I mentioned Concord because I89 is a major route from VT past Hanover and ends in Concord. To get to

We've just booked best hotel in hawaii a flight in and out of Burlington in mid June. We are a family of 6 consisting of 2 adults and 4 kids ages 1,3,6, and 9. We are from LA so in this trip we like to be in a beautiful location while minimizing transition, so a town/village with some things to do, things to walk to, restaurants will be good, so the kids won't be glued to the TV in the hotel room all day. Moderate prices on lodgings and restaurants are good since we're already spending a ton of money on airfare and car rental (minivan).
best hotel in hawaii Please feel free to tweak anything and I mostly welcome suggestions on activities restaurants or even other lodgings that you think would be better suited for our family. Also, we are vegans so if you have particular suggestions for this, that's great too. My husband doesn't really like the idea of driving too much. Once we are in a nice town with comfortable lodging, he'd rather explore that place than driving around and seeing too many places.
Thursday - drive south to check out Shelbourne Museum or Farm, but perhaps not both. My kids have been to farms with animals in other parts of the world, so seeing live animals is not a new thing for them. Drive towards Waitsfield and perhaps stay one night there. I read this area is beautiful, but do you think it's boring for the kids. No clue on lodging since the Inn at Red Barn does NOT take little kids and it's too expensive for us anyway.
best hotel in hawaii Wednesday - Drive towards Burlington. Thinking of checking out the Flume or Boulder Caves. best hotel in hawaii Is it too far out of the way? Also Franconia Notch area and maybe a little of NE Kingdom like St. Johnsbury. Overnight in Burlington.
My neighbor who's from NH highly recommends Portsmouth. I'm really tempted best hotel in hawaii but I think it's out of the way and I've have to cut out one night somewhere for this and I'm not sure one night in Portsmouth best hotel in hawaii is worth it because of the distance we have to travel to get there and back to Burlington. She thinks we might regret. What do you think? Is it really different from VT and NH? We have beautiful coastline and nice beachy towns in LA too.
Your neighbor is right. Portsmouth is great and contains historic buildings unlike what you have in LA. Portsmouth best hotel in hawaii is a working seaport not a beachy town. You would have to check hours of operation for anything you want to do for mid-June. It's not quite tourist season so some attractions might be open weekends only. There is a great water park on Rt 1 south of Portsmouth if the weather is warm enough. Ocean water will be much too cold. The cruise for Portsmouth Harbor or Inland Rivers is interesting but might be too long for the children. We have not been to the newly renovated Children's Museum which is now in Dover. Strawbery Banke Historic Area might have some child activities on a weekend.
Wolfboro is also about an hour from Portland ME. The mailboat cruise best hotel in hawaii is fun. The kids who live on islands take the mailboat to high school in Portland. Wolfboro to Portsmouth shouldn't be more than 1 1/2 hour drive. No interstate hwy in that direction. The children might be too young to appreciate the difference in architecture, streets, and general topography from LA. It's very different. We have not been to the children's museum in Portland ME. Downtown Old Port Area is walkable from the boat terminal but not sure there is anything interesting for the children.
The Flume opens mid-May. Storyland in Glen NH has value week starting June 20, before that weekends only. Storyland is fun for the youngest children. Age 9 might still enjoy the rides. Check open hours for Alpine slide. Keep in mind you might be hitting black fly season in northern NH and VT which would make hiking in the woods uncomfortable. Most of the walk in the Flume is in a gorge and should be ok. DS and his family also like Lost River and Polar Caves (which are not deep exciting caves like Mammoth).
I think the children are too young for Shelburne Museum. How about the Science center in Norwich. We haven't been since DS was young and it was in Hanover. It's on the to do list for our grandchildren. If you are headed to Wolfboro you might check out the Squam Lakes science center in Holderness. Again, we haven't been in years but they have wild NH animals that might be different from CA animals.
Since you are arriving in the morning, you could skip the Burlington activities and save them for your last day. Across the lake is Ausable Chasm which is similar to the Flume but includes a small boat ride (rubber raft). best hotel in hawaii The car ferry is simple to take.
If your schedule overlaps with a weekend event in some town, I would make that the focus. In our area there are some nice spring best hotel in hawaii weekend events with some great activities for children. Off hand can't remember events for mid-June but another poster might know of one. I would try to cut out so many hotel changes. It's 3 hours from Burlington VT to Concord NH and then an hour north to the White Mountains via interstates. There is probably a more direct route but that gives you an idea of driving times.
dfrostnh, thanks for your suggestions. could you please suggest an alternate itinerary. my husband prefers staying in one town and just relaxing there if the hotel is comfortable and there are things to see around town instead of driving around best hotel in hawaii to see other towns. i'm not sure why you're suggesting concord nh, do you mean that's the route i'd have to take if we go to portsmouth best hotel in hawaii the end of the trip before best hotel in hawaii going back to burlington?
do you think there are more things to do in portsmouth? i'm thinking last night that i should choose either portsmouth or burlington since there are both waterfront places, are they both considerably different?
i've been reading best hotel in hawaii that holderness is a prettier best hotel in hawaii and less commercialized villages than meredith or wolfboro, are there places to stay there that are lakefront? it's not really covered on the guidebooks.
Two things jump out at me. first, with a pack of kids that age, sightseeing would not be my first choice - beautiful locations have a very short shelf life with them. Perhaps modify and rent a cottage on a lake in VT and enjoy the lake, simple activities. I might even stay close to the Burlington area. Hanover can be a day trip from Burlington for the reunion.
The second point is the vegan part. (That would rule out the appeal of Ben and Jerry's ice cream tour, in my opinion). A cottage will increase your food options; plus, the Burlington area seems to have more food options that would be consistent with your dietary needs.
Portsmouth is wonderful - but I am not sure what would appeal to little best hotel in hawaii kids there. When ours were that age, digging on a beach, chasing bugs and each other, catching little fish in a lake made for a perfect vacation. Getting best hotel in hawaii hauled in and out of car seats, sitting in high chairs in boring restaurants - not so much.
I mentioned Concord because I89 is a major route from VT past Hanover and ends in Concord. To get to the mountains you would then go north on I93. To get to Portsmouth you could go south on I93 and then Rt 101 east. To get from I89/Hanover to the White Mountains there are state hwys you can take. Fine for travel, you just need a map.
Burlington is a very nice college town on the lake but it lacks Portsmouth's historical properties. The trouble with Portsmouth is I'm not sure you can find a comfortable hotel for children. I don't think there is a suite hotel although there is a non-chain one in Seabrook NH - the Hampshire Inn. South of Portsmouth and at least a 15 minute drive.
OTH if you stayed in Wolfboro or the mountains you should be able to find a cottage or ski area condo rental. There would still be driving but you could also sit outside and the children would have a play area. (For a June cottage rental make sure you have a screened porch.)
Holderness is definitely less commercialized. There isn't even a public beach on Squam Lake. The cottages have been in the same families for generations. If you can find a rental there, it would be beautiful. Very quiet. best hotel in hawaii You are almost in the mountains best hotel in hawaii so places like the Flume would only be a 30 minute drive. Less commercialism also means not many restaurants although the Corner House Inn in Center Sandwich is great. best hotel in hawaii Most of the restaurants are on the hwy around Lake Winnipesaukee. From the Squam Lake area, Portsmouth NH or Portland ME might be more like a 2 hour drive. Holderness is very rural. It's an area where kids play outside and make their own fun. We've rented a cottage for a week on Lake Winnisquam and not even turned on the tv but it's also mid June so a little early for swimming unless we get a heat wave. Some families best hotel in hawaii would be bored. You might not even have good cell phone reception in that area because of the mountains.
If you like the looks of the Lake Motel, Portsmouth could be a day trip from Wolfboro. The Attitash slide could be another day. Squam Lakes Science Center could be part of the day. But check mileage. Each activity could be 30-60 minute drive.
hi gail, thanks for the reply. do you have a suggestions for places by the lake in VT, what about NE Kingdom? what about if we want to stay in one other place in NH, Wolfeboro or Jackson? My husband doesn't want us to always stay at a self-catering place since he wants to have options to walk around village in addition to playing by the lake and try some places to eat. We can do pizzas and pastas and burritos (if there are any good ones in New England, he..he). You're right though, Ben Jerry's doesn't appeal much to us. Thanks for your suggestions.
dfrostnh, thanks. i see yours and gail's point about limiting the transitions and focusing on simple activities for the kids. now i'm even more undecided, lol. i'm apprehensive about renting a cottage from someone i don't know, never done that before. do you know of a reputable source? many of the places we read about that are family friendly are $200+plus tax a night because we have to get a large room. the ones i'm thinking of are in the mid-$150's, still