Boston Globe: Santa’s Village and Story Land revisited: Even more magical than you remember

By Michael Hartigan - GLOBE CORRESPONDENT  NOVEMBER 17, 2017

My 4-year-old daughter was hesitant to board the log flume at Santa’s Village, even though I assured her it was just like the panda-themed ride she enjoyed two days before at Story Land. She remained skeptical before finally climbing into the log.

Afterwards, she told me I was wrong, they were not the same ride — the panda bear was faster.

Generations of New England families have made Story Land in Glen, N.H., and Santa’s Village in Jefferson, N.H., into regional vacation mainstays. Odds are, if you grew up around here you have photos somewhere of your younger self balancing next to Humpty Dumpty or perched on the mitten of a giant Frosty the Snowman statue. I have both and now, after back-to-back visits, my daughter does, too.

“Generation after generation visit the park to relive their childhood and share wonderful memories with their children and grandchildren,” said Lauren Hawkins, director of marketing for Story Land.

Both parks are rooted in nostalgia. Look no further than the decades-old park maps decorating the queue at Story Land’s antique car ride.

But each also evolved, continually adding new rides and updated services, embracing an active and responsive social media presence and easy-to-use websites. Santa’s Village even has an app.

“It’s a modern and contemporary theme park that embraces its roots, constantly improving while preserving the best of its history,” said Jeff Miller, one of Santa’s Helpers at Santa’s Village. “It’s about staying true to the theme and recognizing what’s the best fit for any enhancement we consider.”

The efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Story Land notched a 2016 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor while Santa’s Village was ranked No. 20 on TripAdvisor’s 2017 Traveler’s Choice list of top amusement parks.

While it may not feel like amusement park weather right now, there are reasons to keep an eye on these White Mountain destinations.

Story Land is closed for the season and will reopen in late May. There’s an online sale going on now with big discounts on tickets for next year. And starting around Halloween, continuing on most weekends for the remainder of the year, Santa’s Village is open for winter operating hours and holiday events, allowing for the rare possibility of riding a reindeer roller coaster in the snow.

With wistful whimsy and quirky charm, Story Land and Santa’s Village offer welcome diversions from everyday life at less cost and commitment than a trip to Orlando. Each will dredge your memory banks of family vacations past while simultaneously filling those coffers anew.

Located on opposite sides of the White Mountain National Forest, Story Land and Santa’s Village are separated by about an hour drive on some of New England’s most scenic roads.

Story Land benefits from being closer to the hamlet of North Conway. It is home to the best general store around (Zeb’s), an old-time railroad station, plentiful lodging, and some sneaky good food options like local brewpub Moat Mountain (get the pulled pork sandwich served on cinnamon raisin toast); or May Kelly’s Cottage, a cozy yellow house where Irish fare doesn’t get more authentic or delicious.

Both parks have enough diversity in rides to entertain children across age groups, with roller coasters peppered among tamer attractions.

At Santa’s Village, my daughter just hit the height requirement for Rudolph’s Rapid Transit Coaster, an exhilarating flight through quick drops and ground-hugging curves.

For an unmatched and slightly unnerving panoramic view, ride the towering Christmas Ferris Wheel. At its peak, Mount Washington and the Presidential Range emerge in a striking alpine skyline.

Story Land introduced a speedy dinosaur-themed wooden roller coaster in 2014, the Roar-O-Saurus. But its Polar Coaster, a dipping and diving classic clacking coaster, and the decorative frozen ice pole at the ride’s entrance, remain endearing park icons.

At Story Land, shows feature talented young actors singing and dancing to classic fairy tales. Other well-known children’s tales are brought to life at the Storybook Animals section, where live animals roam around pens decorated like the corresponding story, such as the Three Little Pigs or Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Many guests look to Cinderella’s castle atop the park for the preeminent character meet and greet. But just as memorable is the colossal yellow boot near the park entrance, where kids are gifted stickers from the Old Woman Who Lives in the Shoe.

Our daughter danced along to Santa’s Village’s musical Christmas light show. But the highlight here is the big man himself. Santa’s house is festive and warm, perfect for a meeting with the jolly old elf. And be sure to visit Santa’s reindeer housed in a beautifully constructed wooden barn.

Scattered around the park are 26 distinctive elf statues, part of the “Elfabet” scavenger hunt. My daughter screeched joyfully whenever she spotted one, rushing ahead to check another off her list. The certificate she received upon completion is proudly displayed in her room.

The ability to bring in your own food is a welcome time and money saver at both parks.

But expect a little indulgence, especially at Santa’s Village, which smells of cinnamon immediately upon entrance. We followed our noses to a hut behind the reindeer carousel, where they sell fresh mini doughnuts and hot cocoa. At a bakery nearby, kids decorated their own gingerbread men and women. The gingerbread was a moist, tasty spiced pastry, anything but your typical cardboard cookie.

Story Land’s shaved ice hut was a must, as was the make-your-own sundae at the Dutch Village Ice Cream Shop.

But a much-needed treat came in the form of another classic New England staple: the Dunkin Donuts hut right inside the Story Land turnstiles.

A cup of coffee helps when debating log flume speeds with your 4-year-old.

Michael Hartigan can be reached at mhartigan04@gmail.com.

Full story can be found at the Boston Globe website here: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2017/11/16/santa-village-and-story-land-revisited-even-more-magical-than-you-remember/4FK44keiRsiU3Q93YyiBNM/story.html?event=event25#comments

Noel at the Nonantum

The following article appeared in the holiday issue of Northshore Magazine

Take a trip north to spend the holiday season in Kennebunkort.

By Michael Hartigan 

The lobby at the Nonantum Resort buzzed with youthful excitement, as children of all ages lined up near the holiday display to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. Worker elves doled out candy canes and packets of winter activities; festive anticipation hung in the air. Nothing else could have brought the young crowd more joy—until the saw rumbled to life.

Outside on the steps of this Kennebunkport, Maine, resort, a local ice carver began his stint with a roar. Ice chips showered down like cold welder’s sparks as visitors crowded around. The craftsman took requests, cutting names into ice bricks for the kids and eliciting squeals of delight previously reserved only for the big man in red sitting inside.

That morning, people came to Kennebunkport anticipating a good dose of holiday cheer. Like St. Nick in his sleigh, the Nonantum delivered.

The Nonantum Resort, one of the area’s top lodgings in any season, fully embodies and embraces the festive, communal spirit that is at the heart of Kennebunkport’s annual, town-wide holiday celebration, the Christmas Prelude.

The Prelude, which launched in 1982 and instantly put Kennebunkport on the map as one of New England’s best Christmas towns, is more than a week of village-wide events, parties, sales, tree lightings, and Santa sightings—all trimmed with New England charm.

For 10 days, the celebration attracts locals, weekenders, shoppers, and couples looking for a romantic holiday season retreat. They take advantage of the many stores and restaurants along the main downtown thoroughfare that remain open past summer season to offer discounted specials.

But the Prelude is not just an adult getaway—it appeals to the entire family.



“Prelude is a magical time of year in Kennebunkport,” says Nicki Noble Bean, director of marketing at the Nonantum. “Families come together for holiday traditions like gingerbread house making and breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We have many guests that come back year after year.”

The 2016 celebration, which runs from December 1 through December 11, expects to offer a gift bag of holiday events for kids and parents alike.

Multiple tree lightings stand as highlights, the most prominent of which kicks off the Christmas season on December 2 in Dock Square. The same night is marked for the distinctly New England tradition of lighting a lobster trap tree in the nearby Cape Porpoise. And don’t worry if you can’t make the opening Dock Square tree lighting, the ceremony repeats during the finale weekend on December 9.

Whimsical parades encourage visitor participation, including a hat parade with home-decorated holiday headwear, and an annual pooch parade, when dressed-up dogs strut their stuff in Christmas costumes.

Santa and Mrs. Claus make several appearances around town, utilizing a variety of creative modes of transportation like fire engines and lobster boats. Caroling, candlelight processions, and fireworks light up the dark December nights.

For its part, the Nonantum plays host to some of the Prelude’s most memorable events. The resort complements the town’s schedule with specials at the hotel and its restaurants. For example, this year after the opening tree lighting on December 2, the 95 Ocean restaurant at Nonantum will have live entertainment and a special menu.

Inside the hotel, kids can build gingerbread houses, or they can head outside for a cookie-tasting stroll and trolley ride. On December 4, kids can meet Mrs. Claus with the elves, and on December 11 the Nonantum hosts a sumptuous breakfast with Santa. Aside from the array of delicious pastries, cakes, omelets, and more, that morning comes complete with arts and crafts, local artists and craftsmen showing/selling their work (like ice sculptors).

The man of the hour holds court in the comfortable hotel lobby, which itself feels like your own personal living room on Christmas morning.

But if the kids stray from the Nice List, mom and dad can find some holiday respite on December 9 and 10 at the Nonantum’s annual Fire & Ice ball. Overflowing with local food selections, the festivities begin inside and spill outdoors with bonfires, ice bars, and live music.

According to the Nonantum, last year’s sold-out festivities saw almost 3,000 guests consume 3,500 Christmas cookies, 50 kegs of Shipyard ales, and 15 barbecued pigs over the two-night extravaganza. The event was recently awarded a Maine Governor’s Award for Tourism Leadership and Growth.

While the Fire & Ice ball may be the star on top of the tree, no part of the Prelude rests on its tinsel-covered laurels. This season, it will again be worth packing up the family sleigh to experience Kennebunkport’s annual Christmas tradition.

“The holiday spirit is alive in the area,” says Noble Bean, “and everyone wants to be here to enjoy it.”

---

95 Ocean Ave. Kennebunkport, Maine

207-967-4050

nonatumresort.com 

Culinary Kennebunkport

This story appeared on Northshore Magazine - August 17, 2016

Our entire evening was a culinary whirlwind of trendy modern and classic New England.

The Brussels sprouts were candied, the lobster was whole fried and the haddock was a luscious pillow. Candy boutiques mingled with local olive oil artisans. After popping into a gourmet ice creamery, we relaxed around a stylish wine bar’s communal bonfire, sipping hard-to-find Syrah. All of this within comfortable earshot of the ocean waves. 

Such are the culinary delectations that have become standard throughout Portland, Maine’s, thriving, well-deserving food scene.

But we weren’t in Portland.

Thirty minutes south, here in Kennebunkport, similar culinary creativity is regularly on display, with an added sprinkle of year-round, small town charm. Portland may be Maine’s most popular contribution to New England’s fashionable food scene, but when you come to Kennebunkport you better come hungry.

Kennebunkport has been on the tourist map for some time, of course, as home to fishermen and former Presidents. The village stands as a go-to destination for weddings and weekend getaways, while its annual Christmas Prelude is a town-wide, off-season celebration that regularly draws visitors from all over. Because of this, many establishments remain open into December to catch the Prelude crowd, making Fall a less-crowded and exceedingly enjoyable time to visit.

But regardless of season, the food scene here is reason enough to come.

Downtown, comprised essentially of one road bridging Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, is dotted with eateries serving waterfront fare variations. However, sailing a bit off course will bring you to Kennebunkport’s real treasures.

We navigated past downtown to Cape Porpoise, where the traffic dissolved and the food options materialized at a small intersection.

There, The Wayfarer restaurant stands out as much for its versatility as for its reliability. Every dish was fresh and unique, including the aforementioned Brussels sprouts and fried lobster. Lobster mac n cheese bubbled over with flavor, claws and tail meat. But the surprise was the bacon-wrapped meatloaf, a far cry from anything mom used to make. The meat was spiced Italian-style, offset by bacon and a sweet brown sugar glaze, as if a southern barbecue pitmaster decided to smoke up some meatballs. In a welcome break from the high-priced cocktail menus downtown, the Wayfarer is BYOB, which made our wine bottle and dinner all the more personal.

 Personal seems to be the only way they do things around here – personal and local. Farm + Table owners Liz and Bruce Andrews know how to do both. They assist Farm + Table customers with welcoming conversation and by organizing this artisanal food store geographically, with little placards identifying an item’s home state. The shop, located near the Wayfarer, is in its second season, housed in an old red barn and chock full of eclectic offerings, like a wall of Maine jams or a shelf of South Carolina cocktail bitters.

“Would you like to try some?” Bruce asked, as I perused jars of Maine-made bloody mary mix. I left with a jar.  

Back across the street, right next to the Wayfarer, Cape Porpoise Kitchen doles out fresh-baked pastries, baskets of moist blueberry muffins and prepared foods for those looking to cast away for the afternoon.

Cape Porpoise is not the only epicurean enclave in Kennebunkport.

Down Ocean Avenue, Mabel’s Lobster Claw takes Maine seafood to a new level. They specialize in lobster, of course, but special is an understatement – their variations of baked stuffed lobster are the stuff of legend. The Lobster Savannah is a massive crustacean split and swollen with scallops, shrimp, mushrooms and Newburg sauce, topped with provolone and broiled golden brown. The result is as overwhelmingly delicious as it is artistic.

Other notables include the hyper-locally sourced al fresco dining at Earth at Hidden Pond (two onsite gardens make sure of that); and the creatively spun selections at Salt & Honey, like the juicy chicken biscuit sandwich and a zesty bloody mary.   

Wherever you eat, be sure to stick around after dinner.

Rococo Ice Cream’s rotating selection of adventurous flavors keeps things interesting, like an exotically sweet Amarula Pecan and the Blueberry Chipotle, with a mild but noticeable heat on the backend of each lick. Our scooper encouraged us to try his own cocktail-based concoction, Dark and Stormy. A refreshing ginger/lime combo, we made sure to vote for it in Rococo’s summer staff contest for best original flavor.

We capped our night across the bridge at Old Vines Wine Bar. We lounged around their outdoor fire pit, wine glasses lazily swaying in our fingers, and tried unsuccessfully to recall something more satisfying than Kennebunkport’s culinary experience.

 Read the story here: http://www.nshoremag.com/culinary-kennebunkport/ 

Holiday charm in seaside St. Michaels

St. Michaels, Maryland is just about halfway between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Key West, Florida, in every possible way.

This waterfront vacation town situated on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay mingles the Florida Keys’ laid back vibe with the Cape’s sailboats and seersucker shorts. Art galleries, wine shops and boutique restaurants lounge beside souvenir stores and old-time ice cream parlors. Tiki bar bartenders sling fruity rum cocktails to partying tourists, while at the same time a couple exchanges vows in a quaint, waterfront wedding ceremony at the upscale resort across the harbor. 

Located about an hour and a half drive from either Baltimore or Washington, D.C., St. Michaels is a go-to destination for regional vacationers. The look and feel resembles a tropical version of a New England coastal town, seamlessly melding together aspects of both locales into a mid-Atlantic waterfront respite.

For Cape and Keys frequenters, the similarities begin before you even arrive. Weekend traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge would make anyone who has ever crossed onto Cape Cod – or any other beach destination – shudder. The sheer size of the bridge makes it as much a modern engineering marvel as the Seven Mile Bridge the traverses the Florida Keys.

In culinary terms, Maryland is known for crabs in the same way that New England is for lobster and the Florida Keys are for fresh fish. There is no better way to get a flare for the Eastern Shore than to partake in a crab feast along the water, and there is no shortage of quality establishments. For years St. Michaels Crab Claw restaurant and St. Michaels Crab and Steak House – located directly across the harbor from one another – have been serving up local seafood and the hallmark Maryland blue crabs.

For the uninitiated, a crab feast is similar to a lobster bake in that work is involved. One typically begins with a table wrapped in paper, which is promptly covered with the cooked crustaceans. Steamed and covered in mounds of Old Bay seasoning, they are simply prepared. A small mallet, paring knife and placemat instructions will get you to the best bits. The sweet, familiar shellfish flavor skews unique with the abundance of salty seasoning.

Like many typically summer destinations, St. Michaels’ crowds clear in the off-season. But tasty wood-fired pizzas at Ava’s (409 South Talbot Street), and the perfectly executed entrees at 208 Talbot (208 Talbot Street), mean food is plentiful and high quality any time of year here.

With an annual oyster festival and holiday events throughout the season, the town will impress curious visitors looking for a November or December getaway. On December 7 the town shops open late for “Midnight Madness,” drawing locals and visitors alike out into the streets to enjoy snacks, singers, prizes and of course, sales. December 13 – 15 marks the annual “Christmas in St. Michaels” festival, featuring parades, music and tours of some of this historic town's antique homes (for more info visit www.stmichaelsmd.org).

Where St. Michaels hovers in between its northern and southern cousins, it ascertains one aspect of seaside living that sets it apart – the sunset.

Perching along the right Massachusetts inlet or cove will provide a spectacular view of the setting sun. In Key West there is an entire pavilion at the end of the town’s famed Duval Street dedicated to street performers celebrating the stunning sunset view each night. St. Michaels may just outdo them both.

A few minutes out of the town center, Wades Point Inn on the Bay (www.wadespoint.com) guards the elbow of this L-shaped peninsula. A tree-lined gravel road opens into a sprawling green lawn stretching in almost all directions to the water’s edge. At the center stands a grand, whimsical 1819 Georgian-style manor house wrapped in multi-level porches. The main house offers three floors of quaint, bed and breakfast rooms while an adjacent building constructed in the 1990s has more family-friendly accommodations.

Waking up at Wades Point means homemade breakfast made from local ingredients, like scrapple or eggs from down the road. But day’s end is the Inn’s best selling point, and one of St. Michael’s best treasures.

The savvy visitor will have filled a hammock, staked out a lawn chair or a spot on the dock well before dusk, perhaps with a bottle of wine from the local St. Michael’s Winery (609 South Talbot Street). Wades Point staff will happily provide wine glasses and a corkscrew.

Any spot affords a breathtaking panorama of the bay. The sun sets straight on, sinking down behind a wisp of land across the Chesapeake just large enough to mark the split between sea and sky. It washes the entire yard in surreal colors: orange, pink and purple light, reflecting off the water and the manor house’s white exterior. Serenity and scenery are one in the same.

St. Michael’s may resemble the best of the Cape and the tropics, but it certainly has a charm all its own.