I have always dreamt of a cabin in the woods vacation. The ”where“ lived up to my expectations. The “how“ with a toddler (i.e. walking 11 month old) could use some work. When I found the cabin I desired to stay at 4 years ago doing my research, I knew it was perfect for me then. This was a time, pre-baby. Not to say I wouldn’t do this trip again without my son, I would just do it differently!
Rustic Log cabins, situated in the Village Of Lisbon, town of Sugar Hill New Hampshire, offers 6 cabins to choose from. Not all are made equal. The one I chose for it’s price and availability (this place is hard to get reservations at) was called the Rustic Retreat. It was the original cabin built in 1966 which led to the creation of more cabins to make nice getaway for more families or primarily couples or people without walking or crawling babies, should they chose to come.
When I read the reviews, I knew it seemed to weigh heavily on being a couples getaway. While the owners assured me families have stayed there no problem, I wouldn’t do it again in that cabin. Cabin #6 seemed to offer much more space after reading more reviews online. We made it work though!
The cabin has WiFi and no TV. Initially I thought, let’s bring the laptop but instead we brought games and toys and chose to enjoy conversations and fires over Netflix and chill. This was great because it truly did bring us and our little family, closer. Favorites were Yahtzee and Connect 4. We weren’t going to bring toys for our son, but I’m glad we did!
It rained half the time which meant a lot of time in a cabin the size of my living room. It had all the amenities! We only needed to bring food. Of course while we were there we had an itinerary, but due to sketchy weather had some work arounds.
Day 1:
We settled into the Cabin, set up the pack n play and got unpacked after going to the nearest grocery store 15 minutes away. There was a Wal-Mart and a Shaws Supermarket which was perfect!
We enjoyed a quiet night in with a small fire directly behind our cabin overlooking the beautiful Salmon Hole Brook. This Brook by the way is popular for gold panning! We also had minimal childproofing of the cabin to do. We only needed to bring outlet covers and a baby gate that we completely forgot about until day 3! That night my sons father gave me a token of his affection taking our relationship to the next level. It was a beautiful promise ring. At this age, such a gesture can be thought of in a multitude of ways, but for us, it’s perfect given what we’ve been through and where we would like to go. Back to the cabin though, those beds were out of this world cozy! We slept so amazing windows down, stream water sounds filtering through…it was a great nights rest.
Day 2:
We awoke to a drizzle shower which turned into thunder and eventually heavy rainfall. It wasn’t enough to keep us in the cabin though! So on our adventure we went!
We were going to adventure The Franconia Notch, Flume Gorge for a 2 mile, 1 1/2 hour hike and The Basin. Both were only 20 minutes from the cabin. Since it was pouring we only went to The Basin which was still extremely beautiful! After that, we headed back to the cabin and enjoyed the rain from the porch and some tasty BBQ. The cabins also came with charcoal grills right out front. Then after baby boy went to bed, I eloquently beat “B” in a game of Connect 4.
Day 3:
This day was gorgeous! The sun was out and we had planned an excursion to Clark’s Bears. The circus show did not disappoint!
Only 20 minutes from the cabin, we found many things to do at Clarks. It’s suitable for all ages. Here our boy learned how to clap as the big and little black bears did their tricks. On the way home we found this Art Walk as well as an Old Mill that used to be used as an Iron Furnace.
Though it was situated on private property and we couldn’t get to it, it was still a sight to see across the river! But don’t take my word, see it for yourself! Ultimately this was my favorite day and our last full day. Upon returning to the cabin, we sat by the stream, panned for and found some gold nuggets (very small specks), and also did some walks around the rest of the site. They just re-built a bridge at Rustic Log Cabin (to which we witnessed a wedding right on sight!) and they also have their own hiking trail which we took baby boy for a few walks on too. This night “B” beat me in Yahtzee while we enjoyed the best ice cream I’ve ever had. We have a tie breaker to do eventually, playing Uno.
Seriously…posting here for forever reference because it was decadent!
What would I do differently with a child?
Choose a larger cabin…
Thats it. The White Mountains area offers an escape for the whole family from infancy to adulthood, or couples could even easily enjoy a multitude of activities. If I were coming in from out of state, I wouldn’t change a thing besides size of cabin. The cabins at Rustic Log Cabins were far enough apart that we never heard our neighbors. The foliage was not quite at peak yet, but it was getting there. There was enough scenic beauty to just drive around and take it all in.
There was plenty to do including Clarks, The Gorge and Basin and Twin Mountains. I’m most certain this will become a tradition and we can’t wait to take a ride up to the top of Mount Washington, but I’m in no rush to do that. However, if we do…instead of driving it I think we will go for The Cog Railway.
Until our next adventure…
