Ryan Zipp 6/1/23 Ryan Zipp 6/1/23

Sugar Hill Lupine Season

In New England we tend to chase a number of different flowers as they bloom starting in April with daffodils and continue the trend into September with the later sunflower filled fields. In between during the month of June is possibly one of the most sought after of them all and the epicenter for these stunning lupine blooms is in Sugar Hill, NH. This tiny town encompassing only 17.2 sq miles is the newest in the state having been incorporated in 1962 and as of the last census has a population of 647 people. It overlooks the White Mountain National Forest with views of the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman & Dalton ranges.

Predominately purple with pinks and whites mixed in, the lupine flowers can be found scattered throughout Sugar Hill and surrounding towns in northern New Hampshire. But there are several areas that have the most concentrated numbers of these beautiful blooms and make for must stops on a June visit here.

One of the first stops for most visitors is usually the lupine filled field on Sugar Hill Rd. (Rte 117) that is less than half a mile southwest from the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor and on the same road. For those looking for an approximate GPS coordinate it would be (44.218785, -71.781480). A classic stone wall lines the edge of this field next to the road besides an open entrance area to walk in and you can park on the side of the road there. You are immediately met with a panoramic view of lupine blooms that surround you on both sides. There is a nice mix of pink lupine mixed in here and tons of yellow buttercup flowers to make for a great blending of colors for you to mess around with different compositions here.

Lupine & Buttercup filled field on Sugar Hill Rd. (Rte 117)

These locations can be done in any order, so map them out and then see which routing works best for your particular visit. Probably the most recognizable location for them here is in the field next to the St. Matthew’s Chapel, which is only 0.3 mile from the first field I mentioned above. While standing in the field the main focus is looking back towards the chapel, but if you simply turn around you will be met with stunning mountain views as well. *This field can be filled with ticks so make sure to check yourself well after visiting.

Just up the road a bit is in my option the best view in all of Sugar Hill and the field in the foreground also happens to be loaded with colorful lupine. When you turn left onto Sunset Hill Rd. the first view will be of the iconic red Sugar Hill Sampler building that is always a photo worthy subject of its own accord. Just about 500 ft down the road and on the opposite side is where to park for this epic grandiose view. My favorite time to visit this post is a little bit before sunset so the golden end of day light is coming over you shoulder and bathing everything in a warm glow. I also hung out here on one visit until well after dark in order to capture the Milky Way rising up above the Kinsmans and a bit of Cannon Mountain to the left.

Sugar Hill Sampler building on Sunset Hill Rd.

Continuing up Sunset Hill Rd. from there you will get to one of the only few hotel options in town, the Sunset Hill House, where I stayed on my visit back in June of 2022. Later in the blog there will be a little bit on the hotel and photos from my stay. Across the road from the inn there is a great little field of lupine surrounded by a split rail fence and featuring a very cool tree out in the middle of it.

Sunset across from the Sunset Hill House

Lupine field across form the Sunset Hill House

About a 10 minute drive west from the Sunset Hill House there are a number of lupine patches on both sides of Pearl Lake Rd. and around Pearl lake itself, which is located in the neighboring town of Lisbon.

Photographing lupine along the edge of Pearl Lake

At some point during a visit to Sugar Hill you will most likely make a stop at the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor for breakfast or lunch since besides being great food, it’s kind of the only game in town for those meals. Down further in the blog there’s a feature on Polly’s and other food options in the general area. Although I’ve seen the blooms differ in all of my visit here, there are lupine in the field across the street from Polly’s. Typically there’s a pretty good wait list time to get a table, so you can grab your camera and head across the street to see what kind of flower filled views you can get.

Don’t forget that you are up in the White Mountains during a beautiful time of year so there are plenty of side quests if you have the time before or after enjoying the lupine of Sugar Hill.

Cruise the Kancamagus Highway
Hike to one of many waterfalls
Crawford Notch State Park & many other worthy stops around Rte 302
Echo Lake in Franconia
Historic landmarks such as the Mount Washington Resort

Where To Eat

Besides the limited restaurant hours at both inns you’ll find listed below in the “Where To Stay” section there is only one real dining option in town. And it has become quite the iconic stop for breakfast during any visit here!

Polly’s Pancake Parlor For 84 years Polly’s has been serving delicious home cooked meals, with pancakes of course being their specialty. You can order up to 3 diff batters with 1 add in for each in a half stack or full stack. Choose from plain, buckwheat, gingerbread, whole wheat, cornmeal, oatmeal buttermilk & the GF cornmeal rice batter option. Add in options include blueberries, walnuts, coconut & chocolate chips. They also have a full menu including waffles, French toast, eggs, omelets, sandwiches, quiche, soups, coffees and even a whole menu of adult beverages.
www.pollyspancakeparlor.com

Stack of pancakes at Polly’s Pancake Parlor

Rek-lis Brewing Co. is a small brewery & restaurant located less than 10 miles from Sugar Hill that serves a full menu for lunch, dinner & Sunday brunch in the town of Bethlehem. Specializing in IPAs, ales & lagers, the brewery has 16 different craft beers on top here to enjoy. Great outdoor seating as well to enjoy during the warmer weather.
www.reklisbrewing.com

Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery is another great restaurant & bar located only 10 miles from Sugar Hill serving lunch & dinner 6 days a week (closed Mondays) in the town of Littleton. No matter where I end up staying while in this part of the White Mountains, I end up here for at least one meal during every trip. Between the outside patio seating and a great menu, this is one of my favorite restaurants to hit up while in the area.
www.littletonfreehouse.com

Cider at the Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery

The Maia Papaya is a great coffee shop in Bethlehem, just 10 miles away from Sugar Hill, that offers breakfast & lunch with a number of vegan items on their menu. I find it to be a great spot to start the day to grab a coffee & breakfast sandwich from. Check out their full menu on their website below.
www.themaiapapaya.com

Franconia Coffee House is the closest coffee shop to Sugar Hill and also offers a breakfast & lunch menu. Iced mochas are my go to on the road and they make a tasty one here!
www.franconiacoffeehouse.com

Iced mocha from the Franconia Coffee House

Where To Stay

There are only two hotels that are located in the tiny town of Sugar Hill and I had the pleasure of staying at one of them (The Sunset Hill House) during my visit in June of 2022.

The Sunset Hill House The current Sunset Hill House was originally constructed in 1880 as the annex to the larger Grand Hotel of the same name that had accommodations for up to 350 guests! The revival of the inn as it stands today is a smaller more intimate stay with 28 guest rooms to choose from. The inn also features a restaurant with full menu that is open certain nights of the week, so make sure to check first before booking.
www.thesunsethillhouse.com
(* Photos below were from my stay there in June 2022)

Sugar Hill Inn The other inn in town that I have yet to stay at was originally a farmhouse built back in 1789 and then first operated as an inn after a large addition was added in 1924. The inn was taken over by new ownership in 2021 and looks to be a wonderful stay that I hope to check out myself sometime. It features a restaurant, spa, and of course amazing views!
www.sugarhillinn.com

* Photo from Sugar Hill Inn Facebook page

Ryan Zipp 4/10/23 Ryan Zipp 4/10/23

Newport In Bloom

Just an hour and a half away from my hometown of Guilford, CT sits the iconic seaside city of Newport, RI, a New England summer resort famous for its historic mansions and its rich sailing history. During the start of spring another magic element is mixed in as over 1.3 million hibernating daffodils make their yearly appearance along the streets and coastal paths.

It all goes back to 2006 when Newport's tree warden Scott Wheeler started up “Parks in Bloom” as an initiative to put a plan in motion that would announce the arrival of spring with a colorful display in locations throughout the city. Already an iconic summer destination, this has made Newport attractive for tourists in early spring to come experience something truly magical.

Although these beautiful golden flowers can be found all around the city there are a handful of locations that are the top viewing spots to see the most concentrated numbers of them. Perhaps the most notable and visited is along the stunning oceanside Cliff Walk by the campus of Salve Regina University. The most impressive concentration of them is in a field behind McAuley Hall where the sun sets just to the right of and can make for spectacular end of the day viewing. My favorite image that I captured during Daffodil Days was at this spot with the setting sun appearing over the flowers and just to the right of the building. This spot can be enjoyed any time but can make for a great option to end your day before heading to grab a delicious dinner.

Two other great coastal locations with large numbers of daffodils can be found by heading east on Memorial Boulevard (Rte 138A) towards the neighboring town of Middletown. Although they are separate I tend to always think of many areas here as being in “Newport” as well during all of my trips there over the year. The first field you will encounter heading this way will be on your left across from the popular Easton's Beach and the last last strip of land considered to be in the Newport town limits. One of my favorite daffodil fields is just past here and into Middletown on the right side of the road in Dunlap-Wheeler Park. It is such a magnificent display of flowers with the water and oceanside homes in the background. But the unique lone leaning tree at the ocean edge of the field is what really caught my eye to become the main subject in any images taken here.

After enjoying these two fields I recommend continuing east into Middletown to take in more beautiful beach views at Surfer's End, where no matter the time of year you can catch surfers here catching waves in this active stretch of water. This is also the site of the Mystery Christmas Tree that someone has put up on the beach for years now that is decorated by locals & visitors alike to become a great coastal New England tradition. Continuing onto Sachuest Point Road you will come to Second Beach which I consider to be one of the nicest beaches in the area with it's entrance paths through the dunes down to the beach itself. At the end of the road lies the 242 acre Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge which features a visitor center, 2.5 miles of nature trails, viewing platforms and just a great spot to walk around enjoying the amazing oceanside views. It's also an awesome spot to view wildlife such as deer, hawks, ducks, shorebirds and even the magical Snowy Owls in the winter time.

Heading back to Newport there is one more large field of daffodils that is tucked away inland at Ballard Park off of Hazard Road. This display features over 20,000 flowers and was fun to walk through as a much less visited location that the others previously mentioned. Another location that isn’t mentioned on the Newport In Bloom page but I found to be worth stopping at is in the field by the Braman Cemetery where Americas Cup Ave begins. These main daffodil locations of course can be visited in any order and really can't go wrong no matter how you end up choosing to make your plans.

There are a handful of great spots in Newport that I always visit no matter what season and should be added to your April visit for the blooms.

The “Point” neighborhood is the oldest section of Newport and designated a National Historic Landmark District, featuring the highest concentration of Colonial Homes in the nation. A walk around here is always welcomed to enjoy these beautiful historic homes, garden displays and of course some small patches of daffodils mixed in as well.

Bowen’s Wharf is the centerpiece of downtown Newport on the water filled with shops, restaurants, bars, boat tours and more. Make sure to plan for time to walk around here to shop and grab a bite to eat.
Goat Island Lighthouse is located on Goat Island, which is right over by the previously mentioned Point neighborhood. The lighthouse itself is located behind the Newport Harbor Island Resort on their property but can be visited even if not staying there. Great views of the lighthouse can be had from the Goat Island Connector, with a pull off with parking for a number of cars on the right hand side. You also have a great view of the Claiborne Pell (Newport Bridge) from here as well.

Storer Park w/ Clairborne Pell Bridge & Goat Island Light

You can’t go wrong walking anywhere around town and this time of year you’ll notice the daffodils aren’t the only colorful blooms that are popping. Make sure to go visit the magnolias at Queen Anne Square in front of the beautiful Trinity Church. Add in plenty of time to walk around!

Where To Eat

There is no shortage of great restaurants in Newport for any meal of the day, but here are a few that I’ve enjoyed during my trips there:

CRU Cafe is the perfect spot to grab breakfast/lunch/brunch and either enjoy there or take to go. They offer breakfast options off their menu all day which is always a treat! Both indoor and outdoor seating options here.
www.crucafenewport.com

Root is Newport’s exclusive plant based only restaurant and has great offerings for breakfast, lunch or healthy snack. The menu consists of smoothies, coffees, teas, breakfast bowls, toasts, sandwiches & more! I stopped in to get a smoothie to start off one of my days walking around the city.
www.rootonbroadway.com

The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar is located right on the historic waterfront and has a great menu for lunch or dinner. One of the specialties they’re known for is their “Bag Of Doughnuts” which are lobster & shrimp fritters with chipotle-maple aioli on the side.
www.mooringrestaurant.com

The Red Parrot has been in business since 1993 but the building itself dates back to the area’s Gilded Aged in the late 19th century. Always a popular favorite for anyone visiting Newport it is in walking distance of the wharf. On my last visit there I couldn’t decide on meat or seafood so I compromised with the Surf & Turf!
www.redparrotrestaurant.com

Where To Stay

There us no shortage of great options to stay in Newport, with many located right on the water for incredible views and short walks to all of the shops, restaurants & more. I’ve had the chance to stay at two of the great new hotels in this area and will share them below:

Hammetts Hotel Located in the heart of Downtown Newport, RI, Hammetts Hotel opened in Summer 2020 and features 84 rooms on its waterfront property. One of the main highlights is the 9,000 sq ft deck overlooking Newport Marina that is an ideal spot for enjoying sunset with a drink in hand. There’s even a great Italian restaurant Giusto located right off of the deck so fine dining is only steps away from the hotel.
www.hammettshotel.com
* (Click on images below to view in gallery form)

The Brenton Hotel The Brenton Hotel debuted in the summer of 2020 as Newport’s newest luxury boutique hotel, with 57 sumptuously appointed rooms and suites. Ideally located directly on the harbor at the corner of America’s Cup Avenue and Long Wharf, the Brenton is ready to welcome you to Newport.
www.brentonhotel.com
* (Click on images below to view in gallery form)