Cut your own Christmas Tree in New Hampshire

November 18th, 2011 by billwebb

We still have a week to go before we feast on Turkey and all the fixin’s, but we can’t help but think about the Christmas season that will follow. One of our favorite parts of Christmas is cutting a tree and then decorating it with our collection of special ornaments. We’ve been collecting dated ornaments since our first Christmas together which means we now have 35 plus in the collection. Each one brings back memories which we share as we hang them on the tree.

If you want a great Christmas tree we recommend Glove Hollow Christmas Tree Farm in Plymouth, NH. They have a large selection of live trees ready for cutting and cut trees ready to take home. Tree cutting day is a family tradition which we’ve conducted for years. We spend lots of time as a group picking out just the right tree that will look great in our living room. At Glove Hollow you can drive your own car into the field area or take a horse drawn (sometimes tractor drawn) wagon. It’s great fun.

Now would be the time to plan a weekend getaway to the Inn On Golden Pond, our Holderness, NH bed and breakfast, which would include quality New Hampshire lodging, cutting your own tree, attending one of many holiday craft fairs or musical performances and doing some tax free shopping.

Snowww!

Plymouth NH entertainment and bed and breakfast lodging

October 14th, 2011 by billwebb

Fall foliage is winding down and November and December will bring a slower pace to Squam Lake and the Inn On Golden Pond. While the bright fall colors will be gone and the general color will be gray there is something refreshing about November. With no foliage you can see so much in the woods – rock formations, buildings, stone walls – that simply are hidden from May through October. It’s a great time to take a hike with scenic vistas everywhere.

Here at the Inn we have a crackling fire going each evening making our sitting room a great place to snuggle up with a glass of wine or to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep you’ll enjoy the peace and quiet that takes over at this time of year. And the aroma of fresh coffee in the morning will entice you to the dining room for one of our great country breakfasts.

During the off season we enjoy all the local entertainment available in the area. The Silver Center at Plymouth State University and the Flying Monkey Performance Center in Plymouth are two wonderful venues which offer great shows throughout the year. If you spend a night with us in November or December and attend a performance at either location we’ll discount your room by a dollar amount equal to one ticket. It’s our way of supporting our local entertainment centers.

So if you’re looking for quality accommodations to get in a little down time give us a call. We provide some of the best bed and breakfast lodging in the Plymouth and Holderness area.  This is the time to visit New Hampshire – the quiet season, but a season filled with great entertainment.

 

Enjoy an evening by the fire

The New Hampshire Highland Games and Squam Lake lodging

September 9th, 2011 by billwebb

The 36th New Hampshire Highland Games will be occurring on the weekend of Sept. 16, 17 & 18. This event is the largest Scottish cultural festival in the Northeast and features music, dance, athletics and customs of the Scottish people. The Inn On Golden Pond is an easy 30 minute drive from the site of the games – Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH.

This is just one fun weekend! Here are some of the highlights.

  • the Gathering of the Scottish Clans, with over 60 clans and societies
  •  Massed Bands
  •  Sheepdog Trials
  •  Celtic World Music Concerts
  •  the New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Championship
  • International Scottish Athletics
  • New England  Highland Dance Championships
  •  New England Solo Piping & Drumming Championships
  •  Scottish Harp (Clarsach) & other instrumental competitions
Enjoy a couple of days at the games and a couple of nights at our Squam Lake NH bed and breakfast. It’s a great combination of unique entertainment and luxurious lodging.

New Hampshire Fall Foliage on Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee

August 30th, 2011 by billwebb

As we get to the end of August the days are cooling down slightly and the evenings are definitely cooling down. It’s a great time of the summer, but as the days get shorter we realize fall is just around the corner.

Fall is our favorite time On Golden Pond. Now is the time to be thinking about booking an October visit to our Holderness B&B. The area surrounding Squam Lake and throughout the White Mountains will be ablaze with color. Reds, yellows, oranges… Mother Nature’s true art work is on display with the beautiful trees everywhere in the northeast.

Of course, what better way to enjoy the fall beauty than by spending a few days at a country inn/bed and breakfast. Experience our exceptional New Hampshire lodging where you’ll be pampered in our comfortable, spacious guest rooms and in the morning with our full country breakfast. Spend the days driving through the mountains or hiking the numerous trails in the Squam Range or the White Mountains.

And fall is also a great time to be on Squam Lake or Lake Winnipesaukee. Plan to include a boat tour on either lake during your visit.

“On Golden Pond” movie/play celebrates 30th anniversary on Squam Lake

August 13th, 2011 by billwebb

Just a reminder to everyone that starting Wednesday, August 24 and running through Sunday, Sept. 4 the Little Church Theater right here in Holderness will be presenting “On Golden Pond” as  the Squam Lake area and all of New Hampshire celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of the classic film. The play is exceptionally well done and a bonus is that it is being directed by Ernest Thompson, author of the play and the screenwriter for the movie.

The play ran for two weeks earlier this summer and we, as well as a number of guests, were fortunate enough to see it. It’s a great evening of entertainment and each performance is followed by an opportunity for conversation with the author and/or the actors. This truly is a once in a lifetime experience.

Of course, Squam Lake was the setting for the film and the name of our bed and breakfast/Inn is a result.

We still have rooms available for all dates except Labor Day weekend. So call now to reserve!

You'll still find the classic wooden boats on Squam just like in the movie "On Golden Pond."

Quality Arts & Crafts in Meredith Plus Quality Lodging in Holderness, NH

August 5th, 2011 by billwebb

Summer is flying by! Looking ahead we realize that it will soon be time for the 32nd annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival in Meredith. On Saturday and Sunday August 27, 28 there will be over 100 juried artists and craftspeople selling their products in downtown Meredith. A portion of Main St. will be closed as tents and booths will pop up housing a wide variety of wonderful art work, crafts and food. In addition there’s live music throughout the weekend – and it’s all free!

If you’re looking for a Meredith, NH  bed and breakfast you should check out the Inn On Golden Pond. We’re an easy 15 minute drive from downtown Meredith, located in Holderness on the shores of Squam Lake.  We offer high quality lodging conveniently located at the northern edge of New Hampshire’s lakes region. Our comfortable rooms offer the perfect night cap to a day spent browsing through the Arts and Crafts Festival.

The Festival runs from 9:00 – 5:00 both Saturday and Sunday.

The Lakes Region Fine Arts & Crafts Festival

Visiting Ashland, NH? Our Squam Lake bed and breakfast offers quality lodging close by.

July 17th, 2011 by billwebb

If you plan to visit Ashland, NH you’ll find that our Squam Lake bed and breakfast is close by. We offer quality lodging which is only 2 miles from downtown Ashland. Right off  Interstate 93, Ashland lays claim to being the exact geographic center of New Hampshire which means we are close to virtually all of New Hampshire’s major attractions as well as the White Mountains. So whether you want to enjoy the lakes in the summer or ski the slopes in the winter this is the place to be.

Here’s a short history of Ashland as it appears in Wikipedia.

“Ashland was once the southwestern corner of Holderness, chartered in 1751 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. But hostilities during the French and Indian War delayed settlement, and in 1761, it was regranted as New Holderness (although “New” would be dropped in 1816). Settled in 1763, the town was predominantly agricultural except for Holderness Village on the Squam River, with falls that drop about 112 feet (34 m) before meeting the Pemigewasset River. The falls provided water power for mills, and in 1770-1771, a sawmill and gristmill were built. The Squam Lake Woolen Mill was established in 1840. Goods manufactured at local factories included hosiery, gloves, sporting equipment, wood products and paper.

The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849, carrying freight but also tourists bound for hotels on the Squam Lakes, to which they traveled by steamer up the Squam River. The interests of the industrialized settlement increasingly diverged from those of the farming community, however, and in 1868 Holderness Village was set off as Ashland, named for Ashland, the Kentucky estate of Henry Clay. The last textile mill, the L.W. Packard Company, would close in 2002, and Ashland is today a residential and resort community.”

Ashland Grist MillSquam Lake bridge - Ashland, NH

An old grist mill (now an office building) and a covered bridge are two great sites in Ashland.

Our Squam Lake Inn/B&B is close to Franconia Notch

July 9th, 2011 by billwebb

This past week we took an afternoon break from the Inn and made a quick trip to Franconia Notch where we had a picnic lunch at Boise Rock. The day was absolutely glorious, mid 70′s, sunny with a slight breeze. The Notch is one of the most scenic spots in New Hampshire and is only about 30 minutes north of our Squam Lake bed and breakfast. It’s wonderful that we can be in the heart of the White Mountains in such a short time since the Holderness/Plymouth area is so central to virtually all of New Hampshire’s attractions!  For those who like to hike there are several trails right in Franconia Notch including Lonesome Lake, Mt. Pemigewasset which is the forehead of the famous Indian Head, and Artists Bluff. You will also find the Flume Gorge and the Basin here, both well worth the stop.

Here’s the story as it appears on the historic marker of how Boise Rock got its name.

“Thomas Boise, a noted teamster of this region was sledding through the Notch in mid-winter, soon after the first road was built. Overtaken by a fierce snowstorm, he was unable to continue on. Realizing he must take drastic action to survive, he killed and skinned his horse. Crawling under the overhang of this rock, he wrapped himself in the hide and spent the night.

Men sent out the next day to search for him found Tom still alive but encased in the frozen hide that had to be cut away with axes in order to release him.”

 

The view from our picnic table at Boise Rock

 

Holderness, NH celebrates its 250th birthday

June 22nd, 2011 by billwebb

August 5 – 8 will be a special weekend in the town of Holderness as it celebrates its 250th birthday. There are lots of activities planned ranging from a grand parade to a pancake breakfast hosted by our local fire department.

A group of wonderful volunteers has been planning the event for months and they’ve thought of everything. At various times throughout the weekend there will be a folk concert, a street dance and a square/contra dance. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center will be offering free admission and the Historical Society will be the scene of many activities. There will be an appearance by the nationally famous Mattatuck Fife and Drum Band and lots of historic re-enactments and self guided tours of historic sites. You can get more details and updates at the Holderness 250th website.

If you’re planning to be in the Plymouth, NH or Meredith, NH area that weekend you should definitely make a point of visiting Holderness at some point. A celebration like this really represents small town New Hampshire at its best.

Of course, beautiful Squam Lake is a great place to visit anytime. Check out the quality lodging we offer at our lakes region bed and breakfast/country inn. We’ll help make your visit to Squam a memorable one.

We're not 250 years old, but here's a picture from the early days of the building we now call The Inn On Golden Pond. Time and lots of tender loving care sure makes a difference!

 

 

Looking for Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion lodging? Try our NH bed and breakfast.

June 13th, 2011 by billwebb

If you’re looking for some musical entertainment in a fun and unique venue you should check out the Meadowbrook  U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford, NH near the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. This a wonderful outdoor facility which features big name artists. It’s conveniently located a half hour from our Squam Lake bed and breakfast. Seats are available under a covered Pavilion or out in the open, including an open lawn area. There is also a restaurant on site if you’d like to include dinner in your plans, although seating is limited and you need to reserve ahead of time.

This summer you can see great shows by performers as varied as Toby Keith and Bob Dylan. Or perhaps you’d like to spend an evening with Chicago or Lady Antebellum. You can catch them all right here in the lakes region.

Why not plan a New Hampshire getaway, treat yourself  to a concert and spend a couple of nights in our country inn? Be pampered in one of our spacious, comfortable guestrooms and enjoy a generous home cooked breakfast each morning. If you’re searching for lodging in the Meredith or Gilford area you’ll find we’re just a short distance away and worth the drive.

BOB DYLAN AND HIS BANDLADY ANTEBELLUM

Bob Dylan will be performing on Aug. 19 and Lady Antebellum on Sept. 4.