Don't miss the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, happening in Lincoln on September 15-17, 2023 Hopkinton State Fair, Contoocook, Aug. 31 to September 4 New Hampshire has no shortage of storied fairs, and kicking off the season of fall agricultural fun is the over 100 year old Hopkinton State Fair. From demolition derbies and educational exhibits to livestock shows and decadent fried dough, this Labor Day weekend tradition is fun for the whole family. hsfair.org UFO Festival, Exeter, September 2-3 Did you know that there was a UFO sighting in this quintessential New England town in 1965? The Incident at Exeter inspired this festival, which is both an educational experience for believers and skeptics and a fun time for family and friends. There will be activities for your little ones and, for adults, a lecture series featuring a panel of experts. exeterufofestival.org. 34th Annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, Hampton Beach, September 8-1o Close out your summer with the granddaddy of all Granite State food fests. You likely know the drill at this legendary ode to oceanside eats, but if you need a reminder, here's the gist: Over 50 Seacoast restaurants offering up lobster, fried clams and other surf and ...

Leena Marie Palmer enjoying a fresh-picked apple at Mack’s Apples in Londonderry. Photo by Jenn Bakos If you’ve never tasted an apple plucked directly from the branch, then you’re missing out on one of the unique pleasures of living in New England. There is simply no comparison to a store-bought apple. That perfect crisp crunch and bright, sweet juice are only found during fall while strolling through bucolic orchards or perusing the shelves of the farmstand. There are many pick-your-own orchards in New Hampshire, but here’s a quick roundup of some of our favorites. Alyson’s Orchard 57 Alyson’s Ln., Walpole, NH Alyson’s grows everything from berries and peaches to plums and nectarines, but this 450-acre orchard (with 50 acres of fruit-bearing trees) is best known for its apples. Choose from more than 50 types of apples, including many heirloom varieties. When you’ve had your fill of apple picking, let the kids visit with the goats, play a game of bocce or just enjoy the beauty of this gorgeous orchard. Applecrest Farm 133 Exeter Rd., Hampton Falls, NH This fourth-generation farm also grows a number of different fruits, pumpkins and gourds, but there’s a reason apples are its namesake — they ...

Gold Rush Ingredients: 2 parts Maker's Mark Bourbon 1 part honey syrup (equal parts honey and water) ¾ part fresh squeezed lemon juice Garnish: Lemon wedge Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel. Tea N Tea Lemonade Ingredients: 1 part Twisted Tea Sweet Tea Whiskey 1 part Original Twisted Tea 1 part lemonade Garnish: Lemon wedge Combine ingredients in a glass over ice and gently stir to mix. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Neat Basil Hayden Malted Rye is best served neat given its complex flavor profile. Serving it neat allows the 100% malted rye mash bill to truly shine, showcasing the delicate notes of floral aroma, vanilla and baking spice. Old Fashioned Ingredients: 2 parts Knob Creek® Straight Rye Whiskey 2 dashes Angostura® Bitters ½ part demerara syrup Garnish: Lemon Peel Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir until properly diluted. Strain over fresh ice (ideally one large cube) in a rocks glass. Express lemon oil over cocktail and rub around the rim before placing into the glass. Elderflower Margarita Ingredients: 2 parts Tres Generaciones Reposado Tequila ½ part simple syrup ¾ parts ...

When asked what crop the soil of New Hampshire is most suited for, the astute Yankee replies:“Rocks.” It’s rocks that rise in the garden each spring. You can hoe ’em out and toss ’em to the side, but next spring (every spring) they’ll be back. They just keep coming. We are, after all, the Granite State. Our symbol is, after all, the (late) Great Stone Face. In an ancient tale, the newcomer notices a hay field littered with rocks too big to hoe out and set aside. Boulders, in fact. “Where’d all those boulders come from?” the newcomer asks the local. “The glacier brought ’em.” “Oh,” says the newcomer, intrigued. “Where’s the glacier now?” “Guess it went back for another load.” At the select board meeting, a resident walks in lugging a rock. Good sized. It’s about all he can do to move it from the door to the select board table, where he deposits the rock with a thud. “Aren’t you people in charge of maintaining roads?” the resident says, irate. “My road’s a mess. This gawldum rock poked up in the middle of it months ago — bent a rim, snapped an axel. I’m gawldum sick and tired ...

Owl’s Nest is well known in the White Mountains region and beyond as a premium golf destination, but today we wanted to dive into some exciting developments and some lesser-known bonuses you can experience should you choose to go there, whether you’re a golfer or not.  Building a Dream Spot First off there have been a lot of recent upgrades at Owl’s Nest! Charlie Carpenter, their Marketing Manager gave us a full overview of the latest and greatest ones.  “Owl’s Nest has recently seen the completion of the BoatHouse outdoor pool and jacuzzi, and stage; all of which are operational and accessible to the public now; and the Sunset Pavilion, our newest wedding and event venue with a beautiful open-air design, timber framework, and located directly next to our restaurant, Panorama Six82, offering beautiful views of Franconia Notch to the north.” As if those changes weren’t exciting enough, they’re just the beginning! Whether you’re seeking a unique place to stay, a spot to watch or play a game, or some top cuisine, Owl’s Nest is in the process of building it just for you!  “Owl’s Nest is currently in the process of building a 33-room boutique hotel, Lafayette Lodge; Slice ...

Fall in New Hampshire is filled with pumpkins, apple picking, foliage drives, haunted houses and maybe even the occasional cider donut from your local farm store. It's also the time of year to visit a corn maze, so we have rounded up a few of our favorites. Many of the farms listed also offer additional family activities like farm animals, “night mazes” and more. Visit the individual maze websites for times and rates. Fun corn maze and corn facts: Many farms don't harvest the corn they grow for corn mazes. Instead it's used as a feed corn for cows and other farm animals. Corn maze stalks can grow up to 15 feet tall. Depending on the farm, some corn mazes take about a month to map and carve out. The largest corn maze in the world is located in Dixon, California. This maze is 45 acres in area. The average ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows. Corn is America's number one field crop. Beech Hill Farm 107 Beech Hill Rd., Hopkinton This year's corn maze is an 8-acre field split into two mazes, with two distinct themes! Each maze takes about 40 minutes to complete. Once you ...

Claremont Brewfest: Battle of the Brews September 16, 2023 Claremont Held at the Visitor’s Center Green in Claremont. This is a combo brewfest and 5K race held by the Kiwanis Club of Claremont. Sample beers from more than 30 New England Breweries and vote for your favorites. Ticket prices vary. Dover Oktoberfest When: Saturday, September 30, 2023 Where: Dover, NH Samuel Adams and Dover Restaurants present this annual event. Enjoy all of your favorite German favorites like pretzels, schnitzel, sausage and more served up by some of Dover’s favorite restaurants. Visit facebook.com/DoverOktoberfest for more information. Schilling’s Ammonoosuc Oktoberfest When: Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Where: Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton, NH This Oktoberfest is held in conjunction with Schilling’s anniversary celebration. The brewery’s Bavarian and Czech-style lagers will take center stage, and local meats will be on the grill. Live folk music will welcome guests as Schilling celebrates brewing in Littleton. Admission is free. Visit ammonoosucoktoberfest.com or schillingbeer.com for more information. Oktoberfest at the Inn at East Hill Farm When: Sunday, October 1, 2023 Where: Inn at East Hill Farm, 460 Monadnock St., Troy, NH At Oktoberfest in Troy, you can enjoy traditional German fare ...

David Bailey, SCA Interpretive Ranger It’s the end of a long day spent hiking at any of our wonderful New Hampshire State Parks. You’re winding down and fixed a well-deserved dinner. The sun is going down and so is the temperature, but you’re not ready to go to bed for the evening. That leaves you with one final task for the day, creating a campfire! As one of the Interpretive Rangers at Francona Notch State Park this summer, one of my favorite programs I teach is “Campfire 101”. This program is made to teach beginner campers how to build a campfire from scratch and to not have to rely on fire starting logs. It warms my heart to see people learn this skill at the Lafayette Campground amphitheater and to see them bring it to their campsite. For those of you that won’t be able to make it to my programs, I decided to put a version of my lesson on this blog. Basics The first step is to see if you even have permission to start a campfire. Sometimes an area does not allow fires due to dry conditions and high winds. Other times it may be because of ...

Joy Wetzel, SCA Interpretive Ranger I had a wonderful day last week! While traveling through Monadnock State Park after a day of delivering Discover the Power of Parks (DPP) educational programs, I caught a flash of orange at the base of a dead tree that made me do a double-take. A second glance confirmed my suspicions: I’d spotted a Chicken of the Woods mushroom, something that, despite my best efforts, I hadn’t come across since 2020. I had heard rumors from other park employees that they grow at the park, but I did not think I would be lucky enough to find one. Almost giggling with excitement, I quickly harvested it with my pocketknife and brought it home for dinner. For someone unfamiliar with the practice of foraging, this reaction could seem a little bizarre, scary, or even downright gross. Today, I’ll be sharing with you why I love foraging, and why you should, too. Before I speak more on this mushroom, I feel obliged to add a disclaimer. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of one hundred percent certainty when consuming wild mushrooms!!! I have been foraging for over a decade, and I only feel safe harvesting and eating ...

Amherst's Darren Garnick, with a small sampling of his three-decade-old cereal box collection. Darren would like to see a New Hampshire restaurant or diner host a Cereal Box Museum with his collection. The year 2023 has marked two major milestones in breakfast cereal history. First, it's the 60th birthday of Cap'n Crunch, the cheery sea captain who hasn't aged since 1963. Perhaps even more significant is that this Halloween, a green-skinned zombie DJ named “Carmella Creeper” will break through the cardboard ceiling. The first female monster at General Mills will serve caramel apple-flavored cereal, joining Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Yummy Mummy, Boo Berry and Frute Brute. I knew about these developments before the average consumer through my cereal-saturated Instagram feed. But I chose not to act on the early intelligence. In previous years, when I'd learn about a new cereal promotion, I'd rush down to Market Basket to find a pristine box to flatten and archive for my collection. I started this habit when I was a student at the University of Massachusetts in the late 1980s. One of my college buddies had created a “cereal museum” in his dorm, and I was inspired to build my own. But decades ...

Catherine Brouillette has one of the largest Strawberry Shortcake collections in the world. One of Catherine Brouillette's earliest memories of Strawberry Shortcake — the doll, not the dessert — was finding herself stuck headfirst in the zippered end of her character-themed sleeping bag. It was a berry, berry precarious situation that she doesn't remember how she escaped. But Catherine does recall everyone commenting on how her childhood bedroom “smelled like fruit.” Strawberry Shortcake was a merchandisingjuggernaut in the 1970s and 80s. For those of you who didn't experience girlhood in the 1970s and '80s, Strawberry Shortcake was an American Greetings card cartoon turned into a scented-doll and merchandise line. Her friends and pets all had fruit or dessert-themed names. As a child, Catherine had the rag dolls, plastic figurines, pajamas, records, lunchbox and drinking glasses. Then, like a scene out of Pixar's “Toy Story,” the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls came along and Strawberry Shortcake found herself slumped across the yard sale table. “Years later, I was kicking myself for selling those dolls,” she says. “I wish I had them back.” Bit by the nostalgia bug in her college years, Catherine started buying back her childhood; today, she may have one ...

Meredith NH is one of the loveliest towns in the Lakes Region of the Granite State. Perched on the western edge of Lake Winnipesaukee, Meredith is a beautiful and entertaining town surrounded by forests and mountains. There are plenty of fun things to do in Meredith NH, from wine-tasting and boat-tripping to shopping and beach-basking. If you’re going to base in any town on Lake Winnipesaukee, Meredith is a good one. We at New Hampshire Way feel like Meredith is more adult-oriented than other Winnipesaukee towns like Weirs Beach and even Wolfeboro, which tend to cater to families. As a result, it makes a great spot for a getaway. Let’s take a look at the best things to do in Meredith NH! This post was most recently updated May 2023. Table of Contents Toggle The Best Things To Do in Meredith, New Hampshire Take a Boat Trip Go Wine Tasting at Hermit Woods Winery Ride the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad Go Shopping Twin Barns Brewery Meredith Sculpture Walk Visit Weirs Beach Explore the Other Side of Lake Winnipesaukee Splash Around At Waukewan Beach Learn About Local History Catch a Show at Winnipesaukee Playhouse Visit Moulton Farm Take a Ride on The ...