This was, by far, my favorite covered bridge of the trip! Not only is it strikingly beautiful and…read morehistoric, but the surrounding area is everything you could want - bucolic, peaceful, colorful, and a perfect place to practice any photography skills! It has become the place I return to in my mind when I'm stressed or meditating lol! This is the largest bridge in the area and was built in 1864 to replace the existing bridge. There's plenty of room to park off to the side and the bridge has walkways on either side that span the length of the bridge. There are also pathways that take you down to the riverbank for more views! The river is incredibly beautiful, especially with the fall foliage - just wow! I could've quite happily stayed here all day! It's very easy to find - just plug the name into google maps and it will get you here (Apple Maps didn't work for me though).

While driving down the back roads in New Hampshire, trying to get home, I came across this really…read moreamazing covered bridge. This bridge located in Winchester is huge and also has some really unique features. My favorite was that both sides of the bridge had covered areas to walk, which you don't see in some of the smaller covered bridges. Overall, it's a unique little landmark hidden in the middle of nowhere and if you are a little bit of a nerd like me you'll probably enjoy it.

A ten-minute uphill walk to this tower that mental patients were ordered to build for physical…read moreactivity/to alleviate their illnesses. Sadly, when it was done, many started jumping off the top to their deaths, so of course I had to visit and see what this was like. Parked in the ski slope Farm Retreat parking lot and walked to the trailhead across the street. Worth seeing and hiking up to the tower as it's so quick, though you can't enter the tower/climb up it. Visitors put wildflowers at the base of the tower by the sealed door which was so nice. 5 stars!!!!

Since it was a beautiful day out we decided to take a little hike during lunch and thought that the…read moreRetreat Tower would be the best spot to go. This was the first time we have hiked up to the tower and we have to say that we were not disappointed. The walk itself was fairly low impact and didn't take very long. Once we got to the top we enjoyed sitting by the tower while taking in the serenity of the wood. Overall it was a great experience and we would totally hike here again.

This house is where the pre-treasonous Benedict Arnold recuperated after being wounded at the…read moreBattle of Bemis Heights. The house is an interesting landmark for what it represents historically. It is not open to the Public.

Harrisville is a beautiful little town in Southern New Hampshire that is so original that the…read moreentire town is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The town was built in the 1870's in a picturesque setting surrounded by ten lakes. The buildings are mostly old brick. There is a lovely old mill that now houses several shops. The library is tiny and sits right on the water. A small beach park has a playground, but is only open to residents. The general store that serves breakfast and lunch is the hub of the town. We took a driving tour of the scenic town and surrounding area. The fall foliage around the lakes is breathtaking. Harrisville has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are no fast food places, big box stores or gas stations. There is limited parking at the mill and general store. Many of the roads are narrow or gravel covered. Internet is intermittent, so a map is handy. People are friendly.

I loved exploring Harrisville this past weekend. Quite an interesting place to visit! I was able…read moreto download the audio walking tour to my phone, which added even more value to the historic sites. Not only did it provide information about the buildings but it was a mini history lesson, walking you through the happenings when the buildings were built or in operation. All the buildings seemed to be in good shape but some could use a fresh coat of paint. There were not a lot of people there, so it was really quiet and enjoyable. The views of the lake were phenomenal!

On our second visit to the Zimmerman House, we were blessed with two docents (guides) from the…read moreCurrier Museum, both were very knowledgeable about Wright and the building. I learned a few new things on this visit, and we also got to walk to the Kalil house just down the street, which the museum has recently taken under its control. That could hardly be more different, yet still recognisably a Wright house.

Not what you might expect to find in Manchester, NH…read more Connected to the Currier Art Museum, they provide tours that are hosted by two volunteers. You can see this home and there is one two blocks away called the Kalili Home. If you appreciate Frank Lloyd Wright, this is a must of you're in Manchester.

Fantastic hidden gem of a hiking trail with dramatic castle ruins steeped in local history and…read moreHAUNTED legend! It's beautiful- and eerie and spooky - especially in the moody fall weather. I love it so much I've been back twice on my visits to New England! The ruins are of the former castle and home to Madame Sherri - a costume designer from Paris that made a name for herself on Broadway. But what she was most known for was her wildly scandalous parties at the castle during the prohibition era! Sadly she eventually lost her fortune, the castle fell to ruins, and she passed away as a ward of the state. The spooky local legend says that if you stand on (or near) the stairs at midnight, a ghost (Mme Sherri?!!) comes and pushes you off!! This was such a popular legend that so many people would come stand on the stairs which sadly caused the top to collapse a few years ago and now you can't climb them at all. I only found out about all this bc I met a lovely local woman at one of my hotels that told me all about it! A fan of the Madame's, Anne Stokes, bought and cared for the entire estate and eventually gifted it to the Forest Society and eventually became the property of the Nature Conservancy who still maintains it thankfully! It's such a wonderful place! The entire protected area encompasses 513 acres and includes numerous trails around the ruins, as well as several ponds, a small brook, and bog lands full of wildlife. Just getting to the trail is quite the adventure - you're taken down eerie, rural New Hampshire backroads - not always the best maintained so be careful, especially with low clearance cars - it's pretty remote and I've never seen anyone else on the trails when visiting lol! The trail to the ruins is very short with hardly any elevation gain, but if you want a longer hike, the ruins trail joins up with the Anne Stokes loop and eventually with the much larger Wantastiquet - Monadnock Trail. There's a large gravel parking lot and lots of info signs at the trailhead with trail maps and info on all the history. Entrance is free but they do have QR codes for suggested donations of $5 to help maintain the ruins and property. There aren't any bathrooms that I could find so plan ahead.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this spot but it's an awesome ruin of a bygone era sitting in…read morethe middle of nowhere. Anything stone has appeal to me and thus didn't disappoint. I traveled a bit later in fall than I'd hoped but it was a beautiful day and well worth the daytrip from CT. Parking is easy though limited. We arrived early snd also hiked part of the loop so turnover in the lot isn't always quick. Unfortunately there is graffiti marring the stone and the support for the staircase looks to be deteriorating . It's still awesome with a great backstory.

Perfect day for a cemetary stroll. Very peaceful with some graves dating to the 1800s. The tower is…read morerather impressive. Would love to see it's twin in Ireland some day.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING! This is one of the Secret Hidden Gems of…read moreAmerica that most people have never heard of or been to before, If you love Castles, Towers & the Fairytale Rapunzel or the Disney movie Tangled then you'll be excited about our journey today. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to the 1890's in the town of Milford MA about an hour outside of Boston. We've landed at this Beautiful Irish Round Tower that conjures up images from a bygone era. The Tower looks like it has been plucked from medieval times from thousands of miles across the Pond in Ireland. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Father Patrick Cuddihy envisioned an Irish Round Tower as the centerpiece of a new cemetery when the land was purchased in 1890 for the Catholics of Saint Mary's Parish in Milford. Travelers from all over the globe spend thousands of dollars & travel to Ireland to see The Irish Round Towers. There is one Irish Tower in particular called The Devenish round tower & is located in County Fermanagh on an island located on Lower Lough Erne Lake. The Round Irish Tower in Milford is almost an exact replica with the same look, design & height as the The Devenish Tower in Ireland. It is made out of Granite from the Milford quarry. It stands tall over the graves of thousands of Irish immigrants who were buried in the cemetery. They are laid to rest in an Irish setting that mimics the architecture & land of Ireland. You might wonder why did Fr. Cuddihy build this tower? The answer can be found in his obituary "It may be folly - yet when you and I have passed away, the Irish in America will make a pilgrimage to the Irish Round Tower at Milford." Now although it was very popular in its day this has now fallen completely under the radar. Now just about everyone has heard of the German Fairy Tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm, but have no idea that a Rapunzel like Tower even exists here in America. The Milford Round Tower was the only one of its kind in the whole USA for decades & only a few Irish Towers in the whole world even exist outside of Ireland. In 2003 The Tower at Castleton Lyons Farm was built in Kentucky to be an exact replica of the round tower at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary Ireland. So now there are 2 Irish Round Towers in the US. The Milford one is well over a hundred years older than the one in Kentucky. It represents a unique granite architectural wonder that pays tribute to Father Cuddihy vision of an Irish Tower in America without going overseas. The 1978 East German stamps of Rapunzel look just like the Devenish Tower in Ireland & the one in Milford MA. I have posted the stamp pictures for you to see too. Just so you know the door to the Tower is locked so you can't venture to the top! In addition, behind the Irish round tower there is a small pond & benches with pine trees in the background that makes a peaceful place to pray, meditate & explore the grounds. On the other side there is a mysterious cave like structure that resembles a catacomb. Across the street there is a public park and free parking. You really wouldn't expect to see an Irish Round Tower or a Rapunzel Tower at a cemetery, but that's where it is - a True Hidden Gem. To make it really worth your trip in the area check out The Moon Tree a tree that went to the Moon & The Largest Rosary Beads in the World both in Holliston. All of these are Freebies as well. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

This is one of several mysterious stone chambers in New England, whose provenance and purpose is…read moreunknown. Usually they are square or rectangular in shape, with stone slabbed roofs and soil floors. Archaeologists usually try to claim that they were built by early colonists as 'root cellars' yet they are ill-suited to that task as the floors are soil, which is hardly conducive to dry storage. There is also some documentary evidence from early colonists saying that the chambers were there when they arrived. Other chambers have had very old trees growing out of their walls, evidence that the chamber must be older than the tree. Another theory is that they were sweat lodges used by native Americans, but there is no evidence to show that any native groups built stone sweat lodges. So who did build these things? The closest equivalent in Britain is the souterrains of Scotland or fogous of Cornwall, but these tend to be larger and have curved layouts. The corbelled roof construction is similar to the beehive cells constructed by early monks like the Culdees, but there the similarity ends. Maybe it was early Viking explorers? An earlier megalithic culture that we don't know about? It's a fascinating enigma. Research by antiquarians and earth mystery researchers has shown that many chambers have precise geometric ratios in their construction, and that they are aligned to significant solar events like midwinter solstice, and this Beehive Hut seems no exception. The proportions are almost exactly 2:1 - it is just short of being twice as long as it is wide, and the width and height are the same. The entrance (by my estimation) seems to be aligned to midwinter sunrise (it's hard to be precise because of the tree cover), and is situated part-way up a hillside, which would allow the rising sun to enter the chamber. There are an interesting couple of white quartz stones, one in the back wall and one in the left-hand side wall, which may mark the extremes of the sunrise positions between equinox and winter solstice. But as I'm not resident here I am unable to do the long-term observations that this theory would require to confirm it. Interested locals should get in touch with the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA), who will know more about these things.

A beautifully preserved piece of history! I would've liked to see a bit more information on a…read moreplaque to learn more about it, but it was still very beautiful! I'm very happy I went here, it's one of those things you stop for a few minutes just to stare at and then carry on with your drive. Not much to look at and it wasn't open to walk inside, but it's super admirable how well kept it is!! I'd love to come hang out here again

When in Worcester, this is one of those 'Roadside America' type stops you can make. Bancroft Tower…read morea giant 'folly' built to look like a castle. Located at the top of a steep hill, in a neighborhood, it's a pretty impressive site. There was snow on the ground when we visited and the pathways are not shoveled so if you go in winter, wear appropriate footwear. I'm not sure when the gates are unlocked to climb to the top, but there is a staircase and I bet the views from the top are stunning. A small parking area is across the street from the structure. A small sign limits parking to one hour and there is one trash can should you need it. There is also a sign that appears to be at a trailhead but with all the snow it's hard to tell. One word of caution: when we arrived there was one car in the parking area with two persons inside. When we got out of our car they got out of theirs. We walked toward the folly. They walked toward our vehicle. I took photos, but remained near the parking lot because suede shoes and snow do not make a good combination. After taking my photos, I turned around, they were just standing next to my car. As I stared at them, they turned and looked over the edge of the lot down the hill. I walked down the road a piece to get a different angle of the structure and always had my vehicle in view. They eventually got back in their car and drove away without visiting the folly or really even looking at it. After they left I walked over to see if there was anything they could actually be looking at down the hill and no, it was someone's home and a wooded hillside. Nothing there to attract attention. Just a situational awareness 'head up' to visitors. Otherwise, the folly really is lovely and it was decorated for the holidays too. It was a quick visit overall and we were on to the next stop. In summer it might make a good spot to family photos and perhaps a picnic if you bring a blanket to sit on.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING! It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour…read morethe Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist! We have set the dial to 1906 in the town of Groton MA. Located about an hour outside of Boston & perched on top of Gibbet Hill in Groton, are the cryptic ruins of The Bancroft Castle. Many people think that you have to jump the pond & go to Europe & other continents to see castles. Not True. Here in America we have many castles; ironically they just aren't being promoted. This is one of the Secret Hidden Gems of America that most people have never heard about or been to before. THE HISTORY: In 1906 General William Bancroft constructed his castle on top of Gibbet Hill in Groton, Massachusetts. This place was a gift for his wife. It was originally intended to be a bungalow & more additions were going to be added to create a large castle. Unfortunately he didn't have the funds to complete his vision. In 1918 it became a sanitarium & in the 1930's the bungalow became an entertainment venue. On July 4 1932 the fireworks celebration went haywire & the bungalow caught fire. All that remained were the exterior stone walls. Since 2000, The Castle & it's trails became a protected open space for the city of Groton & open to the public. Great News for us! There is free street parking below the Castle on Lowell St . There is NO PARKING from DUSK TO DAWN otherwise you can Park there. There is also a sign with a notice that this is a Tick area. Take all precautions with DEET or other spray, long sleeve shirts & tucking pants into socks & shaking out of clothes etc. You can visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/tick-borne-disease-prevention for the latest tick guidelines. Also just stay on the main cleared path & with precautions & spray you should be Fine. I wouldn't picnic here because of the ticks even though it's a beautiful spot. It's only a short walk up the hill to The Bancroft Castle. IT'S BEAUTIFUL! You will see meadows, trees, green grass, a beautiful Castle & a white structure in the distance. You can get right up close to the stone structure of Bancroft Castle. It offers a clear open window to the natural setting on all its sides & above too. After your exploring adventure, come on down the hill & it's only a few minutes drive to see that white building. It is The First Parish Meeting House built in 1755 in Groton. Happy Traveling. AND IT'S ALL FREE! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

Cool little structure to check out if you find yourself in Groton. Easy hike from main road- May…read moreeven see skins wild turkeys and cows