New Hampshire 2011 - Trip Summary

Day 2.5 – Monday Afternoon              

When we left Cannon Mt. we were hungry and decided to go in search of a place my cousin had heard about – Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill.   We found it quite easily, and got in line for a table.  The place was packed.  

We were seated along the windows and ordered our meal.  I opted for chicken salad rather than pancakes that day, but my cousin got the pancakes and really liked them.  It was an interesting place, and I can see why it has received some notoriety.  When we were there it was very noisy and crowded, so that detracted a bit from the experience.

Across the road is the farm where they get their maple syrup, and from the parking lot, there is a lovely mountain vista.

After lunch, we drove around Sugar Hill and went to the Harman’s Cheese Country Store.  This is another cute place with some tasty cheeses, maple syrup, and lots of tourist “stuff”.  (I bought Maple Coffee)

Then it was off to Lincoln where we found Clark’s Trading Post.  Oh-My-Goodness!  There were people EVERYWHERE.  It was difficult to find a place to park!  The store is fairly large, and was so crowded it was hard to get through the aisles and see the merchandise.  I think this is the place where every “New Hampshire” souvenir that has ever been made is sold. 

Clark’s biggest claim-to-fame is the Bear Show.  We got to see a bear, but we did not stay to watch the official show.  They also have a railroad station and train rides as well as an old town for kids to explore.    This place just screamed “tourist trap” to me, but lots of people were into it – lots of people with KIDS. 

We didn’t stay long at Clark’s.  Next we went to Woodstock where we visited some cute shops.  Their general store is also sort of a museum to the Maple Syrup industry.  It was interesting to see the equipment that is used for processing the syrup. 

By the time we visited a few shops in Woodstock, I was exhausted and ready to be finished being a tourist for the day.  We headed back to the hotel.  Dinner that night was at Stickney’s which is a pub-style restaurant on the lower level of the hotel.

Here is what we could see of Mt. Washington from the veranda when we got back from our adventures.  As you can see, it would not have been a good day for a trip to the top.