Fantastic hidden gem of a hiking trail with dramatic castle ruins steeped in local history and…read moreHAUNTED legend! It's beautiful- and eerie and spooky - especially in the moody fall weather. I love it so much I've been back twice on my visits to New England! The ruins are of the former castle and home to Madame Sherri - a costume designer from Paris that made a name for herself on Broadway. But what she was most known for was her wildly scandalous parties at the castle during the prohibition era! Sadly she eventually lost her fortune, the castle fell to ruins, and she passed away as a ward of the state. The spooky local legend says that if you stand on (or near) the stairs at midnight, a ghost (Mme Sherri?!!) comes and pushes you off!! This was such a popular legend that so many people would come stand on the stairs which sadly caused the top to collapse a few years ago and now you can't climb them at all. I only found out about all this bc I met a lovely local woman at one of my hotels that told me all about it! A fan of the Madame's, Anne Stokes, bought and cared for the entire estate and eventually gifted it to the Forest Society and eventually became the property of the Nature Conservancy who still maintains it thankfully! It's such a wonderful place! The entire protected area encompasses 513 acres and includes numerous trails around the ruins, as well as several ponds, a small brook, and bog lands full of wildlife. Just getting to the trail is quite the adventure - you're taken down eerie, rural New Hampshire backroads - not always the best maintained so be careful, especially with low clearance cars - it's pretty remote and I've never seen anyone else on the trails when visiting lol! The trail to the ruins is very short with hardly any elevation gain, but if you want a longer hike, the ruins trail joins up with the Anne Stokes loop and eventually with the much larger Wantastiquet - Monadnock Trail. There's a large gravel parking lot and lots of info signs at the trailhead with trail maps and info on all the history. Entrance is free but they do have QR codes for suggested donations of $5 to help maintain the ruins and property. There aren't any bathrooms that I could find so plan ahead.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this spot but it's an awesome ruin of a bygone era sitting in…read morethe middle of nowhere. Anything stone has appeal to me and thus didn't disappoint. I traveled a bit later in fall than I'd hoped but it was a beautiful day and well worth the daytrip from CT. Parking is easy though limited. We arrived early snd also hiked part of the loop so turnover in the lot isn't always quick. Unfortunately there is graffiti marring the stone and the support for the staircase looks to be deteriorating . It's still awesome with a great backstory.

A fascinating collection of old cars and equipment. Worth a visit. Pay what you willread more

Amazing place for kids and adults alike. Kids can play with this from past generations while older…read morefolks can see stuff from their childhood and before. We appreciate everything the Ice House Museum does for the community.

One of the most beautiful farms I've ever been to! They have a wide variety of rare apples and…read moredifferent fruits. Take a day trip out to pick apples and check out their stone masonry area which is very interesting. It's so beautiful, there are garnets in the stone!

The Scott Farm is one of my favorite places in Vermont. Lovely grounds, including beautiful stone…read morewalls and walking trails. But you can't beat the fall apples of many varieties. I pick up something different every year to try. I live locally, but it's one of my favorite places when I need a boost.

The Little Red Schoolhouse, built in 1817, was the boyhood school of Paul Harris, founder of…read moreRotary International. A small edifice made of red brick with a skyscraper of importance. It is a genesis and source of the 1.2 million organization of 35,000 clubs throughout 200 countries around the world. Paul Harris lived two doors down in a beautiful colonial home. But this was one of his homes, the other one being in Racine WI. The schoolhouse became the site of the Wallingford Rotary Club. Decades later, the building was transferred to the Rotary District. While the inside is a historical treasure, the memorial gardens outside are amazing. It is a beautiful historical site.

A ten-minute uphill walk to this tower that mental patients were ordered to build for physical…read moreactivity/to alleviate their illnesses. Sadly, when it was done, many started jumping off the top to their deaths, so of course I had to visit and see what this was like. Parked in the ski slope Farm Retreat parking lot and walked to the trailhead across the street. Worth seeing and hiking up to the tower as it's so quick, though you can't enter the tower/climb up it. Visitors put wildflowers at the base of the tower by the sealed door which was so nice. 5 stars!!!!

Since it was a beautiful day out we decided to take a little hike during lunch and thought that the…read moreRetreat Tower would be the best spot to go. This was the first time we have hiked up to the tower and we have to say that we were not disappointed. The walk itself was fairly low impact and didn't take very long. Once we got to the top we enjoyed sitting by the tower while taking in the serenity of the wood. Overall it was a great experience and we would totally hike here again.

Amazing place, having been the home of our 30th President, the place where he was born, established…read morehis business, the place where he took the Oath of Office, and the place where he and several generations of his family have found their resting place. Perhaps it is a view of a time when our people looked at the Presidency with respect. And with the incumbent of the Oval Office viewing his office as a Public service and not as a personal source of enrichment at the expense of our people. No gilded bathrooms, no creepy ballrooms, no disrespect to our nation. Coolidge was perhaps not our greatest president but very much a a part of our history The estate is more a village than a presidential residence, considering the Coolidge family both lived and worked in the hamlet. Excellent and friendly visitor center.

It is very evocative of 19th century life on a rural farm; I wouldn't last a week as a yeoman. I…read moreespecially enjoyed the "indoor outhouse" that our prior president used. Wonder how he would feel about the gold plated ones our current occupant of the White House uses. Admission is cheap cheap cheap by NY standards and there is one weekend at the beginning of the season that is free in all VT state parks and most attractions.

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

Beautiful spot! Beautiful coming here in every season- always a beautiful view and cool things to…read morelook at from fall leaves, flowers in spring and summer and winter snow. Love seeing the garden they have here. Great place to some for a walk and beautiful views. There's a visitors center with bathrooms that's open seasonally till about 4 or 5 pm. There are also bathrooms (not sure if seasonal) on the end closer to the bridge. Free parking on both sides as well.

This site is in the cute little town of Concord, and the site itself has a beautiful visitor center…read more(former Buttrick family residence) which contains a small informational exhibit. What's really nice is the outdoors. There's a garden space where you have a good lookout of the North Bridge, a significant location where the Minute Man faced the British Army. The path to the bridge is not too far of a walk, and you can see a beautiful memorial quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "the shot heard round the world." I also liked the plaque honoring the graves of the British soldiers since a lot of lives were lost on both sides for American Independence. The bridge is a great scenic walk and great to do for both history and nature lovers.

The French King Bridge is an interesting place to stop on The Mohawk Trail/Route 2/2A. There are…read moreparking areas at either end of the bridge. The bridge offers some nice views of the Connecticut River. This part of the river is heavily forested.

I love this bridge. When you're driving for hours along Rt 2, you can't really get a feel for the…read morebeautiful countryside you're in: you're surrounded by trees and hills. But then suddenly, you hit the French King bridge, and BAM: you can see for miles! It's gorgeous - not only for the view, but for the bridge itself, which was made back when aesthetics and function were more closely related to public works. Definitely stop and get out of your car and take a look. There are a few places to park your car on either side of the bridge.