Archive for June, 2010

The Inn On Golden Pond – a New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast close to it all.

June 26th, 2010 by billwebb

Franconia Notch was a busy place last Thursday as ground was broken for the Old Man of the Mountain Memorial. The Old Man was a New Hampshire icon, a natural formation on the side of Cannon Mountain which when viewed at a certain angle looked like the profile of an old man.  After hanging on for thousands of years the Old Man fell in May of 2003. Since that time a group has been busy raising funds to design and build a memorial.

When the memorial is finished it will feature several slabs of sculpted granite lined up and when viewed from the right angle will give viewers a similar profile to that of the original Old Man.

Our Holderness bed and breakfast is just about 30 minutes from the site. Franconia Notch has always been one of our favorite spots. In our opinion it offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. The Notch is also home of the Flume which is a great hike into a rocky gorge with beautiful waterfalls.

The Inn On Golden Pond is one New Hampshire B&B close to just about everything. Whether you’re looking to spend a day in our beautiful lakes region or want to experience the White Mountains we’re centrally located for both. We have some suggested day trips on our website which will help you in your planning.

We hope you enjoy the attached video which shows some of the beautiful highlights of Franconia Notch including several images of the Old Man.

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A Squam Lake walk and a refreshing swim in Center Harbor near our New Hampshire Inn/B&B

June 19th, 2010 by billwebb

One of our favorite walks in the New Hampshire lakes region is in Center Harbor at the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest. This conservation area has about 200 acres of woodlands right on the shore of Squam Lake. There are a couple of small sandy beaches and several walking trails – all of which are on flat ground. Over the years we’ve often escaped to this spot for a peaceful picnic lunch or a quiet stroll through the woods.

One year we canoed from the Squam Lakes Association headquarters to the forest (about an hour’s paddle) with the intention of having a relaxing lunch. When we got there we realized it was peak blueberry season and the blueberry bushes along the shoreline were chock full of new berries. Well, we spent our lunch hour picking berries and then had to gulp down our sandwiches and hurriedly make the return trip in time to reach home before check-in time.

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The Chamberlain-Reynolds Forest is about ten minutes from our Holderness B&B. It’s one of the more popular area hikes with our guests, especially those who are looking for a peaceful place on the lake to take a swim. It has no facilities and does require about a ten minute walk to get to the beach, but the setting makes it all worthwhile.

What better combination than quality New Hampshire lodging at the Inn On Golden Pond, a great walk on some of New Hampshire’s prettiest landscape and a dip in New Hampshire’s premier lake?

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Motorcycle Week at our New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast

June 17th, 2010 by billwebb

We are entering what is commonly called Motorcycle Weekend. Although many participants don’t know it this event dates back 87 years and celebrates the oldest motorcycle race in the country. What started as a few motorcyclists racing around a dirt track has grown into a social event which draws more than 200,000 bikers to the New Hampshire lakes region each June. Our Squam Lake bed and breakfast has been the New Hampshire lodging choice for many attendees over the years. Many bikers really appreciate our comfortable rooms at the end of a long day of touring New Hampshire’s back roads. And no matter how late they’ve stayed out socializing they never miss one of our hearty country breakfasts which get them going in the morning.

The headquarters for this rally is Weirs Beach which is twenty minutes south of us. There you’ll find bikes of all kinds, people of all sorts and vendors of all varieties. It’s a real happening and lots of fun. Of course, if you don’t own a motorcycle that doesn’t mean you can’t join in. You can drive from our Holderness inn/bed and breakfast to Meredith just to our south and then hop on a shuttle train or boat which will take you directly to Weirs Beach. No traffic, no hassles.

The towns around us – Ashland, Center Harbor, Meredith, Plymouth and Sandwich all play host to the thousands of bikers who show up for this event. But we’re just far enough away from the center of action to make it a desirable spot for those who want to be close, but not in the middle of things. In another three days all the motorcycles will disappear and we’ll be back to listening to the loon calls on the lake rather than the rumbles of the Harleys.

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Inn On Golden Pond – A Great New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast

June 6th, 2010 by billwebb

You can imagine that we’ve hosted lots of folks over our 25 years here at the Inn and many of them several times. In fact, our record holders for the most visits to the Inn On Golden Pond have been here 37 times!  Just recently we had two couples return for visits that meant a great deal to us. The first couple was last here 18 years ago. The second hadn’t been with us in over 21 years!  In both cases the pressures of raising families had interfered with their ability to make a return trip to our New Hampshire bed and breakfast. But what made their visits special to us was that they had such fond memories of the Inn from years ago that they chose to return to celebrate special occasions. Both couples recalled specific interactions they’d had with us when  they last visited. And believe it or not we remembered both of them after all these years and all the guests who’ve passed over our threshold since.  Our special thanks to Steve & Sally, and to John & Nancy. It’s people like you who have made our innkeeping years so meaningful. We decided to share some kind comments that Steve submitted to Trip Advisor after his visit.

“My wife and I had visited the Inn three times previously, the most recent 18 years ago. Kids and life interfered in the intervening years to prevent us from returning. In celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary, we planned a return and then delayed that by 13 months.

Regardless, the Inn remains an excellent place for a quiet, romantic weekend getaway. We had a beautiful room. Bill and Bonnie have clearly invested in the facilities over the years. They have always been and remain extremely gracious hosts. They provided great suggestions for dinner and local activities (we did a hike on Saturday and another on Sunday. In warmer weather, we rented a canoe on Squam Lake).

Overall, a great place to spend a weekend with that special someone in your life.”

Thanks to all of you who when visiting Holderness and New Hampshire’s Lakes Region have picked our Squam Lake country inn/bed and breakfast as your lodging choice.

Deer Lodge at the Inn On Golden Pond

Deer Lodge - the room chosen by Steve & Sally

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Need a Meredith New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast? Try us.

June 3rd, 2010 by billwebb

The New Hampshire Lakes region is pretty compact which makes it easy for visitors to see a variety of sites without having to move from lodging place to lodging place. Meredith, NH is just 15 minutes south of us so if you’re looking for a Meredith bed and breakfast the Inn On Golden Pond should be high on your list.

Meredith is a charming town located at the northern end of Lake Winnipesaukee. It’s the home to several very good restaurants and some great shopping. The town has developed an inviting park along the shoreline of Lake Winnipesaukee and there is a wonderful walkway/boardwalk which follows  the edge of the water. It’s a great place to take an evening stroll, perhaps with an ice cream cone in hand.

There is also top notch summer theater in Meredith. Summer Theater in Meredith Village offers musicals throughout the summer season. Performances are held at the Interlakes High School just a short distance from the downtown.

Of course, there’s quite a difference between the activity level on Lake Winnipesaukee and that which you’ll find here on Squam Lake. Squam is more low key offering an excellent place for canoeing, kayaking and smaller motor boats. And while Squam Lake is the state’s second largest it is considerably less developed than its larger counterpart Lake Winnipesaukee. It’s nice to be able to stay in Holderness where things are quieter, but have access to the hustle and bustle of Meredith and similar towns in the lakes region.

So if you’re looking for a B&B in Meredith you might want to think about traveling up the road a few miles to Holderness and to our quality bed and breakfast – the Inn On Golden Pond.

Lake Winnipesaukee Sunset

Lake Winnipesaukee at sunset

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