restaurants, shopping, touring, sight seeing. We would like to see a baseball game, go whale watching, explore little villages and really experience quaint old fashioned village life. Buy some crafts, home produce etc. We also love outlet shopping. I think the most important thing for now is to find good quality accommodation for 4 adults including breakfast if possible - 2 nights south end and 3 nights further north. Apologies for being %26#39;all over the place%26#39;.