Squam Lakes Science Center

Squam Lakes Science Center in Holderness NH

 

 

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is located off of Rt. 113 in Holderness. 

The Science Center opened to visitors in 1966 and has been improving on its basic mission ever since. The wildlife exhibits are situated along the Gephart Exhibit Trail, which is a meandering wooded trail approximately 3/4 miles in length.  Along the trail you have the opportunity to see first hand fishers, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, deer, river otters, black bears, and raptors.  Each exhibit has plenty of hands on games and displays to keep youngsters engaged.  Our little ones enjoy the 'chipmunk slide' (We named it that as it is in the underground exhibit with the burrows of worms and chipmunks!), the slide at the river otter exhibit, the bear den and the fun barn located in the middle of the trail.  These gross motor activities really keep the little ones engaged. 

Just after the deer exhibit you can veer left and take a stroll through the Kirkwood Garden.  This amazing garden is ever-changing with the seasons and if you are lucky enough to visit while the roses  are in bloom your nose will be in for a real treat! After walking through this garden you will be inspired to start working on your own backyard sanctuary.  Don't be intimidated to bring your little ones into the garden, it is included in your admission and has plenty of room for kids to run about.

While at the Science Center you can also hike the Mt. Fayal Trail.  This trail takes you to the summit where you will have a spectacular view of Squam Lake.

Whether you are a resident of the Lakes Region or just here on vacation, make sure you visit Squam Lakes Natural Science Center!

Scrapbook your visit to the the Science Center with Close To My Heart's Back Country paper packet (X7110B) and Backwoods stamp (B1328).  Shop Now.

Just order from the catalog!

This a quick summery of my day- when I got the crazy idea that because I somehow had misplaced the ink pad I wanted to use, I could quickly find a replacement at the craft store.

How does that saying go?  How many licks are there in a tootsie pop?  I need to know, because that is how long I have to shop!  When we enter the store I quickly dig out the pop and insert it into Elle’s mouth, then I take off for the scrapbook and stamping section like a crazed women with Elle’s curls blowing in the wind as she sits in the wagon, hanging onto her pop in one hand and the stroller, for dear life, with the other.  Once in the scrapping/stamping section I discover they have absolutely no selection of ink.  If you are not looking for a primary color you are out of luck.  I couldn’t believe the lack of selection.  This is where I made my second error in Judgment. “Of course A.C. Moore in Manchester would have what I needed.”

We exit Michael’s into the parking lot where the wind blasts us in the face and our skin freezes on contact.  Once my fingers are numb and I’ve gotten Elle buckled in her car seat, we head for Manchester.  Just as I am thinking to myself, “wow, there is a lot of traffic today”, slam, an accident occurs right in front of us and delays our trip further.  Once on our way again, I had to sift through the seats and cup holders to find change for the tolls.  It is okay though, the sun is shinning and it gets us out of the house, and surely A.C. Moore will have just what I’m looking for.

We arrive in Manchester, I open the door to the car and it is nearly blown off by the blowing wind.  Usually it is slightly warmer in Manchester than Concord, but not today.  We get into the store where I quickly search for a buggy…. no buggy is to be found, we walk to the mall entrance of the store in search of a buggy there… No buggy still, but just then Elle eyes the coin operated rides out in the mall, a break down ensues over the rides.  Finally, I find the carts hidden behind the entrance we had come in through.  Okay, so I still have a screaming child yelling about the fire truck and a buggy that feels as though it is going to tip over at any moment and is making a terrible noise.  As if the screaming child didn’t make enough racket! 

I drove my rickety old cart into the stamping section.  A.C. Moore does have slightly more ink, but not nearly the selection I am used to looking at in the Close To My Heart catalog and inevitably, they do not have the color I need. So I have to accept that I’ve just wasted the morning driving to Manchester for nothing!  We leave A.C. Moore empty handed and go for a spin on the coin operated fire truck! 

This is why I love Close To My Heart so much.  Yes, you have to wait for your things to arrive and sometimes lack of planning can leave you in a pinch, but really there is no comparison in quality or selection.  Today we left the house at 9:30 and we didn’t get back until 1:30.  We had to buy lunch while we were out and of course Elle’s nap schedule got totally thrown off.  If I had planned ahead and double checked my ink pads sooner, this entire waste of time and money could have been avoided!  What we wasted in time, fuel, and money certainly cost much more than having my items shipped straight to my door and in the end I came home empty handed and disappointed! 

Bretton Woods Ski Area

Bretton Woods holds a special place in our family history.  It is where my husband and I met!  I was a teaching little folks how to ski in the resort’s Hobbit program during my winter break from college.  My husband-to-be had been talked into working in the Adult Ski School by a buddy.  As fate would have it we ran into each other on the stairs in the now ‘old’ lodge and the rest is history!  We started dating that winter and were married four years later.  In fact, the tables at our wedding where each named after trails at the Mountain!

 

Bretton Woods remains one of our most favorite, if not favorite mountain to ski.  We have skied many New England peaks, and my husband even spent a winter in Colorado and we still have to rank this NH gem amongst our favorites.  Our love for this mountain goes beyond the emotional connection it holds for us (I learned to ski there when I was 6), it really has some outstanding terrain and the commitment to keeping skiers on the mountain and not on the lifts is evident each run.

 

Many years ago Bretton Woods was known for being a great mountain to learn to ski on or family destination.  However, in recent years this has really changed.  With recent expansions Bretton Woods has added some real steep and challenging runs to the repertoire, making this Mountain a great destination for ANY skier.  The most advanced can spend the day carving huge turns down some of the newer terrain or in the wooded glades, while the younger or less experienced can enjoy some of the mountain's old favorites!  Can you tell we just love this Mountain?

 

When I was a kid learning to ski at Bretton Woods, the Rosebrook Condos were just being built and the Mountain’s logo was a bunch of yellow trees clustered together.  Today if you visit the Mountain, you’ll notice all of the luxury townhouses and condos that hug the slopes and mountainside along with a logo that depicts the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort.  These two entities are now one and when you make a ski trip to Bretton Woods you can also enjoy everything the Hotel has to offer.  Many ski and stay packages are available as well as the many resort activities that the Mount Washington provides.

 

If you have never skied this mountain, give it a try.  I don’t think you’ll be sorry, and if like me, you learned to ski there many years ago and haven’t been back in a few years, give it a go.  The spring skiing is some of the best around!  You can’t go wrong! 

**So now that you have decided to pack up the fam. and head for the Mountain, be sure to pack the camera.  There is no better view of Mount Washington than from the top of the Upper Express lift.  When it comes time to scrapbook these great pictures, you will want to checkout the Close To My Heart paper packet Aspen and the Snowflake Kisses stamp!

Link to Snow Conditions.