Head to Hollis for the perfect fall day

Seven reasons why Hollis, New Hampshire, makes for the perfect fall day trip.

Head to Hollis on a nice fall day, and you’ll think you’re driving into a Hallmark movie. Trees are on fire. Farms are bursting with pumpkins and gourds. The scent of fresh apples being pressed into cider fills the air. And it would be harder to find a spot that wasn’t photo-worthy than to seek out one that is.

This town of 8,750 is one of the oldest in the state. In 1730, Peter Powers hiked into the woods in what was then the West Dunstable Territory and built a log cabin for his wife and sons, according to the Hollis Historical Society. Fifteen years later, when Hollis received a charter from New Hampshire’s Royal Governor Benning Wentworth, 43 families lived in town, which had a common, a church, and a graveyard—all three of which are still in the center of town. From its early days, Hollis was primarily an agrarian community. That’s still evident today with its farms, fields, and iconic barns.

Here are seven reasons why this small town is perfect for a fall day trip in New Hampshire.

1. Instagram-worthy sights

One of those aforementioned barns—a red beauty in the middle of a hilly apple orchard—is an ideal place to take a fall photo while sniffing in the heady scent of apples ripening on the trees. Gambrel Barn at Woodmont on Silver Lake Rd. was rebuilt by the Hollis Heritage Commission in 2014, which has also renovated or rebuilt other historic buildings, including more barns, an ice house, and a cooper shop.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Milbouer.

2. Spooky historical cemeteries

Fall is the best time to visit the Old Churchyard Cemetery behind the Congregational Church on Monument Square. Graves there date back to the 1700s. Many of them have epitaphs that read like mini novels. There’s the headstone for William Cumings Atwel, 14, who died in the winter of 1778, whose headstone reads, “This misfortunate youth was mortally wounded by falling and being caught under a sled deeply laden with wood about 48 hours before his death to the great grief of his affectionate parents.”

Many a book written about haunted burial grounds includes Blood Cemetery, also called Pine Hill Cemetery on Nartoff Road. As spooky as it sounds the blood in the name refers to Abel Blood whose 1867 headstone is known for the engraving of a hand with its finger pointing to heaven. But many think Blood is a ghost who not only haunts the burial ground but tilts the finger on his grave toward hell after sunset. Unfortunately, the headstone was vandalized some years ago.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Milbouer.

3. Farming for fall decor

On the hunt for pumpkins, gourds, and fall-colored mums? There are farmstands aplenty in Hollis, including both Lull Farm and Brookdale Fruit Farm on Route 130 and Lavoie’s Farm at 172 Nartoff Road, which hosts fall activities including hay rides, a corn maze, a corn boil, and apple cider—all free with the purchase of any produce.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Milbouer.

4. Fall-foliage-filled hikes

If your idea of a perfect fall day also includes a walk through the leaf-morphing woods, Hollis has more than 40 miles of hiking trails, including a trek through the Hollis Town Forest and 35 miles of trails at Beaver Brook Association in a 2,200-acre forest on conservation land.

One of those trails leads to the ghost town of Monson, which is on the Hollis border. The community was incorporated in 1746 and at its peak had 15 families calling it home. A mere 27 years later, the place was abandoned because of bad farmland and scant resources. For centuries, the town was forgotten until a few curious hikers found stone foundations, cellar holes, and a town animal pound. Back in the late 1990s, the remains of Monson were saved from developers by local activists, and is considered by archeologists to be one of the most significant places in New England.

The 200-acre site is now open to visitors who can hike trails, wonder at building foundations older than our country, and visit the 1756 Gould House, a home and a clock shop that was restored and turned into a museum 25 years ago by one of the original Monson settlers’ descendants.  

Photo courtesy of John Phelan/CC BY-SA 4.0.

5. Seasonal food

After a nice, long walk, you might feel like a nosh. You can eat in or get picnic fixings at several local establishments, including Buckley’s Market and Cafe, Hollis Country Kitchen, and the Market Place Diner.

6. Rustic wine tastings

Thirsty? Luckily, Hollis has its own winery. Fulchino Vineyard on 187 Pine Hill Road has indoor and outdoor wine tastings “the Italian way with salami, prosciutto, bread and dipping oil, artisan cheese” to accompany a curated selection of wines.

Fulchino is also hosting its annual Grape and Italian Festival at Monument Square on October 20 from noon to 6 p.m. The event includes a meatball contest, grape stomping, standup comedy, a car show, live music, and food vendors. The event benefits the Fulchino Vineyard Hollis Agricultural Scholarship, the Hollis Police Benevolent Association, and the Hollis Fire Explorers.

7. A cozy & historic place to stay

If you’d like to spend two perfect fall days in Hollis, you might want to stay the night at Timber Post Bed & Breakfast. The house was built in 1774 by Aaron Hardy, who marched to Concord, Massachusetts, in April 1775 to fight the English for American Independence.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.