Cover Stories – Page 30

Best of 2022

Hippo readers have a lot of opinions.

This year’s Best of 2022 Readers’ Poll features, for the most part, five winners for each category — five favorites, the top five opinions about what makes a great place for a second date or a good spot to let the kids run wild.

All these “readers’ bests” mean lots of recommendations for places to go and things to do (and eat — as always we ask a lot of questions about eating). Along the way, we also got readers’ opinions on their feelings about Zoom meetings (the answer will not surprise you), their feelings about the best 5 o’clock drink and we even delve into one of the most heated debates of our time: is a hot dog a sandwich?

This year, we’re also offering up some quotes from readers. Because our poll asks open-ended questions — no multiple choice or drop-down menus — we get lots of funny, sweet, smart and smart-alecky answers and reading them is one of the true perks of tallying the results.

Looking for some opinions on a new place to grab a slice or a place to get that perfect cocktail? Hippo readers have some thoughts …

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The Fine Print

This survey is for entertainment purposes only and all results are final.

The results of Hippo’s readers’ poll are based on readers’ answers to a poll conducted online in February. Readers typed in the names of people and locations they voted for. In situations where the vote is tied or otherwise unclear, Hippo editorial staff makes an effort to determine the will of the greatest number of voters.

Hippo reserves the right to disqualify individual votes, ballots and/or entries when they are incomplete or unclear, do not meet the letter or the spirit of the question asked or otherwise do not meet the requirements to make them a usable vote. Hippo’s editorial staff makes the ultimate determination of the winners in the categories. Hippo’s advertising staff and its advertisers play no role in the determination of the winners. All results are final.

The Best of 2022 is a celebration of all things local and is meant to serve as a snapshot of the people and places in southern New Hampshire. Large national and international chains are, for the most part, not included in the count.

Information presented here is gathered from sources including the location’s website and social media pages. Double check with the spots before heading out to make sure times, locations and menu items haven’t changed.

Questions, comments, concerns? Did we get an address or phone number wrong? Do you have an idea for a new category? Let us know. Contact editor Amy Diaz at [email protected]. Corrections will appear on the first page of the news section in future issues. Is your favorite category missing? Categories change regularly, with some categories taking a sabbatical and new categories introduced, so please send your suggestions for a category for next year.

And, again, all results are final.

Arts

Best Performing Arts Venue

Best of the best: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org

Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelohall.com
Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com
Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, 293-4700, banknhpavilion.com
Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, banknhstage.com

Best Theatrical Production

Best of the Best: Mamma Mia!, mainstage production of the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) ran Oct. 15 through Nov. 14, 2021.

The Full Monty, mainstage production of the Palace Theatre ran Jan. 28 through Feb. 20, 2022.
A Christmas Carol, mainstage production of the Palace Theatre ran Nov. 26 through Dec. 22, 2021.
Recycled Percussion, drumming group performed at the Palace Theatre Dec. 27, 2021, through Jan. 8, 2022, recycledpercussion.com.
Barefoot in the Park, performed by the Community Players of Concord at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord) Oct. 15 through Oct. 17, 2021, communityplayersofconcord.org.

Best Local Place to Buy Art

Best of the best: Craftsmen’s Fair, nhcrafts.org. The annual nine-day craft fair hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is held outdoors at Mount Sunapee Resort starting the first week of August. It features hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths, plus special craft exhibitions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more.

Manchester Craft Market, Mall of New Hampshire, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, manchestercraftmarket.com. Year-round gift shop features handmade items by more than 125 local artisans.
League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Concord Fine Craft Gallery, 36 N. Main St., Concord, 228-8171, concord.nhcrafts.org. The craft organization’s flagship retail shop and gallery features a variety of traditional and contemporary crafts created by juried New Hampshire craftspeople.
The Museum Shop at the Currier, Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org. The gift shop offers art supplies and gifts for artists and art-lovers, including novelty items inspired by the museum’s special exhibitions.
Concord Arts Market, Rollins Park, Concord, concordartsmarket.net. The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first market will be held on Saturday, June 11.

Art Gallery with the Most Surprising Art

Best of the best: Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org. The internationally renowned art museum, founded in 1929, has permanent and rotating exhibits featuring American and European paintings, sculptures, photographs and more by notable artists such as Picasso, Monet and O’Keeffe, as well as local and regional artists. Its next special exhibition, “Warhol Screen Tests,” opens on March 31 and will feature projections of film shot by Andy Warhol in the 1960s.

Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery, 32 Hanover St., Manchester, 493-1677, dianecrespoart.weebly.com. The gallery, owned and operated by local artist Diane Crespo, features Crespo’s oil and pastel realism landscapes and offers art classes and workshops for all ages and abilities.
Art 3 Gallery, 44 W. Brook St., Manchester, 668-6650, art3gallery.com. The fine art retail gallery features art in a variety of media and styles by local, regional, national and international artists, and offers custom framing and corporate and residential art consulting.
Art Up Front Street Studios & Gallery, 120 Front St., Exeter, 418-6286, artupfrontstreet.com. The artists’ collective features seven working artist studios, open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and hosts art events, workshops and demonstrations. Its Spring Open Studios will be held on Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Concord Fine Craft Gallery, 36 N. Main St., Concord, 228-8171, concord.nhcrafts.org. The craft organization’s flagship retail shop and gallery features a variety of traditional and contemporary crafts created by juried New Hampshire craftspeople.

Entertainment

Best Bookstore

Best of the best: Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com

The Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com
The Toadstool Bookshop, Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St., Nashua, 673-1734, toadbooks.com
The Toadstool Bookshop, 12 Depot St., Peterborough, 924-3543, toadbooks.com
Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water St., Exeter, 778-9731, waterstreetbooks.com

Best Comic Book Store

Best of the best: Double Midnight Comics, 245 Maple St., Manchester, 669-9636, dmcomics.com

Merrymac Games and Comics, 550 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 420-8161, merrymacgc.com
Jetpack Comics, 37 N. Main St., Rochester, 330-9636, jetpackcomics.com
Double Midnight Comics, 341 Loudon Road, Concord, 715-2683, dmcomics.com
Chris’s Comics, 341 S. Broadway, Salem, 898-4151, chriscardscomics.com

Best Mini Golf

Best of the best: Chuckster’s Family Fun Park, 9 Bailey Road, Chichester, 798-3555, chuckstersnh.com. Opening for the season in Chichester on April 9.

Mel’s Funway Park, 454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 424-2292, melsfunwaypark.com. Open seasonally from April to October, weather permitting.
Chuckster’s, 53 Hackett Hill Road, Hooksett, 210-1415, chucksters-hooksett.com. Opening for the season in Hooksett on April 9.
Legends Golf & Family Recreation, 18 Legends Drive, Hooksett, 627-0099, legendsgolfnh.com. Open seasonally; 2022 operating dates TBA.
Mammoth Green Driving Range & Mini Golf, 135 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 432-4653, mammothgreendrivingrange.business.site. Open seasonally; 2022 operating dates TBA.

Best Spot for Some Friendly Competition

Best of the best: The Rugged Axe, 377 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7846, theruggedaxe.com

Game Changer Sports Bar & Grill, 4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 216-1396, gamechangersportsbar.com. The sports bar is known for its indoor cornhole facility.
RelAxe Throwing, 157 Gay St., Manchester, 782-3061, relaxethrowing.com
Leda Lanes, 340 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-4884, ledalanes.com
Lakeside Lanes, 2171 Candia Road, Manchester, 627-7722, lakesidelanes.com

Nightlife

Best Bar for Live Music

Best of the best: Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net. Live local music is usually featured six nights a week, from Tuesday through Sunday, with an emphasis on blues artists. See Frankie Boy & the Blues Express on Friday, April 1, and 2120 S. Michigan Ave. on Saturday, April 2, at 9 p.m. respectively.

The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com. Live entertainment is featured multiple nights a week — a typical week will usually include Open Mic nights on Mondays, solo performances on Tuesdays, live music on Friday and Saturdays and a thBest emed “Rap Night” on Sundays.
The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com. Live local performances are held at The Derryfield every Friday and Saturday evening, from 8 to 11 p.m. Next up is Blue Matter on Friday, April 1, and the Chad LaMarsh Band on Saturday, April 2.
The Goat Bar and Grill, 50 Old Granite St., Manchester, 222-1677, goatnh.com. Live entertainment is usually featured seven nights a week at 9 p.m. (21+ only starting then), with a focus on country and pop artists. Catch Rob Pagnano on Friday, April 1, and The Pop Disaster on Saturday, April 2.
The Stumble Inn Bar and Grill, 20 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 432-3210, stumbleinnnh.com. Live music is usually featured Thursdays through Mondays at The Stumble Inn. See Jonny Friday there on Friday, April 1, and the Casual Gravity Band on Saturday, April 2, from 8 to 11 p.m. each evening.

Best Bar with an Outdoor Deck

Best of the best: The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com

Backyard Brewery & Kitchen, 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com
The Stumble Inn Bar and Grill, 20 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 432-3210, stumbleinnnh.com
Downtown Cheers Grille & Bar, 17 Depot St., Concord, 228-0180, cheersnh.com
Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., Manchester, 644-3535, murphystaproom.com

Best Pub

Best of the best: The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com

Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net
The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com
The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern, 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com
The Wild Rover Pub, 21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722, wildroverpub.com

Best Weekly Bar Event

Best of the best: Ruby Room Comedy, Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. at The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com

Open Mic Nights with Nate Comp and Paul Costley, Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. at KC’s Rib Shack, 837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net
Heather Abernathy: Trivia Bee, Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. at The Farm Bar and Grille, 1181 Elm St., Manchester, 641-3276, farmbargrille.com, and Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. at Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com. Find her on Facebook @manchestersbesttrivia
Trivia with Steve, Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. at The Alamo Texas Barbecue & Tequila Bar, 99 Route 13, Brookline, 721-5500, alamobarbecue.com, and Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. at The Pasta Loft Restaurant & Brewing Co., 241 Union Sq., Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com. Find him on Facebook @triviawithsteve
Trivia Nights with Bill Seney, Thursday nights at 7 p.m. at The Hop Knot, 1000 Elm St., Manchester, 232-3731, hopknotnh.com

Best Spot for a Second Date

Best of the best: The Rugged Axe, 377 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7846, theruggedaxe.com

RelAxe Throwing, 157 Gay St., Manchester, 782-3061, relaxethrowing.com
Classes with 603 Charcuterie (various breweries, wineries and other locations; see 603charcuterie.com/classes or find them on Facebook and Instagram for the full schedule)
Copper Door Restaurant, 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033, copperdoor.com
Hampton Beach, Route 1A, Hampton, hamptonbeach.org

Restaurants

Best Restaurant Overall

Best of the best: Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com

Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com
The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com
Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Best New Eatery

Best of the best: Tucker’s, 95 S. River Road, Bedford, 413-6503, tuckersnh.com. Arriving in the former Outback Steakhouse on South River Road in Bedford in October 2021, this is the sixth Tucker’s restaurant overall and also the largest — the local diner chain has five other locations, in Hooksett, Dover, New London, Concord and Merrimack. Tucker’s features a menu of breakfast items like omelets and scramblers, and lunch items like sandwiches and bowls, plus a rotating selection of specials, while the new Bedford spot introduced new menu concepts for the brand, like fresh juices, smoothie bowls and brunch-based cocktails.

New Hampshire Pizza Co., 76 N. Main St., Concord, 333-2125, newhampshirepizzaco.com. The latest venture of longtime Concord restaurateur Joel Harris, who opened the first Dos Amigos Burritos location in Portsmouth before coming to the Capital City four years later, the New Hampshire Pizza Co. opened in the former Crazy Goat space in January 2022. This full-service dine-in restaurant features brick-oven artisan pizzas as its centerpiece, along with salads, brunch items, cocktails, homemade ice cream and more, with the overall focus of highlighting locally produced ingredients.
Hare of the Dawg Bar & Grill, 3 E. Broadway, Derry, 552-3883, find them on Facebook @hareofthedawg. Longtime Derry couple Kevin and Lesley Decker opened this family-friendly downtown bar and grill in early January 2022, taking over the space that had long been occupied by the C & K Restaurant on East Broadway. The eatery features a wide variety of comfort foods, craft beers and cocktails, with a 24-seat custom bar built from the ground up by local woodworker Matt Daily.
The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern, 16 Gusabel Ave., Nashua, 864-0175, luckymoosecasino.com. A sister establishment of The River Casino & Sports Bar just off Main Street in the Gate City, The Lucky Moose opened in July 2021 as New Hampshire’s newest casino, complete with daily games of blackjack, roulette and Texas hold ’em, as well as a full bar and an elevated tavern menu out of a scratch kitchen. You’ll find it in the former Bugaboo Creek Steak House in the Nashua Mall plaza — it has even kept the moose structure that adorns the roof with a brand new set of antlers.
Elm House of Pizza, 102 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5522, elmhop.com. This neighborhood restaurant and bar opened in the old Theo’s space in March 2021, channeling the nostalgic vibe of the 1970s downtown favorite of the same name among Manchester locals. You’ll find what co-founder and business partner Tim Baines calls a modern twist on the traditional house of pizza, featuring everything from house pies and appetizers to fresh seafood dinners, pastas, burgers and more.

Best Fine Dining Restaurant

Best of the best: Hanover Street Chophouse, 149 Hanover St., Manchester, 644-2467, hanoverstreetchophouse.com

Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com
Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com
Bedford Village Inn & Restaurant, 2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com
Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com

Best Restaurant From Which to Get Takeout

Best of the best: The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com
Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
Dos Amigos Burritos, 26 N. Main St., Concord, 410-4161, dosamigosburritos.com
Georgia’s Northside, 394 N. State St., Concord, 715-9189, georgiasnorthside.com. Currently only open for catering and pop-up events. Regular operations are due to resume this May.

Best Food Truck

Best of the best: B’s Tacos & More, nhtacotruck.com. Find them seasonally outside the BP Gas Station (2 Mohawk Drive, Londonderry), usually from May to December. A brick-and-mortar location is also open year-round at 372 Kelley St. in Manchester.

Messy Mike’s Barbecue & Catering Co., messymikesbbq.com. Find them seasonally in the parking lot of Rockingham Acres Greenhouse (161 Rockingham Road, Derry) most Thursdays through Sundays.
Up in Your Grill, upinyourgrill.com. Find them parked in and around various areas of Merrimack, most commonly in the parking lot of Vault Motor Storage (526 Daniel Webster Hwy.).
Smoke N’ Butts BBQ, smokenbuttsbbq.com. Opening for the season on April 8 at The Farmer’s Wife (20 Main St., Candia); hours are Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pressed For Time Mobile Cafe, pressedfortimecoffee.com. Find them at Seacoast Sport Cycle (129 Rockingham Road, Derry) most Tuesdays through Sundays.

Restaurant with best outdoor seating

Best of the best: Downtown Cheers Grille & Bar, 17 Depot St., Concord, 228-0180, cheersnh.com

The Crown Tavern, 99 Hanover St., Manchester, 218-3132, thecrownonhanover.com
Backyard Brewery & Kitchen, 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com
The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com
Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com

Delicious Dishes

Best Dish or Drink You Had in the Last Year

Best of the best: Blood orange Cosmo martini at Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com. The blood orange Cosmo features Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Solerno blood orange liqueur, cranberry juice and freshly squeezed lime.

“Goon Glizzy” loaded hot dog at Industry East Bar, 28 Hanover St., Manchester, 232-6940, industryeastbar.com. Industry East is known not only for its specialty craft cocktails, but also for its loaded hot dogs. The “Goon Glizzy” is loaded with a crab rangoon spread, crispy wontons and scallions.
Chicken tenders at The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com. The chicken tenders, deep-fried with homemade dipping sauces, have long been a staple at The Puritan Backroom. Buffalo, spicy and coconut tenders are also available.
Espresso martini at Giorgio’s Ristorante & Bar, 270 Granite St., Manchester, 232-3323; 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 883-7333; 524 Nashua St., Milford, 673-3939; giorgios.com
Pad Thai at Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com. Col’s Kitchen’s vegan Pad Thai features seared tofu, rice noodles, carrots, cabbage, spinach, basil and peanuts.

Best Barbecue

Best of the best: KC’s Rib Shack, 837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net

Smokeshow Barbeque, 231 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6399, smokeshowbbq.com. In March 2022, Smokeshow Barbeque moved into a new space in Concord’s South End, sharing a building with Feathered Friend Brewing Co.
Smokehaus Barbecue, 278 Route 101, Amherst, 249-5734, smokehausbbq.com
Georgia’s Northside, 394 N. State St., Concord, 715-9189, georgiasnorthside.com. Currently only open for catering and pop-up events. Regular operations are due to resume this May.
Goody Cole’s Smokehouse and Catering Co., 374 Route 125, Brentwood, 679-8898, goodycoles.com

Best Breakfast

Best of the best: Airport Diner, 2280 Brown Ave., Manchester, 623-5040, thecman.com

Tucker’s, 80 South St., Concord, 413-5884, tuckersnh.com
Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com
Tucker’s, 1328 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 206-5757, tuckersnh.com
Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1953, purplefinchcafe.com

Best Brunch

Best of the best: The Foundry Restaurant, 50 Commercial St., Manchester, 836-1925, foundrynh.com

Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1953, purplefinchcafe.com
Tucker’s, 80 South St., Concord, 413-5884, tuckersnh.com
Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Best Burgers

Best of the best: The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern, 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com

Vibes Gourmet Burgers, 25 S. Main St., Concord, 856-8671, vibesgourmetburgers.com
New England’s Tap House Grille, 1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com
Papa Joe’s Humble Kitchen, 237 South St., Milford, 672-9130, papajoeshumblekitchen.com
The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com

Best Fish & Chips

Best of the best: The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com

The Lobster Boat Restaurant, 453 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-5221, lobsterboatrestaurant.com
The Beach Plum, 3 Brickyard Sq., Epping, 679-3200, thebeachplum.net
Goldenrod Restaurant Drive-In, 1681 Candia Road, 623-9469, goldenrodrestaurant.com
Clam Haven, 94 Rockingham Road, Derry, 434-4679, clamhaven.com

Best Mac & Cheese

Best of the best: Mr. Mac’s & Macaroni & Cheese, 497 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 606-1760, mr-macs.com

The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com
New England’s Tap House Grille, 1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com
Pressed Cafe, 108 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 718-1250; 3 Cotton Road, Nashua, 402-1003 (the Cotton Road location is drive-thru only); pressedcafe.com
O Steaks & Seafood, 11 S. Main St., Concord, 856-7925, osteaksconcord.com

Best Pizza

Best of the best: 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, 50 Dow St., Manchester, 641-0900, 900degrees.com

Alley Cat Pizzeria, 486 Chestnut St., Manchester, 669-4533, alleycatpizzerianh.com
Constantly Pizza, 39 S. Main St., Concord, 224-9366; 108 Fisherville Road, Concord, 227-1117; constantlypizza.net
Sal’s Pizza, 80 Storrs St., Concord, 226-0297, salspizzaconcord.com
Vintage Pizza, 241 Candia Road, Manchester, 518-7800, vintagepizzanh.com

Best Sandwich

Best of the best: RT’s Italian spuckie at Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout & Catering, 254 Wallace Road, Bedford, 488-2877; 13 Rockingham Road, Windham, 685-8122; 38 W. Broadway, Derry, 425-6116 (the Derry location is due to reopen soon); rigatonysitalian.com. This made-to-order classic features Italian cured meats, tomatoes, hots, pickles, red onion, provolone cheese and seasoned oil on a house-baked roll.

The Garden at the Nashua Garden, 121 Main St., Nashua, 886-7363, find them on Facebook @thenashuagarden603. This vegetarian sandwich features tomato, cucumber, olives, bell peppers, pickles, onion, lettuce and sprouts.
Steak and cheese sub at Nadeau’s Subs, 776 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-9315; 100 Cahill Ave., Manchester, 669-7827; 673 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 644-8888; 1095 Hanover St., Manchester, 606-4411 (the Hanover Street location is inside of the Kwik Stop Mobil; 48 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 580-4445; 11 Eastman St., Concord, 715-1474 (the Concord location is inside of McLaughlin’s Country Market); nadeaussubs.com. The steak and cheese sub at Nadeau’s is available with either steak tips or Philly shaved steak in several sizes. You can order it plain with American cheese on a sub roll, or customize your bread or cheese type, grilled vegetables or other add-ons like bacon or grilled salami.
Super Regular at Beefside, 106 Manchester St., Concord, 228-0208, beefsidenh.com. The Regular features four ounces of tender roast beef on a bulk roll, with the option to “super” it with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
Banh mi at The Local Moose Cafe, 124 Queen City Ave., Manchester, 232-2669, thelocalmoosecafe.com. The pork banh mi features local pork patties, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, cucumbers, Sriracha mayonnaise and honey ginger mayonnaise on a house-made baguette. You can also order a vegan tofu banh mi, or a breakfast banh mi with free-range egg.

Best Subs

Best of the best: Nadeau’s Subs, 776 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-9315; 100 Cahill Ave., Manchester, 669-7827; 673 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 644-8888; 1095 Hanover St., Manchester, 606-4411 (the Hanover Street location is inside the Kwik Stop Mobil); 48 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 580-4445; 11 Eastman St., Concord, 715-1474 (the Concord location is inside McLaughlin’s Country Market); nadeaussubs.com

USA Subs, 66 Crystal Ave., Derry, 437-1550, usasubs.com
Bill Cahill’s Super Subs, 8 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, 882-7710, find them on Facebook @billcahills
Candia Road Convenience Store, 836 Candia Road, Manchester, 669-6565
Great American Subs, 44 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 434-9900, greatamericansubsnh.com

Best Tacos

Best of the best: Dos Amigos Burritos, 26 N. Main St., Concord, 410-4161, dosamigosburritos.com

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 1875 S. Willow St., Manchester, 623-7705; 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 628-6899; lacarretamex.com
Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave., Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com
El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria, 10 Lake Ave., Manchester, 232-4530, elrinconnh.com
B’s Tacos & More, nhtacotruck.com. Find them seasonally outside the BP Gas Station (2 Mohawk Drive, Londonderry), usually from May to December. A brick-and-mortar location is also open year-round at 372 Kelley St. in Manchester.

Restaurant That Can Make You Love Vegetables

Best of the best: Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
The Republic of Campo, 969 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0256, republiccafe.com and campoenoteca.com
Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro & Bar, 35 Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, 427-8344, greenelephantnh.com
Greenleaf, 54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com

Sweet Treats

Best Bakery

Best of the best: Bearded Baking Co., 819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, beardedbaking.com

The Crust & Crumb Baking Co., 126 N. Main St., Concord, 219-0763, thecrustandcrumb.com
Bread & Chocolate, 29 S. Main St., Concord, 228-3330, find them on Facebook @breadandchocolateconcordnh
Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe, 436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 262-5929, buckleysbakerycafe.com
Klemm’s Bakery, 29 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 437-8810, klemmsbakery.com

Best Candy or Chocolate Shop

Best of the best: Granite State Candy Shoppe, 13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591, granitestatecandyshoppe.com

Van Otis Chocolates, 341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com
Nelson’s Candy and Music, 65 Main St., Wilton, 654-5030, nelsonscandymusic.com
Loon Chocolate, 252 Willow St., Manchester, loonchocolate.com. This small-batch bean-to-bar company opened its first retail storefront in February 2022 inside the The Factory on Willow complex, sharing a space with 603 Charcuterie.
Dancing Lion Chocolate, 917 Elm St., Manchester, 625-4043, dancinglion.us

Most Decadent Desserts

Best of the best: Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe, 436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merri vvk, 262-5929, and Buckley’s Market & Cafe, 9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522; buckleysbakerycafe.com

The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub, 72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com
Lucciano’s Bakeshop, 4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 432-2442, luccianosbakeshop.com
Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
Bedford Village Inn & Restaurant, 2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.co

Best Locally Made Doughnuts

Best of the best: Klemm’s Bakery, 29 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 437-8810, klemmsbakery.com

Flight Coffee Co., 209 Route 101, Bedford, 836-6228, flightcoffeeco.com
New Hampshire Doughnut Co., 2 Capital Plaza, Concord, 715-5097, nhdoughnutco.com
Brothers Donuts, 426 Central St., Franklin, 934-6678, find them on Facebook @brothersdonuts
Donut Love, 112 Lafayette Road, North Hampton, find them on Facebook @donutlove603

Best Ice Cream

Best of the best: Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream, 7 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 888-4663, haywardsicecream.com. Open year-round.

Moo’s Place Ice Cream, 27 Crystal Ave., Derry, 425-0100, moosplace.com. Opening for the season in Derry on April 1.
The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com. Open year-round.
Goldenrod Restaurant Drive-In, 1681 Candia Road, 623-9469, goldenrodrestaurant.com. Open year-round.
Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream, 364 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-5915, haywardsicecream.com. Open year-round.

Drinks

Best Beer Selection

Best of the best: Bert’s Better Beers, 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 413-5992, bertsbetterbeers.com

The Packie, 581 Second St., Manchester, 232-1236, thepackienh.com
Lazy Dog Beer Shoppe, 27 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-2500, lazydogbeer.com
East Derry General Store, 50 E. Derry Road, Derry, 432-5302, eastderrygeneralstore.com
The Beer Store, 433 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-2242, thebeerstorenh.com

Best New Hampshire Brewery

Best of the best: 603 Brewery & Beer Hall, 42 Main St., Londonderry, 404-6123, 603brewery.com

Pipe Dream Brewing, 49 Harvey Road, Londonderry, 404-0751, pipedreambrewingnh.com
Lithermans Limited Brewery, 126B Hall St., Concord, 219-0784, lithermans.beer
Able Ebenezer Brewing Co., 31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 262-5543, ableebenezer.com
Backyard Brewery & Kitchen, 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com

Best New Hampshire Winery

Best of the best: LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinery.com

Zorvino Vineyards, 226 Main St., Sandown, 887-8463, zorvino.com
Flag Hill Distillery & Winery, 297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com
Fulchino Vineyard, 187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com
Hermit Woods Winery & Deli, 72 Main St., Meredith, 253-7968, hermitwoods.com

Restaurant With the Most Inventive Cocktails

Best of the best: Industry East Bar, 28 Hanover St., Manchester, 232-6940, industryeastbar.com

Chuck’s BARbershop, 90 Low Ave., Concord, 856-7071, find them on Facebook @chucksbarbershopnh
815 Cocktails & Provisions, 815 Elm St., Manchester, 782-8086, 815nh.com
Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com
The Birch on Elm, 931 Elm St., Manchester, 782-5365, thebirchonelm.com

Where They Make Your Coffee Perfect Every Time

Best of the best: Flight Coffee Co., 209 Route 101, Bedford, 836-6228, flightcoffeeco.com

Revelstoke Coffee, 100 N. Main St., Concord, revelstokecoffee.com
Hometown Coffee Roasters, 80 Old Granite St., Manchester, 703-2321, hometownroasters.com
O’Shea’s Caife & Tae, 44 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 540-2971, osheasnh.com
A&E Coffee & Tea, 1000 Elm St., Manchester, 578-3338, aeroastery.com

Outdoors

Best Farmers Market

Best of the best: Concord Farmers Market, concordfarmersmarket.com, held on Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), from May through October. The 2022 market is set to begin on May 7.

Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market, derryhomegrown.org, held on Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at 1 W. Broadway in Derry, from June through September. The 2022 market is set to begin on June 1.
Bedford Farmers Market, bedfordfarmersmarketnh.org, held on Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at 393 Route 101 in Bedford, from mid-June through mid-October. The 2022 market is set to begin June 14.
Salem Farmers Market, salemnhfarmersmarket.org, held on Sundays year-round, indoors at LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111, Derry) during the winter and early spring, and outdoors at Tuscan Market (12 Via Toscana, Salem) from late spring through fall. The market is currently indoors and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The opening date and hours for the outdoor market are TBA.
Milford Farmers Market, milfordnhfarmersmarket.com. Indoor market runs every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from November to June at the Milford Town Hall Auditorium (1 Union Square, Milford), and the outdoor market runs every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 300 Elm St. in Milford, across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op, from June through mid-October.

Best Farm for Pick Your Own

Best of the best: Sunnycrest Farm, 59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com. Pick-your-own opportunities, depending on availability, include apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, grapes, cherries and flowers.

Mack’s Apples, 230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com. Pick-your-own opportunities, depending on availability, include apples, pumpkins, peaches and pears.
Lull Farm, 65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com. Pick-your-own opportunities, depending on availability, include strawberries and apples. Lull has a seasonal farm stand in Milford and, as of last year, now also operates a satellite farm stand at Sullivan Farm in Nashua.
Carter Hill Orchard, 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com. Pick-your-own opportunities, depending on availability, include blueberries, apples and peaches.
Brookdale Fruit Farm, 41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com. Pick-your-own opportunities, depending on availability, include strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, apples and pumpkins.

Best City Park

Best of the best: White Park, 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov. Amenities include a basketball court, a seasonal pool, walking trails and an ice skating rink.

Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov. Amenities include baseball and softball fields, a playground, picnic areas, walking trails and a tennis court.
Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov. Amenities include walking trails around Dorrs Pond, as well as a baseball diamond, a running track and two playgrounds.
Stark Park, 650 River Road, Manchester, starkpark.com. The 30-acre park dedicated to New Hampshire’s Gen. John Stark, who penned the state motto, “Live Free or Die” in 1809, includes a large equestrian statue of Stark, several models of cannons and cannonballs, a memorial bench honoring New Hampshire’s Officer Michael Briggs, and a gazebo bandstand where live music is occasionally held.
Benson Park, 19 Kimball Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov. Originally a private zoo and amusement park, Benson Park reopened in 2010 as a town park for recreational use and is now a popular spot for hiking, dog walking, fishing and picnicking.

Best State Park

Best of the best: Bear Brook State Park, 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9874, nhstatesparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park. The largest developed state park in New Hampshire, Bear Brook State Park is 10,000 acres and features more than 40 miles of trails. Activities include biking, hiking, swimming, camping and fishing.

Pawtuckaway State Park, 128 Mountain Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park. The park offers campers a family beach on the lake and hiking trails across a diverse landscape, where they can see wildlife and natural points of interest.
Odiorne Point State Park, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye, 436-7406, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/odiorne-point-state-park. The park features an extensive network of trails through 135 acres of rocky shoreline, sandy beaches, salt marsh, freshwater and salt ponds, dense forest and military and historical sites, and is home to the Seacoast Science Center.
Mount Sunapee State Park, 86 Beach Access Road, Newbury, 763-5561, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/mt-sunapee-state-park. The park is home to the alpine ski area and resort Mount Sunapee Resort, and to Mount Sunapee State Park Beach, which contains a 4,085-acre lake. Amenities include a boat launch and boat rentals, hiking trails, a playground, a picnic area, a campground and more.
Wellington State Park, 614 W. Shore Road, Bristol, 744-2197, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/wellington-state-park. Wellington State Park offers hiking trails, picnic areas and volleyball and horseshoe courts, and is also known for having the largest freshwater swimming beach in the New Hampshire state park system.

Best Campground

Best of the best: Pawtuckaway State Park, 7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park

Branch Brook Campground, Exit 28 off I-93 to Route 49 West, Campton, 726-7001, branchbrooknh.com
White Lake State Park, 94 State Park Road, Tamworth, 323-7350, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/white-lake-state-park
Greenfield State Park, 133 Beach Road, Greenfield, 547-3497, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/greenfield-state-park
Danforth Bay Camping & RV Resort, 196 Shawtown Road, Freedom, 539-2069, danforthbay.com

Prettiest Spot in New Hampshire

Best of the best: Franconia Notch, at Franconia Notch State Park, Exits 34A to 34C off I-93, Franconia/Lincoln, 745-8391, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park. The mountain pass, crossed by a parkway extending from Echo Lake to the Flume Gorge, once held the iconic Old Man of the Mountain.

Kancamagus Highway, kancamagushighway.com. A 34.5-mile scenic ride from Lincoln to Conway along New Hampshire’s Route 112.
Rye Coastline. Public beaches in Rye include Jenness State Beach (2280 Ocean Blvd., metered parking from 8 a.m. to midnight, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/jenness-state-beach) and Wallis Sands State Beach (1050 Ocean Blvd., parking fee between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. is $15 per vehicle and free for New Hampshire-resident seniors age 65 and over, and parking reservations can be made online in advance, nhstateparks.org/visit/seacoast-beaches/wallis-sands-state-park).
Artist’s Bluff Trail, located at Franconia Notch State Park, Exit 34C off I-93, Franconia, 745-8391, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park. The 1.5-mile loop leads hikers to a peak with scenic views of Echo Lake, Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch.
Cathedral Ledge, located at Cathedral Ledge State Park, 579 Cathedral Ledge Road, Bartlett, 356-2672, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/cathedral-ledge-state-park. The 700-foot peak offers views across the Saco River Valley to the White Mountains.

Outdoor Adventure

Best Bike Trail or Spot for a Bike Ride

Best of the best: Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashua. This paved trail is 12.5 miles and runs along the Nashua River, connecting Nashua to Ayer, Mass.

Londonderry Rail Trail, Londonderry, londonderrytrails.org. About 6 miles of this trail runs through North Londonderry.
Windham Rail Trail, Windham, windhamrailtrail.org. The Windham Rail Trail is 4.1 miles and is a core part of the longest paved abandoned rail bed in the Granite State, as the Windham, Derry and Salem rail trails collectively run about 11 miles.
Goffstown Rail Trail, Goffstown, goffstownrailtrail.org. The 7.5-mile trail runs between Goffstown and Manchester, connecting Pinardville, Grasmere and Goffstown Village.
Derry Rail Trail, Derry, derryrailtrail.org. Running several miles through Windham and into Derry’s town center, the Derry Rail Trail is part of the larger proposed Granite State Rail Trail.

Best Hike in Southern New Hampshire

Best of the best: Mount Monadnock (with particular shoutouts to the White Dot Trail), Jaffrey/Dublin, 532-8862, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/monadnock-state-park. The 3,165-foot mountain features more than 35 hiking trails of various levels of difficulty leading to the summit.

Mt. Uncanoonuc Trails, Mountain Road, Goffstown. The North Uncanoonuc Trail, about a 0.6-mile hike, is steep in some spots and is known for its wilderness and panoramic views of Goffstown. At about 0.8 miles, the South Uncanoonuc Trail is slightly longer, also serving as a snowmobiling and ATVing trail that features views of Mount Monadnock from a distance.
Mount Major, Alton, blog.nhstateparks.org/mt-major-family-friendly-hike. The mountain’s 1.5-mile Mount Major Trail and 1.6-mile Boulder Loop Trail form a loop at its 1,785-foot summit, which offers a panoramic view of Lake Winnipesaukee to the north.
Mount Kearsarge, Warner/Wilmot. At 2,397 feet, Mount Kearsarge features two state parks, Winslow State Park on the northwest slope in Wilmot and Rollins State Park on the south slope in Warner. The quickest way to the summit is a half-mile trail that starts in Rollins State Park. Other popular trails include the 1.1-mile Winslow Trail and the 1.6-mile Barlow Trail, both of which start at Winslow State Park.
Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov. The park has around 8 miles of trails across 325 acres of forest, open fields and wetlands, bordering the Nashua River, Millpond and canal system on the north side.

Best Spot for a Mini Hike

Best of the best: Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov. The park has around 8 miles of trails across 325 acres of forest, open fields and wetlands, bordering the Nashua River, Millpond and canal system on the north side.

Lake Massabesic, off the Londonderry Turnpike, Manchester, 642-6482, manchesternh.gov. Spanning 2,500 acres in Manchester and Auburn, the lake is the centerpoint for a network of dozens of trails, including a loop to the Massabesic Audubon Center, a wildlife sanctuary situated on a historic farm site in Auburn. The trails range in length from half a mile to more than 3 miles.
Mount Major, Alton, blog.nhstateparks.org/mt-major-family-friendly-hike. The mountain’s 1.5-mile Mount Major Trail and 1.6-mile Boulder Loop Trail form a loop at its 1,785-foot summit, which offers a panoramic view of Lake Winnipesaukee to the north.
Marjory Swope Park, Long Pond Road, Concord, 225-8515, concordnh.gov. This 77-acre park features three connecting trails, including a 1.45-mile loop trail that runs up Jerry Hill, leading to scenic views of the Penacook Lake; a 0.56-mile trail that cuts through the park; and a 0.18-mile trail that passes the large granite outcrop Gilfillan Rock.
Mount Kearsarge, Warner/Wilmot. At 2,397 feet, Mount Kearsarge features two state parks, Winslow State Park on the northwest slope in Wilmot and Rollins State Park on the south slope in Warner. The quickest way to the summit is a half-mile trail that starts in Rollins State Park. Other popular trails include the 1.1-mile Winslow Trail and the 1.6-mile Barlow Trail, both of which start at Winslow State Park.

Best Spot for a Long Run

Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashua. This paved trail is 12.5 miles and runs along the Nashua River, connecting Nashua to Ayer, Mass.
Windham Rail Trail, Windham, windhamrailtrail.org. The Windham Rail Trail is 4.1 miles and is a core part of the longest paved abandoned rail bed in the Granite State, as the Windham, Derry and Salem rail trails collectively run about 11 miles.
Goffstown Rail Trail, Goffstown, goffstownrailtrail.org. The 7.5-mile trail runs between Goffstown and Manchester, connecting Pinardville, Grasmere and Goffstown Village.
Derry Rail Trail, Derry, derryrailtrail.org. Running several miles through Windham and into Derry’s town center, the Derry Rail Trail is part of the larger proposed Granite State Rail Trail.

Best Lake to Canoe or Kayak

Best of the best: Lake Massabesic, Manchester and Auburn, 624-6482, manchesternh.gov. The 2,560-acre lake has three public boat launches: one in Auburn Village; one off Route 121 near the Manchester-Auburn town line; and one at Deer Neck Bridge off the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn. The latter is designed for kayaks and canoes.

Pawtuckaway Lake, Pawtuckaway State Park, 7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org. The park offers canoe and kayak rentals at its camp store as well as a public boat launch for the 784-acre lake.
Lake Winnipesaukee, Belknap and Carroll counties, lakewinnipesaukee.net. With 71 square miles of surface area, the Granite State’s largest lake has 18 boat launches spanning multiple towns (some charge a launch fee). Local businesses can provide everything you need to hit the water, including boat rentals, cleaning, accessories and storage.
Newfound Lake, Wellington State Park, 614 W. Shore Road, Bristol, 744-2197, nhstateparks.org. A boat launch is located just outside the park, providing free 24/7 access to the 4,106-acre lake.
Squam Lake, Grafton, Carroll and Belknap counties, lakesregion.org/squam-lake. Big and Little Squam lakes are naturally spring-fed and connected by a channel in Holderness. Big Squam is the second-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire, at 6,791 acres long with 61 miles of shoreline. The lakes are also host to 67 islands.

Best Ski Hill

Best of the best: Pats Peak Ski Area, 686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 428-3245, patspeak.com

Loon Mountain, 60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln, 745-8111, loonmtn.com
McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Court, Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com
Bretton Woods, 99 Ski Area Road, Bretton Woods, 278-3320, brettonwoods.com
Mount Sunapee, 1398 Route 103, Newbury, 763-3500, mountsunapee.com

Best Place for Bird Watching

Best of the best: Massabesic Audubon Center, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 668-2045, nhaudubon.org

Carter Hill Orchard, 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com
McLane Audubon Center, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org
Mount Washington, Route 16, Pinkham Notch, mt-washington.com

Home & Car

Best Car Repair Shop

Best of the best: Ron’s Toy Shop, 235 Elm St., Manchester, 669-9682, ronstoyshop.com

Weed Family Automotive, 124 Storrs St., Concord, 225-7988, weedfamilyautomotive.com
East Derry Collision, 46 E. Derry Road, Derry, 437-5177, facebook.com/eastderrycollision
Brutus Auto Repair & Service, 148 Merrimack St., Manchester, 624-8881, brutusauto.com
Garry’s Service Center, 323 S. Main St., Concord, 224-9641, garrysservicecenter.com

Best Garden Center or Nursery

Best of the best: Demers Garden Center, 656 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 625-8298, demersgardencenter.com

House by the Side of the Road, 370 Gibbons Highway, Wilton, 654-9888, housebythesideoftheroad.com
Cole Gardens, 430 Loudon Road, Concord, 229-0655, colegardens.com
Bedford Fields Home & Garden Center, 331 Route 101, Bedford, 472-8880, bedfordfields.com
Lake Street Garden Center, 37 Lake St., Salem, 893-5858, lakestreet.com

Most Reliable Home Care Company

Best of the best: Groundhog Landscaping, 6 Bowers Road, Derry, 437-4464, groundhognh.com

Giant Landscaping Services, 1071 Hanover St., Manchester, 932-6062, giantlandscaping.net
CleanQueen, cleaning service based in Manchester, 716-8053, facebook.com/clean2017queen
Alliance Landscaping, 140 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-1111, alliancelandscaping.com
A.J. LeBlanc Heating, 45 S. River Road, Bedford, 623-0412, leblanchvac.com

Beauty & Wellness

Best Barber Shop

Best of the best: HomeGrown Barber Co., 18 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 818-8989, homegrownbarber.com

Lucky’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor, 50 S. State St., Concord, 715-5470, luckysbarbershop.biz
Blank Canvas Salon, 1F Commons Drive, No. 38, Londonderry, 818-4294, blankcanvassalon.com
Dude’s Barber Shop, 1311 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 626-0533, dudesbarbershop.com
Your Brothers Barbershop, 4 Peabody Road Annex, Derry, 818-4268, yourbrothersbarbershop.com

Best Salon

Best of the best: Blank Canvas Salon, 1F Commons Drive, No. 38, Londonderry, 818-4294, blankcanvassalon.com

Salon North, 102 Bay St., Manchester, 483-3011, 102salonnorth.com
Topknot Salon + Spa, 1 Nashua St., Milford, 213-6863, topknotnh.com
Color Trends Hair Salon, 25 Merrit Parkway, Nashua, 880-7504, colortrendshairsalon.com
5 Diamond Salon, 915 Holt Ave., Suite 4, Manchester, 459-3367, 5diamondsalon.com

Best Spa

Best of the best: Renew MediSpa, 23 B Crystal Ave., Derry, 932-4808, renewmedispa.com

Pellé Medical Spa, 159 Frontage Road, Manchester, 627-7000, pellemedicalspa.com
Serendipity Day Spa & Float Studio, 23 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 229-0400, serendipitydayspa.com
Innovations Salon & Spa, 228 Naticook Road, Merrimack, 880-7499, innovationsnh.com
Chill Spa, 1224 Hanover St., Manchester, 622-3722, chillspa.com

Best Workout Space

Best of the best: Get Fit NH, 41 Terrill Park Drive, Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

SPENGA, 493 Amherst St., Nashua, 324-0355, nashua.spenga.com
Strive Indoor Cycling, 10 Hills Ave., Concord, 513-9464, striveindoorcycling.com.
Executive Health & Sports Center, 1 Highlander Way, Manchester, 668-4753, ehsc.com
Collective Studios, 4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 216-2345, thecollective-studios.com

Family Fun

Best Place to Take Your Kids

Best of the best: Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, nhahs.org. Museum dedicated to the science, technology, history and culture of aviation, with interactive exhibits and educational programs.

Fun City Trampoline Park, 553 Mast Road, Goffstown, 606-8807, funcitygoffstown.com. The 60,000-square-foot indoor playground features trampolines, foam pits, laser tag, a climbing wall and more.
Krazy Kids, 60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-7529, krazykids.com. The indoor playground and party venue features a trampoline, a ropes course, slides, tunnels and other structures for climbing, bouncing and jumping.
Nuthin’ but Good Times, 746 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2200, nuthinbutgoodtimes.com. The indoor playground and party venue has a soft two-story play structure for all ages, a separate play area for toddlers, a lounge, a cafe and more.
SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St., Manchester, 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org. Museum focused on technology, engineering, mathematics and more with interactive exhibits, demonstrations and educational programs.

Best Outdoor Spot to Let Kids Run Around and Be Crazy

Best of the best: Benson Park, 19 Kimball Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov. Originally a private zoo and amusement park, Benson Park reopened in 2010 as a town park for recreational use and is now a popular spot for hiking, dog walking, fishing and picnicking.

White Park, 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov. Amenities include a basketball court, a seasonal pool, walking trails and an ice skating rink.
Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov. Amenities include walking trails around Dorrs Pond, as well as a baseball diamond, a running track and two playgrounds.
Griffin Park, 101 Range Road, Windham, 965-1208, windhamnh.gov. Amenities include a playground, basketball and tennis courts, picnic tables, walking paths and more.
Hampton Beach State Park, 160 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 926-8990, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/hampton-beach-state-park. Activities include swimming, fishing, picnicking and RV camping.

Best Kids Summer Day Camp

Best of the best: Melody Pines Day Camp, 510 Corning Road, Manchester, 669-9414, melodypines.com

YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Camp Sargent, 141 Camp Sargent Road, Merrimack, 880-4845, campsargent.org
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains’ Camp Kettleford, 26 Camp Allen Road, Bedford, 888-474-9686, girlscoutsgwm.org
Boys & Girls Club of Manchester’s Camp Foster, 36 Camp Allen Road, Bedford, 625-5031, begreatmanchester.org
Camp Ponemah at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, ext. 272, hampshirehills.com/camp-ponemah

Dogs

Best Doggie Daycare

Best of the best: American K9 Country, 336 Route 101, Amherst, 672-8448, americank9country.com.

All Dogs Gym & Inn, 505 Sheffield Road, Manchester, 669-4644, alldogsgym.com
The Barking Dog, 208 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 833-688-0750, thebarkingdog.com. There are additional locations in Derry and Exeter.
Superdogs Daycare, 637 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-1515, superdogsdaycare.com
Pawquet’s Play & Stay, 302 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 216-1147, pawquetsplaystay.com

Best Dog Groomer

Best of the best: Sarah’s Paw Spa, 16 Manning St., Derry, 512-4539, facebook.com/sarahspawspa.

Bark Now!, 237 S. Main St., Concord, 229-3700, barknow.com. There is an additional location in Northfield.
Pet-Agree Canine Services, 12 Donovan Road, Candia, 483-8775, petagree-nh.com
D’Tails Dog Grooming, 178 Route 101, Bedford, 703-6288, see “D’Tails Dog Grooming” on Facebook
A Paw Above the Rest Salon, located inside American K9 Country, 336 Route 101, Amherst, 472-7282, americank9country.com/grooming/a-paw-above-the-rest-salon

Best Place to Let Your Dog Off-Leash

Best of the best: Hooksett Dog Park, 101 Merrimack St., Hooksett, 485-8471, hooksett.org

Hudson Dog Park, located inside Benson Park, 19 Kimball Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov
Derry Dog Park, Fordway and Transfer Lane, Derry, 432-6100, derrynh.org
American K9 Country, 336 Route 101, Amherst, 672-8448, americank9country.com. The dog daycare and boarding facility offers a free dog park, which is temporarily closed for construction; a re-opening date is TBA.
Wagon Hill Farm, 156 Piscataqua Road, Durham, 868-5571, ci.durham.nh.us/boc_conservation/wagon-hill-farm. Off-leash dog walking permitted from dawn to 10 a.m.; dogs must be on a leash after 10 a.m.

Best On-Leash Dog Outing

Best of the best: Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov

Hudson Dog Park, located inside Benson Park, 19 Kimball Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov
Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov
Londonderry Rail Trail, access points are located in Londonderry at the Interstate 93 Exit 5 Park & Ride, 4 Symmes Drive; at the south end of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport runway, 106 Harvey Road, Londonderry; at North Elementary School, 19 Sanborn Road; and at Independence Drive, londonderrytrails.org
Goffstown Rail Trail, access points are located in Goffstown at Goffstown Parks and Recreation Center, 155 S. Mast St.; Hillsborough County Offices complex on Mast Road; Danis Park Road; and Moose Club Park Road; and in Manchester at Sarette Recreation Complex, 2 Louis St., goffstownrailtrail.org

Shopping

Best Independent Clothing or Shoe Store

Best of the best: Alec’s Shoes, 1617 Southwood Drive, Nashua, 882-6811, alecs-shoes.com

Joe King’s Shoe Shop, 45 N. Main St., Concord, 225-6012, joekings.com
Gondwana & Divine Clothing Co., 13 N. Main St., Concord, 228-1101, gondwanaclothing.com
Alapage Boutique, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 622-0550, alapageboutique.com
The Shoebox, 17 Route 101A, Amherst, 672-6570, shoeboxnh.com

Best Independent Jewelry

Best of the best: Bellman Jewelers, 1650 Elm St., Manchester, 625-4653, bellmans.com

Jonathan’s Jewelers, 460 Route 101, Bedford, 471-2828, jonathansjewelers.com
Capitol Craftsman Romance Jewelers, 16 & 18 N. Main St., Concord, 224-6166, capitolcraftsman.com
Richter’s Jewelry & Design Studio, Appletree Mall, 4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 437-2655, richtersjewelry.com
Scontsas Fine Jewelry & Home Decor, 169-173 Main St., Nashua, 882-3281, scontsas.com

Best Independent Eyeglass Store

Best of the best: Myoptic, 204 Main St., Nashua, 880-6700, myoptic.net

Taylor & Murphy Optical, 545 Hooksett Road, Suite 23, Manchester, 622-6333, tmoptical.com
Spindel Eye Associates, 6 Tsienneto Road, Suite 101, Derry, 434-4193, spindeleye.com. Additional locations in Windham, Londonderry and Raymond.
Concord Eye Center, 248 Pleasant St., Suite 1600, and 2 Pillsbury St., Suite 100, Concord, 224-2020, concordeyecenternh.com
MacKay Vision Center, 207 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, 668-2771, visionsource-mackayvision.com

Best Secondhand Store

Best of the best: Kelly’s Kloset, sales are coordinated through the Facebook group “Kelly’s Kloset LLC,” with pick-up and drop-off based in Hooksett, [email protected]

M&C Clothing and Gifts, 135 Route 101A, Amherst, 886-6727, m-c-clothing-and-goods.myshopify.com
Lilise Designer Resale, 7 N. Main St., Concord, 715-2009, liliseresale.com
Corey’s Closet, 1329 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 722-2712, coreyscloset.org
Hilltop Consignment Gallery, 56 N. Main St., Concord, 856-0110, facebook.com/hilltopconsignmentgallery

Work

Best Co-working Space

Best of the best: Coworking House, 52 Nashua St., Milford, 556-8267, cohonh.com

Best Eatery for Ordering Lunch for your Workplace

Best of the best: The Bridge Cafe, 1117 Elm St., Manchester, 647-9991, thebridgecafe.net

Pressed Cafe, 108 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 718-1250; 3 Cotton Road, Nashua, 402-1003 (the Cotton Road location is drive-thru only); pressedcafe.com
Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com
The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com
Granite State Lunchbox, inside the Brady Sullivan Tower, 1750 Elm St., Manchester, 930-0716, granitestatelunchbox.com

Personalities

Most Inventive Chef

Best of the best: Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, 54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com

Troy Ward Jr., Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com
Corey Fletcher, Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com
Nicki Leavitt, Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1953, purplefinchcafe.com
Jordan Reynolds, Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com

Restaurant with the Friendliest Staff

Best of the best: Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Col’s Kitchen, 55 S. Main St., Concord, 227-6778, colsplantbased.com
The Hop Knot, 1000 Elm St., Manchester, 232-3731, hopknotnh.com
Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1953, purplefinchcafe.com
Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com

Butt-kicking-est Fitness Instructor

Best of the best: Dylan Tiede, Get Fit NH, 41 Terrill Park Drive, Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Courtney Giddis, Strive Indoor Cycling, 10 Hills Ave., Concord, 513-9464, striveindoorcycling.com
Lauren Pino, SPENGA, 493 Amherst St., Nashua, 324-0355, nashuanh.spenga.com
Karen McAdam, SPENGA, 493 Amherst St., Nashua, 324-0355, nashuanh.spenga.com
Alyssa O’Mara, SPENGA, 493 Amherst St., Nashua, 324-0355, nashuanh.spenga.com

Best Barber

Best of the best: Kelly Smith, HomeGrown Barber Co., 18 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 818-8989, homegrownbarber.com

Josh Craggy, Lucky’s Barbershop & Shave Parlor, 50 S. State St., Concord, 715-5470, luckysbarbershop.biz
Erica Juneau, Juneau the Barber, 1802 Elm St., Suite 3, Manchester, 490-2421, juneauthebarber.booksy.com
Traci Pettengill, Tooky Village Barbershop, 12 Maple St., Contoocook, 746-2170, tookyvillagebarbershop.net
Rick Lindof, The Polished Man, 707 Milford Road, Unit 3A, Merrimack, 718-8427, thepolishedman.com

Best Hair Stylist

Best of the best: Tashia Landry, Salon North, 102 Bay St., Manchester, 483-3011, 102salonnorth.com

Danica Labrie, Blank Canvas Salon, 1F Commons Drive, No. 38, Londonderry, 818-4294, blankcanvassalon.com
Samantha Courtois, 5 Diamond Salon, 915 Holt Ave., Suite 4, Manchester, 459-3367, 5diamondsalon.com
Katelynn Kwasniak, Blank Canvas Salon, 1F Commons Drive, No. 38, Londonderry, 818-4294, blankcanvassalon.com
Amanda Novak, Topknot Salon + Spa, 1 Nashua St., Milford, 213-6863, topknotnh.com. Topknot is currently closed due to severe water damage, but some of the stylists are working out of Escape Salon at 800 Turnpike Road in New Ipswich. Email [email protected] to book an appointment.

Granite Stater I’d Like to Buy a Drink For

Most picked drink recipient: Chris Sununu, New Hampshire governor

Adam Sandler, Hollywood actor, comedian and a Manchester native
Fritz Wetherbee, host of “Fritz Wetherbee’s New Hampshire” on WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle
Charles Keith, co-owner of The Rugged Axe, 377 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7846, theruggedaxe.com
John Lynch, former New Hampshire governor
Seth Meyers, late night television host, comedian and a Bedford native

Friendliest Dentist

Best of the best: Dr. Elizabeth Spindel, Spindel General and Cosmetic Dentistry, 862 Union St., Manchester, 669-9049, elizabethspindel.com

Dr. Charles Pipilas, 280 Main St., Suite 311, Nashua, 881-8280
Dr. Ray Orzechowski, 280 Pleasant St., Suite 4, 228-4456, orzechowskiarndt.com
Dr. Shannon Arndt, 280 Pleasant St., Suite 4, 228-4456, orzechowskiarndt.com
Dr. Russell Mann, Mann Family Dental, 9 Roosevelt St., Manchester, 605-1734, mannfamilydental.com

Friendliest Mechanic

Best of the best: Ralph Brutus, Brutus Auto Repair & Service, 148 Merrimack St., Manchester, 624-8881, brutusauto.com

Bill Morin, Morin’s Service Station, 1091 Valley St., Manchester, 624-4427, morinsservicestation.com
Mike Alton, Pro-Image Automotive, 254 Sheffield Road, Manchester, 644-8480, proimageautomotive.com
Bret Russell, Under the Hood Auto Service, 1580 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 485-9032
Doug Johnson, Doug Johnson Auto Repair, 131 High Range Road, Londonderry, 437-1714

Best Local Musical Act

Best of the best: Jennifer Mitchell, jennifermitchellmusic.com. In addition to being an award-winning singer-songwriter, Mitchell is the owner of Jennifer Mitchell Music, a full-service entertainment company that travels all over New England. This weekend, Jennifer will be at Backyard Burgers & Wings in Seabrook on Thursday, March 31, at 6 p.m. and at Hill Top Pizza in Epsom on Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m.

Justin Jordan, find him on Facebook @justinjordanmusic. Jordan performs a combination of covers and originals encompassing multiple genres such as acoustic rock, pop, R&B and country across New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. See Justin on Saturday, April 2, at the Coach Stop in Londonderry.
April Cushman, aprilcushman.com. New Hampshire country artist April Cushman performs all over New England. She released her debut album, The Long Haul,in November 2021. April will play the Village Trestle in Goffstown on Thursday, March 31, at 6 p.m.
Matt the Sax, find him on Facebook @mattthesax. Matt Beaudin, a.k.a. “Matt the Sax,” specializes in saxophone and acoustic guitar and vocals.
Recycled Percussion, recycledpercussion.com. Recycled Percussion originally formed in Goffstown, later going on to appear on Season 4 of America’s Got Talent. Today they’re a nationally touring act, known for their high-energy interactive shows blending music and comedy and incorporating all sorts of nontraditional items as instruments. Recycled Percussion is next slated to play their own CAKE Theatre in Laconia on Saturday, May 7, at 2 & 7 p.m.

Best Local (-ish) Comedian

Apologies to Adam Sandler, Seth Meyers and Sarah Silverman, who are Granite Staters in our hearts but not regulars of the local comedy scene.

Best of the best: Bob Marley, bmarley.com. Maine native Bob Marley is regularly featured on Sirius XM radio and has released more than 20 comedy CDs and DVDs. He is scheduled to perform at the Palace Theatre Thursday, April 7, through Saturday, April 9.

Juston McKinney, justonmckinney.com. A former deputy sheriff in York County, Maine, McKinney traded in his badge in the late 1990s for a microphone to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. He has gone on to appear in numerous televised shows, including his own one-hour special on Comedy Central. He will be at the Rochester Opera House on Saturday, April 2.
Jay Chanoine, find him on Facebook and Instagram @jaychanoine. Manchester-based comedian Jay Chanoine is also a contributing writer for The Hard Times. He released his most recent comedy album, The Texas Chanoinesaw Massacre,in 2019.
Matt Barry, mattbarrycomedy.com. Matt Barry has been a staple of the New England comedy scene for nearly a decade, performing in area clubs, theaters and bars and appearing on Sirius XM radio. He’s opened for national acts like Tom Green, Gilbert Gottfried and Harland Williams.
Doris Ballard, on Facebook as “Doris Ballard Comedy.” Former Concord Community TV executive director Doris Ballard is now a locally performing comedian. She’s also the creator of the Laughta in New Hampsha comedy school.
Drew Dunn, drewdunncomedy.com. Originally from New Hampshire, Drew Dunn now lives in New York and has performed stand-up comedy all over the United States and Canada. He’ll perform at the Rex Theatre in Manchester on May 20.

Granite Stater — Living, Dead or Fictional — I’d Like to Have a Drink With

Best of the best: Adam Sandler, Hollywood actor, comedian and a Manchester native

Robert Frost, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Fritz Wetherbee, host of “Fritz Wetherbee’s New Hampshire” on WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle
John Stark, general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution
Chris Sununu, New Hampshire governor

Living Here

Coolest Free Historic Site

Best of the best: The Old Man of the Mountain, Franconia Notch State Park, Exit 34B off I-93, Franconia, cannonmt.com/things-to-do/activities/old-man-of-the-mountain. The series of cliff ledges resembling the profile of a man’s face was a popular tourist attraction at Franconia Notch State Park until its collapse in May 2003. The site is now home to the Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza, which features seven steel “profilers” that recreate the Old Man’s visage, as well as museums with history, photos and stories of the Old Man and a gift shop. The museums and gift shop are open daily, May through mid-October, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Access to Profile Plaza will be closed Monday through Friday through late May for construction.

New Hampshire Statehouse, 107 N. Main St., Concord, 271-2154, gencourt.state.nh.us/nh_visitorcenter. The Statehouse is the oldest state capital in the country in which both houses of the legislature meet in their original chambers. Visitors can take a guided or self-guided tour of the building; view permanent and rotating exhibits about New Hampshire history, government, state agencies and tourism; and browse the gift shop, which sells a variety of New Hampshire gifts as well as state and federal flags. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Robert Frost Farm, 122 Rockingham Road, Derry, 432-3091, robertfrostfarm.org. The National Historic Landmark includes a two-story white clapboard farmhouse built in 1884 that was home to New England poet Robert Frost from 1900 to 1911. The grounds and trails around the house are open to the public daily, year-round, from dawn to dusk. Guided tours of the house are offered May through October and are free for all children age 5 and under, New Hampshire-resident children age 17 and under, New Hampshire-resident seniors age 65 and over, all active military, New Hampshire National Guard and New Hampshire-resident disabled veterans. The cost for paying visitors ranges from $3 to $5.
Fort Constitution, located off Route 1B at the U.S. Coast Guard Station, 25 Wentworth Road, New Castle, 271-3556, nhstateparks.org/visit/historic-sites/fort-constitution-historic-site. The site was once a military defense fortification built in 1631 and used by British colonialists until it was taken by the rebels during the American Revolution. It is also home to the Portsmouth Harbor Light lighthouse, which was built in 1878. The site is free to visit and open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, 139 St. Gaudens Road, Cornish, 675-2175, nps.gov/saga. The 190-acre park features the preserved home, gardens, studios and works of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and was the site of Saint-Gaudens’ summer residence from 1885 to 1897. The park grounds, outdoor monuments and sculptures, gardens and wooded trails are free to visit and open to the public year-round, from dusk to dawn. The visitors center and museum buildings are open seasonally, with guided tours available, from late May through October. Admission is free for children age 15 and under and for all visitors on Entrance Fee-Free Days (2022 dates TBA). Regular admission for adults costs $10 and secures a seven-day pass.

Weirdest NH Attraction or Historic Site

Best of the best: America’s Stonehenge, 105 Haverhill Road, Salem, 893-8300, stonehengeusa.com. The 4,000-year-old stone construction, likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States, was built by an ancient people as an astronomical calendar to determine solar and lunar events of the year. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance at 4 p.m.). Admission rates are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $8 for children ages 5 through 12 and free for children age 4 and under.

The Old Man of the Mountain, Franconia Notch State Park, Exit 34B off I-93, Franconia, cannonmt.com/things-to-do/activities/old-man-of-the-mountain. The series of cliff ledges resembling the profile of a man’s face was a popular tourist attraction at Franconia Notch State Park until its collapse in May 2003. The site is now home to the Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza, which features seven steel “profilers” that recreate the Old Man’s visage, as well as museums with history, photos and stories of the Old Man and a gift shop.
Site of the reported alien abduction of Portsmouth couple Barney and Betty Hill on September 19, 1961. The event is memorialized by a state marker outside the entrance to Indian Head Resort (664 Route 3, Lincoln), and by a mural and memorabilia at the nearby Irving gas station (off Exit 33 of Route 3). Alien-themed souvenirs are sold at the gas station and at the Indian Head Resort gift shop.

NH is #1 at ___

Live Free or Die!
Drinking, which you could interpret as “Drinking Beer, having a good time, working hard,” as one reader puts it, or “Drinking iced coffee during a snowstorm,” as another reader says.
Everything!
Everything to do with our outdoors: “Beautiful landscapes, mountains, ocean, lakes,” as one reader says.
Fall, its foliage and its foliage-related excursions.

Things We Forgot to Ask About

Best NH Food Product: Laurel Hill Jams and Jellies (47 Birchwood Circle, Bedford, 472-5388, laurelhilljams.com) was established in 1960 by Sue Stretch, who first started making jams and jellies with her mother as a young girl. The product list includes gourmet fruit jams and jellies like strawberry rhubarb and raspberry lavender; red, white, rose and New Hampshire-made wine jellies; spirits-inspired jellies like margarita and pina colada; and tea jellies. Each batch is made by hand using as many local ingredients as possible and with no artificial colors or flavors. Visit the Laurel Hill website to order products online or see a list of local stores that carry Laurel Hill products.

Best Massage Therapist: Bethany J. Chabot is a licensed massage therapist and the founder and owner of 444 Hands Innately Integrative Massage & Energy Therapy (36 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack, 834-2758, 444hands.com). She received her certificate for Massage Therapy and Bodywork from MacIntosh College in Dover in 2004 and her national and state license in 2005. Her services include focused massage, body work and energy therapy; focused recovery sports massage for athletes; reiki, meditation and Tibetan sound bath; aroma touch technique; and prenatal and pregnancy massage and may incorporate chakra work and essential oils. There is normally a waitlist for new clients, and referrals are required.

Best Dog Training Company: New England Dog Training Co. (978-350-6274, newenglanddtc.com) consists of a network of seven professional dog trainers throughout New England, including Manchester-based husband-and-wife team Nikki and Nick Wolak. With over eight years of experience between the two of them, the Wolaks utilize a variety of training methods to work with dogs with all kinds of learning styles in both rural and urban environments. NEDTC uses a “board-and-train” system in which the dog being trained stays at the trainer’s personal home for two consecutive weeks. Trainers commit to providing daily updates and communication with dog owners during their dog’s training session.

Can’t Stay Away from the Granite State

Musicians who keep coming back to the scene that gave them their start

On every highway, from I-95 to Route 66, there’s a car towing a trailer full of dreams, a van packed with guitars, amps, an electric keyboard and a suitcase stuffed with notebooks. Every musician with a shred of ambition hears the call to Mecca.

Not all have the gumption to take flight. Those who do usually find a way to hold on to their hometown. More often than not, a round trip is a necessity. Landing in a new place means finding gigs, not always an easy task.

“This city ain’t your throne, like it was back home,” singer-songwriter Amanda McCarthy wrote about the challenge. She considers herself fortunate to quit a day job after less than a year in Nashville to play music full time, but her calendar still includes several months in New Hampshire, working at her old haunts.

Tom Dixon’s country music dream eventually wore him down to just a handful of hometown shows a year, but he’s proof that though the grind may get old, the pull remains.

“The reason I come back? One answer is the fans, really,” he said. “As long as I can do it, and as long as they want me to do it, I will.”

In 2002, guitarist Brad Myrick left his home in Hopkinton on a whim to try his luck in Los Angeles. There, a chat with a fellow music school student launched him on a journey to Italy, where he met Italian musician Nicola Cipriani and began a collaboration that led him around the world.

A decade later, however, he’d returned to his foundation in the Granite State, even as he continued to travel to Europe to tour. Myrick currently runs Lakes Region recording studio The Greenhouse, and leads NH Music Collective, which fosters talent and books shows throughout the region.

“It’s beautiful when I can incorporate what I’ve learned in other music scenes into the great scene we have here,” Myrick said in 2014. Eight years later, he feels validated. The need to go through a crucible like L.A. isn’t hard to understand, but there’s no reason it can’t also be done here.

“We have the technology to make New Hampshire the next Seattle,” he said. “The people with something to say are going to find a way, and most take off for that reason. I just want that opportunity to be bigger here, and that’s a big part of why I stick around.”

Amanda McCarthy: The Long Haul

woman with guitar singing into microphone — Amanda McCarthy. Courtesy photo.

For Amanda McCarthy, leaving New Hampshire was always the dream. The singer-songwriter began looking at Nashville apartments when she was 20 years old, stopping only when she learned she was pregnant.

“That changed everything,” she said. “I won’t say that set me back; I mean, everything happens for a reason. I love my daughter, but it definitely made my approach very different.”

McCarthy has been a working musician since her high school days, playing throughout her home state. Her biggest local moment came when she performed at Salt Hill Shanty in Sunapee. Steven Tyler, a personal hero of hers, was there that day, so she boldly decided to cover an Aerosmith song. He reacted favorably, leading to a weeks-long media splash.

Soon after, she made the move to Music City with a singular goal in mind.

“I really wanted to explore the world of writing music for other people,” she said. “Writing songs that might not necessarily be my style, but knowing they still have a life somewhere else.” A good example of this is “The Long Haul,” a song McCarthy wrote in the early 2010s that became the title track of fellow New Hampshire singer April Cushman’s debut album.

There are only a few places left to follow such a dream, and Nashville tops the list. That said, it’s a crowded and often daunting place to stake a claim, but the young and hopeful artist managed to find her way.

“I was a little nervous that it would be hard to break in, that people might be mean, because it’s a big city, but people are genuinely nice, accepting and welcoming,” McCarthy said. “By the time Year 1 wrapped up, I’d pretty much found who I consider to be my circle, my tribe of people who I collaborate and play shows with.”

Helping her crack the code was a realization that hosting song pulls — events where writers share their work with audiences and each other — was a great way to network.

“I got the opportunity to book some shows, and rather than billing it under Amanda McCarthy … I chose to bill it under a company that I started called Nashville Writers Collective,” she said. “I think that’s attracted a lot of people because it sounded more like an entity and an experience rather than just another songwriter.”

Currently, McCarthy has been readying a new album, Don’t Stop Me, due for release soon. All the while, she’s kept one foot in New England, traveling back to play gigs. Her next hometown appearance will be at Exeter’s Sawbelly Brewing on April 29. Initially she did it to survive; now it gives her a way to check in with home that’s not an economic necessity.

“When I got here … I didn’t have a professional network, and I didn’t really have a way to make money, whereas now I kind of figured that out,” she said. “It’s less of a crutch for me and more enjoyable… I can treat it more like a working vacation.”

Tom Dixon: Gone to the Dogs

man in baseball cap holding guitar, wooden background — Tom Dixon. Courtesy photo.

For Tom Dixon, the road out of New England led to some great memories, but not enough to sustain a career in music.

Dixon hit Nashville in 2013 after establishing himself as a solid draw in his home state fronting an eponymous band, but had no illusions about taking the town by storm.

“My expectations were low, but my hopes were high,” he said. “If you go into something like this expecting to be a star, you’re a fool; you hope that you will, and get as far as you can.”

Undeterred, Dixon worked to break into the scene there, beginning with his aptly titled album, Kick Start This Party, made with producer Kent Wells.

“We got that out and hit the road with it as soon as possible,” Dixon said. “Of course, my first trip was back to New England — I knew I could play there.”

Soon, he was booking tours that led from Nashville to New England, playing bars, barbecue joints, and anywhere else he could. It was lucrative, and when he arrived in New Hampshire he’d play for a large chunk of the summer. All the while, he was checking off items from his professional bucket list.

“I played all over the country,” Dixon said. “I didn’t play in all 50 states, but I played in a lot. I was able to do some big things, play some big stages, play on national television, get on radio … I wanted to do everything.” His biggest moment came after he was inspired to write a song for a veterans organization called Coalition For The American Heroes.

Eventually, though, it got old.

“I began to feel like a truck driver who stops in different towns to play music,” Dixon said. “All I do is drive and then I stop, put on a show and drive again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven 10 hours, played a show, slept in a hotel for four hours, got up and drove 10 hours back. I ended up having some issues. My career kind of slowed down, it’s not on fire like it used to be. I’m in pain literally and I’m tired of not being home and it just wasn’t fun anymore.”

Despite that, Dixon travels home each summer to play a handful of shows for his still dedicated local fan base. He’ll be back in April at Manchester’s Bonfire and Stumble Inn in Londonderry, a New England run he’s dubbed The Good Times and Bad Decisions Tour.

Before he decided to play music full-time, Dixon had seriously considered a profession centered on his love for dogs. He’d trained his own, helped friends with theirs, and claimed it was a coin flip that led him to music. He decided to contact the Animal Behavior College to learn his options and was stunned by what the person on the other end of the phone told him.

“He said, ‘Funny story, you’re in my system already, in New Hampshire… you and I talked 10 years ago,” Dixon said. “It was a real thing that long ago, when I hadn’t started playing music full-time. The weird thing is that I’m still following a dream, but now I can follow two dreams. My career’s gone to the dogs.”

MB Padfield: California Dreaming

young woman in torn jeans and tank top, holding guitar, standing in waves at beach — MB Padfield. Photo by Kristen McFarren.

When MB Padfield moved to Southern California, she didn’t receive a golden reception.

“I got broken into, and all of my songwriting notebooks were stolen,” the New Hampshire native recalled recently. “On impact, that was brutal; but since then things have been really great.”

Driven to perform from an early age — she enrolled at Berklee at 16 — Padfield traveled between coasts a lot before packing a U-Haul in early 2018. At home she gigged constantly, but playing covers wore on her.

Padfield’s songs were getting played on the radio when she was 16. Her first single, “Silly Boy,” featured Greg Hawkes of the Cars on ukulele. Her anti-bullying original “You Can’t Break Me Down” showed a maturity beyond her years. A next stop at the world’s entertainment hub was a natural choice.

“New England has really amazing players as far as musicians, and the talent there is top-notch, but there’s a mindset in Los Angeles that you want to push yourself to do more,” she said. “I don’t think moving away is for everybody, but I do think if you feel a call of an artistic vision that you don’t seem to be surrounded by currently, then it might be an option.”

For Padfield, the level of talent in L.A. is the opposite of intimidating.

“There are people that exude creativity; it’s so inspiring and motivating to be around. … That’s honestly my favorite part,” she said. “I’m not looking to be a big fish in a little pond. I want to be able to play shows and make music … representative of the person I am, [and not] a different mindset of, ‘Oh, I gotta be the best in the room.’ If you’re the best in the room, you aren’t in the right room.”

She’s currently at work on a new EP called Surface and has launched a Kickstarter campaign to cover distribution costs.

“It’s sonically very modern; I guess you would call it in the indie pop genre,” she said. “I wrote all the songs myself, and I’ve been working with an amazing team out here that’s kind of helping me bring those songs to life.”

Padfield heads back to New England in the summer and around the winter holidays to play shows but doesn’t plan on being bicoastal forever.

“Three or four months out of the year until I’m able to be full-time in Los Angeles,” she said, adding that returning to SoCal can be jarring. “There is a switch that has to be flipped, and it’s so hard sometimes.”

For Padfield’s long-term goals, her new home is an ideal fit.

“New England has such an amazing strong backbone, of cover gigs and working-class musicians,” she said, “but in Los Angeles there’s something to be said for creativity and innovation, and propelling culture. It just feels like you’re part of something bigger.”

Senie Hunt: Dividing the Time

man playing guitar in front of rippling water — Senie Hunt. Courtesy photo.

Senie Hunt first left his New Hampshire home for another Tennessee music mecca, Memphis. After a few months there he returned, following a breakup with his girlfriend. Heading south was always part of his long-term plan, and Hunt made the move to Nashville in April of last year.

“I wanted to be in a place that was more diverse both in terms of music and in terms of culture and race,” Hunt, who is Black, said in a recent phone interview. His new home offered the bonus of being “the least furthest away, so I’m still able to visit with my family and friends, and also stay down here.”

Hunt is an acoustic guitarist with a unique percussive sound produced by tapping the body of his instrument as he plays it. The urge to move was spurred by a need for both “a change of scenery” and a change from what had become a limiting gig schedule.

“I didn’t want to end up playing the same places to the same people all the time; I wanted to branch off,” he said. Nashville had “hundreds of places either doing live shows or open mics, showcases, recording, all of that … built into one city block. At almost every show I played, I’d meet an entirely new audience.”

Another factor that helped was having a musical style that diverged from the sound the city was primarily known for.

“Despite Nashville being a very heavy country scene, it’s starting to evolve because a younger generation is coming in,” he said. “Right now is the perfect time if you stand out in a different style. … People just create music here.”

Along with success that finds him able to book shows months in advance in his new home, Hunt stays connected to his old digs, regularly returning for area gigs. Camaraderie with the local scene was vital when his car caught fire on a recent tour, resulting in a total loss of Hunt’s vehicle and much of his equipment.

Area musicians quickly organized a benefit for him at Area 23 in Concord, a place Hunt played frequently when he lived there.

“A lot of my friends decided they wanted to pitch in and help me kind of get back on my feet and get back on tour regularly,” he said. At the show, Hunt played a Zoom set for the crowd there. “It was nice, even just briefly, to share a few songs with the folks up north.”

Resupplied with assistance from his pals, Hunt is headed back at the end of the month to play some shows; he’ll be around until the end of May. Fans can see a new side of him on April 23 in Concord, with the debut of the plugged-in Senie Hunt Project at Bank of NH Stage.

“I have always loved blues and electric, and since it is very different from my normal stuff I decided to make a new band to not throw too many people off,” he said, noting he’d begun on electric guitar in grade school. “I really only switched back to acoustic when I transferred colleges and needed to find a solo alternative, which then brought me back to my percussive guitar playing, which filled the void of not having a band around.”

Gracie Curran: Point of Departure

young woman in sparkling shirt posing against wall — Gracie Curran. Courtesy photo.

In 2014, Gracie Curran moved to Memphis after experiencing the city during the International Blues Competition. She found it welcoming, both for the music and for its central location, which made touring a big chunk of the country easier.

“After the awards, we were starting to get calls to play in Omaha, in Chicago,” Curran said in February. “Mapping from Boston was a scary thought, but I realized we could reach 70 percent of our markets within an eight-hour drive from Memphis. … It was a good jumping-off point for us to put our feet in the waters and start touring.”

Soon after, Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band scored a residency at a Beale Street nightclub called Rum Boogie. The singer shared cramped quarters in a city apartment, but it didn’t bother her.

“It was worth living with four other band leaders,” she said. “I was with such talented musicians that put so much work and effort into their craft.”

Another reason Curran settled in Memphis was that the band she’d formed in 2010 with bass player Geoff Murfitt was at a crossroads. Murfitt had a family, which didn’t fit well with spending time on the road, while guitarist Tommy Carroll had grown tired of touring.

“So I came down to Memphis initially to kind of start and grow the band,” Curran said, something she found easier said than done. “There are a lot of amazing musicians here in Memphis, but all the great ones are usually on the road.”

She recruited veteran Boston guitar player Chris Hersch and coaxed Murfitt back into the band with an offer to fly them from New England to wherever their dates are, while ending the Rum Boogie residency. The band is rounded out by keyboard player Scott Coulter, who’s also in Hersch’s band Say Darling, and drummer Terrell Reed.

“That’s what we’ve been doing ever since,” Curran said. “It’s been great to be able to play with them. Memphis was really everything I expected it to be; it’s truly a great musical family here, a really supportive, welcoming community … and not only that, musician supporters.”

Curran’s connection to her old home is unwavering; she returns whenever she can, and always on her birthday. She’ll be at The Bull Run in Shirley, Mass., on May 16 for an ensemble show that includes Toni Lynn Washington, Diane Blue, Gina Coleman and Erin Harpe.

“I really feel like I have the best of both worlds right now,” she said. “I have a great community here… but also in Boston. I was very spoiled in that when I first started testing the waters, we had Ronnie Earl, Mike Welch and Roomful of Blues, Toni Lynn Washington and all these amazing musicians. To have both those perspectives from musicians that played with all the greats, to be able to pass on stories and tips … these are valuable things that I am so grateful for.”

Brooks Hubbard: Back Home Again

From the moment he left New England, Brooks Hubbard knew he’d be back. In fact, that was his goal.

In early 2015 Hubbard set out for Los Angeles to grow his music career, but a stop to visit a friend in Nashville changed his mind.

“It offers the same opportunities and cuts out all the Hollywood stuff that I don’t need,” Hubbard said in early March. “Nashville welcomes you with open arms, whereas L.A. or New York seem to be closed off. … You have to work the networks to get on stage.”

Hubbard managed to leverage the West Coast connections he did have. A drummer he knew who had played with Robert Cray had introduced him to Jackson Browne’s guitarist Val McCallum during a visit there the previous year. In summer 2015, the two played together in White River Junction, Vermont, at a release party for Hubbard’s album Start of Me.

McCallum agreed to do the show via text, based on a misunderstanding that turned out well.

“He thought it was a bar gig, but it was actually a ticketed show, and I was playing all original music,” Hubbard said. “He didn’t know any of my songs, but he’s one of those players that can play anything — he has a great ear.”

After the show, McCallum was insistent that they should “do something together,” Hubbard said. “That was where the seed was planted to make a record, which we eventually got to do in 2017.”

As Hubbard had made the move right after earning his bachelor’s, he approached his new home as a learning experience.

“The first couple of years I was there was just an extension of school,” he said. “This is what I really want to do, and this is where I need to learn what people do in this industry do to make a living.”

He found that opportunity did not equate to success.

“I always say it’s the home of the greatest and the worst musicians in the world,” he said. “If you want to be one of those great artists or performers, you gotta put in the work. It’s really tough to make a buck in town there, because there’s just so many people that are doing the same thing.”

Hubbard uses the past tense because he recently re-settled in Etna, the New Hampshire town where he grew up and began playing music, inspired by his father, also a musician. He’s now married to the girlfriend he decamped with to Music City seven years ago; they’ll welcome their first child in April.

The move back came a bit sooner than expected, but the timing turned out for the best.

“It was something that my wife and I had always talked about eventually doing, but the pandemic for sure sped up that plan,” Hubbard said. “Doing livestreaming and even co-writing through Zoom made me realize that you don’t have to physically be in some of those places. If you go there and make the corrections and then keep those connections, it doesn’t really matter where you base yourself.”

See the musicians

Amanda McCarthy just released “Don’t Stop Me” co-written with fellow expat Ty Openshaw; the track will appeal to fans of Marren Morris and Kacey Musgraves. She’ll be home in late April for a round of New England shows, though her only Granite State gig is Friday, April 29, at Sawbelly Brewing (156 Epping Road, Exeter). Visit amandamccarthy.com.

Tom Dixon made his final single, “The Weekend,” in 2020, a raucous call to party that will please fans of Luke Bryan and Rascal Flatts. Though he officially retired from the music business, Dixon heads home occasionally to play for his hardcore fans. He’ll do a full band show at Bonfire (950 Elm St, Manchester) on Friday, April 23, at 8 p.m.

MB Padfield has a four-song EP called Surfaces due later in the year. Fans of Holly Humberstone will enjoy 2020’s brooding love song “Trxst” — it’s on her YouTube page. Padfield is currently booking New England dates for summer. She’ll be at Bernie’s Beach Bar (73 Ocean Blvd., Hampton) every Saturday afternoon from mid-June until Labor Day.

Senie Hunt continues to play acoustic music in his singular percussive guitar style, but will showcase an electric side during his Saturday, April 23, appearance at Bank of NH Stage ($18 at ccanh.com). For a taste of that sound check out “Lovers on the Run,” available on Tidal and other platforms. It’s a growling blues rocker reminiscent of Gary Clark Jr.

Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band is a rip-roaring combo fronted by a namesake singer who channels Janis Joplin and Brittany Howard. Their next area date is a blues showcase Saturday, April 16, at Bull Run (215 Great Road, Shirley, Mass., $30 at bullrunrestaurant.com) with Curran, Toni Lynn Washington, Diane Blue, Gina Coleman and Erin Harpe.

Brooks Hubbard is a singer-songwriter in the vein of Jackson Browne, Jack Johnson and Jason Isbell. He’s putting the finishing touches on Father & Son, a collection of songs celebrating parenthood — his first child is due in April. See him Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. at The Goat (50 Old Granite St., Manchester).

Featured photo: Brooks Hubbard. Photo by Brett Berwager Photography.

Backyard Sugarhouse

New space and new equipment for Beaver Brook Maple

Curiosity — that’s essentially how Andrew Mattiace ended up with the brand new sugarhouse on his property in Bow. After his grandmother’s funeral in 2017, Mattiace and his family visited her favorite sugarhouse in Charlestown; at one point, Mattiace looked at the evaporator and thought, “This thing just boils water? I can do this.”

So, being a “curious engineer,” he built his own evaporator, tapped some maple trees in his backyard, and in 2018 produced maple syrup for the first time — a whopping 5 gallons.

“The first year was horrendous,” he laughed.

Mattiace learned mostly by scouring the internet, and then through trial and error — and there were a lot of errors, he said. But what he produced in the end was good stuff, worthy of bottling and selling.

“It was like, OK, I can make syrup now, but how do I sell it?” he said.

He decided to build a self-serve farmstand on his property and named his business Beaver Brook Maple. Once he started selling, the demand quickly outpaced how much he was producing, even after he started to get the hang of it.

Andrew Mattiace’s sugarhouse at Beaver Brook Maple. Photos by Meghan Siegler.

Mattiace now has plenty of sap, tapping into some of his neighbors’ trees too. On a recent Friday 13-year-old Miles Miller and his dad Joe dropped off almost 130 gallons of sap from their own trees. It was their second run of the week; a few days earlier, they’d brought 80. Miles, who does the majority of the tree tapping and sap collecting, walked away Friday with $55 for that day’s delivery. He said they’ve lucked out with the maple trees on their property.

“They have a pretty high sugar content,” he said.

With neighbors selling him sap and plenty of people buying his syrup, the sugarhouse was the next logical step for Mattiace. He wanted to upsize his tank to produce more syrup in a shorter period of time.

Plus, he said, “I got tired of freezing my a** off. It’s very laborious and time consuming, and I wanted to get out of the outdoor process.”

His old evaporator processed eight gallons of sap in an hour, while the new one can process 35 gallons. His goal for this year is to produce 50 gallons of syrup, up from 23 last year, which will be much easier with the new equipment and warmer space, he said.

Mattiace isn’t in this for the money. In fact, if he sells those 50 gallons, he’ll just about break even.

“If I count my labor, I’m completely in the red,” he said.

Mattiace doesn’t want to grow Beaver Brook Maple into a big business. He has a full-time job that pays the bills, and this “hobby” already takes a lot of time.

“I want to make it worthwhile, but I never want to exceed 100 gallons a year,” he said.

Mattiace’s main goal has always been to create a sense of community, a place where friends and family come to hang out.

“That’s a real driving factor for me,” he said. “Everybody loves sweet, sugary things.”

Featured photo: Andrew Mattiace and his new sugarhouse at Beaver Brook Maple. Photos by Meghan Siegler.

Time to Maple

Celebrate the sweet stuff with sugar house visits and maple tastings

Season of syrup

New Hampshire Maple Weekend returns

New Hampshire Maple Weekend
When: Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20
Where: Several participating sugarhouses and farms statewide
Visit: nhmapleproducers.com

By Matt Ingersoll

[email protected]

On March 5 and March 6 Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple kicked off the first two days of its maple touring season to a great turnout — and an overall “back to normal” type of feeling, operations manager Emily Sliviak said. Free tours are set to continue every weekend through April 3.

“This is the first year that we’re starting to do samples again,” Sliviak said. “Everyone wanted a sample, and it was great to see that nobody really seemed uncomfortable or scared or anything, especially in the evaporator room, just because it is kind of a tighter space.”

Ben’s is one of hundreds of sugarhouses across the Granite State gearing up for New Hampshire Maple Weekend, happening on Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20. Maple producers large and small traditionally hold open houses throughout the weekend — or all month long in March — for families to visit, take a free tour, and sample syrup and other maple goodies.

jar of pudding topped with strawberries and whipped cream — Maple warm pudding. Photo courtesy of Ben’s Sugar Shack.

It’s overseen by the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, a nonprofit founded in 1943 that now represents roughly 350 maple purveyors statewide, president Andrew Chisholm said.

“Last year we decided to advertise it as Maple Month so that producers would have the option to spread everything out over the entire month and not have large groups come to sugarhouses, as is common on Maple Weekend,” said Chisholm, a maple producer himself who runs Chisholm Farm in Hampstead. “This year we’re doing kind of a hybrid, so we’re giving producers the option to advertise themselves as participating in Maple Month or Maple Weekend, and then my guess is that by 2023 we’ll hopefully be fully back to … calling it a Maple Weekend.”

Here’s a look at how this year’s maple sugaring season has gone so far in southern New Hampshire and what you can expect when you visit a local sugarhouse on Maple Weekend.

Maple warm pudding
Courtesy of Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple. Recipe by Mareh Bleecker

2½ cups whole milk
⅔ cup maple sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Strawberry jam
Fresh whipped cream

In a small bowl, mix half a cup of cold milk with the cornstarch. Place the remaining two cups of milk, the maple sugar and the salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook just until the mixture begins to steam. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce the heat to very low and stir for five minutes until thick. Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Spoon the pudding into individual jars or ramekins and let cool slightly. Top with jam, compote, fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Tapping traditions

Tours are offered at Ben’s every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and will typically last about half an hour depending on questions, Sliviak said. Attendees learn all about the process of collecting sap and the importance of daily maintenance of the trees, especially against windy or rainy weather conditions and the intrusions of animals like squirrels, bears and moose.

“We walk them across the woods to where they can see the modern way of collecting, which is through the tubing system and the vacuum system,” she said. “Then we’ll walk groups back over to where the trucks will bring the sap. We have a 10,000-gallon holding tank, and all of the sap from there will run into the reverse osmosis room, which is a fancy system that separates the water from the sugar molecules … and that makes it much less work for the evaporator to boil.”

Depending on the sugar content levels and the time of the season, Sliviak said it takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. After the reverse osmosis process, the sap then runs into the evaporator room, where tour attendees learn about the boiling, filtering and bottling of the syrup, as well as the grades that are produced and how each is different in taste.

Samples are provided at the conclusion of the tour, and a gift shop will also have various maple products for sale. Last weekend Ben’s began offering maple ice cream — that’s expected to continue through the last two weekends of the month, Sliviak said, in addition to their maple roasted nuts, maple cotton candy and their popular maple doughnuts.

“We’re just kind of easing into everything and gradually getting back into all of the other stuff that we normally would do with the tours,” Sliviak said.

In May, following the end of this year’s production season, Ben’s is expected to break ground on a new 16,000-square-foot building on the corner of Route 101 and Webster Highway in Temple, which Sliviak said will accommodate tours that much better by this time next year.

Chisholm will similarly open his operation up for free tours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of Maple Weekend. He’ll have maple ice cream sourced from Shaw Farm just over the state line in Dracut, Mass., as well as maple doughnuts and a variety of his own products available for sale.

“What I like to do that’s a little unique are infused maples, so I do a vanilla-infused maple and a cinnamon-infused maple, and then also some barrel-aged stuff,” he said.

Weathering the storm

Despite a slow start to the 2022 maple season, the temperatures over the last couple of weeks and the forecast have set the stage for an ideal Maple Weekend, according to Sliviak.

“A lot of times we’re able to produce a decent amount in January and even in February, and that was not the case this year,” she said. “We’re looking for warmer days and colder nights, ideally 40 degrees or 45 at the most, but definitely a slight freeze at night, so around 25 to 30 degrees. … Overall it looks like it’s going to turn out really well, and one of the reasons is because of the amount of rain that we had in the past year, in the summer, fall and through the winter, even.”

a jam jar, half a lemon and a bottle of maple syrup — Maple onion jam. Courtesy of Ben’s Sugar Shack.

It’s already shaping out to be a better season for sugarhouses compared to last year, which Chisholm said was widely classified as a disaster due to very warm and dry conditions.

“Most producers only made about 40 percent of what they would expect to make, myself included,” he said. “Last year was an early start and a very early finish. … It warmed up real quick at the end of March, and I think for us down here in southern New Hampshire it never went below freezing. As a whole the 2021 season was a short crop across the entire region.”

Sugarhouses haven’t been immune to rising costs and supply chain issues impacting all kinds of industries in the pandemic’s wake, from plastic containers and glass bottles and jars to everything in between. But with that, Sliviak said sales of and demand for syrup are still up from before.

“We literally had some farm stands double their average sales with us last year,” she said. “I don’t really know what it’s from, whether people are more out and about or their kids are home more and they needed maple syrup, but we’re still seeing that upward trend.”

Maple onion jam
Courtesy of Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple. Recipe by Mareh Bleecker

2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 Tablespoons neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado or ghee)
2 Tablespoons Ben’s organic maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, onions and salt. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Add maple syrup, black pepper and thyme. Add a little bit of water if the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook the onions for 25 to 30 minutes or until the onions are caramelized and deep brown in color. Add the mustard and lemon juice and stir for one minute. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Pour into a small jar and let it cool. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Visit a sugarhouse

Here are some local farms and sugarhouses participating in this year’s New Hampshire Maple Weekend, scheduled for Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20. Some will be offering maple sugaring tours and demonstrations, while others will be selling and providing samples of a variety of maple-infused products. Be sure to contact each one directly for their most up-to-date plans for Maple Weekend. For a full list of sugarhouses, visit nhmapleproducers.com.

• 6 Saplings Sugarhouse (31 Kearsarge Valley Road, Wilmot, 526-2167, find them on Facebook) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering tours, samples and products for sale, from maple syrup to maple cream, sugar, candied nuts and more.

• Babel’s Sugar Shack (323 Hurricane Hill Road, Mason, 878-3929, find them on Facebook) Open on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for an open house, with samples and syrup for sale.

• Beaver Brook Maple (1 Beaver Brook Drive, Bow, 491-0500, find them on Facebook @bbmaple) Open on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for maple demonstrations.

• Beaver Meadowbrook Farm Sugar House (402 Route 103 East, Warner, 224-2452, find them on Facebook) Visitors welcome any time, but calling ahead is recommended. Face masks are required when inside the sugar house.

• Ben’s Sugar Shack (83 Webster Hwy., Temple; 693 Route 103, Newbury; 924-3111, bensmaplesyrup.com) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free maple sugaring tours are offered every 15 minutes and last about a half hour, depending on questions. Samples and products for sale include maple syrup, soft serve, doughnuts, roasted nuts and more.

• Beyond the Horizon Farm (19 Gillis Hill Road, Bennington, 588-6210, beyondthehorizonfarm.com) Open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring complimentary maple cinnamon swirl rolls and doughnuts as well as coffee, cocoa and tea while supplies last.

• Blueberry Hill Sugarworks (31 Blueberry Hill Road, Raymond, 300-6837, wickedsappy.com) Open weekends during maple season; hours vary. Check back on the website or call for details.

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) Open Saturday and Sunday for its annual Maple Express event, to be held at various times between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Tickets start at $22 and include horse-drawn and tractor train rides, maple syrup demonstrations and tours, taste testing, visits with the animals and more.

• Chisholm Farm (641 Main St., Hampstead, 421-4727, chisholmfarm.com) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours will be conducted on an on-demand basis and a variety of products will be available, from maple ice cream and doughnuts to all kinds of infused syrups.

• Chris-Mich 3 Farm (285 Elm Ave., Antrim, 588-2157, find them on Facebook @chrismich3farm) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a variety of maple products available, from maple syrup to maple cream, sugar, candies, walnuts and more.

• Connolly’s Sugar House (140 Webster Hwy., Temple, 924-5002, find them on Facebook) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for tours. Connolly’s, which is also a family-owned dairy farm, will have its own maple ice cream made fresh on site with its syrup.

• Dill Family Farm (61 Griffin Road, Deerfield, 475-3798, find them on Facebook) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple syrup samples available, in addition to maple candy, cream and sugar for sale.

• Fletcher & Family Sugar House (2528 E. Washington Road, Washington, 340-4035, fletcher-farm.com) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple syrup, candy and sugar for purchase, in addition to some free samples. Coffee, hot chocolate and doughnuts will be served in the morning and hot dogs and chips will be served for lunch.

• Folsom’s Sugar House (130 Candia Road, Chester, 370-0908, folsomsugarhouse.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours will be ongoing throughout each day, and there will be a variety of specialty products available, from maple syrup, candies and cream to maple barbecue sauce, mustard, pepper seasonings and pancake mixes.

• Gould Hill Farm (656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com) Open on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring free maple syrup samples, as well as cider doughnuts and maple hard cider for sale. The Contoocook Cider Co.’s tasting room will also have live music by Colin Hart from 1 to 4 p.m. that day.

• Ice Mountain Maple (276 Queen St., Boscawen, 341-4297, icemountainmaple.com) Open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering maple syrup and candy for sale, as well as maple coffee.

• Jessie James Maple Farm (164 Allens Mill Road, Gilmanton, 267-6428, jessiejamesmaple.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring its own maple syrup for sale, in addition to other specialty products like maple mustard, maple chipotle seasoning and cinnamon maple sugar.

• Journey’s End Maple Farm (295 Loudon Road, Pittsfield, 252-6669, journeysendmaplefarm.com) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring live maple sugaring demonstrations, a local vendor pop-up event and a variety of maple products for sale, from maple syrup to iced maple lattes, maple shakes, sundaes, cotton candy and more.

• Kaison’s Sugar House (75 Forest Road, Weare, 660-6019, find them on Facebook @kaisonssugarhouse) Open on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring maple sugaring demonstrations and maple products for sale like syrup, lollipops and candy drops (cash only).

• Kearsarge Gore Farm (173 Gore Road, Warner, 456-2319, teamkgf.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for maple sugaring demonstrations and syrup samples.

• Ledge Top Sugar House (25 Oak St., Boscawen, 753-4973, ledgetop.com) Open on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring maple syrup and other products for sale.

• Main Street Maple and Honey Farm (186 Main St., Belmont, 527-9071, mainstreetmapleandhoney.com) Open on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring maple syrup making demonstrations and a variety of products for sale.

• Mapletree Farm (105 Oak Hill Road, Concord, 224-0820, mapletreefarmnh.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring self-guided maple sugaring tours and a variety of maple products available, like maple syrup, cream, candy and more.

• Matras Maple (821 Catamount Road, Pittsfield, 724-9427, find them on Facebook @matrasmaple) Open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. There will be maple syrup making demonstrations and all kinds of maple products for sale, like maple cream, maple sugar and local ice cream topped with maple syrup and crunchy candies.

• Munson’s Maple (44 Blueberry Hill Road, Raymond, 303-8278, find them on Facebook) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for maple tours, samples and products for sale.

• Old Pound Road Sugar House (37 Old Pound Road, Antrim, 588-3272, oldpoundroadsugarhouse.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple tours and a variety of free samples, like coffee, maple syrup and candy.

• Parker’s Maple Barn (1316 Brookline Road, Mason, 878-2308, parkersmaplebarn.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for maple tours, and specialty products like gourmet maple coffee and maple glazed doughnuts will also be available for sale.

• Peterson Sugar House (28 Peabody Row, Londonderry, 383-8917, [email protected]) Open Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., featuring maple sugaring demonstrations, maple syrup samples and various maple products for sale.

• Pfeil Family Farm (311 Cram Hill Road, Lyndeborough, 801-3158, pfeilfamilymaple.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple syrup for sale as well as coffee, doughnuts and other various maple products.

• Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm (58 Cleveland Hill Road, Tamworth, 323-7591, remickmuseum.org) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring outdoor maple sugaring demonstrations and maple syrup for sale while supplies last.

• Ridgeland Farm (736 Loudon Ridge Road, Loudon, 520-4337, ridgelandfarmnh.com) Open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring tours of the sugarhouse and samples of maple syrup and maple peanut butter fudge.

• SMD Maple Syrup (6 Falcon Drive, Merrimack, 978-815-6476, find them on Facebook @smdmaplesyrup) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring maple syrup making demonstrations, samples, maple syrup for sale and more.

• Somero Maple Farm (21 Poor Farm Road, New Ipswich, 562-0822, someromaplefarm.com) Open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring free maple syrup making tours and a variety of products available for sampling and for sale.

• The Sugar House at Morning Star Farm (30 Crane Crossing Road, Plaistow, 479-0804, find them on Facebook @thesugarhouseatmorningstarfarm) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering its full line of maple products, which include syrups, cream, jelly, mustard, nuts, candy, confections, homemade doughnuts and more.

• Sunnyside Maples (1089 Route 106 N, Loudon, 848-7090, sunnysidemaples.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple sugaring demonstrations and several maple products for sale in its gift shop, like syrup, cream, mustard, candy, seasonings, coffee, pancake mixes and more.

• Trail Side Sugar House (246 Currier Road, Andover, 748-1307, trailsidesugarhouse.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering maple tours, samples and demonstrations. Available products all weekend will include maple syrup, candy, cream, barbecue sauce, mustard, doughnuts, cotton candy, nuts and whoopie pies.

• Turkey Street Maples (673 Turkey St., Chocorua, 323-9320, turkeystreetmaples.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring maple sugaring demonstrations and various maple products available for purchase, including syrup and cotton candy.

• Two Sappy Guys Sugar Shack (324 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford, 860-7992, find them on Facebook @2sappyguys) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring fresh maple syrup for sale.

• Windswept Maples Farm (845 Loudon Ridge Road, Loudon, 491-9130, windsweptmaples.com) Open Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring maple demonstrations and maple syrup, maple sugar candy and other products for sale.

Featured photo: Maple sugaring tours at Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple. Courtesy photo.

Make This

From an upcycled fashion show to a personal storytelling showcase, New Hampshire has all kinds of opportunities to learn and show off a new craft or skill.

Local makers talked about how they got into quilting, blacksmithing, 3D printing and more, and why they’ve stuck with it. If their stories have you feeling inspired to try out the craft for yourself, check out some of the upcoming programs and events listed here.

3D printing

As a home care provider, Pat Michaud of Concord is always looking for ways to help improve her clients’ quality of life. One of those ways, she found, was taking a class on 3D printing at Making Matters NH, a makerspace in Penacook.

“When I told my home care client I signed up for the class, he was excited,” Michaud said. “He is in a wheelchair, and he also owns a 3D printer … so he said I can ‘be his hands.’”

3D printed votive chicken made by Pat Michaud. Courtesy photo.

Michaud has worked with her client to 3D print a number of custom accessibility items, including a phone holder, a controller holder and a mug straw holder. For herself, she has printed household items and specialty accessories, such as votive and LED-votive chickens, ornamental chickens and Volvo key chains and other paraphernalia. Her next endeavor, she said, is providing 3D printing services for local businesses.

“I already have a person who is asking me to print things for her business,” Michaud said. “It’s exciting to me that I can use this [skill] to help other small businesses.”

Michaud said that, because she has a background in working with computers, 3D printing came easily to her; it may be more challenging for those who aren’t as tech-savvy, but the instructors at Making Matters are equipped to teach people of all levels of knowledge and experience.

“The class is amazing and so informative … and the teacher [has] so much enthusiasm about the subject,” she said. “If you want to learn a new skill, and you have the right mind to do it, it can be so fun.”

Making Matters NH (88 Village St., Penacook, 565-5443, makingmattersnh.org) is a makerspace that offers a variety of classes and workshops, including ones teaching 3D printing. “Hands-on 3D Printing for Beginners,” a one-day crash course covering the basics of 3D printing, will be offered on Saturdays, March 12 and April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $15 for Making Matters members and $50 for nonmembers.

Port City Makerspace (68 Morning St., Portsmouth) is offering an “Intro to 3D Printing” class on Wednesdays, April 13 and June 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $25 for members of the makerspace and $45 for nonmembers. Call 373-1002 or visit portcitymakerspace.com.

Blacksmithing

Jesse O’Brien of Danbury tried blacksmithing for the first time at a workshop offered at Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, which his friend encouraged him to sign up for.

“She is one of the best metalworkers I know, and she raved about taking this workshop for blacksmithing,” O’Brien said. “[After] seeing what she had made in the workshop … I had to give it a try myself.”

Metalwork by Jesse O’Brien made during a blacksmithing workshop at Sanborn Mills. Courtesy photo.

O’Brien found blacksmithing to be “surprisingly practical,” he said, and having the ability to craft his own artistic and functional metal pieces appealed to him. Plant hangers, coat hooks and custom gifts are just some of the items he has made; he also makes his own hardware for building and repair projects around his small farm property.

After his first workshop, O’Brien assembled his own small forge at home, which he uses on a regular basis, he said.

“A small forge is like a magical problem-solver which only needs some steel, coal or propane and a bit of time and ingenuity,” he said. “It’s more convenient to make things right from home instead of having to go to a store, and I can generally make something that I’m proud to own.”

O’Brien said he has plans to expand his home forge and his collection of blacksmithing tools.

“Every time I make something, I realize that it would be faster [to make] or [of] higher quality if I had one more … shape of tongs, or a hammer with a different face shape or a different shape of anvil to work against.”

Blacksmithing is a more accessible craft than it may appear, O’Brien said, and it doesn’t require a lot of strength or agility or any special physical capabilities.

“Anyone who can lift a hammer should try blacksmithing,” he said. “It’s a skillset that’s empowering and encourages anyone who tries it to learn and improve their skills.”

Sanborn Mills Farm(7097 Sanborn Road, Loudon) offers ongoing blacksmithing workshops for all ages and experience levels. The next beginner level workshop with space available is “Blacksmithing Basics,” running Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The cost is $375. Other three-day workshops range from $225 to $400. Call 435-7314 or visit sanbornmills.org for the full schedule of workshops through November.

Fused glass

Aimee Whittemore of Henniker tried the art of fused glass for the first time a few years ago while visiting family in Arizona and “absolutely loved” it, she said. Prior to that, she had been doing stained glass.

“Now, I do both,” she said. “I love that [with fused glass] you can make things look 3D, and you can also make dishes.”

Fused glass garden ornaments made by Aimee Whittemore. Courtesy photo.

When she was starting out, she didn’t know of any glass studios in New Hampshire. Then, one afternoon, she and her husband were walking around downtown Manchester when they came across StudioVerne, the working studio and gallery of fused glass artist Verne Orlosk.

“I was so excited to see a glass studio,” Whittemore said. “We went in and talked to Verne about what she does for fused glass … [and] talked for a while about different projects that we had made. … We ended up doing three workshops at her studio.”

Over the past two years, Whittemore has created a number of fused glass pieces, including garden gnomes; a glass garden with fused flowers; ladybugs; butterflies; and a maple leaf, for which she used a fine powdered glass.

Fused glass pieces are typically put through at least two kiln processes, she explained. The first is called the “full fuse.”

“When I make a butterfly, for example, I trace my pattern onto the glass, then score the glass and … break the glass where I scored it,” she said. “Now, I have the body of my butterfly, and it needs to go in the kiln for a full fuse … which fuses the body all together and rounds the edges.”

The second process is the “tack fuse,” which fuses the design, formed with smaller glass pieces or powders, to the main piece of glass.

“There are so many different techniques you can do with fused glass,” she said. “Fusing glass is so fun, and once you get the hang of it, it comes easier.”

Studioverne Fine Art Fused Glass is a fused glass studio and gallery owned by artist Verne Orlosk in downtown Manchester. It is currently in the process of moving from Hanover Street to its new location at 412 Chestnut St. Orlosk said she will hold a grand reopening event in April. Upcoming classes and workshops are TBA. Call 490-4321 or visit studioverne.com.

Quilting

Laura Stevens of Goffstown was looking forward to taking her first quilting class at Night Owl Quilting Studio in Goffstown when the pandemic hit, putting her plans on hold.

“My mom is a quilter … [and] I sewed some as a young girl and made a little quilted pillow,” she said, “so I had been considering getting into quilting for some time.”

Not wanting to wait any longer to start her new hobby, Stevens decided to teach herself while stuck at home.

Quilt created by Laura Stevens. Courtesy photo.

“I became antsy during the pandemic … and had the free time, so I began working on a project,” she said.

Since Night Owl Quilting Studio reopened, Stevens has become “a regular” there, she said, and has participated in five different quilting programs.

“At this point, most of what I know about quilting, fabric and sewing, I’ve learned from [the classes],” she said. “It’s very satisfying to go from a bunch of fabric to something you’ve created.”

Stevens now has several quilts completed, including the one she started on her own during the pandemic shutdown, which she is “very proud of,” she said, and a wedding quilt that she made for her cousin using techniques she learned at Night Owl.

“I can’t stress enough how much I love being at the studio,” she said. “The classes … keep me on track on a project … [and give] me confidence to mix patterns and include my own spin on things.”

These local quilting studios and shops offer quilting classes, workshops and social groups. Call or see their websites for program details and schedules.

• Angels Sewing and Quilting, 236 N. Broadway, Suite G, Salem, 898-0777, angelssewing.com

• Aunt Mary’s Quilting, 43 Stark Road, Derry, 845-9380, auntmarysquilting.com

• Bits ’n Pieces Quilt Shop, 70 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-9705, bnpquilts.com

• Maple Leaf Stitchin Studio, 1022 Dover Road, Unit 3, Epsom, 736-0256, mapleleafstitchinstudiollc.com

• Night Owl Quilting Studio, 35 Main St., Goffstown, 384-2557, nightowlquiltingstudio.com

• Patches Quilt Loft, 1442 Candia Road, Manchester, 206-5490, patchesquiltloft.com

• Pine Tree Quilt Shop, 224 N. Broadway, Salem Market Place, Salem, 870-8100, pinetreequiltshop.com

Storytelling

Tom Ostberg of Windham is a regular performer of True Tales Live, a monthly storytelling series based in Portsmouth and aired on Portsmouth Public Media TV.

An avid outdoorsman, Ostberg focuses much of his storytelling on his adventures in nature.

“I have hiked the Appalachian Trail, gone canoeing, and camp every chance I get, so I continue to collect … stories,” he said. “Through these experiences of mine, I have learned the lessons that have shaped my life.”

In one of his favorite stories, Ostberg said, he describes a memorable night he spent in a wooden shelter in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee while hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Storyteller Tom Ostberg performs in a True Tales Live showcase. Photo credit John Lovering.

“I … [found] out in the middle of the night that [the shelter] had nightly visits by a family of skunks,” he said. “I connected with a young man, who was also afraid, [which] taught me a powerful lesson about respect.”

Another story he’s especially proud of, Ostberg said, recounts his “great adventure” catching feral honey bees in the woods for his home apiary while his wife was out of town.

“I love the way people light up with excitement when they hear an adventure story,” he said. “It transports us to a different place — a place we may not have ever been to before.”

While it can be nerve-wracking sharing deeply personal stories with strangers, Ostberg said, the audience’s reaction often helps to put him at ease.

“They’re so welcoming, down to earth and so easy to connect with,” he said. “They’re always full of laughter and … are feeling the moment with you.

The skills involved in the craft of storytelling also have a valuable place outside of the arts, Ostberg said.

“It’s useful in many other settings, [such as] business meetings, sharing and connecting with your friends and even family gatherings,” he said. “It’s inspiring for the teller, entertaining for the audience and opens up people to experience others’ lives.”

True Tales Live is a Portsmouth-based storytelling showcase held on the last Tuesday of the month (no shows in July and August) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Shows have been held over Zoom during the pandemic but will be held in person at the Portsmouth Public Media TV Studio (280 Marcy St.) starting in April. They will return to the Zoom format for the winter starting in November. Each month’s showcase is centered around a different theme. The series is free and open to all who want to watch or participate as a storyteller. Pre-registration for attendees is required for Zoom shows but not required for in-person shows. Additionally, True Tales Live hosts free storytelling workshops on the first Tuesday of every month (except November) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. over Zoom. Registration is required for workshops. Visit truetaleslivenh.org to register for a workshop or attend a show, and email [email protected] if you’re interested in being a storyteller.

The New Hampshire Storytelling Alliance is a nonprofit organization that promotes the tradition and art of storytelling throughout the state. For more storytelling resources, including upcoming storytelling events, storytelling groups and a directory of professional storytellers, visit the NHSA website, nhstorytelling.org.

Upcycled fashion

Sixteen-year-old Amelia Bickford of Wolfeboro said she has always enjoyed “making and inventing things” from found materials, including recyclables like cardboard and plastic, so when her dad told her he had heard about an all-ages upcycled fashion show happening in Wolfeboro this spring, she jumped at the opportunity.

“Before now, my costumes and art haven’t really been seen by anyone other than my friends and family,” Bickford said. “I thought it would be a good challenge and would also be a cool way to meet others like me.”

Upcycled Fashion Show designer Amelia Bickford shows off her upcycled fingerless gloves and necklace. Courtesy photo.

Bickford is participating in the Upcycled Fashion Show as a member of a group of designers that is creating fashion pieces inspired by the characters and aesthetic of Alice in Wonderland.

Her favorite pieces that she has made so far include a chainmail necklace made of soda can tabs and a pair of fingerless gloves made from disposable plastic grocery bags.

“Upcycled fashion is … a great way to experiment artistically and … experiment with style,” she said. “There is always a way to make something look or be the way you want it to be; you only have to find out how, then do it.”

Lynn Willscher of Wolfeboro, another designer in the show, said she learned to sew in her high school home economics class in the 1960s and has been sewing her own home goods and clothing ever since. Her pieces for the show include four shop aprons in different styles made from old pairs of jeans.

“I was interested in using something that just about everyone owns,” Willscher said.

Upcycling, as a craft, she said, is “about transforming the old into the new and, in the process, increasing its value,” but it also has a larger purpose.

“[It’s] a great opportunity to draw further attention to the tremendous need the world has for recycling and reducing waste,” she said.

The Upcycled Fashion Show, presented by Makers Mill and the Governor Wentworth Arts Council, will be held on Saturday, April 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Makers Mill (23 Bay St., Wolfeboro). The event invites designers of all ages to create wearable art with at least 75 percent of the materials being recycled, reused or repurposed. Registration for designers is free and open now through the end of March or until participation is full. Groups and individuals are welcome. Tickets for spectators cost $5 purchased in advance and $7 purchased at the door. Additionally, a workshop, “Attachments & Embellishments,” will be offered on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brewster Academy (80 Academy Drive, Wolfeboro) in Room 103 of the Rogers Building Student Center. Participants will learn skills such as ancient lashing techniques, traditional zippers, basic buttons and hand and machine techniques; and about how to embellish a garment with dye, paint, hand sewing, hot glue and machine techniques. The workshop is open to registered designers for free and to the general public for a cost of $15. Visit makersmill.org/blog or call 569-1500.

Featured photo: Fused glass pieces made by Aimee Whittemore. Courtesy photo.

Whoopie!

A deep dive into the nostalgic treat and its many sweet variations

It started as a way to raise money for her daughters’ synchronized swim teams — Heather Pfeifer of Goffstown made whoopie pies and presented them at bake sales to rave reviews. Eventually, she began serving pumpkin maple whoopie pies at the annual Goffstown Pumpkin Regatta; last year she sold out of nearly 1,000 before the event was over.

“People [in town] were going up to me and being like, ‘Are you the pumpkin maple whoopie pie lady?’ or they’d say, ‘They’re so good, where can I get them?’” Pfeifer said, “and I was just like, ‘Well I don’t know, I can bake some if you want.’ … I was cooking out of my kitchen for fun, but so many people were requesting where they could get them. So I started pursuing that.”

Pfeifer is now the owner and founder of Granite State Whoopie Pies and takes weekly pre-orders of the nostalgic treat in all kinds of flavors. She works out of the prep kitchen at White Birch Eatery in Goffstown, mostly on Mondays and Tuesdays when it’s closed for the day, and accepts requests to make any of her whoopie pies gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan.

Photo courtesy of Granite State Whoopie Pies of Goffstown.

With a regular offering of classic chocolate and vanilla or peanut butter, as well as two new special flavors released every two weeks, Pfeifer is proving that the whoopie pie can lend itself to all sorts of fun variations. Currently, she’s celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with chocolate and mint grasshopper and chocolate mocha Irish cream whoopie pies, while other flavors she’s previously dabbled in have included black forest, milk and cookies, red velvet, and peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes she’ll incorporate local ingredients — her maple bacon whoopie pie, for instance, featured bacon crumbles from Shaker Road Provisions of Loudon, while just last month she made chocolate milk stout whoopie pies using the Summit stout from Goffstown’s Mountain Base Brewery.

“I have a list of probably about 50 or 60 flavors … and more come to mind every day,” she said.

Similar whoopie pie flavor experimentations have been going on in the kitchen of Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop in Manchester. There you’ll find all kinds of whoopie pie flavors on the shelf, and you never know what bakers Laura and Adam Rexford will come up with next, like lemon poppy strawberry, Fireball whiskey pumpkin, tiramisu, pineapple upside-down cake and more.

“This year, people have been buying whoopie pies like crazy,” Laura Rexford said. “I can’t tell if it’s that we’re being more adventurous with flavors, or if people just want more comfort foods. … I feel like a whoopie pie is so much easier to eat than a cupcake, because of the distribution of cake to frosting. It’s almost like a sweet hamburger. The frosting is more contained.”

From the treat’s delicious creamy filling to the cakes surrounding it — which Pfeifer calls the “whookies,” or “whoopie cookies” — we take a look at how some local whoopie pies are made, and also attempt to trace back its origins as a New England staple.

Flavors and fillings

Today, the most common whoopie pie filling features a vanilla or marshmallow buttercream. Jordyn Hotchkiss of The Cat’s Pajamas, a home bakery based in Weare, said hers have a mixture of butter, confectioner’s sugar, marshmallow Fluff and a little bit of vanilla. The filling for her peanut butter whoopie pies uses those same ingredients, in addition to creamy peanut butter, kosher salt and milk — both flavors are stocked weekly at the Weare Real Food Farmers Market.

Pfeifer’s whoopie pies, meanwhile, have a roux-based filling, or a milk and flour thickener that’s mixed with granulated sugar, vanilla, butter, Crisco and a little bit of salt.

“I would equate the flavor … to almost like a Devil Dog,” she said. “The granulated sugar actually melts right into the roux … and what it does is it whips up so nice and fluffy, but it’s not overpoweringly sweet. … It creates this very light and creamy filling. It’s a more traditional way, but it’s not the most common way because it’s not the most shelf-stable.”

Pfeifer described her “whookies” as a thicker version of a muffin top, with a proper consistency resembling a brownie batter and a total baking time of around 10 to 12 minutes. Her roux is made first so that it has time to cool down once the cakes are baked.

Depending on the flavor she’s working with, additional ingredients are added to either the cakes or the filling. As for the diet-friendly options, she’ll substitute oat milk and plant-based butter for the dairy-free pies, and Bob’s Red Mill brand 1-to-1 flour blend for the gluten-free pies.

Photo courtesy of Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop in Manchester.

At Angela’s, classic chocolate and vanilla or peanut butter whoopie pies are always in stock, each of which is made with a house buttercream recipe. Those are sold individually, or you can try one of the shop’s themed duo packs — last month’s, dubbed “The Romance Package,” featured candied maple bacon and raspberry Frangelico-flavored whoopie pies. Currently available is the “Luck of the Irish” whoopie pie duo, with crème de menthe and milk chocolate Irish cream flavors. The shop also puts out bite-sized miniature whoopie pies in an assortment of flavors, sold in packs of a dozen each.

“Those have had a huge response,” Rexford said. “I think people feel a little less guilty about the mini whoopie pies, because you can just pop them in your mouth. They’re like little Munchkins.”

In Hooksett, The Cake Fairy has been baking whoopie pies since before it even had a storefront, back when it had a booth at the Deerfield Fair, manager Brianna Lucciano said.

“My mom would make these behemoth whoopie pies, like the size of a man’s hand, and people would walk around the fair with them, and others would say, ‘Oh, my gosh, where did you get that?’” she said. “It got to the point where we’d get a delivery, and people were just taking them out of the box because we couldn’t even get them on the table fast enough.”

They no longer sell at the fair, but you can still get that familiar gigantic “Deerfielder” whoopie pie at the bakery, along with a few smaller sizes. In addition to the classic, there’s a Funny Bone whoopie pie with a chocolate cake and peanut butter filling, and a Boston cream whoopie pie with a vanilla cake, chocolate ganache and a custard buttercream.

Photo courtesy of The Cannoli Stop at The Candy Shop in Concord.

At The Cannoli Stop at The Candy Shop in Concord, owner Melinda Sergi has a regular assortment of fillings for her whoopie pies, from vanilla or chocolate cream to raspberry, peanut butter or pistachio. But she also takes things a step further by making whoopie pies with any one of the shop’s more than 50 flavors of cannoli fillings — those options run the gamut from cake batter and cookie dough to red velvet, bubble gum, cotton candy, salted caramel and more.

Lemon cake whoopie pies are part of the regular lineup of products at Fabrizia Lemon Baking Co., an online-only bakery based in Salem featuring uniquely crafted limoncello-infused treats. Also in Salem, Chatila’s Sugar Free Bakery offers an assortment of sugar-free and dairy-free whoopie pie flavors using a fluffy French creme-based filling.

Competing claims

Multiple U.S. states claim to be the birthplace of the original whoopie pie. Two of those states in particular — Pennsylvania and Maine — are notably linked by their Amish heritage, Pfeifer said.

While there are several theories, according to at least one edition of The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, an encyclopedia edited by Andrew F. Smith and published by Oxford University Press, it’s generally accepted that the first whoopie pie originated around the era of the Great Depression. The story goes that the cakes were made from a leftover batter, contributor Susan McLellan Plaisted writes, and, according to Amish legend, kids would find the cream-filled treats in their lunch bags and yell “whoopie!” with delight, giving them their name.

A bakery in Lewiston, Maine, called Labadie’s claims to be “the home of Maine’s first whoopie pie,” with a recipe dating back to 1925, according to its website. Another possible clue into how the treat became so popular in New England involves the Massachusetts-based Durkee Mower Co., the manufacturer of marshmallow Fluff. According to its website, an episode of a 1930s weekly radio show called “Flufferettes” promoted The Yummy Book, a book of various recipes using Fluff as the cornerstone ingredient — one of those was, of course, for whoopie pies.

Photo courtesy of Sully’s Superette in Allenstown.

But who exactly was the first to create the sweet treat, and where, is likely lost to history.

“It’s like saying who made pizza first,” Lucciano said. “In reality, it’s a form of chocolate cake and a delicious filling. We all had the same ingredients, but whose grandmother did it first?”

Both Pennsylvania and Maine hold annual whoopie pie festivals — Maine’s is set to return on June 25 to the town of Dover-Foxcroft, featuring samples from various bakers across the state, while Pennsylvania’s is held at the Hershey Farm Restaurant & Inn in Lancaster County in September. Since 2011, the whoopie pie has been honored as Maine’s official “state treat.”

While there are no large whoopie pie-centered festivals in the Granite State, Pfeifer does have a few upcoming local appearances where you can go to enjoy her whoopie pies. Find her at Mountain Base Brewery on Thursday, March 17, from 4 to 8 p.m., serving her classic, peanut butter, grasshopper and Irish cream flavors. Then on Saturday, March 19, she’ll be participating in the Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon. More events are in the works for the coming weeks and months.

Whoopie pies at home

A simple whoopie pie recipe uses ingredients easily within reach in your kitchen.

“It’s a process … because you have the two separate parts of it,” Hotchkiss said. “I use Crisco, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and a little bit of salt, and that’s just for the cake itself. … The oven actually gets preheated to 425, so it’s a bit of a hotter bake, and they only have to bake for about 10 minutes each.”

When baking them at home, Hotchkiss said, it’s important to make sure the cakes are spaced out enough so that they don’t spread into each other. She places either a silicone baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper on the baking pan to prevent sticking and help with their removal.

“Generally, once I get the cake part of it all done, I let them cool for a few minutes and then I start with my filling,” she said, “because they need to be fully cooled before you put them together; otherwise the filling will just start to melt. … Personally, I love having Fluff in them.”

Rather than spreading the filling over both cake halves, Hotchkiss said she likes to scoop it on just one and pushes the two parts together to finish the whoopie pie.

“It just makes for a good ratio, in my opinion,” she said. “Everyone has their own viewpoint of how much cream to cake there should be … but for the most part they’re relatively even.”

The pies remain fresh when wrapped for roughly a week, or you can freeze them.

“A friend of mine actually discovered that they freeze really well, so that was good to find out,” Hotchkiss said. “So if you don’t want to eat them right away, they can go in the freezer and then, when you’re ready to eat it, it will thaw out no problem.”

Where to get whoopie pies

Check out this list of local bakeries, shops, homestead bakers and other businesses offering homemade whoopie pies, from the classic chocolate and vanilla or peanut butter to all kinds of unique flavors. Some have them on hand all the time, while others will rotate their whoopie pies out with other pastries and treats from their bakery case — be sure to contact each establishment directly for the most up-to-date availability on their products.

• Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) offers both large-sized whoopie pies and mini pies that are sold by the dozen, and you never know which flavors bakers Laura and Adam Rexford will be working on next. Classic and peanut butter are usually available, while other options have included lemon poppy strawberry, Fireball whiskey pumpkin, tiramisu, pineapple upside-down cake and more. Angela’s has also recently begun offering themed duo packages of whoopie pies — the current one available, a St. Patrick’s Day-themed duo called “Luck of the Irish,” features crème de menthe and milk chocolate Irish cream flavors.

• Baked Downtown Cafe & Bakery (1015 Elm St., Manchester, 606-1969; 249 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 856-8871; bakeddowntown.com) offers classic, peanut butter and seasonal whoopie pie flavors.

• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street (171 Kelley St., Manchester, 624-3500, thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) offers classic and brown sugar maple whoopie pies, as well as several specialty flavors throughout the year, like pumpkin, red velvet, pineapple upside-down cake and a Bailey’s-filled chocolate Guinness whoopie pie for St. Patrick’s Day.

• Bearded Baking Co. (819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, beardedbaking.com) offers multiple sweets treats out of its bakery case, usually including whoopie pies.

• Benson’s Bakery & Cafe (203 Central St., Hudson, 718-8683, bensonsbakeryandcafe.com) offers classic whoopie pies, in addition to seasonal specials for flavors.

• Bite Me Kupcakez (4 Mound Court, Merrimack, 674-4459, bitemekupcakez.com) has a variety of pastries and sweet treats out of its bakery case, usually including whoopie pies.

• The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) offers classic whoopie pies, as well as seasonal specials.

• Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe (436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 262-5929; 9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522; buckleysbakerycafe.com) offers whoopie pies with whipped marshmallow frosting at both locations.

• The Cake Fairy (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 518-8733, cakefairynh.com) offers whoopie pies in a variety of flavors, like classic, Funny Bone, Boston cream and more, all in several sizes. The “Deerfielder” size is a throwback to the bakers’ days selling oversized whoopie pies at the Deerfield Fair, manager Brianna Lucciano said.

• Candia First Stoppe Country Store (285 Old Candia Road, Candia, 483-4888, candiafirststop.com) offers classic whoopie pies in small and medium sizes, as well as larger whoopie pies that are made to order.

• The Cannoli Stop at The Candy Shop (239 Loudon Road, Concord, 224-9706, thecannolistop.com) offers whoopie pies with a variety of fillings, from vanilla or chocolate cream to raspberry, peanut butter or pistachio. You can also order whoopie pies with any one of the shop’s more than 50 cannoli fillings, like cookie dough, red velvet or salted caramel.

• The Cat’s Pajamas (available at the Weare Real Food Farmers Market, 65 N. Stark Hwy., Weare, [email protected], and on Facebook @catspajamasnh) offers classic and peanut butter whoopie pies, as well as a pumpkin whoopie pie that’s available seasonally.

• Chatila’s Sugar Free Bakery (380 S. Broadway, Salem, 898-5459, sugarfreebakery.net) has several sugar-free whoopie pie options, like classic, pumpkin spice, red velvet and more.

• Crosby Bakery (51 E. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-1851, crosbybakerynh.com) has whoopie pies available most days, as part of its lineup of freshly baked pastries and sweet treats.

• The Crust and Crumb Baking Co. (126 N. Main St., Concord, 219-0763, thecrustandcrumb.com) usually offers three or four whoopie pie flavors to choose from daily, like classic and salted caramel, as well as a blueberry cake with lemon filling and a raspberry cake with coconut filling. Ice cream-filled whoopie pies are also available seasonally.

• Dulces Bakery (87 Amherst St., Manchester, 606-2613, find them on Facebook @dulcesbakerynh) offers multiple options on its pastry menu, usually including whoopie pies.

• Duston’s Bakery & Deli (153 Portland Ave., Dover, 742-2506, dustonsmarket.com) has classic whoopie pies, as well as pumpkin seasonally, in addition to a few other flavors.

• Fabrizia Lemon Baking Co. (Salem, fabrizialemonbakingcompany.com) offers lemon cake whoopie pies, baked with Fabrizia Spirits limoncello worked into the batter. They’re wrapped two per pack and available for online ordering only.

• Frederick’s Pastries (109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725; 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253; pastry.net) offers several flavors of whoopie pies, including dark chocolate and chocolate chunk cookie. Miniature whoopie pies are also available.

• Good to the Last Krumb (Hudson, find them on Facebook @goodtothelastkrumbnh) offers multiple sweet treats available for pre-order, including whoopie pies. They can also usually be found at Mack’s Apples (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry) and Estey’s Country Store (9 Old Nashua Road, Londonderry).

• Granite State Whoopie Pies (Goffstown, granitestatewhoopiepies.com) offers classic and peanut butter whoopie pies, as well as a selection of two specialty flavors that rotate out every two weeks, available for pre-order by the dozen as regular or miniature sizes. Currently available are chocolate and mint grasshopper and chocolate mocha Irish cream whoopie pies. Any flavor can also be made gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan. Weekly orders are due by Friday for pickup the following Wednesday through Saturday, between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., at White Birch Eatery (571 Mast Road, Goffstown). Single-serve pies are also available for purchase there, as well as at Little Red Hen Farm & Homestead (85 Norris Road, Pittsfield). Find owner and founder Heather Pfeifer with her whoopie pies at Mountain Base Brewery (553 Mast Road, Goffstown) on Thursday, March 17, from 4 to 8 p.m., and at the Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market (7 Eagle Square) on Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to noon.

• Harvey’s Bakery and Coffee Shop (376 Central Ave., Dover, 742-6029, harveysbakery.com) offers several specialty pastries and sweet treats, including whoopie pies.

• It’s All Good in the Kitchen (184 N. Broadway, Salem, 458-7434, itsallgoodgf.com) is a specialty gluten-free bakery offering a wide array of treats, usually including whoopie pies.

• Just Like Mom’s Pastries (353 Riverdale Road, Weare, 529-6667, justlikemomspastries.com) offers dozens of traditional and specialty whoopie pie flavors and flavor combinations.

• Klemm’s Bakery (29 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 437-8810, klemmsbakery.com) offers a wide array of pastries and sweet treats daily, usually including whoopie pies.

• Purple Finch Cafe (124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1953, purplefinchcafe.com) offers several specialty flavors of whoopie pies that are usually rotated out, from chocolate chip with vanilla to red velvet, maple cream and more.

• The Red Arrow Diner (61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) offers classic whoopie pies, as well as red velvet and pumpkin whoopie pies that are available seasonally.

• The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) offers both large and small whoopie pies on its dessert menu, as well as a whoopie pie cake on its bakery menu, featuring chocolate cake layered with the classic whoopie pie filling and finished with chocolate ganache and a white chocolate drizzle.

• Sully’s Superette (39 Allenstown Road, Allenstown, 485-9955; 10 N. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-8176; sullyssuperette.com) offers classic whoopie pies at both locations.

• Wild Orchid Bakery (836 Elm St., Manchester, 935-7338, wildorchidbakery.com) has a rotating selection of pastries and sweet treats out of its bakery case, including whoopie pies.

• Zizza Authentic Pizzeria (653 Elm St., Milford, 249-5767, zizzapizza.com) offers multiple flavors of whoopie pies on its dessert menu.

Featured photo: Funny Bone whoopie pies from The Cake Fairy in Hooksett. Courtesy photo.

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