This is my junior year of college and I feel like I have specific places I keep returning too. Whether it be a coffee shop, restaurant, beach or shop, there’s something about the place that keeps bringing me back. I am from Mystic, CT which is a small town, right on the water. When I first was interested in the University of New Hampshire, I was unsure of how much of the “home” feeling I could keep, but after the first semester of freshman year, I had already found my new “home” favorites.
My first recommended “go to” place near campus is Hampton Beach. Ever since second semester, freshman year, my friends and I would take a trip to Hampton almost every weekend. We would hop in my friends car, crack the windows, and blast music – pure bliss. I even remember the first Easter at college was spent with my three friends and I driving around Hampton the whole day because we didn’t go home. I currently still go to Hampton, not nearly as much as I used to, but it still is refreshing and relaxing to take a breather and unplug while sitting on the wall looking at the ocean. I especially love Hampton because I grew up on the water and having a relatively close beach helped me transition better to being away from home. I definitely recommend taking a drive down to Hampton getting some sun on the wall and enjoying the company of you and your friends.
My next “go to” place goes along with Hampton because it is located in Seabrook, NH which is next to Hampton. This place is a small pizza and bakery called Tripoli Pizza owned by an Italian family. If you haven’t been, I would totally recommend it because of the experience, taste and their displays! I was especially keen to try out Tripolis because I have worked at a pizza place in CT for the past five years, and was eager to see if their pizza lived up to my expectations. The reason Tripolis is different from other pizza places is because of their sauce, which is sweet and that their pizzas/slices are in the shape of a square. They also have an abundance of awesome bakery goodies such as lemon square, birthday cake pops, and creme brulé. The best is going to Tripolis, grabbing a couple of slices, and taking them to the beach to enjoy.
Another place I recommend being “go to” is the Shack. The Shack is a little coffee hut in Newmarket, NH that offers unique coffee flavors. Cars line up on both sides of the hut so sometimes the line gets pretty long. The reason I enjoy going to the shack so much is for the experience. Every weekend my friends and I pile up into my friends Jeep and blast the music while we reminisce on the week. Honestly, I was never a coffee person until I came to college until my friends made it a routine in our week to go for a joy ride to Shack. Although, during the week if my friends do go, I tend to join them for both the ride and if they have banana foster, or banana bread flavor that day, I would be likely to get one. Another popular “hut” coffee place near campus is Coffee Cravings, which I personally find overrated so, if you’re a coffee fanatic, I recommend stopping by the Shack.
A to die for breakfast place near Durham is called The Big Bean. I have been going to The Big Bean ever since freshman year of college. When I was first introduced to it, their only location was in Newmarket but since then, they have opened up a new one right on campus. If you love the idea of home made cooking as well as a very friendly environment, The Big Bean is the place for you. I recommend getting their french toast with fresh fruit on top, although, be aware that their portions are giant so sometimes it’s best to share meals! Another aspect that I love about The Big Bean is their menu, not only do they have amazing options but all their meal names are original. Not only is the food amazing, but the service is awesome too! I definitely recommend putting The Big Bean on your itinerary if you visit Durham.
My last recommendation would be Franz’s located right on Main St. in Durham. Franz’s breakfast would be classified as a “hole in the wall” for breakfast that shares a building with a laundromat.Their menu consists of very original meals that are affordable and convenient but at the same time are delicious. Everytime you walk into Franz’s, the owner greets you with a big smile and you can tell he loves his customers. If you were passing by, honestly, it could be classified as a pretty missable place, which is why I find it interesting it has been so successful and that they have such loyal customers. My favorite meal to get there would have to be the Original JB Wrap which has bacon, eggs, hashbrown, cheese and ketchup in a grilled wrap. If you’re looking for something even more packed, the JB Football is a larger proportion of the JB Original.
Hopefully these recommendations for places to visit if you’re in the Durham area was a good starting point. There are many other places that I love going to visit but this is just a run through to give some suggestions. Some of my other favorites are, Portsmouth, the Kittery Outlets, Trader Joe’s, and La Festa.