Perfect for a pair

By ASHLEY SAARI

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 05-31-2023 8:26 AM

There is no need to travel far to find an unique experience for a couple seeking ways to spend time together in New Hampshire this summer.

While the region has plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, there are also destinations to explore and discover, whether it be a weekly date night or a more singular experience. Here are some of the places to check out.

Take in a double feature at the drive-in

The drive-in is a classic date night destination, and becoming a rare breed in the state, but for those who would like to take in a feature from the comfort of their car seats, there are still three options remaining: the Milford Drive-In Theater, the Northfield Drive-In Theatre in Hinsdale and the Weirs Drive-In Theater in Laconia.

The drive-in is more than just a trip to the movies. Take a blanket and set up in some lawn chairs or the back of your truck or hatchback to have an experience.

The Milford Drive-In is currently open weekends only, with a cost of $32 per car for up to six people – which is a good value for a double feature. The Northfield Drive-In and Weirs Drive-In have yet to open for the season.

A night at the theater

This year, why not join the historic Peterborough Players, as they celebrate their 90th season?

The Peterborough Players have spent decades bringing professional actors and productions to the town of Peterborough, in the quaint barn-turned theater on a sprawling property of a former family farm. Despite its tucked-away nature, the theater has been staging professional productions, including national premieres of shows, since its inception.

During its anniversary year, the Players will be kicking off the season June 22 through July 2, with “Souvenir” by Stephen Temperley, the based-on-a-true-story tale of socialite Florence Foster Jenkins’ attempts to break into the music world as an opera singer, despite dubious talents in the discipline.

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Peterborough Players provides a professional polish to the productions on its small stage that make it a great experience for the regulars and a great first experience for any theater-goer.

Explore the home of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Once the home of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish has become a park and garden that is open to the public and host to beautiful sites, sculpting and art workshops and regular summer concerts.

Saint-Gaudens was an influential sculptor who completed many monuments to notable American figures, including Gen. William T. Sherman and Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. But you don’t have to know Saint-Gaudens’ work to enjoy the park, which includes access to his historic home and grounds, where you can enjoy a picnic in the gardens for a $10 entrance fee.

For those with an artistic bent, the park offers sculpture workshops from an artist-in-residence, suitable for a variety of skill levels, that can be taken by students 14 years or older. The sessions include topics such as flower sculptures, portrait-sketching and sculpting bird wings. Workshops are about four hours and cost about $50.

If you prefer to enjoy listening to music, the park has offered a summer concert series since 1946 – carrying on a tradition started by Saint-Gaudens himself, who often held concerts at his studio for friends. Today, the concerts often make use of the studio’s historic piano, once owned by painter Maxfield Parrish. All concerts are free with the $10 park entry fee.

Enjoy an old-fashioned railroad tour

Want to summit the highest peak in the Northeast, without the climb? The Mount Washington Cog Railway will take visitors into the heart of the White Mountains, and is an interesting alternative to the more cost-effective auto road.

Ticket prices vary, but a cost of about $75 to $100 nets you a 45-minute trip up to the mountain summit, with an hour to enjoy the mountain’s stunning views, which can stretch over 100 miles on a clear day, and a 45-minute return to the base. The railway has been running for more than 150 years, making it the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world.

Not for those afraid of heights, the train climbs at an an average grade of 25 percent, though the steepest sections approach 38 percent. Steam engines have given way to a fleet of biodiesel locomotives, but the railway also maintains two coal-fired steam engines in the summer months.

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