Sunny, hot and humid, not exactly the kind of day that you want to spend in a barn, but the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH is special. Right on Rte 28, about two miles from Pinkerton Academy is a pretty little farmhouse with an attached barn that wouldn't really attract much notice if you didn't realize that one of our nations most famous poets once lived here with his family. The three story barn has been fixed up into a visitors center, and if you're lucky the park ranger Bill, might be playing his guitar when you pull in. The barn smells like most barns do when they're no longer in use as animal shelters. A little musty, with phantom smells of sweet grass hay and dry pine shavings. For a small donation ($4 for NH residents) you get a tour of the house with a little history lesson on the Frost family, about their time living and working in Derry. One of my favorite parts of visiting is the Hyla Brook Nature / Poetry Trail. The trail runs through the woods and around the pasture behind the house, small signs and a trail guide give you snippets of Frost's poetry and information about your surroundings.
The best time to visit is summer, because the house is open for visitors then, but it is not air conditioned so be prepared for the heat and some parts of the house are not accessible in a wheelchair. Avoid the woods during the fall unless you are wearing hunter's orange. -AMA
