By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Two inns in Bradford, N.H., are teaming up to offer a "Hiking N.H." deal this summer. The package from the Rosewood Country Inn and Candelite Inn, offers four nights lodging (two nights in each inn), two dinners (one at each), four breakfasts, two backpack lunches, a gourmet picnic, a Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge-Greenway trailguide, admission to the Fells Historic Estate in Gardens in Newbury, and a yoga session, for $409 per person, not including tax and tips.

The package runs four times: June 10-14, July 8-12, Aug. 19-23 and Sept. 16-20. To reserve, call the Candlelite Inn at 603-938-5571 or email candleite@mcttelecom.com

National Park Service will offer free admission to all its facilities and programs from Saturday April 21 to Sunday April 29 in celebration of National Parks Week. There are more than two dozen facilities in New England, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts. If you happen to be traveling that week, the NPS maps out locations by state on its website.

Photo of Adams Mansion in Quincy by Mary Schiess

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

A team of sled dogs and mushers from Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel of Jefferson, N.H., will attempt a history-making ascent on Mount Washington, which at 6,288 feet is the highest peak in the Northeast, March 7, 8 or 9, depending on weather conditions. The run will not just be to make history -- it will be the first-ever sled-dog attempt in winter -- but to raise awareness and funds to support the more than 100 dogs the kennel has rescued and cared for over the past eight years, said kennel owners Karen Tolin and Neil Beaulieu.

The partners created the non-profit New Hampshire Sled Dog Rescue, History and Education Center earlier this year to support their cause: Taking in rescue dogs to run sled tours year round near the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods (they use wheeled sleds when the snow goes away) and give the pooches a place to live while trying to find them new owners. Many of the dogs love tromping through the woods pulling a sled, Tolin said, but none are forced to do it. Those preferring a more sedentary lifestyle are found homes via a very selective adoption process, she said.

The kennel was created in 2004, and while technically a for-profit business, it never makes any, Tolin said. The kennel business creates no salary for the owners, neither of whom have ever drawn a salary and both of whom work in education to support themselves and their labor of puppy love. Whatever money is generated from the tours goes right back to the dogs.

"Dog sledding is an unsustainable model as a sole source of supporting the dogs," Tolin said. "They eat five tons of food every two months."

They came up with the sled jaunt to the top of Mount Washington to build awareness of the nonprofit and raise money for the dogs. In addition to one team making a full-out assault on the summit via the Auto Road, seats on two others "guest sleds," which will run only to just above tree line, will be auctioned off on eBay. That site is http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120860877148

Sponsorships are also being sought, Tolin said. Go to http://www.dogslednh.com/ or call 603-545-4533 for more information.

According to the recently-released Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, New Hampshire was among the happiest states in America last year, the only New England state to land in the top 10. Hawaii finished first in the survey with a score of 70.2.

The Granite State was ninth overall with its score of 68.2, just ahead of Vermont (67.7) and Massachusetts (67.4), which were also included among the higher-range states. With a score of 67.2, Connecticut finished mid-range for well-being, as did Maine (66.7), but Rhode Island's 65.6 score landed the Ocean State in the lower range of the survey, and just out of the bottom 10 states, where Nevada landed at No. 10 with a score of 65.0. West Virginia's 62.3 placed it dead-last.

Overall, the score for the nation was 66.2 in 2011, down from 66.8 in 2010. It was the lowest score Gallup and Healthways have recorded since tracking began in 2008. Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey with a random sample of 353,492 adults.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

New Hampshire's tourism site, www.visitnh.gov, just had a makeover to add features for users of smart phones, said Tai Freligh, communications manager for tourism. He said modern travelers rely more on mobile technology and the Internet to book travel plans and that the makeover puts the tourism website "in better alignment" with the capabilities of today's communication devices.

The new stuff includes a much more interactive experience, he said, with touch-screen capabilities and larger, user-friendly buttons. Key features of the mobile website include the ability to search for lodging, dining and attractions; events listings; local resources, maps and directions; international traveler info; and seasonal NH wallpapers.

Tourism folks want your feedback, Freligh said. Check out the state's tourism site on your smart phone and let them know what you think on the site's new "Contact Us" page.

Southwest will no longer offer any nonstop service from New England to Philadephia when it ends its five daily nonstops from Boston on Feb. 11.

The carrier announced in July that it would halt its four nonstops to Philadelphia from both T.F. Green in Warwick, R.I., and Boston Manchester Airport in New Hampshire in January. A month later, Southwest noted on its flight schedules that it also would halt its Boston service in February.

Southwest spokeswoman Ashley Dillon said that the carrier made the decision because it decided that business was not robust enough to merit keeping the flights.

Southwest is in the process of reviewing its operations after acquiring AirTran last year. But Dillon said that this latest move had nothing to do with that but was part of a continuing review process that the carrier has embraced. In the past couple of years in reaction to higher fuel prices and the soft economy, Dillon said, the airline has taken to keeping tighter reins on flight schedules. In past years it revised service quarterly but now it makes changes as often as every month or two, adding and subtracting flights according to projected demand.

Southwest, which began service out of Logan in 2009, added the flights to Philadelphia in 2010. Going forward, it will offer nonstop service to six destinations -- Baltimore, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Denver, and Phoenix -- with connecting flights to a number of other cities.

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

You know the old saying, “If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” The Bedford Village Inn's executive chef Benjamin Knack (formerly of Beacon Hill Bistro and a finalist on “Hell's Kitchen”) is doing just that for the evenings of Jan. 24-28, as he runs the “Chillin' and Grillin'” area on the inn's patio, just a few feet from what promises to be the world's largest ice bar. The festivities are part of New Hampshire Wine Week.

Last year the inn set up an ice bar that weighed in at 10,000 pounds. This year the Stoli Ice Bar will pump up the volume to 50,000 pounds. In fact, the inn's courtyard will be filled with three ice bars, a martini luge, free-standing ice carvings, and lights and music.

Guest DJs provide tunes on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and the Josh Logan Band plays live Thursday through Saturday nights. Festivities at the inn, just off Route 101 outside Manchester, are scheduled for 5:30-10 each night. Part of the $3 admission will benefit local charities.

For more information, see the inn's web site at www.bedfordvillageinn.com.

Photo courtesy of Bedford Village Inn

National Park Service says that all 397 national parks will offer free admission from Saturday, Jan. 14- Monday, Jan. 16 to mark Martin Luther King Day. In New England there are more than two dozen parks, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts (15). On its website, the NPS maps out locations by state.

For those interested in King himself, BudgetTravel offers these suggestions:

Those wishing to learn more about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can pay a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, where both the home he was born in and his tomb with the Eternal Flame are on display. Follow in his footsteps along the National Historic Trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, now a designated historic byway. If you happen to be on the east coast, visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and sit on the steps from which Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, or visit the newly opened Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in the National Mall. Events commemorating Dr. King's life will also take place at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee, while the MLK Film Festival will be held at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington D.C. from January 14-16.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The Inn & Spa at Mills Falls in Meredith, N.H., has broken ground on phase two of its Church Landing expansion, which will add 15 deluxe lake-view rooms and suites in two buildings, all with fieldstone fireplaces, whirlpool baths, wet bar and bathroom LCD TV. Named the Birch Lodge and Boathouse Lodge, the new buildings will rise next to either side of the existing Lake Shore Cottage, and be connected to the existing Church Landing by a semi-covered cedar walkway. Each new room will have a fieldstone fireplace, indoor whirlpool bath, wet bar, double-glass and tile shower, and a bathroom LCD TV. The expansion will also include a new lobby and game area, second infinity pool with two Jacuzzis, new boat docks and 186 feet of additional lake frontage. Construction is expected to be done by May 2012, said Rusty McLear, president and chief executive of the company.

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

Shh-h-h-h-h! Don't tell the kids, but after the guests repair to their rooms following Thanksgiving dinner at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, N.H., all the resort's elves get to work. They transform the immense hilltop inn from an autumn getaway into a Christmas season destination by decking the halls and hanging wreaths everywhere.

There's a big Christmas tree in the main lobby and some years Santa's helpers manage to erect a smaller one near the fireplace in the cozy Dodge Lounge. Wooden “soldiers” like figures from The Nutcracker stand sentinel at the ends of the corridors. In fact, the 6-foot-tall soldiers are all over the hotel at the holidays, rather like the army of Christmas. Mind you, the effect of all the decorations is like a Victorian Christmas--gleeful without being gaudy. Most guests know in advance about the overnight transformation, but it still comes as a treat to the kids. So mum's the word. Instead of standing in a mall parking lot, Black Friday at the Mountain View Grand is like a preview of Christmas morning. Mountain View Grand, Mountain View Rd., Whitefield, N.H.; (866) 484-3843; www.mountainviewgrand.com.

Even before the Ben Stiller fantasy comedies about after-hours life in museums, a number of institutions hosted nights for children to tuck in next to a T-rex. And the programs, which run from just after the museum closes until just before it opens the next day, tend to be remarkably similar. Typically, children must be accompanied with an adult. Many programs only allow groups to sign up for overnights, but some just schedule dates and invite individual child-parent pairs to roll out a bag. There is a fee for the night, which covers specially-planned activities and at least one meal -- usually a continental breakfast but some places also serve dinner. Here is a list of some places locally and around the nation that offer sleepover programs:

NEW ENGLAND

Museum of Science in Boston.

The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester

The Children's Museum in West Hartford, Conn.

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire in Dover

Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor

Battleship Cove in Fall River

New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Conn.

AROUND THE US

American Museum of Natural History in New York City

Field Museum in Chicago

Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington

The Spy Museum in Washington

National Aquarium in Baltimore

Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh

Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park

SeaWorld in San Diego

Seaworld in Orlando, Fla.

Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Fla,

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

With a forecast of at least partly sunny weather, this weekend should be dynamite for combining leaf-peeping with cruising the last of the summer harvest in the Granite State's many farmstands. We drove around in the rain on Thursday, doing research for Food Lovers' Guide to Vermont & New Hampshire (Globe Pequot Press, May 2012), and were amazed by the blazing colors in the Dartmouth-Sunapee area and down along the Connecticut River. The photo above was snapped from the car on River Road in Plainfield, where one of the many farms on that beautiful stretch was winding up the harvest of sweet corn. We even scored some ripe heirloom tomatoes at a farmstand in New London. Foliage is still at peak along Route 11 west from I-89 to Claremont, and just a little past peak on Route 12 paralleling the Connecticut River. Enjoy!

Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

New Hampshire is a prime spot for taking photos of fall foliage and to capitalize on it, state tourism officials have kicked of a “Picture Perfect” photo contest to encourage residents and visitors to snap away. Photo winners will be chosen in each of the seven tourist regions of the state: Great North Woods, White Mountains, Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee, Lakes, Monadnock, Merrimack Valley and Seacoast. The contest runs through Oct. 31. Participants can upload their work to the contest website, www.fall.visitnh.com, where they can also find official rules and list of prizes.

One winner from each region will be announced the first week of November, and prizes include overnight stays, museum passes, dinners and rock-climbing lessons, among others. The total value of all prizes is $2,120, according to the rules, with the biggest being from the White Mountains, valued at $900, where the winner will net things like two passes for a snow-coach ride up the Mount Washington Auto Road, tubing, skiing and rentals at Great Glens Trails Outdoor Center, two nights for two at Attitash Grand Summit hotel, and a canvas print of the winner’s photo.

By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

Who needs Baskin & Robbins when there's Granite City Candy Shoppe & Ice Cream in Concord, N.H.? If I'm anywhere near downtown, I make a beeline to the double storefront on Warren Street (just off Main) for a homemade cool treat. With 30 flavors that change seasonally, the hardest decision is making a choice. Should it be the California Pistachio, Indian Pudding, Coconut Snowflake, Black Raspberry Chip, Georgia Peach or a chocolate concoction? Or should it be a sundae or frappe? On a recent visit, it's two kinder scoops of Peanut Butter Cup, a vanilla ice cream loaded with mini cups of chocolate-covered peanut butter ($3.75). Granite City, run by the same family since 1927, is also the place for all kinds of handmade chocolates and other candy and nuts treats.
Granite City Candy Shoppe & Ice Cream, 13 Warren St., Concord, N.H. 603-225-2591.

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

We spent much of the last week driving around New Hampshire doing research for a new Food Lovers' guidebook. And we have to say that our neighbors to the north have raised the art of the vanity license plate to a new level. Who knew that a 6'' by 12'' piece of metal could be such a vehicle (so to speak) for self expression? Just ask ARTGAL, SHOELVR, and IPOD-DJ.

Perhaps the cleverest plate we saw was the driver's education car (NERVOUS), while the most climate-conscious were no doubt ECOCAR (on a blue Prius) and CUTCO2. Yet perhaps our personal favorites were the white Nissan Maxima (GR8GFT) and the smoking hot little red convertible (FUNFNFN).

One thing's for sure—you don't have to check your registration to remember your license tag when your plate reads MMRYKPR.

In preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, New Hampshire plans to close all state parks and historical sites starting Saturday evening at 6 p.m. until Tuesday and Maine officials say they will shut all coastal Maine state parks and several inland parks for day use on Sunday. Forecasters expect rain, high winds, and high tides to begin Saturday, ahead of Irene's arrival on Sunday night. In Maine two parks, Warren Island State Park and Eagle Island State Historic Site will close Saturday, and more than two dozen others will shut their doors on Sunday. They include: Ferry Beach, Fort McClary, Vaughan Woods, Crescent Beach/Two Lights/Kettle Cove, Wolfe Neck’s Woods, Mackworth Island, Bradbury, Sebago, Range Ponds, Popham Beach/Fort Popham, Reid State Park, Fort Edgecomb, Colonial Pemaquid, Birch Point Beach, Owls Head, Camden Hills (day use), Fort Knox, Holbrook Island, Warren Island, Eagle Island, Moose Point, Fort Point, Lamoine (day use), Roque Bluffs, Quoddy Head, Cobscook Bay (day use), and Shackford Head.

By Katie Johnston Globe Staff

Southwest Airlines is eliminating service between Philadelphia and T.F. Green Airport near Providence and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire, a move the airline said is due to less demand for Philadelphia and not because it is focusing on Boston.

The cuts - four daily flights from each airport to Philadelphia - will take effect Jan. 8. The airline is also cutting its daily flight from T.F. Green to Phoenix.

Southwest will also reduce the number of flights from Philadelphia to Logan International Airport to six from eight daily in January, and to five a day in February.

"In Philly, we've just made a decision to reduce service because we just feel like those aircraft can perform better elsewhere," said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.

In short, the airline is having trouble filling planes. To attract more passengers, Southwest is offering $39 one-way sale fares on flights from Philadelphia to all three New England airports.

All together, the airline is cutting 12 nonstop routes in January, including four to Philadelphia, three to Boise, and three to Seattle/Tacoma.

These reductions reflect changes in Southwest fuel purchases that make it more expensive for the airline to fly those routes, said Michael Friedman, a senior equity analyst at Delaware Investments in Boston. And with legacy carriers cutting costs to compete with discount airlines, Southwest no longer dominates certain routes the way it used to.

"Markets which were at one time profitable are no longer profitable, and they're reallocating their resources to address the local markets," Friedman said.

Southwest is also adding two local routes in January, a daily flight from Manchester to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a daily flight from T.F. Green to Denver. Between the cuts and the new service, Manchester is losing two Southwest flights a day, and Providence is losing one, Mainz said.

"It's not all doom and gloom," he said. "I certainly wouldn't take this as a sign of things to come that they're going to continue to lose service."

FULL ENTRY

The creators of "Granite State of Mind," a light-hearted video tribute to the state of New Hampshire, have come out with a sequel to the wildly-successful clip entitled "Plow Guy Boogaloo." The brainchild of New Hampshire comedy troupe Super Secret Project, the video hit YouTube last night and already has nearly 20,000 views. 

Super Secret Project's original tribute, inspired by rapper Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind," has racked up almost two million views since debuting last March. The sequel features a number of cameos from New Hampshire natives including comedians Mike O'Malley and Sarah Silverman, San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, and meterologist Al Kaprielian. 

"I just kind of sent out e-mails at will trying to get people on board," Super Secret Project member Christian Wisecarver told New Hampshire TV station WMUR. "With Sarah Silverman, she was a fan of the first one. I was a little apprehensive to even bother her with it, but she was like, 'Yeah, sure.'"

According to WMUR, the video, set to Jay-Z's "Run This Town," was still being shot as of yesterday morning. 

You can catch the original below.

And you think it's cold in Boston?

There were wind chills of 68.1 degrees below zero at the summit of Mount Washington this morning, and that's significantly down from the 88 degrees below zero that the observatory saw overnight. Even at noon today, it was still only 18.1 degrees below zero with a wind chill of 56.6 degrees below zero. Not surprisingly, they are the coldest temperatures seen at the observatory in three years. 

With weather like that, what better way to pass the time than by blowing bubbles?

If you ever wondered how tiny bubbles would react to sub-zero temperatures, the folks at the Mount Washington Observatory have the fascinating answer.

In New Hampshire, plunging temperatures may signal warming economics: A recent study shows the Granite State this winter can expect a jump in tourist visits of 4 percent over last year as 6.6 million people will ski, snowmobile, snowboard, shop, visit friends and family – and spend money. The study predicts a spending increase of 8 percent over last year, a total that could hit $840 million.

December through February in New Hampshire accounts for 19 percent of all traveler visits annually and 21 percent of total traveler spending, according to a report prepared for the state division of travel and tourism by the Institute for New Hampshire Studies.

Lori Harnois, director for the state tourism division, said the four main sectors of winter visits are restaurants, recreational facilities (including ski areas), retail stores, and lodging. She said the report shows overnight visits to ski areas are expected to increase by 6 percent over last year, while day trips will rise by about 3 percent.

Business and conference travel to New Hampshire could jump by 3 percent as well, the report found.
 

Who doesn't like cookies, especially holiday confections trimmed as pretty as Christmas trees? Once again, the Country Inns of the White Mountains is hosting its annual Holiday Inn to Inn Cookie and Candy Tour, a two-day, inn-to-inn extravaganza of sweets, treats, and holiday cheer. This year's two-day, self-guided tour on Dec. 11-12 includes 15 inns spread between New Hampshire and Maine in the Mt. Washington Valley. Tour-only ticketsa re $27 and these are limited. Best deals are the one- and two-night lodging packages, which include the tour as well as lodging and breakfast; one-night packages from $139, two nights from $178.

“Grand Resorts-Grand Adventure” is the new brand of New Hampshire’s North Country marketing initiative, known as “NH Grand.” Over the course of its inaugural 2009-2010 season, the project created the area’s first comprehensive tourism website – www.nhgrand.com; built social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; and designed and gave out 140,000 brochures throughout the region.





A neat component is the site’s “Grand Adventures" that include a variety of  cold-weather offerings. Consider dog sledding, utilizing Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel and White Mountain Sled Dog Adventures, allowing you to mush your way over the river and through the woods of Bethlehem and Bretton Woods. Or the more than 1,000 miles of networked trails that comprise the “Snowmobile Highway” in New Hampshire, that starts at Jefferson and reaches to the Canadian border in Pittsburgh. And to test your endurance to bone-numbing wind chill, there’s winter zip lining at the Mount Washington Canopy Tours, a descent of some 1,000 feet in a series of tree-top zip lines, the longest zip line canopy tour in New England and one of the longest in the continental United States.

All of it can be booked through NH Grand.

NH Grand is a collaborative marketing push among the three grand hotels located in Coos County: Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, and Omni Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods.

“By undertaking a joint marketing initiative, these lodging establishments, adventures, attractions, and local businesses can benefit greatly,” said George Bald, commissioner of the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development. “The remote and natural beauty of northern New Hampshire provides endless recreation opportunities.”

Photo: NH Grand

Should the name of a natural landmark have business implications?

That's what the owner of the Mount Washington Hotel, in Bretton Woods, N.H. is arguing, attempting to get other area businesses to stop from using "Mount Washington" in their names. 

The action pertains only to only a handful of properties in the Mount Washington Valley, but the action by CNL, a Florida real estate investment trust, has enraged locals, especially since the name of the highest peak in New England is referenced in many area businesses. Should a Florida company have the right to lay claim on what has been an institutional reference in the valley for decades?

According to a report by New Hampshire' WMUR:

Officials with CNL said that the name was never trademarked and that they are reaching out to only three other lodging businesses with "Mount Washington" in their name, all in northern New Hampshire.

"We're not about trying to put a fence around the name 'Mount Washington' as it could relate to other businesses," said Stephen Rice, senior vice president of CNL. "Those properties have nothing to fear."

He said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has agreed with the company that there is a likelihood of confusion when it comes to other lodging properties that share the name.

"I don't know how they could do it," Ned Sullivan of North Conway, who owns Mount Washington Valley Vacation Rentals, told the Associated Press. "I guess you're not afraid to move into the neighborhood and make a huge stink, as they are."

CNL bought the hotel in 2006. The corporation owns a number of properties in New England, including Sugarloaf and Sunday River in Maine, Okemo Mountain Resort and the Village at Stratton in Vermont, and Hancock's Jiminy Peak.

Taking the fast cut through New Hampshire on highways is one thing if you're saving time. Hitting the back roads to get the true feel of the Granite State is quite another if you've got time to spend, and the state’s new “Route 3 Retro Tour” does just that, tourism folks said. They’ve added the tour to the www.visitnh.gov website; look for it under “Planning Travel and Tools” and then under “culture itineraries.”

“Travelers to and within New Hampshire are always looking for fun things to do and our latest itinerary really highlights some cool stops from a bygone era when getting there was half the fun,” said Tai Freligh, communications manager for the state’s tourism division.
 
There are some 133 miles of scenic byways between Tilton and Pittsburg that contain a slew of affordable, 1950s and 1960s-era, owner-operated motels, motor courts, and attractions, she said. 

Fun stuff: Located along Route 3 in Stewartstown is historical marker number 64 – also known as the 45th parallel – marking the exact location halfway between the equator and North Pole.

 A lot on the tour is stuff for fair weather, Santa’s Village, Riverside Speedway, and Whale’s Tale Waterpark among them. But there’s lots to see in fall and winter; just following the Pemigewasset River winding through Campton, Lincoln, and North Woodstock affords great scenic views.
   
And to fire up your energy levels, check out Chutters Candy Store in Littleton, said to house the world’s largest candy counter, with 112 feet of gleaming glass jars stuffed with things that may not be good for you but make a long New Hampshire drive that much more enjoyable.

The holidays are a time of cookies and candy, and some quintessentially cozy places to enjoy them are the more than a dozen New Hampshire inns participating in the 14th Annual Inn to Inn Cookie and Candy Tour, Dec. 11-12 in Mount Washington Valley.

Each of 15 inns on the tour will feature original holiday cookies and candies, along with decorations, offering tour goers the bonus of taking home holiday decorating ideas along with their goodies. The inns have developed original recipes for their sweet treats, and tour participants will also receive a keepsake brass collector’s ornament.

New Hampshire Magazine dubbed the tour “The Best Sugar High.” Proceeds from the event benefit area non-rofits. The tour stretches from Harts Location to Chocura, N.H., and over to Fryeburg, Maine, with each inn within 15 minutes of each other.

Each participating inn will offer two tickets (a $54 value) with their cookie tour package, accommodations, and breakfast for two each day. Some have added dinners to their packages. For a complete list of packages, starting at $139 a night, visit www.countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com/holiday_cookie_tour_packages.htm.

 

Photo: Country Inns in the White Mountains