Hey Guys!
We recently returned from a week long trip to New Hampshire and Vermont.
We had been wanting to visit Vermont in the fall for a few years now and we finally made it happen!
I had initially booked our flight out of Nashville to Boston because it’s cheaper but later decided to change our flights to Manchester, NH because it’s a much smaller airport and easier to navigate.
I’ve been to Boston a couple of times and believe me, it’s not a place you want to drive as the traffic is horrible!
Once again, we used our Southwest reward points to pay for our flights! I love Southwest since you don’t have to pay for checked luggage and you can change your flights anytime you want …however, with that being said, we now only travel with carry on luggage and it’s been the best decision we’ve ever made when it comes to flying!
Tip: Southwest will soon change to assigned seating
This year, we decided to apply for the TSA pre check since it speeds up the process of going through security.
We showed up at our nearest Staples store and were in and out in about 10 mins. We received an email the next day telling us we had been approved! I’ve read where some people have said it’s taken them months to get approved!
Tip: Make sure to go online and fill out the application for each person applying for TSA pre check…it just speeds up the process when you arrive to the TSA pre check location to complete the process. You will need two forms of ID as well. They will take your fingerprints, scan your IDs and take your picture the day you apply.
Since we had already purchased our plane tickets before applying for the TSA pre check, all I had to do, after being approved, was go into the Southwest app and add our TSA pre check numbers.
You will need to have the TSA number on your boarding pass prior to flying as you won’t be allowed to enter the TSA pre check line if you don’t.
Once again, we decided to stay at the new Hilton hotel inside the Nashville airport.
We just love the convenience of being at the airport the morning of our flight instead of getting up super early and driving almost an hour to the airport!
Since I’m a Hilton honors member, I was able to go to the hotel’s website and book a room for a discounted price and pick my own room.
More perks of being a Hilton member is, you get to check in on the app and they send you a digital key to your room so, when you show up to the hotel, you can go straight to your room…you can also check out on the app.
Tip: You can sign up to be a Hilton member for free
Our travel dates were Oct 5th – 12th.
So, we stayed at the hotel on Oct. 4th.
Our room had two beds and a very large bathroom.
After getting settled into our room, we headed to the rooftop to check out the views.
The rooftop also has a restaurant, a pool and a huge seating area.
We had first stayed here back in June of this year when we traveled to South Dakota.
The hotel just opened this year so it’s very nice and clean!
Read reviews here
After spending about an hour on the rooftop, we called it a night!
The next morning, we were up early for our 8 am flight.
After getting packed up, I checked us out on the Hilton app and headed inside the airport.
All we had to do is walk across a bridge-way and we were inside the airport.
Once inside, we couldn’t believe the crowds of people in line for security!
I honestly don’t remember ever seeing lines this long!! I guess everyone was trying to get in one last trip during fall. break!!
This is where that TSA pre check came in handy!!
It saved us quite a bit of time but the line for TSA was long too!
I will say this, even though TSA saved us some time, it wasn’t all that I thought it would be.
The only thing I saw that was different than the regular line, was not having to take off your shoes. Please don’t tell me I just paid $80 pp in order to keep my shoes on!
Read more here about the benefits of having TSA pre check
I’m not sure if it was worth it considering how much of my information the government required from me just to let me keep my shoes on!
Read here about the cons of TSA pre check
After a short layover in Baltimore, we boarded the second leg of our flight to Manchester.
As we were nearing Manchester, we started seeing pops of color in the trees!
Our plane landed around 2 pm in Manchester and we headed to pick up our rental car at Hertz.
Tip: I booked our rental car months in advance and would periodically check to see if I could find something cheaper… I ended up saving hundreds of dollars by doing this! We paid $465 for a SUV for 7 days! I booked through Travelocity. I did this with our hotels too!
After picking up our rental car, my hubby decided he wanted to see the ocean while we were in New Hampshire…so, that’s where we headed!
We drove approximately one hour to Portsmouth, NH to have dinner….we were determined we were going to eat lobster rolls while we were here!
I googled best lobster rolls in Portsmouth and found a place called the River House restaurant so that’s where we headed.
We found a public parking lot right across from the restaurant….we just about passed out when we went to pay for parking at the kiosk …..$32 for two hours!!! We couldn’t believe it but we decided to go ahead and pay it since it was so close to the restaurant!
We then crossed the street and headed to the restaurant.
After arriving, we were seated at a table outside by the water.
After looking over the menu, we decided on the lobster rolls….of course!
But first, a cup of the seafood chowder! Yum!
My hubby ordered the traditional lobster roll which is lobster meat mixed with mayo, celery, salt, pepper and lemon juice and I ordered the warm lobster meat poached in butter.
It was delicious but cost $38 each!! Yikes!
But look at the views we had!
Oh well, it was fresh Maine lobster and it was so good!
Read reviews here
Speaking of Maine, it was located 5 mins from the restaurant! You just had to cross a bridge that you can see in this picture and you’re there!
Tip – If you ever visit Portsmouth, make sure to cross the bridge and check out Ogunquit, ME...so cool!
After dinner, we headed to a nearby store to find us a t-shirt and coffee cup…..we never leave without a t-shirt and coffee cup….we probably have hundreds of coffee cups!
After purchasing our souvenirs, we spent a few minutes walking around the cute town of Portsmouth.
It was really cool and I highly recommend this place if you are ever in New Hampshire!
Tip: If you have the time, you could do Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont all in one trip ..and even add in Massachusetts.
After walking around for a bit, we decided to drive to a nearby beach called Rye Beach.
The town of Portsmouth is so cool and colorful! I could definitely come back here and spend more time!
We passed this beautiful church on the way!
Arriving to Rye Beach….it’s only 15 mins from Portsmouth.
After getting parked, we spent some time walking on the beach.
The water was so cold!
We then decided to drive down the coast and check out the scenery.
The houses along the coast were gorgeous!!
We pulled over and took a few pictures along the way.
We then decided that we would head to Salem, MA. My husband had never been and he wanted to see it….I had already been and wasn’t overly impressed but it’s supposed to be cool during October.
After driving for a while, my hubby changed his mind about going because it was getting late and our hotel was 2 1/2 hrs from Salem.
So, we headed to our hotel instead.
We passed this gorgeous tree on the way!
And this beautiful old church!
We finally arrived to our hotel in Lincoln, NH around 8 pm.
We stayed at the Woodward White Mountain Resort.
After getting checked in, we headed to our room.
Our room was a fairly good size with two beds and a nice size bathroom.
Read reviews here
You won’t find many chain hotels in this area and the prices during the “leaf peeping season” is not cheap so book as early as possible!
After getting settled into our room, we called it a night!
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Day 2!!
UPDATE: Read Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here & Day 8 here
Click here to see links to all of my blog posts
Click here for the Ultimate New Hampshire Fall Foliage Road Trip Guide
Click here for hotels in Lincoln
Click here for hotels in Conway...another popular area to stay.
Click here for the best things to do in and around Lincoln, NH
Don’t miss the Alien Abduction Gas Station when in Lincoln! 😉