Find fun and interesting Great Things to Do in Monadnock

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

The Monadnock Region is also home to some of the best bird watching in the state. One suggestion is to take the auto road to the summit parking lot in Miller State Park on Route 101E in Peterborough. A short trail leads from the parking lot to an observation platform with rock benches. Large interpretive panels provide visitors with a key to identifying the raptors of New England. The best days for viewing are warm and sunny, with winds from the northwest, especially during September. Hours: The park is open weekends only starting Memorial Day weekend, then full-time from June through November, weather permitting.

Cathedral of the Pines at 10 Hale Hill Road in Rindge is a simple, inspiring monument to patriotic sacrifice. Two hundred acres of pine forests and formal gardens give way to panoramic views of neighboring mountains. Sibyl and Douglas Sloane founded the Cathedral of the Pines in 1945 as a memorial to men and women who had sacrificed their lives in World War II. They envisioned that their cathedral without walls would welcome people of every faith in a spirit of unity and mutual respect. Within this property is the Altar of the Nation, built with stones from all 50 states, the Parthenon in Athens, the Coliseum in Rome, and some American battlefields. Open daily from May through October for tours and private meditation. Phone: 603-899-3300.

Come of southern New Hampshire in June and July for rhododendron delight. At Rhododendron State Park at 424 Rockwood Pond Road (Route 119W) near Fitzwilliam, wildflowers and glorious rhodies bloom throughout the 2,723-acre park from early spring to the first frost. A wildflower trail winds through the forest. The park also is home to a 16-acre grove of Rhododendron Maximum, which bloom in mid-July. Phone: 603-532-8862

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.

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.