When looking for something to do in or around the Keene area, one might have trouble narrowing it down to their top options. Keene is filled with and surrounded by numerous places to travel to.
Some of the top picks in many student’s eyes include Dort, Spofford Beach and Goose Pond. However, some may say that many of the best places to travel off-campus are either under-rated or not talked about enough.
KSC junior Meghan Green says that she has seen and experienced lots of places throughout Keene and it’s surrounding towns.
When asked about some of the places she travels to Green says, “I travel a lot around the Marlborough area for my job, so I see a lot of Keene and surrounding areas.”
Although Green does lots of traveling for her job, she also enjoys traveling for fun.
She mentioned one of her favorite spots her friend showed her when she was a first-year at KSC.
“I think my absolute favorite place to go in Keene would have to be Goose Pond. It’s a quick ten minute drive from campus. There are plenty of trails all around the pond, and obviously you can swim too.”
Along with all of the stuff there is to do at Goose Pond, Green likes that “it’s peaceful.”
There is a lot of places in Keene where you can find tranquillity, but I feel like Goose Pond has that ability and more. I feel right at home there,” Green said.
KSC junior Erika Gray said she goes to Goose Pond to get away from school work because “it’s nice to get outside and be active while having a nice view at the same time.”
Gilsum Pond is another favorite spot of Gray’s, she said.
“You have to hike down into this little rock. It’s basically like a swimming hole and there’s a huge rock you can jump off of,” Gray said.
When she’s looking to get some fresh air with a view, Gray said Dort is another one of her favorite places to go. “I like Dort because it’s fun to skip rocks and there are beautiful bridges. You can’t jump off the bridges but they still make for a great photo,” she said.
Gray said she isn’t a fan of shopping, so she has yet to visit Brattelboro, VT, a popular place for KSC students to grab a coffee or do a little consignment shopping.
MacKenzie Clarke/ Contributing photos
“I don’t shop a lot, I usually don’t have any money to spend,” Gray joked.
When it comes to food, Gray said she is a fan of Local Burger because their fried pickles are “fantastic.”
“[The pickles] are my favorite, but when I eat outside of Keene I like Chipotle.”
Gray said it is hard to get out of Keene because of her busy schedule.
“It’s hard to juggle with my clinical roatation,” Gray said. She said she gets out of Keene to “adventure” two to three times per month.
While there are travels in student’s lives that involve nature, some students find joy in the simple places. Places that many don’t think would give you a break from campus.
KSC sophomore Tucker Johnson said that Joe Peanuts is one of his favorite places to go when he needs a quick bite to eat.
“Everyone likes food. Wings and fries, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said he has an interest in being outside. One of his favorite places around Keene, which he just recently discovered, is Gilsum Gorge.
“Last weekend, I went to go cliff jumping with some friends. I really like adrenaline so the cliff jumping there really fulfills that,” Johnson said.
Top 3 picks for outdoors:
Goose Pond
Located close by in Keene for hiking and beautiful scenery.
Spofford Beach
Just 15 minutes away in Chesterfield. For six dollars per person you can enjoy a day in the sun.
Dort
Another place where Keene has to offer nice scenery and swimming.
Kyle Kemp can be contacted at kkemp@kscequinox.com
