There is a bit of everything campers like about New Hampshire
tucked into the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region. A gem of a medical center built into the
woods of Lebanon and a small town college campus is part of Dartmouth's contribution to a
region where the arts have flourished for more than a century.
The convenience of modern shopping and the appeal of small town life combine here to
provide the visitor the best of both worlds.
A visit to St. Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish is one way to enjoy art midst
the scenic views of the Connecticut River Valley. The works of the famous sculptor,
Augustus St. Gaudens, are displayed in galleries and outdoors in the splendor of well-kept
gardens.
The big river, the mountains, and woodland streams and ponds make this an ideal camping
vacation place. The scenery includes farms, village greens and neatly preserved old
homesteads.
Lake Sunapee offers boat tours, hiking along the hilly shores, and the State Park is
the scene of the annual craftmen's fair that attracts visitors from afar.
Among the attractions in the area are Old Fort Number Four in Charlestown, a
restoration of a landmark of the French and Indian Wars where reenactments are held; and
Ruggles Mine in Grafton, where visitors come to dig for samples of mica. There is a
restored 1897 opera house in Claremont, an Indian museum at Mt. Kearsage, more than a
dozen old homes and museums open to the public.
You may want to shop or just browse at the nationally famous Bynham's Emporium in New
London, a fascinationg place with items from all over the world. The soda fountain is one
of the few remaining old-fashioned soft drink and ice cream dispensing relics of a by-gone
era. Mesa International Outlet in Elkins features designer glassware, dinnerware, and
interesting items from Italy, Portugal, and Mexico.
So much that appeals to shoppers, yet here is a region campers come to for fishing,
boating, swimming, to hike and bicycle, to slow tour the country-side on a sunny
afternoon.
Winter is an especially delightful time in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region. There is
the annual Dartmouth Winter Carnival and the holiday display of lights at the Shrine of
Our Lady of LaSalette in Enfield. Spring is apple blossom time, summer is when drama and
the arts flourish, and autumn is the most glorious where the color spreads from river
valleys to mountain tops.
