How To Celebrate The Lupine Festival At Sugar Hill | New Hampshire Travel

Flower festivals have been becoming fairly popular in recent years with tourists going all over the world to see the lavender in Provence, the tulips in the Netherlands, and the wild flowers in California. Those famous flower fields and festivals are very far away from the New England states and also very crowded with tourists. A lesser known, but just as magical spot for Spring flowers are the lupine fields (pronounced “loo-pen”) on Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. Lupines grow in numerous places in New England including Maine and Vermont, but the place to be is in the white mountains in remote Sugar Hill.

The festival is typically the first weekend in June every year, although the flowers reach their peak at different times every year due to the weather conditions. We made it there the weekend after the festival for our anniversary and the flowers still had not reached their full bloom.

The Festival

The festival itself is a big event in Sugar Hill, drawing in many visitors from around the state and guests from afar. Local artists and artisans set up tents and there are numerous concerts and a town dance. The entire town comes together to celebrate the Spring blooms after a long winter. You can learn more about the Lupine Festival events at the website for the local Harmans Cheese & Country Store.

Where To Find The Lupines

Sugar Hill is a small town and the lupine fields are hidden in different parts of town. You can find one field of lupines next door to St. Matthew’s Church and another field across from it. Further down the road is a wedding venue called the Pioneer Wedding Barn where there is a magnificent view of the mountains and a walking trail with literary quotes behind it. Another field of mention would be the field overlooking the White Mountains directly across from Polly’s Pancake Parlor.

Where To Eat

I mentioned Polly’s Pancake Parlor above because there is a beautiful lupine and buttercup flower field directly across from it, but this is the perfect place for breakfast or brunch. The hosts we stayed with for our Airbnb highly recommended Polly’s and they warned us of the long wait times. We made it there shortly after seven and we didn’t have long to wait, but the line grew steadily after eight. The pancakes really were delicious (and I’m not a big fan of pancakes) and I covered them in local maple syrup. I’m a big breakfast girl so I’ll be sharing more about Polly’s Pancake Parlor on the blog soon. It is an absolute must if you’re in the area.

A short drive from Sugar Hill there is a town called Bethlehem and in that town there is a lovely restaurant and bar called Rek-Lis Brewing Co. We first saw it driving by at night when all the bistro lights were lighting up the outdoor patio. There were many people at the restaurant and a live band so we knew it had to be a popular local place. We stopped in for dinner on our last night and we had the most incredible tacos here. A local woman I spoke with said Rek-Lis has set the bar for how she judges tacos and I’d have to say she was right. I ordered the shrimp tacos and they were amazing. -I hear that their local brews are also great. For those that know me, I don’t really drink so I wouldn’t be the best judge of their brews, but they do have 4.5 star reviews online.

Where To Stay

Whenever I travel, I try to stay in local places to get a feel for the real atmosphere, which makes Airbnb a perfect and affordable option. Although we stayed in an Airbnb on Burns Lake, you can stay in a hotel or Inn near Sugar Hill. We saw several really nice looking Bed and Breakfasts in the area. I quick online search will show you over a dozen local Inns and B&Bs.

These ones looked perfectly dreamy as we drove by:

The Sugar Hill Inn -Located just minutes from the lupine fields.

The Gables Bed & Breakfast -This pink building was just too cute. I could live here.

What To Do

Stop and see the lupines, of course! If you have seen all the lupines your heart can handle and have enjoyed the festival, there are plenty of other things you can do nearby. -You’re in the White Mountains after all. A short drive from Sugar Hill you will find Franconia Notch State Park. I highly recommend getting the adventure pass so you can take the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway to the top of Mount Cannon and walk the rim loop. From the top you can see Canada, Maine, Vermont, and New York!

After you have enjoyed lunch on the top of the mountain, return via the tram and drive down the road to the Flume Gorge where you can walk a family-friendly trail and see the flume and a lovely waterfall. There is also a beautiful historic covered bridge towards the end of the trail. The walk is mild to moderate, but small walk ways in certain areas make this unaccessible for walkers, strollers, or wheel chairs.

What To Wear

Sugar Hill New Hampshire is a casual place. You will want comfortable and weather appropriate clothing, but two of the items I wore the most ended up being my rain boots and my overalls. I opted for simple clothing. Rainboots are an absolute essential if you’re walking along the rivers or if you intend to visit the fields in the early morning when the grass is dewey and muddy. Hiking boots or comfortable sneakers are a great option if you have plans to go hiking or explore the White Mountains.

Packing Essentials