We attended their 13^th annual “Spicy Celebration” on Sunday, August 23^rd where we got to try a 1 0unce cup of each vendor’s chili, both in the amateur and professional divisions! That doesn’t sound like a lot until you try 40 chilis and realize you had 40 ounces of chili!  The event also had craft vendors, where we purchased some really tasty BBQ sauce and seasoning, additional food & beverages for purchase, and a live concert (cost including within admission) by Rosemary Baby Blues.

Where we stayed:

During our time in New Hampshire we stayed at Sandy Beach RV Resort and Campground. It’s an Encore property located in Contoocook. It’s about a 15-minute drive to Concord, New Hampshire’s state capital, and about a 10-minute drive to Pats Peak. This is a beautiful park with sites large enought o accomidate our large 45 foot rig (call ahead they dont have too many that big). The campground is located on a secluded private lake with only a few houses on it and no power boats; great for paddle boarding or just for a dip!

If camping isn’t your thing then check out the Colby Hill Inn, an amazing bed & breakfast in the area. Make sure to stay for dinner, the restaurant is amazing!

About the Area:

Southern New Hampshire is a well traveled destination for locals, but many tourists haven’t found it yet (we love that!). Henniker New Hampshire is the home to New England College, the college that Erik’s father went to. That is when Erik’s father fell in love with the area and decided to settle down in the town next door, Hillsborough, NH. There is a bit of a debate on how to spell Hillsborough, the sign on way into town says Hillsboro, others say Hillsborough… we’ll let you be the judge!

Just a few miles away is the Franklin Pierce Homestead, the childhood home of the 14th U.S. President.  You’ll also find tons of hiking, ATV & snowmobile trails, skiing and sales tax free shopping! If boating or the beach is your thing check out Franklin Pierce Lake, a powerboat and swimming friendly lake that offers spectacular views and the best nature has to offer.

Attend the Chili Festival & Other Great Local Events

Next year’s chili festival is on Sunday, August 21^st 2016. If you like to eat or make chili mark your calendar because you can attend to eat or enter your chili to win. Check out the Chili New Hampshire link for additional event information and to see the 2015 winners!

Happy Chili Eating!

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Burlington Vermont is located right on coast of Lake Champlain. It is the largest city in Vermont and it is also home to the University of Vermont. It is 45 miles south of the Canadian border, located between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains. The city has a historic yet contemporary vibe with tons of recreational activities from boating to skiing to biking. If you what to shop, browse or be entertained there is tons of shopping, tours and events to choose from.

Campground(s) We Stayed

Lone Pine Campsites in Colchester, VT is a 15 minutes drive from downtown Burlington and 5 minutes from Malletts Bay, Lake Champlain. It is a privately owned campground with 265 campsites, providing a large variety of camping sites from 3-point hook ups to tent camping. They also hold weekly activities starting in May and ending in November. When we were there they had a classic car show in the main pavilion which was really cool.  You can checkout our full campground review here. 

Things to Do

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival – While we didn’t plan this we just so happened to be in Vermont for the 32^nd annual Discover Jazz Festival. It took place from June 5^th – 14th with a great educational cause – “To broaden awareness and appreciation of jazz through quality live performances of national and regional scope; present educational activities that illuminate the art form for students of all ages and backgrounds; showcase Vermont and regional jazz artists, including students; and create a vital city-wide community festival that contributes to the national jazz dialogue” Discover Jazz Mission.

Venues are located throughout the downtown area focused around Main and Church street. You have the ability to walk around and plan your own day of free Jazz listening events or if you want a more traditional show experience tickets are available for sale. We purchased two sets of tickets, one to see the Spanish Harlem Orchestra on the Flynn Mainstage and the second, Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet at Fynn Space. Both performances, while very different, were excellent. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra was upbeat and fun with people dancing at their seat while the Golden Quartet was deep and touching. We really enjoyed both shows as it opened our eyes to the great range of Jazz music. Next years festival is from June 3-12, 2016. We definitely suggest you plan a trip.

Church Street Marketplace – The Jazz festival definitely made our Church Street Marketplace visit a little more interesting than the average day, this outdoor pedestrian mall was filled will all kinds of shops, restaurants and outdoor entertainment. A few shops we enjoyed was… Kiss the Cook, a locally owned gourmet Kitchen store. We purchased a really nice salt and pepper grinder (gotta season our food in style). Keep Vermont Weird Clothing store, where Erik purchased a hat, and Bluebird Coffee shop a really neat coffee place that was an old ticket booth converted into a coffee and pastry shop. So Fun!

Burlington Bike Path – Per trip advisor this is the number one thing to do in Vermont and they are right! The Burlington Bike Path is a Rehabilitation Project that started back in 2013. It is now an 8-mile multi-use path in downtown Burlington that runs along the Lake Champlain waterfront. It has amazing scenic view of the lake with a paved path providing associability for both road and mountain bikes. It also has room on each side for a walking path. Don’t have a bike? No problem, there are several places to rent bike on Main Street. We went to North Start Sports, they were extremely friendly and knowledgeable with a wide range of rental bikes to choose from and only a few minute ride to the start of the path.

Lake Champlain, Malletts Bay – If you like the water than Lake Champlain is a must visit destination. It is 120 miles long and 435 square miles with tons of summer and a few winter water activities. You can rent all kinds of boats, kayaks or canoes. We were very lucky to have friends in the area with a boat – Oh yeah! We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon in June hanging out on the lake. While it was a bit too cold for a swim it was definitely hot! Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Don’t have a friend with a boat? While we didn’t personally use any of the below here are a few lake activities you can check out:

• Northern Lights – Lake Champlain Cruises
• Let’s Go Sailing – Sunset Cruises and day sails
• Apple Island Marina – Pontoon boat, kayaks (doubles & singles), canoes & rowboats, and Pedal Boat Rentals

Places We Ate

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill … has a great atmosphere with several beers on tap and simple but yummy menu. We came for dinner and enjoyed a few of their craft beers on tap their house charcuterie board for an appetizer. Followed by their cast iron seared Faroe Island salmon and LaPlatte River angus farm beef burger for mains. The meals were great and the grilled red hen bread with the charcuterie was delish!

Citizen Cider … I am definitely a bit of a cider lover, so when one of our friends recommend going to the tasting room at Citizen Cider we had to give it a try. We got a flight just so we could taste a bunch of the ciders and one of their signature cocktails called the ‘Dirty Mayor.’ I also strongly recommend getting their citizen burger – dressed. Their motto of “Cider Loves Food” couldn’t be more on key because the cider and burger combo was amazing!!!

The Scuffer … The location was great but the food was just OK. We sat outside to watch one of the bands play for the Jazz Festival. We got the Salmon and the Surf and Turf both were just ok. We would definitely come back here for a few drinks and the outdoor seating but probably pass on a meal.

Overall Opinion

We didn’t get to experience everything Burlington has to offer such as the Burlington Brew tours, wineries, Ben and Jerry Ice Cream factory or the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory to name a few. Overall it was a great town filled with a little something everyone would like.

Would we Recommend?

Yes, we recommend visiting Burlington, VT especially in the summer. We also loved our stay stay at Lone Pine Campgrounds. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have, simply comment below!

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Much of the secret to New Paltz’s charm (in our opinion) is the young people that seem to be around every corner. With Suny New Paltz located just up the road, there are college students frequently most spots keeping the town young and hip supporting local businesses you just don’t see anymore. Interested in some vinyl records for your collection? New Paltz has you covered with two, yes two! vinyl shops within walking distance.

If you’re a foodie, then this town has you covered. We couldn’t believe how many restaurants (and good restaurants!) there were in this little town. There is Main Street Bistro, which we found had great Sunday brunch. Bacchus, a fun bar with over 400 beers an an attached pool hall, and a cute outdoor seating area. Mexican kitchen, a small spot we found with excellent, authentic Mexican food. Finish things off with a milkshake from Huguenot Creamery, these are amazing. The ice cream they get is so creamy and the service is excellent.  The list goes on, too many to list and we only sampled a small portion of the spots.

If you’re a motorcycle rider then you need to check out this area. The drive from New Paltz up to the Mohunk Mountain House is stunning. You can also take a day trip up to Phoenicia, NY another great town even further off the beaten path. This area is great for getting down into the turns and testing your skills or just for cruising and enjoying the scenery. 

We’ve put together a brief video of some of the additional attractions we found during our stay in Hudson Valley. We hope you enjoy! Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and Subscribe to our Youtube channel!

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Some of the most costly mistakes in RV’ing are caused by forgetting very simple things. Let’s face it though, there is a lot to remember! Slides in and locked, antennas down, awnings in, steps in, suspension aired up! The list goes on! We find most mistakes happen when we are in a hurry and just passing through trying to get to our final destination. Let’s say we are in a Walmart just for the night and needing to get up early. We put up the TV antenna so we can watch some TV before bed…. morning comes, early start and bam that brand new TV antenna just got left on that bridge overpass a mile back! Fun start to the day…

We found an easily solution for under 20 bucks to help you avoid these costly repairs. They are called RVminders. The creator took a passing 90’s fad (the snap bracelet) and turned it into something actually useful! When you stop for the night simply pull out your RV minders and select the one that fits your need.There are 10 to choose from in the box and what we like most is that two are blanks so you can write whatever you want on them. Quality is great and they also went that extra mile to make the backing material out of a microfiber non scratching material for those who have nice wooden steering wheels.

Our only complaint is there isn’t a carrying case included. Luckily they fit in our Amazon basic’s case that we put our registration and roadside assistance paperwork in.

You can see them in action above by watching our brief video on the product. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog and youtube channel, and like us on Facebook for more tips and tricks!

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Area Summary

Madison, CT is right off Interstate 95 and has all kinds of cute shops. Some small and others large  like Stop and Shop and Starbucks. It has all of your ‘normal’ needs with a fun New England vibe.

Campground(s) We Stayed

We stayed at Riverdale Farm Campsite in Clinton, CT. (full review) It’s a short 5-minute drive from the town of Madison and Hammonasset Beach State Park.

While we only stayed at the Riverdale Farm Campsite for two weeks in mid-April, we checked out a few fun stops along the way.

Things To Do

Hammonasset Beach State Park is located off exit 62 of interstate 95. It is Connecticut’s largest shoreline park with over 2 miles of beach.

Park activities and facilities include:

• Salt Water Swimming and Fishing
• Walking Trails
• Picnic Tables and Shelters (check the website or call for picnic shelter rentals)
• Camping (check the website or call as date restrictions apply)
• Bicycle Riding
• Carry-in Boating
• Nature Center Programs and Exhibits
• Boardwalk
• Car Top Boat Launch
• Concessions
• Bathrooms and Showers

Note – Fees apply for parking and camping. Call to check on season rates and click on the website above.

The Clinton Outlet Stores – in the shopping mood? The Clinton Outlets is a 10 minute drive from Madison and has tons of designer stores at wholesale prices. It’s a go to place to get your shopping done on a budget.

Places We Ate

Donahue’s … we came here a few times once for lunch with my Mom and her friend and the second time for dinner and live music. The restaurant was split into two areas one for the bar and live music and the second for a sit down dining experience.

For lunch we sat in the dining area and we both had their house burger. You can make it the way you like it, with a variety of cheeses and toppings to pick from. Excellent burgers cooked just the way we wanted; hit the spot!

For dinner we went back another day! We had steak and potatoes and the fried catfish special again both good and cooked very well. The bar was packed for the live music and the overall experience was fun and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Clam Castle … is owned by same family as Donahue’s and located right next door. Speak to Chris or Patrick they will give you the rundown.

Moxie … we came here for dinner on a whim. We decided to grab a drink and an early dinner. To our surprise everyone in Madison likes to go out early! It was 6pm on a Friday and we tried to eat at Bar Bouchee but it was completely booked. The next street over we found Moxie a ‘New American Restaurant’. The atmosphere was fun with signs on the walls and a unique drink and beer selection. If you like beer try the Mother Plunker or if you are in the mood for a spicy cocktail try the Chupacabra but be careful because it is really spicy! We ate the Sun Raise Burger and the Thai Port BBQ. Both were delicious and if we are ever in Madison again we will be going back to Moxie.

Overall Opinion

Madison, CT is a quaint New England town that we enjoy to visit in April  before it gets really packed up with tourists. It’s more of a late spring and summer town as thats when the beach really heats up. The restaurants are fun and the food is great, but try and go out a little later as we found places are not as packed late and you might hit a few drink specials.

Would we Recommend?

We would absolutely recommend stopping in Madison, CT and at Hammonasset Beach State Park for some great food and some fun in the sun!

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