New England Vacation – New Durham/Boston/Portland – July 2017
New England Vacation – New Durham/Boston/Portland
The summer of 2017 was our last vacation at Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham, NH. My mother and father in law opted to sell their vacation home to spend more time in Iowa. I’ll forever be grateful for the experiences we had and memories we made there! The vacation of 2017 was not exception ? We spent the majority of our time on the lake and in the water, and also played some awesome games together (Exploding Kittens!) and put together some great puzzles… and we also had some great day trips! We look forward to our next New England Vacation.
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New Durham, NH
New Durham is a great little town with that American hometown feeling. Every single vacation to the lakehouse includes at least one trip to Johnson’s ice cream shop. The list of flavors is huge and the portions are massive – definitely one of our family favorites! Another must have on every visit is the marinated steak tips and chicken breast from Johnson’s Marketplace. I’ve had a ton of great food over the years, but I’ve never found steak that tasted better! (www.eatatjohnsons.com/marketplace)
Portland, ME
We returned to the beautiful city of Portland again this year. We had hoped to take an afternoon whale watching cruise, but the weather was not cooperating. The water was too rough and unsafe to journey that far into the ocean. Instead, they tour company offered a shorter boat tour that gave us a nice view of the lighthouses, homes, and beautiful coast. We were lucky to see several groups of seals sun bathing on the rocky coast. It was a treat to see them in their natural habitat! The tour was informative and interesting for all ages, and offered snacks and drinks. After the cruise, we did some shopping and enjoyed some tasty treats – yes, we’re always eating J
Boston, MA
The other day trip of our vacation was to Boston. We started our day at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Faneuil Hall is full of indoor and outdoor shopping, restaurants, bars, and street performers in a beautiful historic district. It is a unique experience that has something for everyone (www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com). We opted to grab a bite to eat at the famous Cheers restaurant – the authentic replica of the show’s set. It offers traditional American pub food and drinks in a fun environment.
We walked through the marketplace and enjoyed several street performances, which is something you don’t find in Iowa. After that we walked along the pier and watched the ships in the Boston harbor on our way to the New England Aquarium. We had visited once before in 2015, but decided to return. It is packed full of beautiful sea life and animals to see – extensive penguin habitat, seals, stingrays, and sharks. It is an educational and interesting experience for all ages! (www.neaw.org)
Summary
We made so many memories during our vacations to New Hampshire. Every year it gets harder to find family time with busy teenagers. I will be grateful forever that we had these road trips together.
I can talk about family vacations all day – feel free to leave questions or comments below!
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Other family vacations:
- Western Caribbean/Tampa Florida
- Colorado/Grand Canyon/Arches National Park
- Lake of the Ozarks Missouri
- New Durham NH/Salem MA/Portland ME/Niagara Falls/Toronto
- New Durham NH/Boston MA
- Savannah GA/Hilton Head GA/New Durham NH
- New Durham NH/Boston MA/Portland ME
