Meredith’s 18th Annual Community Yard Sale Next Weekend

For treasure hunters of all kinds, Meredith will be the place to be next Saturday. The whole village is coming together to hold their Annual Community Yard Sale, and antique enthusiasts, collectors, and bargain hunters from all over New England will be setting their destinations for this little lakeside village.

Sponsored by the Meredith Area Chamber of Commerce, the 18^th Annual Community Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, May 18^th from 9 am – 3 pm at over fifty locations in the Meredith area. According to Susan Cerutti, Executive Director of the Chamber, the event has become a fun tradition for folks in the Lakes Region of NH. Read the rest of this entry »

Two Unbeatable Venues for Spring and Summer Concerts in the Lakes Region

Delbert McClinton will be at The Flying Monkey on May 17th.

Concert season is shaping up to be a great one in the Lakes Region, with some really big names lined up to play at two of the premier stages in NH. The Flying Monkey and Meadowbrook have booked a lot of international stars this year, and they are adding new acts almost everyday—it won’t be long before their summer concert schedules are full!

The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center in Plymouth has been hosting fabulous performing artists year-round since 2010, and it seems the shows keep getting better and better! “The Monkey” features several movie series, nationally and internationally recognized bands and solo artists, well-known comedy acts, and community theater productions. Just in May, Rockapella, Phil Vassar, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Delbert McClinton, among others, will grace the stage at the Monkey. Tickets to these shows are selling quickly, so get yours soon! While you’re there, check the Monkey’s diverse schedule for upcoming shows through next fall. Read the rest of this entry »

The Arts Collaborative Offers “Crazy Creative Kids” during April Vacation Week

Gabriella indulges her creativity at The Arts Collaborative.

For children who will be on vacation in the Lakes Region next week, a wonderful opportunity for fun and creative self-expression awaits at the Arts Collaborative Teaching Studio in Meredith…

On Monday, April 22^nd, Tuesday the 23^rd, and Wednesday the 24^th from 9:30 to 12:00, The Arts Collaborative will host “Crazy Creative Kids,” a program to encourage children to stretch their imaginations, try new things, and have a blast! Kids ages 6 – 12 are welcome to join in the fun, led by experienced teaching artists Heidi Little and Cynthia Robinson. Read the rest of this entry »

February Vacation Art Days at The Arts Collaborative

Ella shows off her artwork at the Teaching Studio!

Fun things to do during February vacation abound in the Lakes Region! After your kids have had some outdoor fun, bring them inside to warm up their creativity—there are some great children’s art programs lined up at The Arts Collaborative, where the resident artists invite you to “Come on over and get your Art on!”

The Arts Collaborative Teaching Studio in Meredith, NH is a place to really explore imagination and innovation. In addition to the regular schedule of classes, the studio has put together some special sessions for kids on break from school next week. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, February 25 – 27 from 9:30am to noon, the “Crazy Creative Kids” program will take place. Children ages 6 – 12 are welcome to join in the fun, led by experienced teaching artists Heidi Little and Cynthia Robinson. Read the rest of this entry »

Some Outdoor Activities for Vacation Week in the Lakes Region

Visitors might see a mountain lion at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center!

School vacation is just around the corner, and whether your family has this coming week or the following week off for some downtime, the Lakes Region of New Hampshire has some great activities going on that will reconnect you and your loved ones with nature and with each other. In addition to the usual skiing, snowboarding, skating, and tubing activities that are abundant in New England, there are some wonderful programs near Lake Winnipesaukee that offer something a little more…

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness is offering several programs for kids and adults. Their Wild Winter Walks lead explorers ages 6 and up on a trek that uncovers some answers about what happens to animals during winter. A staff naturalist guides your walk and discusses how native animals are well adapted for winter in New Hampshire. During school vacation weeks, the Science Center is also hosting a couple of bird banding events, an ice fishing workshop, and other winter explorations! Read the rest of this entry »

NH Winter Farmers’ Markets—a Great Local Resource!

Remember the long days, warm sun, and bountiful farmers’ markets and produce stands of summer? Now that we are deep into winter, those days seem a long way off. But the good news is that farmers’ markets still abound—they’ve just moved indoors for the season. Even during the coldest of cold spells, folks in New Hampshire can get fresh veggies and other goodies directly from local farms!

Here in the Lakes Region, there are a couple of great markets to choose from: Read the rest of this entry »

Boston Chronicle Visits the Inns & Spa at Mill Falls

Shayna Seymore interviews Rusty McLear.

While The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls and the surrounding village of Meredith, NH are popular Lakes Region destinations, well known to many people within as well as outside the area, these local treasures are about to gain an even wider audience and greater exposure, as they have been featured on a Boston travel show that is scheduled to air tonight!

Shayna Seymore and Bob Oliver from Boston Chronicle visited Meredith last month on October 15^th and 16^th, staying overnight at the Lodges at Church Landing, the latest addition to the Inns & Spa at Mill Falls. The two were in town to film a segment for a series that the show produces called “A Tank Away,” which features great places to visit within a tank of gas from Boston. The special series is filmed every season, and the Chronicle crew timed their visit to coincide with the peak of fall foliage in the Lakes Region. Read the rest of this entry »

Explore the Lakes Region During NH Open Doors Weekend

Inside “The Arts Collaborative” Gallery: Collaborative TV Lift Cabinet and Lamp featuring woodwork and copper metal panels by Steven Hayden Arts, wrought iron frame by Winnipesaukee Forge; Copper-glazed raku-fired ceramic Wishing Vessels by Steven Hayden Arts; Wrought iron branch and candlesticks by Winnipesaukee Forge

As we begin to embrace the beauty of autumn, thoughts turn to road trips and wandering through quaint towns with all the unique galleries, shops, and restaurants that each village has to offer. This is also a great time to visit farms, orchards, and wineries, as the harvest is now brimming with the fruits of the summer’s work and new ciders and wines are now ready to enjoy. In an effort to promote the best New Hampshire products and crafts and make it easy for visitors to find our hidden treasures, several organizations have come together to create NH Open Doors, an annual weekend-long touring and shopping event that spotlights the extraordinary talents that make New Hampshire such a special place.

This year, NH Open Doors takes place the weekend of November 3^rd and 4^th. The statewide event began in 2005 as the League of NH Craftsmen Open Studio Tour, focused on promoting the artwork of the League’s juried members. In 2008, the League partnered with New Hampshire Made to attract more participants and a wider audience. The two groups expanded the tour to encompass a broad range of New Hampshire products, services, and attractions, renaming the event NH Open Doors. During the Open Doors weekend, visitors to the Granite State can find distinctive products that are made in New Hampshire, get a jump on holiday shopping, and enjoy special events, such as craft demonstrations and workshops, hayrides, food samplings, special menus with local foods, and musical performances. Read the rest of this entry »

Columbus Day Weekend in the Lakes Region

Fall Foliage Special Train, Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad

This is the pinnacle of the season—the sun is warm, the air is crisp, and the colors throughout the Lakes Region are glorious—welcome to autumn in New England! For residents and visitors to New Hampshire, the high point of fall has long been Columbus Day Weekend, when peak colors often coincide with the three-day holiday. This year is no exception, with the foliage expected to be very colorful in the central part of the state over the next few days. Here are some fun ways to enjoy the scenery this weekend: Read the rest of this entry »

New Ways to Leaf Peep in NH!

It’s that time already—the air is crisp and the warm sun is shining on the bright colors of early fall. Some of the leaves are beginning to turn red, orange, and yellow as the foliage season gets underway in New Hampshire, and there are now some great new ways to track how the colors are progressing and plan your autumn trip to the Granite State to catch those colors at their brilliant peak!

The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development’s website, Visit NH, has a foliage tracker that maps out the colors as they change day-by-day and region-by-region in the state. To find out where in New Hampshire the leaves are at their peak, visitors to the foliage tracker page just need to hover the cursor over a date on the calendar for a quick map view of the predicted color range, from green to peak to past peak, or click on an individual region for a detailed foliage report. Read the rest of this entry »