Be sure to visit the Gift of Lights at NH Motor Speedway this holiday season

New this year to New Hampshire is the Gift of Lights at NH Motor Speedway located in Loudon.

Gift of Lights, an event that features more than a mile of lights, with hundreds of animated and sparkling displays,  kicks off its first season on November 18 and runs through the first of the year. The park will be open Mon. – Thur., 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., and Fri. – Sun., 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Your family will enjoy the variety of animals and holiday scenes, from dancing dolphins and gingerbread figures to nutcrackers and flying reindeer while listening to holiday music on 89.7 FM. The event is also not complete without a drive through the lighted tunnel.

Kids with Santa and Jerry Gappens, Exec. VP of NH Motor Speedway

There will be hot chocolate and other refreshments available as well as photo opportunities with Santa and other holiday characters at Santa’s Village at the end of the tour – located in the Speedway gift shop.

Admission is $15 per car; $1 per person for buses, with a $20 minimum. Get $2 off admission when you bring three canned goods to donate to New Hampshire Food Bank.

In addition to a fun, family event, 100% of the proceeds will benefit Speedway Children’s Charities. The Gift of Lights event will also be a Salvation Army collection site.

For more information, visit www.NewHampshireGiftofLights.com, or like their Facebook page for special announcements, contests and discounts.

Old-Fashioned Winter Days at the Enfield Shaker Museum

After the holidays, families are always looking for things to do on the weekends. Visit the Enfield Shaker Museum each Saturday in January for our “Old Fashioned Winter Days,” January 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The cost is $10/adult and $5/child.

Families are urged to bring their snowshoes, sleds, tubes and cross-country skis! The Enfield Shaker Museum has a beautiful hill offering breathtaking views of Lake Mascoma, and many trails to explore.

Warm up inside the Great Stone Dwelling and have hot chocolate, coffee, a hot lunch and participate in more activities. Appropriate for all ages, these activities will include making “snowflakes,” making Shaker crafts, storytelling, singing, watching demonstrations by trained artisans, and participating in a new interactive tour, “Growing Up Shaker, ” which will also include activities.

Great Stone Dwelling House

The Great Stone Dwelling is the Shakers’ most significant building in the U.S. Built in 1841, it has many features that were ahead of its time. Children may also ring the 1841 bell in the bell tower.

The Enfield Shaker Museum offers a wide variety of programs for adults and children year-round. The Museum has eight historic properties and 28 acres to explore and offers tours daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon. – Sat. and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call (603) 632-4346 or visit www.shakermuseum.org.

Spend your New Year’s Eve at a local Children’s Museum

Are you looking for a fun party to celebrate New Year’s Eve Day with your children? The following Children’s Museums throughout NH will be ringing in the holiday with events and activities for families.

Dover, NH – There is no better way to ring in the New Year with family and friends of all ages than at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s annual New Year’s Eve Celebration. The museum is open to the public on December 31st from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm as we create festive party hats, tie our wishes for the new year to balloons and host “countdowns to midnight” at 11 am, 12:30 pm and 2 pm. Our countdowns rival those that happen at midnight, with a glittering ball drop, ginger ale toast, noisemakers and balloon drop.

Cost: $8 – adults & children over 1 year of age, $7 – seniors age 65+, no charge for museum members and children under age 1
Phone: (603) 742-2002
Website: www.childrens-museum.org

North Conway, NH – Children and their families are invited to ring in the New Year at the MWV Children’s Museum. Give your kids a chance to enjoy a fun party atmosphere that will include special crafts, activities, the opening of our Space Exhibit, Zippity Zoo (Granite State Zoo), Pizza and more! Come join in on the fun and give your children the opportunity to experience a New Year’s Celebration without staying up until Midnight! From 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm the place to be will be at the Children’s Museum! Call today and reserve a spot for your family as space is limited. The event is aimed at children up to 10 years old. Come play with us!

Cost: $10.00 per person
Phone: (603) 356-2992
Website: www.mmwvchildrensmuseum.org

Manchester, NH – On Friday, December 31st from  2:00 pm – 4:00 pm,  join the New Year’s Eve Party at Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum for crafts, face painting, and a countdown to 4:00 pm!  Celebrate the holiday as a family before your grown-up party!  Kaleidoscope will be closing at 5:00 pm (included with admission, reservations not necessary). 

Cost: $9.99 per child ages 1 and up, children before their 1st birthday and adults are FREE
Phone: (603) 606-3381
Website: www.kaleidoscopechildrensmuseum.net

Santa’s Coming To Van Otis Chocolates in Manchester on December 18th

There is no place better to meet Santa then at a gourmet chocolate shop!

Santa will be coming to Van Otis Chocolates located at 341 Elm Street in Manchester on Saturday December 18^th from 1:00 – 3:00pm. 

Kids can have their pictures taken with Santa, sit on his lap, and tell him their Christmas wish list. Van Otis will have tons of free samples too!

For more information and directions, visit www.VanOtisChocolates.com.

Over the years, Van Otis Chocolates has gained a national reputation for manufacturing and selling nothing but the finest in hand crafted premium chocolates and other fine candies. They are well-known for their award-winning “Van Otis Swiss Fudge”. They have also been voted New Hampshire’s Best Chocolate for nine years in a row and New Hampshire’s Best Candy Store.

Attend these Magical Holiday Events this December

‘Tis the season to enjoy holiday events, and there are many magical options to experience in New Hampshire.  Whether you’re cuddled up with your kids for a snowy sleigh ride, viewing spectacular light displays, or judging a cookie tasting contest, you’ll be making special holiday memories with your family. 

Consider the following options this December: 

Cookies, Snow & Fairy Tales
Waterville Valley
Friday, Dec. 10
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Talk about a “sweet” event.  Attendees can sample cookies baked fresh from local restaurants around the Town Square shops. Participants who visit the shops and redeem a coupon get to sample a different cookie at each location and then vote for their favorite. Other activities will include a coffee tasting, candy cottage workshop, candy cottages on display, a holiday ice skating party, Santa Claus reading a children’s book, and a visit from Mo the Balloon Baffoon.  For more information, visit their website.  

Victorian Christmas
Tamworth, New Hampshire
Mid December

Take a break from the Wii, put down your iPhone and enjoy the simpler pleasures of a Victorian Christmas. Tour the Captain Enoch Remick House, with its festive Victorian-era decorations.  Sip wassail and nibble gingersnaps at the museum center, which offers an array of Christmas foods and drinks. Try your hand at making Victorian crafts and see how trees were decorated before electricity. For more info visit: www.remickmuseum.org.

A Christmas Carol
Various locations, including The Palace Theater in Manchester (through December 19) and The Leddy Center in Epping (through December 17)

Take your family to see a classic Christmas tale…  As Ebenezer Scrooge wakes up the morning before Christmas, he has no idea he is being watched by an old friend with the help of three ghostly companions. Today will be Scrooge’s final test before he gets the visit of his life and finds out the true meaning of Christmas.  For more information, including ticket prices, visit www.palacetheatre.org and www.leddycenter.org/Christmas.html. 

Candlelight Stroll
Strawberry  Banke, Portsmouth, NH
Saturday and Sunday, December 11-12 & 18-19, 2010
Saturdays from 5:00pm-9:00pm
Sundays from 4:00pm-8:00pm

Experience a local favorite.  Stroll through New Hampshire’s oldest waterfront neighborhood and enjoy:

• Historic houses from four centuries decorated in period regalia
• Hundreds of candles lighting the lanes and landscape
• Gingerbread house contest and display
• Live music and holiday entertainment for all ages
• Horse-drawn carriage rides
• Holiday decoration demonstrations
• Traditional barrel making demonstrations
• 18th century holiday hearth cooking
• Tinsmith demonstrations
• And more

For more information, visit www.strawberybanke.org/candlelight-stroll.html. 

Santa’s Village
Jackson, NH

While every day is Christmas at Santa’s Village, Christmastime is “the most wonderful time of the year” at this holiday-themed amusement park.  In December, Santa greets every child, and listens carefully as the children explain what they really want for Christmas. Mrs. Claus greets guests, offering them some warm wassail.  Once the sun sets, view the beautiful lighting throughout the park. The park will be operating 14 rides (weather permitting), including the Skyway Sleigh Monorail, Santa’s Express Train, the Christmas Carousel and more.  Take in a 3-D show, “A Tinkerdoodle Christmas,” a comedy about  L. Fastidious Tinkerdoodle preparing Santa for his yearly journey on Christmas Eve.  For more information, visit their website.  

Sleigh Rides
Coppal House Farm, Lee, NH

Your family will be dashing through the snow in an amazing winter sleigh ride at Coppal House Farm in Lee.  Known primarily for their intricate corn mazes and horse-drawn carriage rides in the fall, Coppal House also offers sleigh rides that provide lovely views of the snowy scenery along the 78-acre property.  By request, you can even stop and sit by a warm campfire during your ride.  For more information, visit www.nhcornmaze.com/SleighRides.html.

Charmingfare Farm
Candia, NH

Experience the magic of Christmas when you visit Charmingfare Farm this holiday season.  Thousands of festive lights will put you in the holiday spirit, as you view holiday scenes on your way to the North Pole. Animated costumed characters greet visitors the trail. The family-friendly attractions include a horse-drawn sleigh ride, a petting zoo, a Nativity scene with live animals and gorgeous holiday decorations.  Plan on at least 2 hours to experience their Lighted Winter Wonderland. For more information, visit www.charmingfare.com/lighted.php.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!