Regular readers of my blog know that my young daughter is a HUGE Curious George fan. As such, I’ve researched many George inspired travel destinations. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as Curious George World or The Man with the Yellow Hat Land so we settle for places such as Curious George Goes to Wordsworth.
In the books and on the PBS series, Curious George leaves the jungle and returns with the man to the big city, but when it’s time for them to take a vacation they often head to the country. Many speculate that the country home depicted in the books was modeled after the New Hampshire cottage George’s creators Margret and H.A. Rey spent their summers at.
The Rey’s bought their modest Waterville Valley home in the late 1950s. Today the house is known as the Curious George Cottage and is open to visitors. But, the building located on Noon Peak Road in Waterville Valley is only part of the Rey’s legacy. The creators of the lovable monkey also inspired the Rey Center, located in the village’s Town Square. The center specializes in providing art shows and activities for children. In addition, the Rey Center sponsors nature walks, writers’ workshops, a lecture series, and hosts guided tours in the White Mountain National Forest. The center also offers classes in stargazing (Hans Rey was an avid astronomer and the author of popular astronomy books) and will soon break ground on a new structure with an observatory and a telescope to further promote Rey’s life long goal of making astronomy accessible to the public.
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire is a quaint little town that only has about 400 year-round residents. Which means it is virtually untouched by the traffic, congestion and general chaos found in major metropolises. The area offers visitors a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, fishing, and water skiing. The town is located about 130 miles from Boston and is also home to an Adventure Center that helps families organize various outings, such as biking tours, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
Your child may not be able to shake hands with a life-size George in Waterville Valley, but at least he or she can fish in the same pond where Curious George released a flotilla of newspaper boats in the popular animated episode.
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“The Complete Adventures of Curious George” by Margret and H.A. Rey