In 5 Awesome Travel Destinations for this Fall, we mentioned New Hampshire as one of the best places to spend a fall adventure. Lucky for us, our Managing Director is a fall-baby and decided to celebrate her “2-years-from-the-big-3-0” with a solo trip to New Hampshire.

Here’s what she learned about the Live Free or Die state after 5 days of non-stop exploring!

1. Home of the Friendliest Drivers Ever

New Hampshire has a reputation as one of the most outdoorsy states in America. The state is not only well-known for skiing, but also for its mountain-biking trails, hiking trails, rock climbing, and its beaches. Yet, walking doesn’t seem to make the list.

“I’m convinced no one walks anywhere in New Hampshire,” Alex shares. “For the entire time I was there, I ran into a whopping 3 other pedestrians. Some streets had no sidewalks, and those that did, the sidewalk was a very thin after-thought. Most times I had to cross streets without a pedestrian crossing.”

In spite of this, Alex described the drivers as very considerate. They almost always yielded, to allow her to cross streets and parking lots, even when they had the right of the way.

“Even my Uber drivers were awesome!” Alex adds. “They were all friendly and courteous. I got plenty of free water and candy, and charged my phone between trails. One even gave me tissues and cough drops, when my allergies were acting up. I got that driver three times. I told him it was fate!”

2. The Ultimate Seafood Haven

“I knew a lot about New Hampshire before I got there, which is what prompted my visit in the first place,” Alex confesses. “But the fact that seafood is so cheap and plentiful wasn’t one of them. I’m a pescetarian, so I made the absolute best of it while I was there!”

Alex wasn’t kidding. She shared pictures of mussel-seafood platters, sushi, shrimp scampi, and even lobster omelette, during her trip. Yum!

“The food wasn’t very flavorful though,” Alex admits. “I was heavy on the salt-shaker at the table almost every time. But I’m a Caribbean native who lives in the south, so naturally my standards are higher than most when it comes to spices.”

3. The Fiery Fall Foliage is Stunning!

Of all the reasons Alex visited New Hampshire, witnessing the fiery New England fall topped the list. As an avid hiker and an amateur photographer, Alex found plenty of opportunities for exploring and taking pictures.

She covered 8 New England trails in just 3 days, took hundreds of photos, and filmed about a dozen vlogs. Talk about a productive vacation!

In spite of the beautiful trails, Alex notes that she didn’t run into as many hikers as she thought she would. “Cali, Vegas, and Atlanta trails are always teeming with people,” she says. “In comparison, New Hampshire trails didn’t get as much traffic. But that just added to how peaceful it was.”

4. They Intend to Live Free or Die

To be fair, we knew the state motto before sending Alex off to New Hampshire, but she confirms that the natives live the motto to the fullest.

“The south is really segregated and censorship reigns supreme, even in Atlanta,” Alex shares. “New Hampshire is the first state I’ve ever visited, where people speak openly and honestly with me about anything — including race and politics, the ultimate taboo topics of the south. Now that’s freedom!”

To commemorate that culture, Alex brought home her most expensive travel souvenir yet – a vintage New Hampshire pocket watch.

“I bought the matching can-opener for my team mate at 1 View Point, who booked my trip,” Alex adds. “She really loved it.”

5. Budweiser Kills It for Halloween

This list may have ended at only 4 discoveries, if it hadn’t been for one very adventurous Uber driver. “I was on my way to the airport, and I mentioned I was a travel blogger,” Alex remembers. “He said, ‘You’re a travel blogger? You have to see this, then!'”

The driver then took a detour from the airport, to the Budweiser plant in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Contrary to Alex’s expectation of a big industrial building and a boring display of company history, her driver brought her to what looked like a quaint little town in Vienna; featuring horses in the stables, and Halloween in full swing.

“I don’t drink beer. I’m a wine girl. So, I wasn’t too excited about the detour. But I decided to appreciate the bit of spontaneity. I’m glad I did! It wasn’t open yet, so we basically jumped the fence to get these pictures. Totally irresponsible. Totally worth it! Live free or die, right?! The managers did stumble upon us, but didn’t seem to mind at all.”

“I even got a tweet from the company after I left.”

Have you ever visited New England in the fall? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

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Alexis Chateau’s trip to New Hampshire was booked by 1 View Point, our in-house travel agency at Alexis Chateau PR. Check out our travel services and book your own New England getaway.

For more information on New Hampshire, check out our College Mate Post: 10 Reasons to Fall in Love with New Hampshire.

About the Author

Shadow the PR Cat is the Goodwill Ambassador at Alexis Chateau PR, and head of the firm’s indie author division. His job includes tweeting, taking selfies, rolling in catnip, and advocating for animal rights and social equality. Follow his kitty adventures on Twitter as @ShadowThePRcat.

About Alexis Chateau PR

Alexis Chateau PR is an independent public relations agency with a special interest in lifestyle brands. From education to entertainment to travel, we’ve worked with clients in all areas of the lifestyle industry since 2006.

About 1 View Point

1 View Point is the in-house travel agency of Alexis Chateau PR. Considered the 7th team member at the firm, they book trips for team mates, clients, colleagues, and friends. 1 View Point is also working on technology to revolutionize travel blogging and business conferencing.