Currier and Ives Cookie Tour

My son, his girlfriend and I enjoyed a beautiful day on Saturday. We visited the southwest part of the state, traveling to twelve different locations as part of the Currier and Ives Cookie Tour. It was a great holiday activity and provided an opportunity to discover new places that I hope to return to in the near future. For on Saturday we were on a tight time line in order to visit twelve out of the fourteen participating sites. We successfully accomplished this by 4:00 PM and were able to enter into a raffle for a $100 gift certificate. Even though we didn't win, it was fun just the same. We started our tour in Peterborough at the Little River Bed and Breakfast which is conveniently located just outside of town on the Nubanusit River. They provided us with a list of participating shops and inns along with a general map. We had a little difficulty finding some of the stops without a GPS, but managed to locate all but one of the facilities. The following is a sampling of a few of the places we visited. All provided a cookie with an accompanying recipe. Some places provided warm drinks and appetizers as well. One place, had so many visitors that they had to replace their homemade cookies with store bought - a testament that it was a successful event.

Our second stop was the Peterboro Basket Company whose history dates back to 1854 when Amzi Childs began making baskets in a building off of Depot Street. Their factory outlet store is in the same building as their current and only manufacturing facility at 130 Grove Street.

After that we headed west up to the Benjamin Prescott Inn, a very quaint Bed and Breakfast on top of hill with plenty of open space surrounding it.

The tree's shadows extend the length of a beautiful backyard at the Benjamin Prescott Inn in Jaffrey

We continued on towards Rindge and encountered another pleasant surprise - The Shadowledge Art Studio where Mr. and Mrs. Claus greeted visitors. The entire room was set up with life like statues and Christmas displays. A variety of handmade clothes and gifts were for sale, including t-shirts, doll outfits and stuffed animals.

Collecting our cookies

It was all Christmas at the Shadowledge Art Studio in Rindge

The Inn at East Hill Farm is a fully working farm which is apparent upon entering the property where donkeys and cows roam the fields. In addition to being a family resort offering complete accommodations the farm also provides overnight educational opportunities for youth in grades 5-8, providing hands on experience related to farming and sustainable living practices. 

Below: Square and Contra dancing are popular activities at the farm.

We ended our day back in Peterborough for some warm sandwiches and drinks. A dessert was not necessary as we each still had plenty of cookies left in our tins. It was nice to have spent a day out and about with good company and I love the fact that if you look you can always find new things to experience, even just a short drive from home.