New Hampshire is the state that doesn’t get enough credit and tends to be forgotten. This was my first time vacationing here and I’m not sure why it took me this long! Our first stop was Newfound Lake which is situated in the lakes region of central New Hampshire. It’s a glacial lake fed by 8 springs, has 22 miles of shoreline, and is one of the cleanest lakes in the U.S.! While camping here we kayaked, hiked, and ate a lot of good food. Here’s the details:
*all links are attached to the names*
Where We Camped
Davidson’s Countryside Campground. This campground was relatively close to everything. There are several things to do right on site too! The campground lays on a river with a rope swing and beach. It’s kept clean with bathrooms, playgrounds and a pool.
What To Do
Visit the The Breck – Plankey Spring for some incredibly fresh spring water. Some of the best water I’ve ever had.
Hike! Here’s the trails we loved: Little Sugar Loaf (moderate), Big Sugar Loaf (moderate) Profile Falls Trail (beginner), White Mountain Ledge (moderate) and Crockett’s Ledge Trail (moderate)
Kayak, swim, explore any of the MANY lakes in the area! We kayaked in several spots but our favorite was by far Newfound. The lake has 22 miles of shoreline allowing you to get out and walk or float around and relax in crystal clear waters. One of our favorite days!
Food / Drink
The Purple Pit! If you like a strong coffee, come here. Chris and I grabbed a drink every day – they also have a large food menu & great breakfast sandwiches. There isn’t many cafes in the area but this spot certainly knows how to make a killer iced latte. I highly recommend!
The Homestead is a great spot for dinner. This restaurant was built in 1788, and is said to be the oldest house standing in the town of Bristol. There are three dining rooms + outdoor seating as well. I don’t know about you, but I love a little history with my dining experience.
Twin Barns Brewery is a fun place to stop and try a flight of beer or play some cornhole. They have indoor seating, a patio with picnic tables, and an entire outdoor area with tons of games + some great bar food. Perfect for a family to grab a quick bite!
Our next stop was Portsmouth. Portsmouth, NH, located about an hour north of Boston, is one of New England’s most popular port towns. With plenty of interesting shops, wonderful places to eat, and the beach!
Where We Camped
Sea Coast Camping and RV Resort. This place was amazing! Private yet close to shops, restaurants and the beach. Everything is kept up and CLEAN + the people were so friendly. We were very pleased with our stay here.
What To Do
Go to the beach! Whenever I go on vacation there’s nothing I want to do besides enjoy THE BEACH so thats exactly what we did. We swam, walked, read our books and explored all of North Hampton area on foot. If you go further down (Hampton Beach) there is a boardwalk with several shops that you can pop in and out of.
Food
Nothing beats a classic lobster roll. You can find these all over NH area but my personal favorite was this one is from Markey’s Slobster Pool– toasted bun and all!
Petey’s Seafood & Barhas all the fresh lobster and a massive menu! This spot is really fun – it’s decorated with thousands of colorful buoys and the outdoor seating area has a beautiful view
I could talk about Throwback Brewery all day… their food is farm fresh / made with all local ingredients, the atmosphere is incredible, staff is SO friendly and because it’s a farm the area is located in a wide open field far away from all the other congested beach spots. This food was the best I had on our NH trip and Chris agrees. Also, the drinks?! I’ll be sharing about them in the drink section below…
The Green Room! This cute cafe is located in the more commercial area of Hampton Beach. They have amazing smoothies, bowls, salads, bakery bagels and sandwiches – all with vegan & gluten free options!
Al’s Seafood is a great place to pop by with kids and grab a quick bite – the menu is huge with several options + they have a store located inside where you can by lobster, clams, tuna…to bring home! We grabbed two large lobsters for my parents right before we took off on our last day.
Last but certainly not least –The Beach Plum. This little shack offers a variety of items including lobster rolls, wraps, salads, and my favorite part: 78 flavors of ice cream! This one was located right across the street from North Hampton Beach but there are several locations along the coast.
Drink
The Juice Box was not even a mile away from our campsite and truly had some of the best fresh pressed juice I’ve ever tried in my life. Everything is made fresh with local ingredients.
Coffee Break Cafe is also located in the more commercial area of Hampton Beach – near the boardwalks. I grabbed coffee here one morning and it amazing!
Smuttynose Brewery was such a treat! The outdoor area was magical, staff was quick/kind and there was live music. I got the Tangerine IPA & Chris got the Back Swing IPA. I recommend both!
Our favorite spot again –Throwback Brewery. The drinks here are out of this world… I got the Moscow Mule Sour and Chris got the Spicy Bohemian. A MUST TRY.
Did you know there were so many cool things to do in New Hampshire? I feel we barely scratched the surface. This road trip was an amazing adventure, and we can’t wait to go again!
