Brookline, New Hampshire is a small community just over the Massachusetts border.  The town is mainly forests, farms, and rivers making it a bucolic town to drive around – just be ready to hit a dirt road at any moment, especially when checking out some of the area farms. 

My main draw to the area was the Andres Institute of Art ; the Institute features more than 100 sculptures set along the trails that traverse an old ski area on Big Bear Mountain. This means that while the trails are not long, they are steep, so come prepared with proper footwear and water to hike to the summit.  While there is a paved road that leads from the parking area to the summit, many of the sculptures are displayed along wooded side trails.  I enjoyed meandering my way from the base to the summit via a collection of different colored trails. While the trail colors on the map don’t correspond to the painted trees, the numbers near each sculpture do, which helped me keep on the right path. The view of the mountains in the distance, including Mount Monadnock, from the summit benches was a nice reward for the climb. 

I was surprised by the diversity in artists represented. While there are some local artists featured, the majority of the sculptures originate from around the world – from Nova Scotia to Vietnam, from Bangladesh to Argentina, the Institute brings together artists from fifty countries. However, the material of the sculptures was consistent in that they were mainly built out of stone, metal, or iron.  The Visitor Center features the work of the Institute’s Artistic Director: John M. Weidman.  Weidman and co-founder Paul Andres created this space with their first Bridges and Connections International Sculpture Symposium (1998) and have been adding works to it every year.  The Symposium happens every September, and the public is welcome to watch the artists and work and attend panel discussions about the art. 

At the base of Andres Institute of Art are a couple of other local stores to check out.  The Cozy Tea Cafe is a small store and cafe featuring an impressive selection of teas and tea pots.  They have put together an aroma wall: a collection of small containers that represent the teas in house where the customers can smell the options before purchasing. Inside is a small sitting area and outside is a cute courtyard to sit and enjoy a freshly brewed cup on a nice day. They also offer flights of tea, which are accompanied by small bites for an immersive tasting experience. 

Across the parking lot, in an old bank building, is Squirrel’d Away Attic Treasures.  While this store has some regular thrift items, its collection of retro video and board games is what makes it unique. As someone who has an older gaming system, it was a treat to be able to find games to add to my collection. 

Just down the street is the Nissitissit Covered Bridge. Here, there is not only one but two covered bridges – both are the same style, but one is double the size of the other.  The red wood contrasts nicely to the the woods around it.

The Nissitissit River that flows under both makes its way to the Potanipo Pond, where a miniature lighthouse stands guard over the dam separating the lake from the river.  While March is not a popular time to be on the water, looking at the town beach and boat ramp, I can tell that Potanipo Pond is a popular summer destination for boaters and swimmers in the area. 

One of the reasons I decided to visit this area was for Maple Weekend.  Happening every March, sugar shacks across the area (in both NH and MA) open their doors to the public. While there are some places, like Parker’s Maple Barn, that are open to the public throughout the year, Maple Weekend is one of the only times that smaller providers like Babel’s Sugar Shack invite the public in for tours, samplings, and in house purchases.  I enjoyed talking one on one with the family that has been running Babel’s Sugar Shack for the last twenty years.  I learned about the process of producing maple syrup, sampled their three varieties, and got advice on how to enjoy maple syrup outside of pancakes. 

To continue the tasting experience, I headed over to Averill House Vineyard. The small vineyards surround the house and contribute grapes to a handful of the wines that the vineyard offers.  The other wines they feature are made from grapes grown off site but the wine is produced on site. They have a small sitting space inside and a collection of comfortable sitting areas outside on the back patio and in the vineyard.  For such a small place, I was surprised by the variety of wines, snacks and ice cream they had available.