Find fun and interesting Great Things to Do in Monadnock

Get away from the everyday with a visit to a New Hampshire campground. Stay in a tent, RV, cabin, cottage, lodge – even a yurt! – and enjoy activities from horseshoes and fishing to snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Hike, bike or take a cog railroad up a pine-scented mountain or kayak a pristine pond, river or lake. From your camping site in the woods, near the ocean or in a meadow, check out the Granite State’s historic sites, quintessential New England towns and acres upon acres of natural splendor. Visit our website for a handbook with all the details for individual parks, from whether they are pet-friendly to which ones have cottage rentals, pools, fireplaces, tennis courts, live music – or cable TV.

Penny quilts? Yes, you quilting people know what that means, and, if you don’t they are a fun way to begin quilting and making unique gifts for yourself and friends. Pickering Farm Quilt Shop at 19 Fitzwilliam Road in Richmond is in an 18th century restored barn. You will find 3000 bolts of 100 percent cotton, notions and supplies of all kinds, and hundreds of antique reproduction fabrics from 1780 to the 1930s. Also: wool for penny rugs, books and patterns, and a fabulous gift line. Fun and inspiring! Open year round Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 603-239-7550

Racing fans don’t need to vegetate indoors during the winter. On Sunday afternoons from January to March the hosts Jaffrey Ice Racing Association stock car races on a quarter-mile oval track on Lake Contoocook in Jaffrey. Of course, Mother Nature has to cooperate; the races take place only if the ice is just right. Check the Facebook page.

This place is a gold mine for weaves and knitters. Harrisville Designs on Main Street in Harrisville is a family-owned and -operated business founded in 1971 to preserve and re-establish the economic vitality of the historic 18th century textile village of Harrisville. Woolen yarn has been spun in the water-powered, mill town of Harrisville since 1794. This village in the Monadnock Highlands is the only industrial community of the early 19th century that still survives in America in its original form. 603-827-3996.

The sweet little cottage at Pickity Place on Nutting Hill Road in the town of Mason has stood for more than 200 years (historic note: Pickity is the setting for Little Golden Books’s 1948 version of “Little Red Riding Hood”). These days, the cottage is a place to enjoy peaceful gardens, a greenhouse shop, and elegant gourmet luncheons accented with herbs and edible flowers. Open daily, year-round. 603-878-1151.

New Hampshire’s military history dates to the 1600s; one in every ten citizens has served in our nation’s military. The concept led to the creation of the Veterans Heritage Learning Center on the grounds of the NH State Veterans Cemetery at 110 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Boscawen. The center will house exhibits of NH heroes, a multi-media Foot Locker theater with hands-on exhibits and military items from various wars and services, a Journey of the NH Soldier time line, and an interactive Hallowed Grounds touch table. Through the 20 Points of History constructed in 2000, and updated in 2015, along with the Memorial Walkway, visitors gain knowledge of New Hampshire veterans who have served our country. Open weekdays, concurrently with the cemetery.

Vacation is time for indulgence, and New Hampshire has a chocolate and martini road trip that can guide you through some fabulous flavors of both of these intoxicants. In the Mondanock region, a good place to start is the town of Walpole, home to L.A. Burdick Chocolate Shop and Café at 47 Main Street in Walpole. The cafe offers an extensive variety of pastries and drinks in a serene environment. It's also the location of Burdick’s chocolate and pastry production facility (603-756-2882). Also in Walpole, stop at Bellows House Bakery for one of its famous Whoopie Pies and other prize-winning baked goods (800-358-6302). 

Hannah Grimes Marketplace on Main Street in Keene is a education center and incubator for New Hampshire products, crafts, and artwork. For visitors, the Marketplace is a great place to browse for local foods, including maple syrup, children’s books, and luxuries from fancy shampoos to original art. Think about your gift shopping for the next several months, and go explore what Hannah has to offer.  603-352-6862.

There’s no reason to be craving fine chocolate, cheese, or wine on a visit to the Granite State. The state’s tourism and farming people have creating a marvelously helpful and also beautiful brochure -- available as a pdf -- of New Hampshire’s Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Trails . A simple and useful map heading the brochure is followed up by detailed listings of wineries, vineyards, cheese makers and chocolatiers. Drive and taste, drive and nibble, year-round. Fall brings bright foliage but all the seasons have great visuals from the car.