WALPOLE, N.H. - You may never have trouble getting the kids to eat their fruits and vegetables once you’ve brought the family here during the fall harvest season. If they need a little coaxing, mention that there’s also ice cream and rich chocolate, thanks in part to the dairy herds in this venerable Connecticut River village northwest of Keene and just across the river from Bellows Falls, Vt. Roadside farm stands are shifting now from corn and tomatoes to pumpkins and potatoes, but some sweet reminders of summer (late raspberries!) linger. And if all else fails, there are apples, apples, and more apples.
Fall’s bounty beckons in Walpole, N.H.
Flea markets, hayrides, and apples aplenty
Stay
You won’t hear roosters crow at the Inn at Valley Farms (633 Wentworth Road, www.innatvalleyfarms.com, 603-756-2855; inn rooms $175-$215; cottages $220 for two, $20 extra per child, $35 extra per adult), but the gregarious clucking of 230 hens leaves no doubt you’re on a working farm. Kids can help innkeeper Jacqueline Caserta collect eggs every afternoon, and guests can help themselves to garden produce and otherwise enjoy the 100-acre organic farm. Three rooms are in the 1774 farmhouse, while the two cottages (with working kitchens) are in the former sheep barn, which dates to the 1850s. The sheep are gone, but the farm does keep cashmere goats and beef cattle. While the E.F. Lane Hotel (30 Main St., Keene, www.eflane.com, 888-300-5056 or 603-357-7070; doubles $189-$285) lacks the rustic qualities of the inn, its 40 genteel rooms offer an excellent urban alternative in nearby Keene.
Dine
Ice cream doesn’t get more local than the confections at Walpole Creamery (532 Main St./Rte. 12, walpolecreamery.com, 603-445-5700, daily noon -8 p.m.), where it’s made from the milk of Walpole-raised cows. Be modest with your order: even a single scoop is huge. Don’t let the exquisite chocolate bon-bons and truffles at L.A. Burdick Walpole Cafe, Restaurant & Chocolate Shop (47 Main St., www.burdickchocolate.com, 603-756-1228, entrees $12-$22; open for breakfast and lunch daily, all meals Tues.-Sat.) obscure the substantive brasserie menu of such standards as steak frites, roast chicken, or steamed mussels. More pubby, the Walpole Village Tavern (10 Westminster St., Walpole, 603-756-3703, sandwiches and burgers $8-$10, dinner entrees $17-$22, kids menu $5, lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday) is perfect for families who like their food to speak middle American instead of French.
During the day
Advertisement
Advertisement