This weekend is a busy time in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with the Great Meredith Rotary Fishing Derby and the 82nd Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby both occurring over the next few days. The weather forecast is encouraging with no major storms expected. The snow and ice conditions are excellent, the best in years for both events.
Our Holderness B&B is very close to Meredith, NH where the fishing derby will be headquartered. However, fishermen hoping to win the derby will be spread all over the Lakes Region including on Squam Lake as tagged fish have been stocked in many lakes across the area.
The sled dog race is just a few minutes farther away following a route through Laconia near Lake Winnipesaukee.
These two events are great examples of the great winter recreation the Holderness/Meredith area has to offer. Take advantage of the fun and enjoy luxury lodging at affordable rates here at our Meredith/Holderness bed and breakfast.
We have a new addition to our area recreational scene. The new Plymouth State University ice arena is a state of the art facility and appears to be the first all “green” arena in the country. Everything from the geothermal refrigeration and heating system to the lighting was designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
The arena is home to the Plymouth State’s men’s hockey team and women’s hockey team, but also offers programs to the general public including open skate sessions, youth hockey, broomball, learn-to-skate and learn-to-play-hockey sessions. It’s a gem for the area!
The ski season has started here in central New Hampshire. Loon Mountain, Cannon Mountain and Waterville Valley are all open and satisfying the desires of those skiers who’ve been waiting for the new season to start ever since last season ended. These three mountains are about 30 minutes from our Holderness/Plymouth area bed and breakfast. So if you stay for a weekend or a few days midweek you can ski a different mountain each day.
There’s new ownership at Waterville Valley with indications there will be many upgrades and improvements. At Cannon Mountain there’s been some expansion with the addition of Mittersill ski area and some new lifts. It’s great to see the industry continuing to add new features all the time.
Cross country skiing will start up later this month assuming Mother Nature provides us with some natural snow. Temperatures are cold enough so it shouldn’t be too long. We are cross country skiers and one of the things we like to do is return to the Inn at the end of the day and curl up next to a crackling fire in the sitting room. Add a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate and you feel like you’ve found your little piece of heaven! Of course, besides the inviting fire our guests get a great breakfast to start their day and the opportunity to retreat to a cozy guest room when all is said and done making for the perfect New Hampshire getaway weekend.
So if you’re going to ski NH and are looking for quality lodging give us a call.
The start of the school year is right around the corner. Our bed and breakfast accommodations offer a great lodging choice for those seeking a Plymouth, NH hotel or an inn near Holderness School. Parents who are dropping off their sons or daughters should check out our quality lodging. Each room is uniquely decorated in traditional country style with our highest priority being your comfort. We blend a comfortable, home-like atmosphere with great professional service. It’s just the right balance.
Of course, drop off day is not the only reason Holderness School parents may want to visit campus. There are athletic events, musical and theater performances and much more throughout the school year. So if you’re looking for Holderness School lodging give us a call. We’re only ten minutes from campus located in Holderness by Squam Lake.
The weekend of August 20 – 22 will feature the White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues Festival which takes place just to the north of us in Thornton in the Pemigewasset River Valley. The three day event is the largest outdoors Blues festival in New Hampshire and is now celebrating its 14th year. If you’re a Blues fan this is the place to be. The lineup of performers includes 4 of this year’s Blues Music Award winners.
This festival is just one example of the wonderful entertainment opportunities near our Squam Lake bed and breakfast. We offer quality lodging near Plymouth, NH which is where the New Hampshire Music Festival performs throughout the summer months. During the school year the Silver Center for the Arts at Plymouth State University has a full schedule of music and theater and that venue is only 10 minutes from our Holderness inn.
We have some great summer theater in Meredith which is just to our south at the tip of Lake Winnipesaukee. So if you need accommodations and are looking for a Meredith, NH inn or bed and breakfast you should give us a call.
No matter what your taste in music you’ll find something to your liking here in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. But hurry – summer’s almost over!
A great day at the White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues Festival
Last night we enjoyed an evening out taking in a wonderful performance of “Chicago” at the Summer Theater in Meredith Village. What a great job these young performers do! We are very fortunate to have such professional theater here in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. This particular troupe performs throughout the summer at the Interlakes High School in Meredith. “Chicago” will run for two weeks followed by two weeks of long time favorite “Camelot” and then the season ends with a two week stretch of the Broadway hit “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Performers are primarily college students and recent graduates who come for the summer from all over the country. We envy their energy and are in awe of their acting, singing and dancing talents.
The theater is an easy 15 minute drive from our Squam Lake B&B. With performances beginning at 8:00 pm it’s convenient to have a leisurely dinner beforehand at one of the area’s many excellent restaurants. And after an evening of great entertainment you get to retreat to your comfortable room here at the Inn On Golden Pond for a great night’s sleep. How can you resist?
Close by entertainment like this is just one more reason to choose our Holderness Inn when you’re looking for Lake Winnipesaukee or Squam Lake area lodging.
Roxy and her lawyer preparing for trial in a scene from “Chicago”
Happy 4th of July! What a great stretch of weather we’ve had and the forecasters say we’re in for several more days of sunny, hot conditions. Well have no fear the Inn On Golden Pond offers air conditioning in all our guest rooms so you can expect to have a cool time during your visit with us.
This weekend featured several fireworks displays in central NH. On Saturday both Sandwich and Ashland set them off and on the 4th itself Center Harbor and Meredith held their displays. We’ve always enjoyed the fireworks in Center Harbor, sitting on the lawn by the town library and viewing the spectacular show as they burst out over the bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. Of course, there’s a concert at the town gazebo preceding the fireworks and the local scouts are selling food and drink. Kind of takes you back in time.
Squam Lake has been very active this weekend as boaters officially kicked off the summer season. This is truly a great time to be in the lakes region of New Hampshire. Although it’s not all about the lakes. Several of our guests decided to take a journey north yesterday driving up to the top of Mt. Washington - two of them on motorcycles. The peak of the mountain is certainly one place to beat the summer heat, in fact last Thursday they had snow at the top!
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.
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.
This week we had a free afternoon so we decided to take a hike in Sandwich Notch. The Notch is about a 25 minute drive from our Squam Lake inn, down Route 113 meandering beside Squam lake and out to the quintessential New England town of Sandwich, NH. Here we picked up the Sandwich Notch road which is about 14 miles long, open only in the good weather, and best traveled with an SUV. There are numerous trails which can be accessed along the road.
We chose the Guinea Pond trail for a special reason. Last year we hiked this trail and discovered two things. First the trail doesn’t actually take you to Guinea Pond – close, but not to the shoreline. The maintained trail stops short of the pond and the vegetation is too thick after that to find your own way. The second thing we discovered which made the hike really worthwhile were dozens of Lady Slippers. I’m not sure where else in the New Hampshire lakes region you can walk to see so many of these rare wildflowers. We have 50 acres surrounding our bed and breakfast and I’ve never come across one on our property.
We picked a great time for this walk. The Lady Slippers were abundant and there were lots of other wildflowers to enjoy as well. So we’ve made a mental note to do this every year around the 1st of June.
There are wonderful walks and hikes throughout the Lake’s Region, around Squam Lake and in the Squam Range. I think that’s why many people who are searching for New Hampshire lodging decide to stay with us. The area is perfect for those who want to get out and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature. For those who might not be so ambitious there’s always the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center right here in Holderness within walking distance of our bed and breakfast. The Kirkwood Gardens are stunning, filled with perennials and well maintained by a crew of volunteers.
Lady slippers we found on the Guinea Pond Trail in Sandwich Notch
New Hampshire’s Lilacs in Bloom
Black Bear around Squam Lake New Hampshire
Loon Mountain, Waterville Valley – Great New Hampshire Skiing
P.O. Box 680 | Route 3