I recently returned home from a road trip to New Hampshire. As the central part of the state is only two hours away from my Massachusetts home, a two day trip would suffice! Travelers from all over the country enjoy a visit to the state’s White Mountains region to experience hiking, camping, or outdoor exploration in the summer season!
New Hampshire isn’t exactly known for being a vegan paradise. Fortunately, I was knowledgeable and well-prepared for my journey! There are only two vegan restaurants on route 93 in Concord, heading towards the mountains, but neither was open the day that I traveled. Instead, my friends and I made a stop in the capital city of Concord to purchase some food at Concord Cooperative Market (Concord Cooperative Market). Not only do they sell vegan faux meat sandwiches and groceries, but they also have a small “cafe” area where people can purchase vegan baked goods, soups, and breakfast items. I sampled and bought an eggless sandwich, blueberry muffin, and chocolate chip bar. I enjoyed all of them. My leftovers were saved for car ride snacks.
After our tummies were full enough, we headed up to the White Mountain National Park region. This was a short hour and a half drive from the Concord area. Our first stop was at the Hobo train (Hobo Train) station. We decided on taking the 80 minute train ride for $14 along the Pemigewasset River. Riders saw views of the river, forest, and kayakers. Very relaxing ride filled with conductor’s stories of the region’s railroad history.
My friends and I were now ready to do more exploration of this scenic region! We headed next to The Lost River Gorge and Caves(Lost River Gorge and Caves). The forested attraction consisted of many winding paths and wooden uphill stairways, and then there were the caves! We bent down, lowered our heads and climbed down into the caves to explore! It was a fun activity for all! Waterfalls greeted us along the way.
The day was advancing towards mid-afternoon and I still wanted to visit another gorge. I then drove to the Flume Gorge (Flume Gorge) about a half hour northeast. Here, visitors can also find glacial boulders and gorges, massive waterfalls, caves, and covered bridges. It is much more massive than Lost River but a bit of a different experience. I enjoyed the lengthy, woodsy hiking trails.
Since there really aren’t any vegan-friendly cafes in the area, I ate a lunch of bean salad and flax, whole wheat pita bread which I brought with me.
Mount Washington was next on my itinerary. It is the highest peak in the northeast. While popular for avid hikers, I visited only for the photo opp. Tourists can take a train to the summit also. I found the perfect spot with a breath-taking view to take a photo of the Mount Washington Hotel with the mountain as its gorgeous backdrop!
As it was getting late, I drove further south so I could see Lake Winnipesaukie at sunset. This magnificent lake is very popular among vacationers, as is Weirs Beach down the road where I made my final stop of the day. Visitors can swim, relax, stroll the boardwalk, or grab a bite to eat.
On another Saturday, I drove back to Concord to experience the history of the capital city. The Museum of New Hampshire History(Museum of NH History) takes a look into the state’s history, settlers, and politics. I enjoyed seeing the teepee, stagecoach, general store, and cloth textiles.
About 20 minutes away, I visited the Canterbury Shaker Village (Canterbury Shaker Village). These original settler homes, infirmary, schoolhouse, herbal shop, bake shop, printer, fire tower, and so forth offer tours to get a glimpse of life for the Shakers back in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. They had a strong work ethnic and sense of community. Strong moral values and faith were important to them. I enjoyed stepping back in time for the history lesson on their way of life. In the gift shop, I purchased lavender potpourri made from flowers grown on their lands.
Dinnertime arrive so I drove back to Concord to dine one of the two vegan restaurants in town. Rasa’s Vegan Kitchen(Rasa’s Vegan Kitchen) offers nutritious, homestyle comfort food in a simple, peaceful setting. On Saturday evenings, diners can find a $12.95 buffet, along with performers playing live music. My innovative meal consisted of miso soup, cream of broccoli and almond soup, slaw with Asian dressing, gnocchi, and Hungarian Cabbage Casserole. Dessert was a tapioca fruit pie. Everything was so delicious! I was very happy with my nutritious and tasty meal!
On Sunday morning, I decided to have brunch at Concord’s only other vegan dining establishment. Cafe Indigo (Cafe Indigo) offers the most amazing brunch for $8 or $12.95 if purchasing a plate of food with the buffet. In the main lobby, there are several cases and refrigerators where diners can find and purchase vegan quiche, ice cream, and faux meat cutlets, as well as desserts.
My main sampler plate included french toast, cornmeal pancake, vegan sausage patties, potatoes, and tofu scramble. The buffet consisted of pea salad, sesame noodles, cornbread, apple bread, potato salad, hummus, cole slaw, barley salad, corn and black bean salsa, lemon poppyseed cake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, oatmeal/lemon/chocolate chip bars, whoopie pies, and blue corn chips. I took a platter to nibble on some items and take the rest home in a sealed box. Everything was so incredibly good!
My vegan road trip to New Hampshire was now complete! I experienced the scenic nature at its finest and dined on wonderful vegan food along the way! I explored the state’s history in its museums and village and learned alot in the process. I highly recommend a road trip to New Hampshire for those wanting to visit a breath-taking landscape and partake in the history of one of the first states in the union!