My Favorite Vacation Spots

I’m giving away the best kept secrets today!!!  Okay to be honest most of you are going to be very disappointed because I love the mountains and I rarely leave New England. #sorrynotsorry

But regardless, I am going to share my favorite spots to get away and why.  These aren’t going to be your epic vacations, these are going to be your quiet, peaceful, ‘be one with nature’ getaways (with modern amenities).

1. Kyle and I have a favorite place.  It is Barnard, Vermont.  This is where we got engaged back in 2013.  There is almost nothing in this town except a state park on a tiny (no motors) lake and a perfect, adorable, delicious general store.  The general store is owned by two of my favorite people, Joe and Jillian Minerva.  They are such an inspiring young couple.  When they took over the store we were all excited, but nervous.  How would it be?  Well, they knocked it out of the park.  Everything Jillian cooks is exceptional, but her pancakes are world famous.  The lemon blueberry are my favorite.  And Kyle is always pleased with Joe’s beer selection.  Kyle and I like to camp at the state park and then every morning walk to the general store for coffee and a pastry.  We sit on the porch of the store overlooking the lake and just watch the world go by.  Another great thing about Barnard, we have no cell service!  HOLLA.  So when we go there, we shut off our cell phones and we get to completely unwind.  There are plenty of places to rent in Barnard or you can camp nearby.  This is truly a treat if you are looking to get away from it all! 

2. Rangeley, Maine - This one has a HUGE lake!  We highly recommend renting a place right on the lake with a private dock so you can have your peace and quiet and space.  Plus laying on a private dock all day everyday is the best!  At night, listening to the loons go crazy on the lake is truly amazing!  If you have never heard loons before, it is an unmistakable, beautiful sound!  There is some hiking around as well and lots of moose!  If you go to Rangeley and don’t see a moose I would be very surprised!  There are lots of great restaurants nearby as well.  We have really enjoyed going to the Farmer’s Daughter.  They have your basic necessities, wine and PIE!! Really delicious pie.

3. Anywhere in the White Mountains of New Hampshire!  I grew up going to the White Mountains of New Hampshire every summer to camp and hike.  I grew to love the mountains there even if I did complain about the hiking all the time, my parents planted a seed which turned into an intense love of the White Mountains and of hiking.  There are some great spots in the area that are worth visiting.  Littleton - there are so many cute shops and great places to eat including Schilling Beer Company and for a nicer dinner, The Beal House (legit sooooo good!).  In Bethlehem, right next door to Littleton there are a few shops and another great Brewery that serves food, Rek-Lis Brewing.  This is a cute little town to visit and has nearby hiking and walking trails.  Woodstock - Woodstock Brewing Company is basically the bomb.  They have delicious food and huge portions! And if you are a beer lover, you will enjoy their beer as well.  Woodstock is a cute little village with some shopping and a cute little ice cream shop in the warmer months.  Lincoln - Lincoln is a bit more built up and you can find just about anything you need there.  There is LOTS of shopping and Loon Mountain which attracts a lot of people.  It will be high traffic and busy busy with people but it's worth a visit.  Also my personal fave is the pirates cove mini golf.  It’s more sentimental for me than anything since we always went at least once while on vacation when I was a kid.  I don’t have kids so my suggestions are going to be adult-centric, but the White Mountains of New Hampshire have tons of activities that you can do with kids!

4. Treehouse in Newport, Vermont  - This is a little house built into a tree on the side of a pond.  It is truly secluded!  They have kayaks there so you can hit the water if you’d like.  But you can watch the amazing birds and HUGE turtles right from the deck of the place.  I would highly recommend this place in the warmer months (it is on our list to try in the winter tho!), but it is hard to get into!  There is also a hot tub - amazing!  It is not far from the Canadian border but we went during COVID so we were not allowed to go over.  The border actually crosses right in the middle of a town so it is super neat to see!  We ate at a wonderful German Restaurant near the border.  Very fun and yummy.  

5. Narragansett, Rhode Island - this is for my beach lovers.  Wonderful beaches, lots of yummy seafood and plenty to do! Minigolf, ice cream, bike trails, deep sea fishing and anything else beachy you can think of.  We love to go to Aunt Carries for some clam fritters and ice cream.  Great combo, I know!  When we go to Narragansett it is typically just to chill on the beach and read books.  It’s a low key adventure!  We do love to stop at Sunset Farms for food (local meat & veggies) and, of course, PIE!

6. Acadia National Park - we have vacationed here several times. It is such a beautiful park with beautiful mountains and beautiful views.  Mountains meet ocean is like the best everrrr! Be forewarned, this park is so popular and very busy during the summer months so if you plan to go during prime vacation time make sure you plan your trip in advance and make reservations for things you really want to do in advance. One of the highlights is to see a sunrise from the top of Cadillac mountain (you drive up) but you must make a reservation to go up. Another really fun adventure is a whale watch! I recommend booking in advance but I know you might like to get an idea of weather before you pick your date. We had luck booking the week of, but BARELY got in and that was just with two of us, so I would book a couple of weeks in advance if you can or just be aware you might not find a time slot if you wait til the week of. Acadia has some amazing spots!! Thunder hole, hunters beech, bar island, sand beach, and the list goes on. We love to hike so we have hiked just about all the mountains in the park at this point! We love to go to three Cats for breakfast (go early!)! So yum! There is also a lobster pound called Parson’s where you can get great seafood AND, you guessed it, PIE! Homemade blueberry pies! They have gotten very popular so go early and grab a pie or reserve one in advance. 

Okay, so these are my 6 to spots for a great summer vacation!  If you like lakes, mountains and pies, you won’t be disappointed 😉 <3