Blow-Me-Down-Farms National Park for the Arts is a wonderful new initiative in the Upper…read moreConnecticut Valley, uniting the land and building infrastructure resources of the Saint Gaudens National Historic Park, with the artistic and immeasurable talent of Opera North, a non-profit performing arts organization in Lebanon, NH since 1984. If you're aware of the works and legacy of Augustus Saint Gauden, you may remember that it was Charles Beaman, a New York City lawyer and patron of the arts, whose friendship with Saint Gauden brought the artist to Cornish in 1885. The farm, dating to the 1770s, was bought by Beaman in 1882 and renamed Blow-Me-Down Farm after the nearby brook. Beaman immediately began building his "Blowmedown" cottage, a three story barn, and continually improved the farm adding several buildings and houses. He developed orchards and gardens and had considerable livestock. He also bought the land to the east that is now the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Beaman leased this property to Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his family, who came to Cornish for the first time in 1885 at Beaman's invitation. Beaman's real estate investments and his work attracting artists to the area was key to the creation of the Cornish Art Colony. The Blow-Me-Down Farm property was eventually purchased by the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, a non-profit operating partner of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. In 2010 the 42.6-acre Blow-Me-Down Farm was transferred to the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. A local farmer grows corn and hays the fields. The performing arts center has a large circus tent and ample grounds for both indoor and outdoor concerts. While the original farmstead and original auxiliary buildings are being totally renovated, the place serves as both a historic place and a concert venue. We went there for one of their concerts under their relationship with Opera North and the National Park Service. Havana Nights was a superb mix of orchestral music and both, variety skits and circus acts of immense quality. Musical works of Bizet, Lecuona, Bernstein. Valdés and Rodrigo were followed by stupendously performed parts of Man of La Mancha. It was an afternoon to remember. The New Hampshire/Vermont Upper Valley. Is no stranger to culture, with an Ivy League university, several colleges nearby, and one of the most educated populations in the nation. The addition of the Summerfest is just more icing on the cake for this beautiful area's cultural heritage

This review isn't about the playhouse but about the historic site it sits on…read more On a recent New England fall foliage guided tour of 48 people our trip leader suggested we do a group photo in front of the playhouse. Afterwards we walked the grounds. Behind the Playhouse is The Old Mills - Museum. It was a great photo opportunity.

The Weston Playhouse has great Musicians, both classical and popular, and other performances. For a…read moresmall town Weston has so much to offer, you just have to experience this great little town!

The fiancé and I really enjoyed our afternoon at this spa. We each had a wonderful massage from…read moreFrank and while each of us waited for the other, we swam in the salt water pool followed by a bit of sauna action. Beautiful pool, wonderful staff.

My mom and I spent the day at the spa for our birthdays. I had a lovely massage from Anne , I'm not…read moresure who my mom had , but she loved her facial. It was my first visit to this spa and I like to try different spas all over . Everyone was very accommodating. This spa does not offer slippers, there really wasn't a "lounge" area where u can just sit quietly with a cup of tea. There was only water . It would be nice if someone showed u where everything is when you come in instead of having to ask where towels or locks for your belongings. Some lotion in the locker room would also be useful. All in all I had a great experience. Another thing to note is there was a fitness gym inside the spa as well.

A small arcade, but big fun for the kiddos. I stopped in to play the pinball table, and when I…read moreasked for the change machine, Jim said "You're looking at 'im!" You don't get service like that from the big boys.

This place was not at all on my radar when I planned our trip. We had driven up to Windsor to see…read moreanother museum, and the lady who sold the tickets there talked to us about our plans and recommended this place as very worthwhile. So, after lunch, we crossed a semi-narrow wooden bridge and drove a mile or two to this site. You park in a small lot (there was a sign for overflow parking too) and either pay there (if a ranger is on duty) or proceed to the visitors' center (where you can also pay). Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an American sculptor in the late 1800s and into the very early 1900s. I was not specifically familiar with him, but his work and that of those who trained with him was featured on a lot of U.S. coins at the time. It seems like a lot of the older coinage (before the models used now) was related to him. He also designed the Shaw Memorial on Boston Commons (related to the 54th Massacusetts regiment of black troops - see the film 'Glory' for background). From the visitors' center, there are several other areas to see. The ground slopes down towards the Connecticut River in the distance. Facing that, there is a small gallery and courtyard featuring some sculptures to your right. There is also a large sculpture of Lincoln. As you proceed towards the river, there are some works housed in spaces bordered by high hedges (including a copy of the Shaw Memorial). These end at the border to Saint-Gauden's original house, which is sometimes open for tours. When we visited, the sign just said 'wait for docent to open the door'. We later learned that this only happens between 2 - 4 p.m., which would be helpful to add to the sign. A bit below that is the studio building, which has examples of the sculptor's work and exhibits on the process of creating some. Maybe 300 yards further down is a memorial (sort of a small Greek temple) where the Saint-Gaudens' ashes (and those of several family members) are buried. It was a pretty site especially if the weather is nice. The sculptures, especially those which are outdoors, make for good photos. They also offer periodic ranger-led tours. We tagged along for part of one, but had already seen some of the areas, so we broke off and continued on our own. If you are in this area and have any interest in sculpture, this is very worthwhile.

Beautiful grounds and entertaining story about artist and a local artist colony. It's only about an…read morehour to 90 minutes to enjoy it. So not really worth making a big detour for-But it is a lovely stop if you're traveling through New Hampshire or Vermont.

Always excellent. Servers , great owners and chef Robert is top notch. If you have room have a…read moredessert. Karen makes excellent pies and the crème brûlée is always a great choice. Our favorites are lamb or steak. Try their brunch, made to order omelettes, delicious pastries., ham, bacon, bagels, smoked salmon...

Service and food was outstanding. Started with appetizers, rack of lamb with sweet and sour cherry…read moresauce and seared sea scallops with hot honey and garlic. Desserts sound so good we couldn't pass them trying them.

Free. Originally built as a tavern in 1797, the Farrar-Mansur House is now operated as a historic…read morehouse museum by the Weston Historical Society. The collection includes 18th and 19th century decorative arts and furnishings. The very friendly and knowledgeable host/tour guide was full of facts & details about both families who loved here. How cooking was done on wood fires in the fireplace. Learn about how so many "modern household conveniences" from back in the day were designed and constructed to serve a practical purpose from the materials at hand. The paintings on the walls of the drawing room were gorgeous. Depicted scenes of live in that era as well as infamous locals. The ball room up stairs was most impressive! Maintained solely by volunteers from Weston.

Been coming here for a few years now and just realized i never really left a review.... Welp here…read morewe go!!!!! To begin the welcomed my very large service dog with no qualms.... Already made me a regular.... With that customer service here is absolutely wonderful. Smiles, happy and interesting conversation and overall an extremely comfortable vibe. Located right in stratton village this is simply a no brainer stop. I had their smash burger and this thing was mouth watering!!!! Just greasy enough to add amazing flavor that melted perfectly with the cheese and crunched to perfection with the bacon on it. Accompanied by delicious fries and this made the perfect dinner after a long day of riding. An atmosphere friendly to family and solo travelers i recommend everyone visit 802 Barx

After a long day of being on the mountain, this place provided the opportunity to sit and have a…read morebeer along with some bar food. The best part was having the large screen tv to catch up with some of the games. The bar area was super packed and probably could have used several ore bartenders to handle the large group. I did not stay long but it was a nice place to kick back and have a drink and talk to other people.