Blog: What a Glorious Day in the Monadnock Region
by GSA Sue Geyer, Currier Museum Class of 2010
On a beautiful sunny day in May a group of GSAs converged on 2 small communities in NH, Harrisville and Hancock for a lovely experience!
We started at the Harrisville Inn with a tour and lunch. The 
owner and fellow GSA, Maria Coviello, was a delightful hostess! Her husband Bob and friend Judy were there to greet us and help Maria. The Inn, an antique cape was built by Persia Beal in 1842. It retains the warmth and charm of simpler times. The Inn features five guest rooms with private baths, all individually decorated with antiques and luxury linens.
The description on the website, “An Idyllic Country Getaway Full of Romance and Charm”, is very accurate.
As Maria did tours with smaller groups of GSAs, she gave us a glimpse into how she came to be an innkeeper in New Hampshire. The lunch, which was delicious, was served in ‘The Barn’ which is used for small events. Everything was done with class and warmth!
Next, we went in a caravan to the TulipFête at The Farm at Wolf Pine Hollow in Hancock. The best description of the experience comes from the pictures. It was lovely and definitely a hidden gem. Ariane, one of the owners, was pleased to have us visit and arranged to have Brenden meet us at the front gate and show some of us around.
It was so enjoyable to spend such a glorious day with fellow GSAs. These are great places to visit or refer to friends and guests. Some GSAs were talking about coming back for an overnight.
You can see the full album of pictures HERE.
Here is what some of the GSA had to say about our experience:
Maria has created a very comfortable and inviting vibe to her Inn. Her wonderful sense of humor is a real asset to this business.
The tulip farm is a blaze right now and certainly a novelty here in NH. It’s a great spot for photo bugs and in time the many new beds of flowers and grapes and other species will extend the experience beyond spring. ~Patty
Regarding the Inn: Looks like a lovely and peaceful place to get away. Private bathrooms are a plus. Loved the teacup and teapot collection. Would love to go back for one of the high teas!
Regarding the Farm: The tulips were lovely but extra offerings of ice cream, and the gift shop were appreciated. Brenden was very accommodating and interesting. ~Christine
Enjoyed the tour and lunch at the Harrisville bed and breakfast. Such a quaint venue. Tulip farm was awesome. ~Linda
Our visit to the Harrisville Inn and the Wolf Pine Farm was magical from start to finish: the gorgeous drive through picturesque Nelson, Harrisville, and Dublin, the tour of the lovely antique inn, the lively conversation with GSA’s over a delicious lunch, all culminated by the meandering through a sea of tulips! And the weather was Ahhhh!🤩 ~Shelly & Rene
The gods smiled on us today. A perfect spring day to enjoy the hospitality and humor of Marie and her talented artistic jazz trumpet playing husband. Positioned in 
charming and historic Harrisburg (between Keene and Peterborough) they run an inn that invites you to enjoy your escape in a beautiful and welcoming setting. We followed this with a visit to Wolf Pine Hollow farm in Hancock which was ablaze with every color tulip you could imagine. They have done an excellent job of bringing Holland’s explosive spring flower experience to New Hampshire. Welcome Spring! ~Kathryn
I truly enjoyed driving through the beautiful quaint New England towns. The lovely Bed and Breakfast was the icing on the cake. ~Melon
I loved the Harrisville Inn. It was cozy, comfortable and quiet. Everything an Inn should be. The artwork in the barn was amazing! The Farm at Wolf Pine Hollow had a great variety of tulips and the staff was exceptional. ~Trisha Burton
A lot of NE inns look similar to the Harrisville Inn (antiques, beautiful quilts, comfortable sitting rooms). But not all inns have a warm welcoming innkeeper. Maria was gracious, jovial, and made us feel welcomed. Lovely lunch with a wonderful attention to detail. The tulips were beautiful. The farm store had some very unique NH made selections.
~Jeannine
It was so fun to meet Maria and hear about her amazing story! Her inn is even more delightful on the inside as it looks on the outside, and it immediately made me want to stay there! It is a true labor of love that shows in every little detail.
Most memorable were the many paintings on every wall in the inn that Maria’s husband painted! It really could be an art gallery with both realistic and abstract paintings that were all incredible! ~Babs
We shared a beautiful sunny day with fellow GSAs touring the cozy Harrisville Inn and then tip toeing thru the tulips at the Farm at Wolf Pine Hollow. Maria, owner of the Inn AND a GSA, was a gracious hostess. Brenden explained how the tulips were planted as well as the pending sunflowers and how their goats and sheep groom the fields and devour the weeds. ~Pam & Jeff
A little bit of the Netherlands in NH. Loved the day because I had not been to Harrisville or Hancock. Such cute small towns. I’d recommend Tulip Fête to anyone, and I bet when they do their sunflower festival, it will be just as good. The Harrisville inn would be a great place to stay. ~Christine
Last year, my wife and I traveled to Amsterdam, and the field of Tulips. Even if it was not as grand as last year, it brought back fond memories of our trip. ~Philip
Great day at the Harrisville Inn today! The story how Maria purchased the Inn 8 years ago and trying to restore it in its original beauty! All the paintings on the walls are painted by her husband. Fabulous place to celebrate a birthday with friends on Thursdays having tea!
Tulip Fête in Hancock is beautiful! Pick your own tulips, take pictures, shop, and in the end have ice cream! What better way to spend a day! ~Diane
We enjoyed our day at the Harrisville inn and tulip fields! The inn was very rustic and unique. I was impressed with all the rooms having their own bathrooms! Thank you for having us! ~Ron
A delightful lunch at the historic Harrisville Inn hosted by our own GSA, Maria. And followed by a ‘tiptoe thru the tulips” under a beautiful sunny sky. Life is good! ~Janet
A Beautiful Day! From beginning to end, we GSAs had a delightful experience. We were greeted with an interesting situation: How to park 15+ cars in a parking area meant for 5. Bob did an amazing job.
Upon entering the lovely Harrisville Inn, there were fresh fruit cups, followed by a tour of all the 5 attractively decorated rooms. Hanging on the walls are lifelike paintings of jazz musicians painted by Marie’s husband. We ended our visit with a lunch choice of turkey or egg salad sandwiches on fresh rolls, chips and delicious homemade sweet treats! Our next stop: The Tulip Fête in Hancock. There we were greeted by a glorious display of rows of many-colored tulips! Brenden, our tour guide pointed out many other fruits that the farm also grows. ~Mary-Helen M
It was a beautiful time among the tulips, the end of a lovely and special day. The close picture of tulips may become my screensaver reminder of this lovely day. I learned while getting ice cream that the graduates we saw are home schoolers who came to the tulip fest for their graduation pictures. ~Martha
WOW>>> The most delightful day ever, the weather, the camaraderie, the flowers the food etc..& meeting a local (Helene Bickford) who happens to be a High Scholl friend who follows my FB post, surprised me as well., social media, love NH Granite State Ambassadors. A win win day!!! ~Jane
As many times I have been to the Harrisville Inn, I have never had the tour of the Inn!! What delightful rooms, set so comfortable and elegantly.
And I watched the development of the Wolf Pine on the road, mainly the shop, even stopped by a few times, but had no idea they had such a vast display of tulips until Sue inquired about it–what a treasure in my “backyard”!! ~Gretchen
