I got to do a lot of amazing things on my recent honeymoon trip to New England & wanted to recount some of them for my blog! Of course, if anyone’s looking for recommendations on things to do in the area — you should check some of these things out!

We’ll start with day one, which was filled with a lot of time on the road, a little bit of ocean and a solid amount of good food – plus two new states for me!

After leaving Buffalo around 3 a.m., we reached a Cracker Barrel in Cicero, NY. We actually got there a bit before they opened (at 6 a.m.) but I think it was a good stop. I love the food at Cracker Barrel; it’s definitely a comfort food place, and not a bad idea to stop there on a road trip.

Our next stop was at a really cute country store we happened upon just before the NY/VT border, called the Big Moose Deli & Country Store in Hoosick Falls. I’m really glad we found this place; it had so much great stuff and I picked up a few things!

We continued on our way and passed into Vermont, where we stopped at Bennington. After visiting a few gift shops, we happened upon the Bennington Free Library and – being library folks – just *had* to stop in! (Honestly, I love seeing libraries on vacation. Each one is unique; some are huge and in cities, while others are smaller and quaint. But each has its own personality, its own flavor, and it’s fun!) It turns out they even have a library cat, Pete, which I thought was really neat. (Hey, that rhymed.) I’ve heard of library cats before, but never been to a location that had one… until now!

A few more stops in Vermont, including one at a gift shop on the side of the road and an unplanned (but excellent side stop) at Hogback Mountain. The scenic overlook was absolutely beautiful, even in the little drizzle of rain we experienced. Breathtaking. It turns out this is actually a 100-mile panoramic view.

From there, it was into New Hampshire for dinner and my first-ever stop at the ocean! This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip: getting to see the ocean for the first time. It really was amazing, and I’m not even sure if I can put into words the sheer amount of pure joy I got when I stepped out of the car and there it was.

Finally, we got to hotel #1 of the trip: Lamie’s Inn and the Old Salt in Hampton, NH. This hotel was great. It’s in an old 1740s-style inn which really gives it that charm I was looking for. In addition to the rooms, there’s a restaurant (the Old Salt) attached, which is also excellent. Being in New England, we had to start the trip off with some fresh seafood. I had the fresh haddock with baked potato and carrots; we also tried the poutine. The folks there found out it was our honeymoon and gave us a free slice of Mississippi mud pie! Great food, great stay, great hospitality.

That about sums up the first day! Stay tuned for more.