Super Bowl Weekend in New Hampshire Features Uncrowded Slopes, Lift Ticket Deals

Though the New England Patriots are not competing in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, February 3 but the good news is that Super Bowl Weekend still provides an ideal opportunity to find great deals on lift tickets to New Hampshire’s ski areas.

On past Super Bowl weekends many guests have elected to pass up skiing and riding even though the game isn’t played until Sunday night at 6:30 pm. As a result, this means less-crowded slopes and an opportunity to enjoy midweek crowds with mid-winter conditions. Ski areas have recognized the popularity of the Super Bowl and many offer lift ticket specials to entice guests. The 6:30 pm kickoff time is also ideal for skiers and riders who want to enjoy a weekend on the snow and still be on the couch for kickoff with plenty of time to spare.

Among the special offers this Super Bowl weekend is the Super Sunday Special at Cannon Mountain where two people can ski or ride for $70 on February 3. Cranmore Mountain Resort is offering a Super Bowl ECoupon that must be printed by midnight the night before from Cranmore.com and is valid for $47 adult lift tickets on February 3. Bretton Woods Ski Area will be offering a limited amount of $30 lift tickets when purchased in advance online at shop.brettonwoods.com. Several specials are available at Gunstock Mountain Resort on February 3 including Souper Bowl Sunday, when guests can bring a can of soup to donate to a local food pantry and receive a 2 for 1 Prime Time Lift Ticket. Guests who wear a piece of clothing with an NFL logo will receive $10 off a Prime Time Lift Ticket and two for one afternoon lift tickets and two for one Zip Tours (1pm and 2pm only) will be available that day as well.

For cross country skiers, Jackson Ski Touring will be hosting Super Bowl Widows’ Weekend on February 3 with two day trail passes available that day for only $21 for groups of three or more guests.

Many New Hampshire areas also regularly offer discounted passes on Sunday afternoons, which should prove to be an outstanding time to hit the slopes with many skiers and riders already at home getting ready for the game. Even if you ski right until 4pm you still have 2 ½ hours until kickoff. Among those areas with Sunday afternoon offers are Black Mountain, King Pine at Purity Spring Resort, Loon Mountain, Mount Sunapee and Waterville Valley. Some of these offers apply to specific groups (like NH residents or kids) so check for full details on the Daily Ticket Deals page at SkiNH.com.

“Because of the popularity of the Super Bowl our ski areas find their slopes and trails relatively quiet that weekend. So, it’s an ideal opportunity to enjoy mid-winter conditions at a discount price, with fewer skiers on the slopes, and still be home in time for the game if you wish,” stated Karl Stone, Ski NH’s Marketing Director.

For a complete list of deals and updated snow conditions, visit SkiNH.com or XCSkiNH.com.

Ski NH is the statewide association representing 33 alpine and cross country resorts and more than 200 lodging and guest service properties in New Hampshire. For more information on ski areas, lodging packages, and winter events at Ski NH resorts, call Ski NH at (800) 88-SKI-NH (800-887-5464) or visit the Ski NH website at http://www.SkiNH.com.

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How Sweet it is in New Hampshire during Maple Sugar Season!

The 2012 Maple Sugar season in the Granite State has officially begun, starting about one week to ten days early, according to the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association (NHMPA), due to the milder than usual winter weather. However, the season is predicted to be just as “sweet” as usual, with the normal amounts of maple syrup being produced by the industry. Each year the New Hampshire maple industry produces close to 90,000 gallons of maple syrup. And, this year, the NHMPA says that a record 112 sugar houses will participate in NH Maple Weekend. Hours and participating locations can be found at www.nhmapleproducers.com or call 603-225-3757 for information.

Kicking off this season’s Maple Experience is the annual Tree Tapping ceremony to be held on March 8, 2012 at 1pm with Governor John Lynch. The event is a ceremonial beginning to the maple season in New Hampshire and will be held this year at Fadden’s Sugar House in North Woodstock. This will be the eighth time that Governor Lynch will be tapping a maple tree for the ceremony. The public is encouraged to join the celebration.

Gail McWilliam Jellie, Director, Division of Agricultural Development, says, “The annual maple tree tapping ceremony is a sure sign of spring and we are looking forward to another great production season in the Granite State.”

This year’s New Hampshire Maple Weekend occurs March 24-25. Maple Weekend is an annual open house held by the maple producers of the state to showcase their products. A record 112 sugar houses in the state will be offering samples of syrup, maple products and refreshments. Some locations will have petting farms, pancake breakfasts and sleigh or hay rides. http://tamfarm.com; http://www.raggedviewfarm.com/

Director of NH Travel & Tourism Development, Lori Harnois, says, “Maple Sugar weekend is a fun family tradition in New Hampshire, as children of all ages love to gather sap and taste the cooled syrup on cold snow! We encourage visitors to come join the fun at the many local sugar houses in the state, learn about the centuries-old craft of how sap is turned into syrup, and enjoy the unofficial and tasty kick off to spring!”

A Sweet Sampling of Maple Events and Activities across the State:

• March Maple Madness in the Mt. Washington Valley: Embarking on a self-guided inn-to-inn tour, ticket holders can participate in “The Maddening Scavenger Hunt”. Traveling through the White Mountains there will be opportunities to visit several “Sugaring” locations to experience the maple syrup process first hand, uncover clues, and gather objects for the Scavenger Hunt

• Maple Sugar Weekend: Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield– March 17-18 & 24-25–Guests will enjoy sugarhouse tours, sleigh rides and crafts. Enjoy free samples, horse-drawn carriage rides, sugar on snow, pancake breakfasts and more. Fun for the whole family.

• The New Hampshire Maple Experience: Maple tours are back on tap at The Rocks Estate this spring. Participate in the process of tapping trees and making syrup, horse-drawn wagon rides through the scenic Rocks property, and tasty treats have made these tours a favorite springtime tradition. Maple tours at the 1,400-acre Rocks Estate, owned by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, are scheduled for March 12, 19-20, 26-27, and April 7-8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. And for those looking to turn the springtime Maple Experience into a weekend-long North Country stay, The Rocks collaborates with local inns to offer weekend vacation packages. Visit www.therocks.org/vacations.php to find participating lodging establishments.

• Currier & Ives Maple Sugar Weekend & Progressive Dinner March 18-20 – Three New Hampshire inns – Rosewood Country Inn, The Candlelite Inn and Henniker House Bed & Breakfast are offering a weekend getaway amidst a backdrop that’s right out of a Currier & Ives scene. The two night package includes a mapped, self-guided tour of neighboring sugar houses. The guide also includes suggestions for antiquing and tax-free shopping, and areas for snow shoeing and cross country skiing. After a day of touring, guests can treat themselves to a romantic sleigh ride over the river and through the woods.

• Stonewall Farm Sap Gathering Contest in Keene takes place on March 24^th. Each year, Stonewall Farm invites about twenty teams of draft horses and their owners to race along a course set up in the woodlands behind the Learning Center. They gather sap from old-fashioned buckets, which are then dumped into a large holding tank at the end of the run. Teams are judged for technique, time and quantity.

• Maple Sugar Madness! At Prescott Farm in Laconia, visitors can experience the old-fashioned New England tradition of making maple syrup. Tap a tree, taste delicious maple syrup, build tree identification skills and learn the parts of a tree and their functions, use historical and modern tree tapping tools and discover the math and chemical/physical science in the boiling process.

• Bisson’s Sugar House in Berlin continues a third-generation family tradition that dates back to 1921. Although they’ve modernized their sap collection system to be more efficient, they still boil their sap on a wood fire evaporator. During the sugaring season, they also make their special maple butter, taffy and maple candy.

• Fuller’s Sugar House in downtown Lancaster, a “Best of New Hampshire Grand,” where maple syrup has been a tradition since 1972. When the maple season begins, this fourth generation family-owned sugarhouse taps maple trees in four “sugar bushes” or “maple groves” in the Lancaster area. Each spring Fuller’s taps more than 9,500 maple trees, boils down over 160,000 gallons of maple sap and produces over 4,000 gallons of maple syrup. Sap is collected by a plastic tubing system and hauled to the sugarhouse where it is boiled to golden smooth syrup.
• Parkers Maple Barn in Mason has been a family establishment since the late 1960s. The Sugar House still produces maple syrup following the old tradition of wood-fired evaporators. Mason is a quaint country town historically known as the boyhood home of “Uncle Sam“, a fact that this town is still proud of today.

• Mapletree Farm LLC of East Concord is holding its open house on Saturday, March 24^th. Visitors will be able to see the sugar house in operation, watch the sap flow through hundreds of feet of tubing, take a self-guided tour of the orchard and woodland, and get free samples of maple goodies.

• Wilson’s Sugar House in Brentwood is hosting a pancake breakfast and free tours & syrup samples during NH Maple Weekend, March 24^th-25^th. This traditional sugar house located on the Exeter River was built in 2006 from lumber harvested from the property. From 2006 to 2010, Wilson’s produced an average of 15 gallons of syrup a year from 100 taps using a 2 by 4 wood fired evaporator.

For visitors who wish to spend a whole weekend in the heart of maple country, and get a “sweet” deal in the process, friend or follow VisitNH.gov on Facebook or Twitter and enjoy the “fan benefit” with the Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill, N.H., which includes: Two nights lodging in a traditional room with king or queen bed with scenic mountain views, full gourmet breakfast each morning and either the maple experience at The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem or a tour of Fullers Sugar House in Lancaster with up to a 60% discount for New Hampshire fans. Complete package details are available on www.facebook.com/VisitNH.

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Mild Winter Brings Early Onset of Maple Sugaring Season to Coos County in New Hampshire ‘Grand North’

Maple sugar season has arrived in New Hampshire’s Grand North, a little earlier than usual, but every bit as sweet. According to the New Hampshire Maple Producer’s Association, the warmer than normal winter has caused maple season to arrive about a week to ten days earlier than expected; however, it is projected to last the typical 4-6 weeks with the current weather pattern.

“Northern New Hampshire is a special place to visit any time of year, but during ‘sugaring season’ it is especially sweet,” said Cathy Conway, Economic Development Director for Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC). “The maple sap flows and the sugar shacks are bellowing steam to produce pure, natural maple syrup.”

Five Coos County sugar houses are participating in this year’s NH Maple Weekend on March 24^th-25^th, among them, Fuller’s Sugar House in downtown Lancaster, a “Best of New Hampshire Grand,” where maple syrup has been a tradition since 1972. When the maple season begins, this fourth generation family-owned sugarhouse taps maple trees in four “sugar bushes” or “maple groves” in the Lancaster area. Each spring Fuller’s taps more than 9,500 maple trees, boils down more than160, 000 gallons of maple sap and produces over 4,000 gallons of maple syrup. Sap is collected by a plastic tubing system and hauled to the sugarhouse where it is boiled to golden smooth syrup.

Owner Dave Fuller says, “This year we’ll be offering visitors everything from syrup on snow to homemade dipping donuts to sour pickles, which are actually very traditional this time of year. After eating so much ‘sweet stuff’ people need to cleanse the palette so they can start eating more sugar on snow again!” Dave adds that he is optimistic about this season because the quality of the first sap and resulting syrup were very good; and winter seems to have returned for the time being, pumping “new life” into the maple sugaring season.

Bisson’s Sugar House in Berlin is another sugar shack located in the Grand North and it continues a third-generation family tradition that dates back to 1921. Although they’ve modernized their sap collection system to be more efficient, they still boil their sap on a wood fire evaporator. During the sugaring season, they also make their special maple butter, taffy and maple candy.

The Mountain View Grand in Whitefield features lodging specials during the maple season, which include a visit to Fuller’s, right up the road in Lancaster. One special celebrates the arrival of snow with two nights at 55% off. This includes a special promotion of $199.00 for two nights in a Grand View room plus a bottle of wine, and a $25 resort credit. For those not interested in snow activities, MVG offers horse-drawn carriage rides, sok tub sessions in the Tower Spa and more.

While staying at the Mountain View, visitors may want to treat themselves to its signature Maple Sugar Body Scrub. The treatment begins with a reviving sugar scrub and ends with a light massage with bio-maple moisturizing cream.

The New Hampshire Maple Experience is back on tap at The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem this spring. Maple tours are scheduled for March 12, 19-20, 26-27, and April 7-8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Reservations are recommended. Visitors learn how to identify the sugar maple trees that produce the sap for making syrup, hear the history of maple sugaring, and see part of the process demonstrated on-site. The Rocks also offers horse-drawn wagon rides through the scenic property as well as plenty of tasty treats. And for those looking to turn the springtime Maple Experience into a weekend-long North Country stay, The Rocks collaborates with local inns to offer weekend vacation packages.

Cathy Conway adds, “Whether visitors are looking for an educational experience – to learn how maple syrup is produced – or to simply sample all the delicious maple products produced in northern New Hampshire, they have many opportunities to experience that here in the Grand North.”

“Experience New Hampshire’s Grand North” is the brand of New Hampshire’s North Country marketing initiative – also known as NH Grand — and is the official visitor information source for New Hampshire’s Grand North and the Northern White Mountains.

For more information on NH Grand, visit www.nhgrand.com, New Hampshire Grand on Facebook, and NH Grand on Twitter. To sign up for the monthly e-newsletters, visit http://www.nhgrand.com/maps-and-guides/email-sign-up.aspx

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New Hampshire Tourism Partners with Sunset Hill House for March-April VisitNH Fan Benefit

The New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism Development (DTTD) has announced the March-April VisitNH Fan Benefit with the Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill, N.H.: Two nights lodging in a traditional room with king or queen bed with scenic mountain views, full gourmet breakfast each morning and either the maple experience at The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem or a tour of Fullers Sugar House in Lancaster with up to a 60% discount for New Hampshire fans. Anyone who “likes” VisitNH on Facebook or “follows” VisitNH on Twitter is eligible to receive the benefit. Complete package details are available on www.facebook.com/VisitNH.

“New Hampshire’s White Mountains and maple season go together like syrup on pancakes. At the Inn, we are committed to promoting all the maple sugaring operations in our area this spring, from tapping our own ancient sugar maples out front, to our many sugaring neighbors, large and small,” said Nancy Henderson, Innkeeper at the Sunset Hill House. “We are excited to offer this benefit in partnership with the State of New Hampshire, and we are confident we will reach our goal of introducing 5000 new guests to the sweetness of maple time in New Hampshire.”

According to DTTD, over 60,000 fans and followers are eligible for the VisitNH Fan Benefit. Fans and followers can receive benefits each month from New Hampshire properties and attractions and get access to the latest info, including events, photos, videos, links to news articles and other interesting activities going on in New Hampshire.

“Spring in New Hampshire means maple sugar and this benefit is a great way to experience March maple madness as well as the comforts of staying in a charming inn with spectacular views of the countryside,” said Tai Freligh, Communications Manager for DTTD. “New Hampshire was the first state in New England to launch an exclusive social media benefit program. We’re happy to be able to expose our visitors to the wide variety of experiences available in New Hampshire, whether it’s for a quick getaway or a longer vacation.”

To take advantage of this special offer, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and then click on the VisitNH Fan Benefit tab on our Facebook page to redeem your offer.

For more information about the Sunset Hill House, visit www.sunsethillhouse.com or engage with them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sunsethillhousefan. They will be posting maple recipes, maple events, and other springtime fun as well.

Freligh added that more than 20 lodging properties, including restaurants and attractions, have participated in the VisitNH Fan Benefit initiative since its inception, with most reporting a notable call volume increase, resulting in higher sales.

DTTD is actively involved on several social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

For more information about New Hampshire tourism, call 603-271-2665 or visit http://www.visitnh.gov.

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