Winter Wonderland-NH Edition

#NewHampshire #skiing #winter #winterwonderland #NewHampshire #Adventure #NHWinter #AirBnB #Vermont #Ludlow #Okemo #Bradford #MountSunapee #Lake #snow #NewEngland #RoadTrip #EpicPass #NorthEast #hiking #snowshoe #sledding #crosscountryskiing #downhillskiing #couplegoals

This Winter Break, I decided to adventure up to New Hampshire!After these 3 weeks, I was fortunate enough to be hosted by my boyfriend's family for a little over a week to enjoy more Northern New Hampshire and how to experience life as a local eskimo:)

Tips and Tricks for Winter in the North:

• Buy the Northeast Epic Ski Pass. My only real experience with skiing was the "accidental" black diamond my boyfriend took me on last year at Mount Sunapee. This year, after an incredible private lesson for only $174 at Mount Sunapee, I was able to ski and explore all of the different ski towns in Vermont and New Hampshire

• Invest in warm clothing! I stayed so warm in my Lulu Lemon Thermo Leggings and Free People underwear layers. I get cold so easily, and if I hadn't had the extra cozy warm layers, I probably would have been slightly miserably cold on this trip!

The Bradford Stay

I stayed at a lovely, cute and quaint AirBnb for 3 weeks in Bradford, NH. The location was a 20 minute drive from Mount Sunapee, 30 minutes from Crotched and about an hour from Okemo. During my stay here, aside from hiking and skiing at Mount Sunapee, I was fortunate to take a couple road trips. My first was straight up North to Gunstock Mountain and Lake Winnipesaukee area for a beautiful hike. I made many trips to go to Ludlow, VT for skiing at Okemo and enjoy fantastic hoagies from Singleton's General Store, which has the best bacon I have ever had! One night, I drove a little South into Boston (about an hour and a half away) to visit a girlfriend for dinner at the Citrus and Salt where we enjoyed phenomenal Lobster tacos, flash fried buffalo cauliflower, guacamole and of course many of their specialty cocktails! I also enjoyed skiing Crotched Mountain, which is a longer trail than most of the ones at Okemo, but Okemo definitely had more open than Crotched. Lastly, I was able to take a 45 minute drive by Dartmouth to visit my boyfriend's Hallmark Christmas Card town, Hanover, NH. We joined all the kiddos sledding at the Dartmouth Green and made many coffee runs to Lucky's Garage in Lebanon, NH for my ABSOLUTE favorite coffee- Oat milk Maple Iced Latte.

Attitash Northern Escape

Prior to crashing at my boyfriend's family's house for a little over a week, I really wanted to explore the White National Mountain area in NH. Every hike that I tried researching before the trip recommended this incredible National Forest, so I figured I had to see it (and having two mountains on the Epic Pass right there with a nice Epic Pass discount at the Grand Summit Attitash Hotel really sold me). So, two days before Christmas I booked a 3 night stay! The drive from Bradford was a little over 2 hours, and I drove straight to the slopes. The skiing in this area is much more intense than what I had been skiing by Okemo, so a couple slopes wore me out much faster. I still had some energy in me and decided to go for a run along the Echo Lake Trail, and walk across the lake! Once I was wiped out, and sufficiently starving, I drove into North Conway. This town is where one waits for the Harry Potter train to come pick you up! The cute stores range from ski stores and cafés to maple and fudge shops that along a street called "White Mountain Highway," which makes sense considering it aligns perfectly with gorgeous mountain views. I enjoyed a coffee and lunch at The Met, then proceeded to explore the town. My favorite store was Zeb's General Store, where you can easily find yourself there shopping for an hour and spending a heavy penny. A very fun place to purchase a variety of maple syrups and maple flavored things (like maple smoked cheddar cheese... YUM) as well as chocolates and fudge. My second day was spent at the slopes and a super earthy, mindfulness cafe / market called The Local Grocer to get a smoothie and some fun teas to try. One thing I love about NH/VT area, there is always a random branded Hemp or CBD herbal drink I have never heard of and would love to try!

Homey Comfort of Hanover

I was graciously invited to stay with my boyfriend's family for a few weeks before heading back South to North Carolina. For those of you who aren't familiar, Hanover town is where Dartmouth is located. This area is pretty much the classic 90's Christmas movie, North Pole Village setting! Their home is walking distance to EVERYTHING! The local Co-op, Dartmouth campus and beautiful hiking trails off of the Appalachian Trail. During my lovely stay, I had the best Thai food EVER at a little local restaurant, Tuk Tuk. My boyfriend, Simon, and his family go all out when it comes to take out at Tuk Tuk. I always enjoy trying the summer rolls, steamed veggie dumplings, and over course a phenomenal red chicken curry with extra veggies... if you are feeling bold, ask for the avocado curry.

Stowe, Vermont Ski Trip / Skating Trip / FUN!

Total game changer! In addition to loving some comfort food in the chilly weather, Simon and I took many ski trips. My favorite including our times at Okemo (duh!) and a full day in Stowe. Stowe is in Northern Vermont, and a massive ski area. You can hop on ski lifts that will take you from mountain to mountain to ski. We also took a gondola ride after skiing, just for the beautiful views overlooking the mountains. It is such a special spot and perfect because when you are done skiing for the day (when the sun begins to set, OR you get hungry like I do), you can grab a coffee, snack and then go iceskating in Spruce Peak Village. After iceskating we sat by a fire pit and met a lovely couple prior to heading down the mountain to dine for dinner at The Bench.