Around New England

64. Connemara, Aran Islands, & Doolin, Ireland

Join us this week as we travel abroad to Ireland!  We hiked and ate at some fantastic spots that we simply had to share with you guys!  If you are ever fortunate enough to get to Ireland, be sure to take a day to have a hiking adventure. 
We booked our trip through Ireland Walk Hike Bike.  We first learned about this Ireland based company on our first trip to Ireland.  We hiked a guided 16 km hike through the Killarney National Park.  We even saw Torc Falls and the hike ended at the famous Muckross Castle!  Once we found out they book entire trips, we knew who to contact when we returned!
First we hiked Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park, and the views of the ocean and mountains was spectacular to say the least!  It was a little windy, but we otherwise had a fantastic day for this 4.5 mile hike!  
When in Connemara, drive around and check out some of the great spots.  We checked out the Pine Island View Point and also made our way out to Dog's Bay Beach.  It's worth the drive for sure! 
After our adventure, we decided to check out Connemara Woodfire for some great pizza, burgers and chips (fries).  When we made our way back to Galway, we had to get some tasty ice cream at Murphy's!  It's homemade ice cream from Dingle.  It's very good!
Our second hiking adventure put us over on the Aran Island of Inis Mor. Besides a very rocky ferry ride from Doolin on the Doolin Ferry, this was a highlight of our trip for sure.  There are plenty of bike rental options on the island but we decided to do a van tour since the wind was intense.  This van tour took us to some amazing spots around the island but we got to hike up to Dun Anoghasa (Black Fort).  This is a 3,000 year old ring fort that is on top of some jaw-dropping cliffs.  Being here seeing the edge of Europe is pretty intense.  
When we stayed in Doolin, we hiked from our B&B along the cliff edge on the ocean towards the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk.  The views are breathtaking but the heights and the drop off to the ocean is not for those afraid of heights.  Once back in town, head over to Ivy Cottage in Doolin for some of the best food we had on our trip!  
Two other places we mention that we ate in Galway are The Dough Bros and John Keogh Gastropub.  Both have excellent food and you won't be disappointed.  We love Ireland and were so happy to share a little bit about why we love it so much!  
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63. Blue Job & Winnie The Pooh Trail

This week we talk about two short NH hikes that are perfect for families that enjoy getting out on the trails!  First we checked out Blue Job Mountain in Strafford, NH.  There are two peaks, with great views accessable by the Blue Job Mountain Loop trail.  Little Blue Job has an exposed peak and nice views of the White Mountains.  Blue Job has a fire tower that is available to partially climb up.  
After Blue Job we checked out The Jefferson for breakfast, and it was amazing!  Be sure to check it out if you are in the Strafford, NH area!  
After that, head to Barrington, NH to check out the adorable Winnie The Pooh Trail!  This super-kid-friendly trail follows the story, including all the characters' houses.  
Finally, head to Calef's to get yourself and the kids a sandwich or treat in an old school country store.  It's a really fun hike, and really fun store.  
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62. Best Season to Visit New England

Today we’re going to break down outdoor activities to do in each season here in New England regardless of when you get to travel.
We get this question a lot, "What do you think is the best season to visit New England?"
While G loves the Fall, Mike prefers the warmer weather in the summer months.  Both of us agree that each season has its advantages.  Here are just some of the activities we discuss this week and what months we recommend doing these activities in.
 
January & February - Ski Season 
Down hill and cross country skiing
Snow shoeing 
Ice castles 
Winter hiking, but just be careful and prepared!
 
March & April - Mud Season 
There might be some skiing left 
Fenway tour
Boston 
Haunted tour 
Beach walks
Cape cod 
Southern New England
Wicked Tulips opens in April Preston- CT & North Kingstown RI
March - Maple weekends VT NH and ME
Watch for hiking trail reports, it’s  not the best time to hike at all. Post hikes, muddy etc
Portland Head Lighthouse
Scenic Drives the Kanc, Ocean Drive in Newport and Coastlines
 
May & June
Hiking season has begun weather permitting 
Arethusa falls 
WaterFire begins on select dates through Dec
Cape cod before the summer season 
Trolls 
Early May- Late Oct the Cog they’re open year round too! Just not to the peak of washington
Camping season beginning Suncook family campground 
 
July & August - True Summer
Peaks island 
Block Island
Hiking season has begun
Watch the weather thunderstorms and always bring water not matter how short the hike is
 
September -Summer Then Fall 
Beach season 
 paddle boarding kayaking surfing
 at the start of the month
Apple picking 
Fairy house tour (9/20-21/2025)
Fair season; Fryberg, Topsfield & the Big E 
 
October Fall!
Peak fall at the start of this month typically first two weeks 
Apple picking
Pumpkin picking 
Cider donuts 
Ghost on the banke
 
November - Stick Season 
Gile mountain 
Quechee gorge 
 
December 
Winter has started 
Lots of outdoor light displays. 
Lights in Eliot - sandy hill farm 
Vin center lights a forest of lights
Boothbay Botanical Gardens - lights gardens aglow 
Holidays parades 
Snow Port Boston outdoor winter market
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61. Lincoln Woods State Park - RI

Join us this week as we take the puppy on her first RI hike at Lincoln Woods State Park.  This is a great park with many activities available year round.  The price is the best part!  It's free to get in!  
Located in Lincoln, but also near Providence, Woonsocket, and Pawtucket, this spot is just a RIPTA bus ride away!  We went in the winter and hiked but this place is a gem in the summer!  You can boat, swim, and even horseback ride here!  Next time you are in Northern Rhode Island, check it out!
Afterwards, you can do what we did, and check out Fundati Coffee.  This fun spot has awesome coffee, hot chocolate, and treats.  It's worth the stop.
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60. Pawtuckaway State Park

This week we take the puppy to Pawtuckaway State Park to see how she does on her first winter hike!  Spoiler alert...She's going to be a great hiking partner!!  Pawtuckaway is great year round.  They have boating, fishing, hiking, biking, snowmobiling, and you can even ride your horse there!  
Afterwards we had some amazing treats and coffee at Blooms and Brews.  If you are in the Deerfield area, be sure to check them out!  We had some amazing basked goods and coffees. 
 
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59. Odiorne Point and Urban Forestry Center

Join us this week as we explore a few of our favorite New Hampshire Seacoast hikes, Odiorne Point State Park and Urban Forestry Center.  Located on the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking the entrance of the Piscataqua River and New Castle, NH is Odiorne Point.  This spot has picnic tables, a playground, great tide-pooling areas, nice hiking trails, and of course the Seacoast Science Center.  Don't miss out on this spot when in the Seacoast of New Hampshire!  There are lots of activities here all summer long including concerts too.  
Up the road by the old Yoken's sign is the Urban Forestry Center.  This is a great little place to get out and hike!  There are easy trails that go along the Sagamore Creek, and gives a cool point of view of Portsmouth.  If you go far enough, there are even some cool house remains to check out!
After a nice hike or two, (honestly, you can easily do both in one day), we give some great recommendations for some of our favorite Seacoast NH restaurants. If you have never been to the Portsmouth, NH area before, be aware the food scene is very good.
Street is probably our favorite restaurant in this area.  We go fairly often.  They have a wide menu of global dishes and killer curry fries.  
For breakfast we love the coffee at La Mulita Coffee!  They are amazing and it's such a fun vibe to go grab a cup or a pound of coffee.  They serve Rose Foods Bagels too as an added bonus!
For bagels, there is a new place in the area.  The Getty Bagel opened in 2025 and they quite possibly might be the best bagels we have ever had.  Go early as they sell out almost every day!
 
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58. Rhode Island Troll Episode

This week we talk about the Thomas Dambo trolls located in Rhode Island.  We already recorded an episode on the trolls, but some have been added since our original troll podcast.  There are 2 located in Ninigret Park in Charlestown, 1 located in Arcadia Management Area, 1 located in Ryan Park in North Kingstown, and 1 located at Kettle Point Peir in East Providence.  All are unique and fun to check out.  Of course there are plenty of great food places in Rhode Island as well.
First down in Charlestown, go to Ninigret Park to see the first two.  After that, grab a muffin and coffee at Dave's Coffee before heading to Arcadia to see the next one.  There isn't too much in that area for food and drink.
Next head up to North Kingstown to Ryan Park to check out the next two.  There is plenty of food options here like Gregg's and Jitter's Cafe.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast at a super-cute Shanya's Place.  
Finally, head up to East Providence to Kettle Point Pier for the final troll.  This one is really pretty on the water, with great views of Providence and towards the Narragansett Bay.  We wanted to check out Cafe Zara but it was a Sunday and they are closed on Sunday sadly.  We went to The Grind at Crook Point instead.  We had the dog with us, so we just grabbed a few drinks to go before heading home.  
We hope you enjoyed the RI trolls as much as we did!  Don't forget to listen to the first troll episode here to catch up on all of the New England Trolls.  Thanks for listening!
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57. Vermont Winter Weekend 2026

Welcome to this year's Vermont Winter Weekend!  We stayed in Williston again as we really enjoyed the location right off 89.  It's easy to get to Burlington or Bolton Valley.  We starte off at Bolton Valley to downhill ski.  G had a lesson as part of the Learn To Turn program by Indy Pass.  Mike had fun skiing some more challenging trails and skiing in the woods while G had her 2 hour lesson.  
After skiing we met a friend at Burlington Beer Company.  This place had a great vibe and awesome food!  If you are in the Burlington VT area, we highly recommend this place.  
The next day we decided to try cross country skiing at Rikert Outdoor Center.  We had a lot of falls but even more laughs.  We can't wait to try it again, perhaps when the feel like temp is higher than -15!  Rikert Outdoor Center had a really cool vibe and we would go back!  
On Tik Tok, we asked for recommendations and one recommendation, thank you Baird Farm!, was to go check out Brandon, VT.  We stayed at the Brandon Inn.  It's a beautiful historical hotel that is right in the center of town.  
We stopped in at The Bookstore, and of course we checked out Sweet Sappy's for the obligatory Maple Creemee and G tried their sapagato, their version of an affagato with coffee and maple creemee.  It was so good, the wind chill didn't even bother us!  This shop is adorable, with many cute Vermont made gifts.  We bought an adorable painting that spoke to us too.  
For breakfast the next morning we headed over to Mendon, VT to eat at Sugar & Spice for breakfast.  This place was well worth the wait.  We went on a very busy Sunday morning, but it was so good.  
Finally we went through Woodstock, Vermont on the way home where we had some really good drinks at Mon Vert Cafe!  They are well worth the stop! 
We had such a fun weekend checking out different ski areas.  Thanks for joining us!
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56. Our Favorite Hiking Gear

Join us as we discuss all of our favorite hiking gear and where we shop as well as where you guys have recommended.  We discuss all clothing choices from shoes, socks, pants, tops, and outerwear.  This isn't the same as our blog about the 10 essentials, but a list of our own essentials that we try not to hike without. We talk a lot about our favorite items of clothing and where we got them from.   
A few of our most frequented stores....
LL Bean
Kittery Trading Post
Zappos
Lululemon
Hidden Outlet
Since this podcast isnt about a specific location, we wanted to give you several food recommendations around New England....
Maine Beer Company 
Wicked Fresh Craft Burgers
Street 360
BRGR Bar
Caffe Kilim
La Mulita Coffee
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55. Middlesex Fells Reservation Medford, MA

This week we head towards Boston for our new Puppy's first hike at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford, MA.  Known as "The Fells", this park is surprisingly large at over 2,000 acres! There is access from other surrounding towns, but we went to the Medford parking lot.  
There are so many trails, it truly is a choose-your-own-adventure type of hike.  We did the skyline trail which had white blazes on it.  We hiked to Wright's Tower where we saw an amazing point of view where you see all of Boston for Logan to Fenway and beyond.  It's an easy hike, not much elevation gain, and it was a great introduction for the puppy "Pemi".
After our hike, we checked out an adorable new coffee shop nearby called Locolito Cafe!  This place is amazing!  Mike had an amazing hot drip coffee and a Chocolate Nutella Croissant.  G had the Spinach & Feta Croissant and a latte.  We both can't wait to go back.  
As we were leaving, G noticed that we happened to park in front of the Medford location of the legendary Modern Pastry.  Mike had cash on him, so we had plenty of desserts!  If you have never been to the one in the North End of Boston, this is much easier to get to but it is cash only like the location in the North End.
We are excited to share this little adventure with you!
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