Seeing covered bridges in New England were one of the things that made me feel like I was in New England. I wanted to see a red roofed covered bridge (which we did). I think it would be so nice to see these covered bridges in the fall. Really any part of New England in the fall would be beautiful. We were lucky and saw several throughout the state.
Our trip started with a direct flight from Florida to Boston. While grateful our flight made it to Boston, there were delays and we arrived at 2am to our hotel. We started the trip out at Plymouth. We had to show the kids Plymouth rock. It’s rather anti-climactic because it’s just a rock, you can’t touch it, it’s behind some bars but you still go to see it. Plymouth rock is close to the may flower ship that was rebuilt to be like the first one. My in-laws went back to the ship a few days later and enjoyed touring the ship. The other thing that is screams New England to me is boats out at sea. We were in a harbor so there were lots of boats docked in the middle of the harbor.
Rhode Island
After we saw Plymouth, we went to Rhode Island to see the Breaker Mansion and the state Capitol. I couldn’t help but compare the Breaker Mansion with the Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore is grander in size, but the Breaker Mansion was more ornate. They are both beautiful. I noticed quite a few white/green hydrangea’s on the Breaker property and throughout New England.
Connecticut
State Capitols and temples were quick stops for us. We quickly saw the Rhode Island and Connecticut State Capitols and the LDS Hartford Temple. In Connecticut, we stopped at the Mystic Seaport Museum. It was quite warm on the day we went and most of the museum is outside. I could see how those boats would be a delight to walk around in the fall or spring. My kids did enjoy seeing the different boats and learned how to move barrels around a ship. We saw jellyfish in the water and that was highlight.
That evening we had dinner at Wood N Tap in Connecticut. After sampling Clam Chowders throughout New England, the one at this restaurant was my favorite. The chowder was creamy, and the potatoes were diced uniform and small. There were wikki stix for the kids to play with during the meal. This was way more fun than crayons (even the adults joined into the play). The restaurant is next to a river and a beautiful place to witness the sunset that evening.
Massachusetts- covered bridge
One of the covered bridges we saw was the Arthur A. Smith bridge. Another name for the bridge is the Colrain Covered Bridge. I found this one online because it had a red roof and it wouldn’t be too far out of the way to drive through. There was a large pile of mulch which my kids thought was exciting to climb upon and explore. We took some pictures, walked and drove through the bridge. Once you walk through the bridge, you’ll notice a quaint little poem about covered bridges inside.
Vermont
King Arthur Flour
I buy King Arthur flour and knew the headquarters was in Vermont. We stopped here for lunch and it was nice to walk around the bakery and see them making bread. Lunch was delicious- everyone had a hearty sandwich. On the way, my in-laws got berries from a local stand. We had soup, berries and sandwiches for lunch. It was quite filling.
Sugarbush Farms
After lunch, we stopped at Sugarbush Farm to learn how maple syrup is made. We of course purchased maple syrup – they are different colors and each taste different. We learned about how temperature dependent maple syrup is when we lived in Missouri. I saw brochures for other maple syrup farms, and I would be very curious to compare them all. The other ones I saw brochures for are the Goodrich’s Maple Farm, Morse Farm and Dakin Farm. I wonder who the first person was to discover if you boil down maple sap enough you get this delicious tasting syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup!
Joseph Smith Birthplace
Once we purchased some maple syrup, we drove to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial. It was actually quite interesting learning how the obelisk just stands there without support in the middle. You should plan on spending about two hours at the facility to hear the whole tour and have time to walk around. The missionaries at the facility of course were very kind and friendly.
Ben & Jerry’s
The next stop was the Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour. The flavor graveyard was the most memorable part to me. Flavors that are no longer in existence get to have a headstone. A funny reason/poem is written on the headstone to explain why it’s no longer a flavor. They gave us all a good laugh. The tour consisted of a short video about the history and company of Ben & Jerry’s, a peak at one of their production rooms and a tasting room. The flavor of the day was Churro. We have plans to take our kids to the grocery store so they can pick their own Ben & Jerry’s flavor. One of the top flavors for Ben & Jerry’s is Cherry Garcia. This information surprised us.
After Ben & Jerry’s, we went to the Vermont State Capitol and to dinner at Wayside Restautant in Montpelier. It was sad to see Montpelier because there was massive flooding. That restaurant was one of the few still open.
New Hampshire- covered bridge
Our third day in New England we headed to the white mountains to drive on the Kancamagus highway. We actually saw a black bear cub as we were driving through. No sign of the mother but I’m sure she was close. It was pretty exciting to see a bear in the wild. We did the Sabbaday Falls Trail. It’s a quick 0.7 miles. After the falls, we went to the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area a place the kids could wade in for a bit. Our last stop in the White Mountains was another red roofed covered bridge. This one was the Albany Covered Bridge and was constructed in 1858 and renovated in 1970.
We of course fit in a quick little stop at the New Hampshire state capitol on the way back to Boston. We picked up fast food on the way back into Boston. Had I known about this fast casual restaurant beforehand I would have eaten at is Mr. Mac’s. I hope it becomes a nationwide chain. So, what do you think are quintessential characteristics of New England? Would you agree that covered bridges are one of them?
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