Around New England

aroundnewenglandpodcast

Join us as we tackle a variety of trails—some that leave us gasping for air and others that are perfect for the whole family (and by “family,” we mean the dog, too). We’re on a mission to explore the great outdoors and share our escapades with you, so you can plan your own New England adventure. Our itinerary includes discovering quirky new towns, revisiting beloved favorites, enjoying the fresh air, and, of course, indulging in some seriously good eats. Thanks for tuning in! If you have any recommendations or questions (or just want to share your favorite snack for the trail), we’re all ears

  1. MAR 25

    62. Best Season to Visit New England

    Today we’re going to break down outdoor activities to do in each season here in New England regardless of when you get to travel. We get this question a lot, "What do you think is the best season to visit New England?" While G loves the Fall, Mike prefers the warmer weather in the summer months.  Both of us agree that each season has its advantages.  Here are just some of the activities we discuss this week and what months we recommend doing these activities in.   January & February - Ski Season  Down hill and cross country skiing Snow shoeing  Ice castles  Winter hiking, but just be careful and prepared!   March & April - Mud Season  There might be some skiing left  Fenway tour Boston  Haunted tour  Beach walks Cape cod  Southern New England Wicked Tulips opens in April Preston- CT & North Kingstown RI March - Maple weekends VT NH and ME Watch for hiking trail reports, it’s  not the best time to hike at all. Post hikes, muddy etc Portland Head Lighthouse Scenic Drives the Kanc, Ocean Drive in Newport and Coastlines   May & June Hiking season has begun weather permitting  Arethusa falls  WaterFire begins on select dates through Dec Cape cod before the summer season  Trolls  Early May- Late Oct the Cog they’re open year round too! Just not to the peak of washington Camping season beginning Suncook family campground    July & August - True Summer Peaks island  Block Island Hiking season has begun Watch the weather thunderstorms and always bring water not matter how short the hike is   September -Summer Then Fall  Beach season   paddle boarding kayaking surfing  at the start of the month Apple picking  Fairy house tour (9/20-21/2025) Fair season; Fryberg, Topsfield & the Big E    October Fall! Peak fall at the start of this month typically first two weeks  Apple picking Pumpkin picking  Cider donuts  Ghost on the banke   November - Stick Season  Gile mountain  Quechee gorge    December  Winter has started  Lots of outdoor light displays.  Lights in Eliot - sandy hill farm  Vin center lights a forest of lights Boothbay Botanical Gardens - lights gardens aglow  Holidays parades  Snow Port Boston outdoor winter market Thanks for listening.  Be sure to check out our socials below: Around New England Website Instagram Tik Tok

    35 min
  2. MAR 4

    59. Odiorne Point and Urban Forestry Center

    Join us this week as we explore a few of our favorite New Hampshire Seacoast hikes, Odiorne Point State Park and Urban Forestry Center.  Located on the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking the entrance of the Piscataqua River and New Castle, NH is Odiorne Point.  This spot has picnic tables, a playground, great tide-pooling areas, nice hiking trails, and of course the Seacoast Science Center.  Don't miss out on this spot when in the Seacoast of New Hampshire!  There are lots of activities here all summer long including concerts too.   Up the road by the old Yoken's sign is the Urban Forestry Center.  This is a great little place to get out and hike!  There are easy trails that go along the Sagamore Creek, and gives a cool point of view of Portsmouth.  If you go far enough, there are even some cool house remains to check out! After a nice hike or two, (honestly, you can easily do both in one day), we give some great recommendations for some of our favorite Seacoast NH restaurants. If you have never been to the Portsmouth, NH area before, be aware the food scene is very good. Street is probably our favorite restaurant in this area.  We go fairly often.  They have a wide menu of global dishes and killer curry fries.   For breakfast we love the coffee at La Mulita Coffee!  They are amazing and it's such a fun vibe to go grab a cup or a pound of coffee.  They serve Rose Foods Bagels too as an added bonus! For bagels, there is a new place in the area.  The Getty Bagel opened in 2025 and they quite possibly might be the best bagels we have ever had.  Go early as they sell out almost every day!   Don't forget about our social media sites: Around New England Website Instagram Tik Tok

    26 min
  3. FEB 25

    58. Rhode Island Troll Episode

    This week we talk about the Thomas Dambo trolls located in Rhode Island.  We already recorded an episode on the trolls, but some have been added since our original troll podcast.  There are 2 located in Ninigret Park in Charlestown, 1 located in Arcadia Management Area, 1 located in Ryan Park in North Kingstown, and 1 located at Kettle Point Peir in East Providence.  All are unique and fun to check out.  Of course there are plenty of great food places in Rhode Island as well. First down in Charlestown, go to Ninigret Park to see the first two.  After that, grab a muffin and coffee at Dave's Coffee before heading to Arcadia to see the next one.  There isn't too much in that area for food and drink. Next head up to North Kingstown to Ryan Park to check out the next two.  There is plenty of food options here like Gregg's and Jitter's Cafe.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast at a super-cute Shanya's Place.   Finally, head up to East Providence to Kettle Point Pier for the final troll.  This one is really pretty on the water, with great views of Providence and towards the Narragansett Bay.  We wanted to check out Cafe Zara but it was a Sunday and they are closed on Sunday sadly.  We went to The Grind at Crook Point instead.  We had the dog with us, so we just grabbed a few drinks to go before heading home.   We hope you enjoyed the RI trolls as much as we did!  Don't forget to listen to the first troll episode here to catch up on all of the New England Trolls.  Thanks for listening! Don't forget about our social media sites: Around New England Website Instagram Tik Tok

    24 min
  4. FEB 18

    57. Vermont Winter Weekend 2026

    Welcome to this year's Vermont Winter Weekend!  We stayed in Williston again as we really enjoyed the location right off 89.  It's easy to get to Burlington or Bolton Valley.  We starte off at Bolton Valley to downhill ski.  G had a lesson as part of the Learn To Turn program by Indy Pass.  Mike had fun skiing some more challenging trails and skiing in the woods while G had her 2 hour lesson.   After skiing we met a friend at Burlington Beer Company.  This place had a great vibe and awesome food!  If you are in the Burlington VT area, we highly recommend this place.   The next day we decided to try cross country skiing at Rikert Outdoor Center.  We had a lot of falls but even more laughs.  We can't wait to try it again, perhaps when the feel like temp is higher than -15!  Rikert Outdoor Center had a really cool vibe and we would go back!   On Tik Tok, we asked for recommendations and one recommendation, thank you Baird Farm!, was to go check out Brandon, VT.  We stayed at the Brandon Inn.  It's a beautiful historical hotel that is right in the center of town.   We stopped in at The Bookstore, and of course we checked out Sweet Sappy's for the obligatory Maple Creemee and G tried their sapagato, their version of an affagato with coffee and maple creemee.  It was so good, the wind chill didn't even bother us!  This shop is adorable, with many cute Vermont made gifts.  We bought an adorable painting that spoke to us too.   For breakfast the next morning we headed over to Mendon, VT to eat at Sugar & Spice for breakfast.  This place was well worth the wait.  We went on a very busy Sunday morning, but it was so good.   Finally we went through Woodstock, Vermont on the way home where we had some really good drinks at Mon Vert Cafe!  They are well worth the stop!  We had such a fun weekend checking out different ski areas.  Thanks for joining us! Check out our social media sites here: Around New England Website Instagram Tik Tok

    38 min
5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Join us as we tackle a variety of trails—some that leave us gasping for air and others that are perfect for the whole family (and by “family,” we mean the dog, too). We’re on a mission to explore the great outdoors and share our escapades with you, so you can plan your own New England adventure. Our itinerary includes discovering quirky new towns, revisiting beloved favorites, enjoying the fresh air, and, of course, indulging in some seriously good eats. Thanks for tuning in! If you have any recommendations or questions (or just want to share your favorite snack for the trail), we’re all ears

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