Breakfast on the Connecticut

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Archive for the ‘Seasons at the Inn’ Category

Running In The Upper Valley

July 23rd, 2011 by donnanandersen

Western NH Trail Running Series

Western New Hampshire Trail Running Series

Though avid runners often schedule their big races in the spring or fall, the Upper Valley offers a number of summer races to help stay in shape and motivated.  The toughest local race comes near the end of summer with the CHAD Hero Half Marathon which begins and ends on the Dartmouth Green and will take runners on a looping course over several challenging hills in Hanover and Norwich on August 28, 2011.  The race stars at 9:00 am and raises money to benefit the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.  Off the pavement, the Western New Hampshire Trail Running Series will again explore the woods and the trails in seven Upper Valley towns.  The races which range from 5 to 8.7 miles, allows runners to explore Farnum Hill Reserve in Lebanon, Webb Forest in Sunapee and Fall Mountain Regional High School’s cross country trails in Langdon, NH among other areas.  The WNHTRS organizer, Chad Denning, maintains that once you go off the pavement for five minutes you will say ” Wow, I want more of this.”  If you plan to run in the CHAD Half Marathon, Breakfast on the Connecticut is offering a special room rate and donating $25 for each person that stays with us and participates in the event.  Whatever the season, the innkeepers at Breakfast on the Connecticut can direct you to the perfect spot for a “run in the valley”.

Super Quest – Solve the 12-Town 250th History Mystery

July 5th, 2011 by donnanandersen

Vital Communities

Vital Communities - Super Quest

If you have never done a Valley Quest before, this summer may be the time to try your hand.  Two hundred and fifty years ago, in 1761, Governor Benning Wentworth chartered the 12 “Middle Grant” towns.  “Super Quest” honors the 250th anniversary of the 12 Middle Grant towns: Canaan, Enfield, Fairlee, Hanover, Hartford, Hartland, Lebanon, Lyme, Norwich, Plainfield, Thetford and Windsor.  There are 12 clues, each leading to a different town.  Using maps, MapQuest or other tools, travel to your destination in search of the hidden word(s).  Visit all 12 towns and like magic – a secret word will be revealed.  Once you have solved the mystery, claim your commemorative patch and be entered to win the grand prize, a family Get-A-WAy to Lake Morey Resort.  First, visit VitalCommunities.org to register.  While registration is not required, it will enable you to get hints if you need them and ensure that Vital Communities has enough patches.  There is no rush!  You have until November 1 to finish the Quest.   Super Quest is a word puzzle and when the puzzle is complete a “magic word” will emerge.  For this historical quest, most of the towns chose their own answers, which include dates, numbers and names.  The Quest really tells a great story of the Upper Valley.  So stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut and spend your weekend questing!

Try Two Local Farmers’ Markets For “A Taste of the Upper Valley”

June 29th, 2011 by donnanandersen

Hanover Farmers' Market

Hanover Farmers' Market

The Hanover Farmers’ Market and the Lebanon Farmers’ Market offer unique opportunities to sample fare from our local farms and vendors.  On Wednesdays, July 6 to October 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. the Hanover Farmers’ Market can be found on The Green in Hanover, NH.  Bring home the makings for a fresh, locally grown dinner or grab a snack.  The market offers fresh produce, meats, herbs, cheeses, flowers, plants, dairy, baked goods and locally prepared foods.  Enjoy local music and demonstrations by the League of NH Craftsmen.  On Thursdays, July 7 to September 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. the Lebanon Farmers’ Market is located at Coburn Park, Lebanon, NH.  Local farmers, producers, crafters and artisans come together on the Lebanon Green to provide a variety of fresh produce, meat, baked goods and other treats.   There is nothing better than to make a salad of freshly picked greens or enjoy strawberry shortcake made from local strawberries or enjoy a glass of wine with some cheese from one of our local creameries.  And if you want to pick your own there are several PYO venues within minutes including Super’s Acres just down River Road where you can while the hours away sampling and picking blueberries.  Stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut and take some of this region’s bounty home with you.

Opera North’s 29th Summer Season

June 24th, 2011 by donnanandersen

Opera North - Rossini's Cinderella

Opera North's 29th Summer Season - Rossini's Cinderella

Opera North is proud to present this summer’s operas, Rossini’s Cinderella and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, two delightful works of love, humor and some of the most animated music ever written.  The season will open with a Gala Evening: Stars On Stage which will include an opportunity to enjoy fabulous singing, indulge in an Italian banquet and bid at live and silent auctions.   But it is the operas that you have really come for: The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart’s funniest opera and among the top ten favorites of all time containing some of the most beautiful music ever written: Cinderella, the fairy tale that we all know and love where goodness, love, and forgiveness win out and there is truly a happy ending.  Both operas will be sung in Italian with English subtitles.  Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Lebanon Opera House Box Office at 603-448-0400.  Stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut, the only B&B on the Connecticut River, attend the evening performance of the opera, and enjoy a wonderful full country breakfast the next morning.  If you have time take out one of our canoes and take a paddle on the CT River or bike some of our local picturesque country roads.

The “Robot Zoo” At the Montshire Museum of Science

June 15th, 2011 by donnanandersen

The Robot Zoo - Chameleon

The Robot Zoo at The Montshire Museum of Science - Chameleon

The “Robot Zoo” , a nationally touring exhibition, reveals the magic of nature as a master engineer.  Visit the Montshire Museum and explore the bio-mechanics of complex animal robots to discover how real animals work.  The robot animals and hands-on activities illustrate fascinating real-life characteristics of animals, such as how a chameleon changes colors and how a fly walks on the ceiling.  After exploring the robots you can go outside to the Science Park and float balls down The Rill, immerse yourself in the Water Dance exhibit and make amazing shapes with water at Water Bells.  The new Hughes Pavilion overlooking the Science Park offer visitors a respite from sun or showers and is the perfect place to have lunch.  Bring a picnic or purchase lunch from the King Arthur Flour bakers.  No longer do you need to leave the museum for lunch – King Arthur Flour’s offerings will include sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, chips, ice cream, cookies and cold beverages.  So stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut and take one day to explore the wonders of the Montshire – but don’t forget the towels (we will supply those), swimsuits and sunscreen!

31 Sites on the Upper Valley Section of the Connecticut River Birding Trail

June 15th, 2011 by donnanandersen

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Welcome to the Connecticut River Birding Trail, especially the Upper Valley Section.  The CRBT is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and their natural habitats.  There are 31 sites on the Upper Valley section of the Connecticut River Birding Trail, each with its own personality and wonderful natural attributes.  Lyme, the home of Breakfast on the Connecticut, has three sites: The Pinnacle, The Chaffee Wildlife Management Area and Hewes Brook Wetland along the Appalachian Trail.  All three of these areas have well-defined trails through a variety of terrain.  All are very productive birding areas and can be accessed best spring through fall.  The Birding Trail is a non-profit conservation-education initiative – their philosophy is that the more people get out and enjoy the land, the more they will respect natural areas and the wonders they highlight.  It is their hope that with increased involvement in, and appreciation for, natural landscapes, the public will be inspired to conserve and protect these and other special places, now and in the future.  Stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut and if you decide to explore sites on the CRBT we will give you a map that outlines all 31 sites.

10 River Towns Along the Connecticut River Byway

June 1st, 2011 by donnanandersen

Connecticut River Byways

Connecticut River Byways

“Connecticut” comes from the Abenaki word “Quinnetukut” which means “Long River”.  Begining its journey in the far northern reaches of New Hampshire in a chain of lakes emerging from a high elevation beaver pond and ending at Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River unites New Hampshire and Vermont for over half its 410-mile length.  The history of New England’s longest and most powerful river goes all the way back to the time of glaciers, the Abenaki living on its banks and to the colonial settlements whose architecture can still be seen in many of the Connecticut River Valley’s villages and towns.    It is the flow of people, commerce and culture that has characterized the history of the river.  Ten river towns , strung like pearls along the Connecticut River Byway in Vermont and New Hampshire, offer traveler information and services.  At the Waypoint Welcome Centers of Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Windsor, White River Junction, Wells River and St. Johnsbury, all in Vermont and Claremont, Woodsville, Lancaster, and Colebrook, all in New Hampshire, you will discover the special natural, cultural, historical, and recreational attractions of the regions served by each welcome center.  Stay at Breakfast on the Connecticut and ask for one of the Byway maps to begin to connect with the heart of New England.

The Prouty Celebrates Its 30th!

May 27th, 2011 by donnanandersen

The Prouty

The Putney Bicycle Club Riding In The Prouty

On July 9, thousands of riders and walkers will wind their way through the Upper Valley and the streets of Hanover for the 30th Prouty.  What started with four Cancer Center nurses riding 100 miles through New Hampshire’s White Mountains to honor their patient, Audrey Prouty and raise $4000 for research at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center has grown to 5000 participants with a monetary goal of $2.5 million.  This year for the first time, rowers will join the fun on the Connecticut River.  For the last 8 years, Breakfast on the Connecticut has captained the largest SAG (Stop and Go) stop located on the green in Lyme, NH.   Here dozens of volunteers will provide food, water, mechanical assistance, emergency assistance if necessary and lots and lots of words of encouragement and gratitude.  In 2010, even in the rain, the Lyme SAG serviced over 4000 participants.  Both volunteers and participants come together not just to ride, walk or row but to celebrate the courage of cancer patients and survivors.  We come together to thank caregivers, to support loved ones and strangers, and to raise money for crucial cancer research, patient services and hopefully, someday, a cure.   Visit The Prouty’s website and see where you fit in.  If you decide to ride, Breakfast on the Connecticut offers a 10% discount on room rates.  Can’t ride, we can always use an extra set of hands at the Lyme SAG Stop or a monetary donation, whatever the amount.  So let’s Prouty to celebate courage and find a cure!

New Hampshie Covered Bridges – Lyme’s Own Edgell Covered Bridge

May 25th, 2011 by donnanandersen

Edgell Covered Bridge

EDgell Covered Bridge, River Road, Lyme, NH

Covered bridges are placed throughout the state of New Hampshire.  “Kissing Bridges” as some affectionately call them are unique unto themselves.  They can reflect the town that they reside in, the artist or architect that designed them, and even the period that they were built in.  A picturesque New England Covered Bridge is more than just beautiful, covered bridges are practical and why our forefathers built them.  They provide a great place to walk in from the sun, to hide from the rain and to look down at the water that passes below.  Covered bridges also protect the structure from the harsh northern New England winters.  Breakfast on the Connecticut is less than a mile from the Edgell Covered Bridge that spans Clay Brook which feeds into the Connecticut River.  You can reach it in one of two ways – put on those sneakers and take a walk to the bridge and back.  What a great way to get in some exercise before breakfast!  Or, put on those sneakers and take out one of or canoes paddling to the bridge – you can go under the bridge and explore the large pools of water that make up Clay Brook.  And don’t forget to bestow that kiss on your significant other!  For many years we had our children convinced that the horn of the car would sound every time we passed through a covered bridge – they eventually discovered the slight of hand but they asked us to continue with their children.  Covered bridges are magical places.

Holt’s Ledge, One Of Over 50 Upper Valley Hiking Highlights

May 24th, 2011 by donnanandersen

View From Hol's Ledge

Sunset From Holt's Ledge

Located in Lyme, Holts Ledge is an easy dayhike  of 2.2 miles roundtrip.  Holts Ledge is a precipitous cliff with fine views to the east.  The cliff edge is fenced off not only to protect unaware hikers on foggy days, but also to protect the peregrine falcons who nest on the cliff.  Before being protected by the Endangered Species Act, peregrines were driven out of New England by the ravages of DDT, which thinned their egg shells and caused the eggs to break before the chicks were mature enough to survive.  Holt’s Ledge was one of the first sites in New Hampshire where peregrines were successfully reintroduced.  The gentler northern slope of Holt’s Ledge is home to the Dartmouth Skiway. and also the route of this dayhike.  Breakfast on the Connecticut is 7 miles from the Skiway and Holt’s Ledge.  You will travel east from Route 10 on Lyme-Dorchester Road to the parking lot of the Dartmouth Skiway, which is also the trail head.   If given advance notice and for a small fee, Breakfast on the Connecticut will pack a picnic that can be enjoyed on this outstanding dayhike.