Days Out with Thomas the Tank Engine

Visits July 10-12 and July 17-19

“The Hero of the Rails Tour” pulling into CSRR

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!…wait…it’s a train? Thomas the Tank Engine  is set to roll into North conway for the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour. All Thomas fans are invited to spend the day with their favorite engine that always saves the day. The event takes place July 10-12 and 17-19 2009 and is hosted by Conway Scenic Railroad and presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by THE LEGO Group.

For more than six decades, children have been captivated by the courageous adventures of Thomas and his engine friends. Pulling out of the station for its 14th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour will visit more than 40 cities in the United States and Canada.

Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite #1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts. Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors. In addition, exclusive Thomas & Friends merchandise is available at Day Out With Thomas events, including a 2009 Day Out With Thomas passenger car and commemorative t-shirts, pennants, engineer caps, frames, and more.

Thomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends, on PBS Kids and PBS Kids SproutSM kicked off his Day out with Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour in March and is expected to welcome more than one million passengers through December.

Day Out With Thomas 2009 activities at the Conway Scenic Railroad include:

• A 25 minute ride with Thomas the Tank Engine;
• The opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway;
• A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station, featuring face painting, stamps, temporary tattoos, hands on arts and crafts activities, coloring, and more, all overseen by staff and volunteers from the Mt Washington Valley Children’s Museum;
• Storytelling, video viewing, and live music;
• During the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour, children will also be provided with a “Tour Map”, that guides them through the four station stops; Imagination Station, the Meet & Greet with Sir Topham Hatt, the Storytelling/Video Viewing area and the gift shop. After receiving four stamps on their map, each child will receive a 3-D Thomas poster with glasses (while supplies last).

The tour provides a unique, interactive family experience at every station, offering a variety of entertaining activities that reflect the local flavor of each stop. At Conway Scenic Railroad, additional activities will include unlimited motorcar rides, a hay bale maze, bouncy houses, live musical entertainment, clown Trickster Fox, and Frodo the Walking Tank from Wildlike Encounters Zoo.

The 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every 45 minutes, rain or shine, with departure times at 10 am through 3:15 pm daily. Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Heroes of the Rail Tour are $18 plus tax for ages two and up.

Tickets are on sale now by calling toll free 866-468-7630 or logging onto www.ticketweb.com/thomas. For more information and directions, contact the conway Scenic Railroad at (603) 356-5251 or www.conwayscenic.com .

Interested in this event? Please check our special offer by clicking here!

The Mountain Ear, Thursday July 2, 2009

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away…

They say June 2009 has the record of rain for North Conway, and I can believe this. we had some 21 days of continuous rain this past month, as well as for these 2 first days of July! The sun is finally out today (for how long?) and we all hope that the rain won’t come back during the 4th of July festivities.

For our guests who brave the weather and stay with us anyway, I stopped yesterday by the Chamber of Commerce to get even more ideas of what to do when it rains in the White Mountains?

Here are some good ideas:

A train ride: the Conway Scenic Railroad (North Conway – www.conwayscenic.com) , The Cog Railway (Bretton Woods – www.thecog.com) , the train at Clark’s Trading Post (Lincoln – www.clarkstradingpost.com/attractionsTrain.php) , the Hobo Railroad (Lincoln – www.hoborr.com) , Hartmann Model Railroad Museum (North Conway – www.hartmannrr.com).

 

Museum & Historic sites: Hartmann Model Railroad Museum (North conway – www.hartmannrr.com) , Mt Washington Observatory Resource Center (North Conway – www.mountwashington.org/education/museum) – John Wingate Weeks’ historic home (Weeks State Park, Lancaster – www.nhstateparks.com/wingate.html) – The New England Ski Museum (Franconia Notch State Park – www.skimuseum.org ) , Sugar Hill Historical Museum (Lincoln – www.sugarhillsampler.com) – The Eastman Lord House (Conway – www.conwayhistory.org/eastman_lord_museum.html) – The Frost Place (Fanconia – www.frostplace.org) – The Castle in the Clouds (Moultonborough – www.castleintheclouds.org ) – The Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm (Tamworth – www.remickmuseum.org )

 

 

Go to the Theatre and enjoy a wonderful Broadway show (North Conway – www.MWVtheatre.org) – or go to the movie! Also, we have plenty of tax-free outlet stores at Settlers’ Green Village, just 5 miles away from us. And we can give you a complimentary VIP card allowing you to save an additional 15 to 30% off! Visit an art gallery or a craft shop, like the League of New Hampshire Crafstmen (North Conway – www.nhcrafts.org), The Handcrafter’s Barn (North conway – www.handcraftersbarn.com), The White Mountains Artisans Gallery (North Conway – www.whitemountainsartisansgallery.com)

Take a cruise on the M/S Mount Washington (Weirs Beach – www.cruisenh.com)

 

 

Go outdoor, even when it rains! Go fishing (www.clearwaterfly.com), Take a nature walk at the Lost River (Rte 112, North Woodstock – www.findlostriver.com ), or at the Rail ‘n River trail on the Kancamagus Highway – Visit a waterfall (over 100 waterfalls in the White Mountains region)

And don’t forget to enjoy a long relaxing lunch in one of the numerous unique restaurants in our area!

Have a great rainy day!

 

Karla’s Pet Rendezvous – A State-Of-Art Hotel & Daycare for Pets

At Cranmore Mountain Lodge, we are dog friendly but only in limited rooms and suites. Should you wish to stay with us in a non-dog friendly room or bring more than one dog, or  your cat or any other pet with you on vacation, Karla’s Pets Rendezvous is where you should check-in your furry one!

On May 30th 2009, this is Karla’s Pets Rendezvous Grand Opening!

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to take a complete tour of Karla’s new place which is truly a fantastic 5-star hotel for pets! With premium accommodations, an indoor playground with running water fountains, a large outdoor playground (Karla is even thinking about adding a pool!), a spa salon and a self serve Pet wash where you can bath your dog yourself, Karla even proposes a large room, Madams Parlour Lounge, that looks just like home with a leather couch, flat screen TV, fireplace and more for those pets who cannot sleep alone in a crate. This is the ideal room if you want your dog and cat to stay together and not be left alone at night as one of Karla’s staff will spend the night with your little one! She even has a kitchen to prepare special meals!

Like she says in her brochure “If you’ve never boarded your pet before because nothing is quite enough like home, then Karla’s Pet Rendezvous is the place for you! Whether it is enjoying alone time, in individual spacious, climate controlled rooms, hanging out in the “lounge” with furry friends, or partaking in a slumber party, with all the amenities of home, Rendezvous Style is the way to go.”

If you just want to spend the day doing an activity your pet cannot share with you and you don’t want it to stay alone in the room, join Karla’s Pets Rendezvous for Doggy Daycare! The Daycare allows your favorite pet to play while you are out dining, shopping and enjoying your vacation, and is available for pick up anytime during business hours.

For a tour in pictures, click here!

 

Storyland NH

Storyland in the best amusement park for children 12 and under, and their parents! The rides are not scary, and there is even a little kiddie area where your very young one can have a great time!

Storyland opened this past Memorial Day weekend. As usual now, we bought the season pass and went for our first visit on Monday afternoon. It was a cool afternoon and the crowd of Memorial weekend had left already, so we were lucky not to have any lines for any rides (it is usually the case if you go on Sunday afternoons).

We started with Alice’s Tea cups, followed by a visit to Cinderella’s Castle, a ride in the Polar Coaster, before having a corn dog for a lunch and visiting the silver mine. It was already time for a circus show at the Hanneford circus Big Top, right at Storyland, where we saw magic, clowns, trained cats and more. This is a really good show that lasts around 45 minutes and allows you to take a break!

We ended up with more ride into the Polar Coaster, the Turtles and more. This year, Claire being more than 48″, she can ride everything by herself, which is great for me as I am easily sick!

For pictures and videos of our day at Storyland, visit us on Myspace by clicking here!

 

Memorial Weekend Ahead…

As we are just out of Victoria’s Weekend, with lots of Canadians visiting North Conway Village and the Mt Washington Valley, as well as lots of rugbymen, we are now thinking about Memorial weekend, just around the corner.

This week is the last week for us, innkeepers, to get ready for the Summer ahead. The pool is now filled up and we need to open it, treat the water and heat it for the big weekend. We also need to install all the window air conditioners in each of the rooms.

We are also giving the last touch to our flower garden. This weekend was rather cold and it is supposed to freeze tonight. So we’ll wait for the very last moment to plant the last perenials and some annuals. And in the meantime, we have to cover up all what we already planted last week, such as our tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis and other young seedlings that might suffer.

Thierry got all the picnic tables and barbecue grills ready in the backyard. The lounge chairs and all our outdoor furniture are out and ready to be installed around the pool and by the pond.

The weather forecast is excellent for Memorial weekend and lots of things are happening in the Valley:

May 23 : Mt Washington Auto Road is open and the Red Barn Museum opens for the season.

Memorial Weekend: StoryLand opens this weekend, with a special Guest Appreciation price – Only $21/person. Remember, Cranmore Mountain Lodge is only 15 minutes away from Storyland!

May 23 & 24 : Craft Fair at the Gibson Center - Crafters from all over New England, from 10 to 5 pm

May 23 : MWVCC’s Artisans Fair - Shop and browse the unique and talented artisan’s at the first annual Village Artisan Fair. Located In the village of North Conway at the Chamber of Commerce offices from 10-4. There are three in the series, 5/23/09, 9/05/09 and 10/10/09.

May 23 : Monkey Trunks opening - After a very successful first season, Monkey Trunks has built 3 additional courses to suit everyone from 4 years up. Young chimps have their own course where they can swing, zip, jump and climb securely harnessed whilst daredevils can try the Jungle course in the tree canopy. There they’ll find 15 of the most difficult challenges 65′ up including zip and giant swing. No room on this one for chimps and wimps! Climbers will love the new Watch Tower giving 8 routes up followed by rappelling down if they like. Non participants haven’t been left out either. They can now climb the stairs to the observation deck on top of the Watch Tower and enjoy coffee, take photos and watch the fun! See www.monkeytrunks.com for details.

May 23 : Wildcat Mountain Scenic Gondola and Ziprider opening! Your visit to New England is not complete without a ride to Wildcat’s summit aboard the Wildcat Express Gondola for amazing views of Mt. Washington! Fresh Lunch & Ride packages made to order!
and FLY WILDCAT! … experience New England’s most exciting new thrill ride, the ZipRider^TM, at North America’s #1 scenic ski area! Soar a 1/2 mile over tree tops, ski trails, a river… on a zip-line cable at 45 miles per hour!

May 22-25: Annual Memorial Day Sidewalk Sale at Settlers’ Green - Save even more at over 60 brand name outlet stores. Info: 603-356-7031 or www.settlersgreen.com

May 23: “The Barra MacNeils” at the Stone Mountain Arts Center – For over twenty years this six sibling group has been a true family affair. With strong Celtic roots, the band comes alive on the stage with a plethora of instruments ranging from acoustic, stringed, percussion, and wind. Stone Mountain Arts Center is located in Brownfield, Maine. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. Info: 866-227-6523 or www.stonemountainartscenter.com.

Memorial Day – Mid-June: All Mt. Washington Valley Attractions open for daily or weekend operations. While many are already open (including the Mount Washington Auto Road, Conway Scenic RR and Hartman RR), all of the Valley’s family attractions are scheduled to open by Memorial Day. Some are open daily, others open weekends through June. Go to http://www.visitwhitemountains.com/things-to-do/attractions/operation-dates.aspx for more information and a complete schedule of attractions opening dates.

May 24: Jackson Wildquack 20th Anniversary River Festival – Come early for this action packed fun filled race to the finish line. Activities in the Park start at 10 a.m. and post time for the race is 2:00 p.m. There will be children’s games, vendors, food, entertainment, t-shirts and more. Over 3000 rubber ducks will cascade down the Jackson Falls into the Wildcat River as visitors cheer, jeer, and quack on their duck. Prizes are awarded to the fastest ducks that cross the finish line. The first to cross the finish line will win $1000 in cash for the lucky ticket bearer. Over 70 other valuable prizes will be awarded. Tickets are $6 each or $20 for four tickets. Info: 603-383-9356 or www.jacksonnh.com .

Memorial Weekend: The Ragged Mountain Tent Sale - The tent will be filled up with bargains. Don’t miss it!

 

Green Frog Eco Event

 

Leap Inn to a Greener Tomorrow

Saturday June 13, 2009 – From 10 am to 5 pm

The Bed&Breakfasts Inn Mt Washington Valley will host their first Green Frog Eco Event revealing that eco friendly living can be as fun as it can be healthy.

Tickets holders will have three ways to track down treasure as they move about the valley, along wild lupines and scenic roads. Each Inn will have a Twisted Yankee Swap table which will have items to trade for items the tickets holders have brought with them. There will also be a Green Treasure item raffled at each Inn. Some of the Bed & Breakfasts will also held a garage sale on that day.

Cranmore Mountain Lodge proposes a special package to participate to this 1st Green Frog Eco Event, which includes 2 night stay in the room of your choice, ticket to the event, raffle tickets to bid on your favorite green treasure, voucher for an organic dinner at one of the best area restaurant and more. Click here to learn more about this exciting new event…

 

Cranmore Mt Lodge, an Environmental Champion Member of the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant Program

In the spring of 2009, the Cranmore Mountain Lodge in North Conway, New Hampshire, was granted Environmental Champion status by the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant Program, which seeks to promote environmentally sustainable practices within New Hampshire’s hospitality industry.

To earn this honor, this family friendly historic inn undertook a variety of changes including energy and water conservation efforts, recycling programs, landscaping with native plants, using green seal certified products, incorporating their home organic grown produces in their cooked-to-order breakfast, and many other environmentally sensitive practices.

Frederique and Thierry Procyk have been long time believers and supporters of sustainable living. Growing up in France, they’ve been raised with the respect of what nature offers, from organic farm produces to being very concerned about recycling and reducing their carbon footprint. Their commitment to the environment isn’t limited to their sustainable management of Cranmore Mountain Lodge, but goes further in sharing their ideas and projects with their guests, and showing them easy ways to be environmentally friendly travelers.

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are a wonderful heritage and they are proud to participate in educating and raising awareness on ways to preserve their beauty and keep it the way you love them for many generations to come.

For more information about their environmental practices and policy, visit www.cranmoremountainlodge.com/recycling.html .

 

The Livermore Walk – Revisiting the Logging History in New Hampshire

Livermore Sawmill

Cranmore Mountain Lodge is proud to announce a brand new partnership with Ragged Mountain Equipment. Cort Hansen, the owner of Ragged Mountain Equipment Store here in North Conway has hiked and climbed throughout the entire eastern United States, as well as the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Utah and Northern Arizona. His outdoor experience includes hiking, backpacking, rock and ice climbing,  mountain biking, and all types of skiing – including cross-country,  backcountry, telemark and alpine touring. 

For the first time this year, we propose you a unique adventure in the White Mountains of New Hampshire: Cort Hansen will take you to discover the remains of the former logging community of Livermore, now a ghost town. Learn about Livermore and its logging heyday, when it was part of the 19th century timber boom that changed the scenery and life of the White Mountains. Over 80 years has passed since the demise of Livermore, yet remains from its glory days can still be found.

With some exploring, you’ll discover the foundations of some Livermore homes, as well as its logging mill, streets and an occasional artifact. All while your guide tells you about the people who inhabited this forest community. Once home to nearly 200 people, Livermore included the Sawyer River Railroad.
For the most part, the town of Livermore has faded from memory - except for a few locals whose great grandparents and grandparents made their livings there. This adventure illustrates that nature can heal quickly the scars left by people.

2009 Tour Dates:
April 11th
May 9th
June 13th
September 5th
September 19th
October 10th (2 night stay minimum)

For more information about this special adventure, please click here!

 

March Maple Madness 2009 Wrap up

MARCH MAPLE MADNESS 2009 RESULTS!

 This year’s Winners for the 2009 March Maple Madness  Scavenger Hunt are:

 

1st Prize ($400 value): Michael Morisy & Kristen, our guests!

2nd Prize ($200 value): Michelle Lyman

Photo contest (free tickets for next event): John LaCoy

 

Cranmore Mountain Lodge won the Best Buns, thanks to Claire!

 

The Best decoration went to the Cabernet Inn and the Mt Washington BB

The Best dish was won by the Cabernet Inn

 

Thank you all for your participation.

 

This October 31st join the Halloween festivities for the 6th annual Ghost & Goblin Trail. Come in costume and add to the fun. Taste our autumn treats, bring a camera, and try your luck at unraveling the White Mountain Mystery Muddle. Win Prizes!

 

Battle of the Buns!

March Maple Madness to Uncover Best Buns on Tour

A Wild Inn-to-Inn Event, held together by maple syrup & sweetened by wacky fun, for Prizes Galore!

The Bed & Breakfasts Inn Mount Washington Valley (BBInnsMWV) will host their 6th annual March Maple Madness Tour on Saturday and Sunday, March 28th and 29th in conjunction with the annual New Hampshire Maple Producers weekend. Tickets are available in advance as part of stay and tour packages of the participating inns or on Saturday at the door for $15 per person and are valid both days of the event from 11 am to 4 pm.

For the first time, tour ticket holders will be asked to judge for themselves which inn showed them the most memorable Buns. The inns are rumored to be moving their Buns like crazy just to find the way to expose them to best advantage. Voting for Best Buns is just one of joys on this self-guided inn-to-inn tour. Ticket holders can also choose to take the “Hare Raising Quiz” and gather treasures for the “Maddening Scavenger Hunt” while competing for hundreds of dollars in prizes. Of course, samples of tasty maple delight, both savory and sweet will punctuate the tour, their recipes set in a keepsake booklet as part of the ticket price. And what would a maple tour be without “sugaring”, sugarhouses, sugar bush, and Maple Country Partners dotting the route and happy to help with clues and information.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Bed & Breakfasts Inn Mount Washington Valley Hospitality Scholarship Fund.

BBInnsMWV participating include: Buttonwood Inn, Cabernet Inn, Covered Bridge House, Cranmore Mountain Lodge, The Farm by the River, Mt Washington B&B, Nereledge Inn, The Notchland Inn, The Oxford House Inn, and Spruce Moose Lodge. Visitors staying at any of these locations the weekend of March 28th and 29th can receive March Maple Madness tickets as part of their stay packages, along with breakfast each morning and additional enticements ranging from Maple candies to a Maple themed 5 course dinner.

For more information about March Maple Madness, visit our webpage at www.cranmoremountainlodge.com/maplemadness.html