@AboutTheSame I have to second that, about how the next four years will fly by faster than one could ever believe. We just arrived home this afternoon from commencement weekend–yup, my '19 is now a college grad, and I can recall clearly finding this thread early on and reading every single post and taking notes to help me through the four years!
Congrats @b1ggreenca! I remember when you joined the conversation! To @RADPM I would echo my fellow parent @AboutTheSame and say visit the surrounding area while your kid is on the trip. We visited Franconia Notch, and the coast of Maine. We saw a huge moose and many other things. We stayed in the Hampton Inn in White River Junction as it was convenient and cost less than the hotels in Hanover. Enjoy the ride! it goes by much too quickly.
Thank you @AboutTheSame for your feedback. It is much appreciated. Will definitely check out Norwich while booking . Thanks again.
Thank you @Magnum PI. Your inputs are helpful ! 
@RADPM congratulations to your kid! As parents of a '20, we have appreciated staying both at Six South Street for convenience so we could walk all over campus and town, and at the funky historic Coolidge Hotel in White River Junction for affordability and to be able to drink the fabulous coffee next door at Tuckerbox. For a 10 day stay, you might want to consider a mix of a vacation rental (VRBO and AirBnB) and hotel. What you want to do with your time while your child is on First Year Trip depends a lot on your tastes and interests. If you want to stay based in Hanover, there are numerous places within easy driving distance for hiking (check the AllTrails app), historic cultural sites (e.g., Enfield Shaker Museum, St. Gaudens Historical Site, Billings Farm and Museum), swimming (try Boston Lot Lake, or any of the thousands of ponds and lakes nearby), cultural activities (check out the Hood Museum of course, get a tour of the Rauner Library, go to a play at the New London Barn Playhouse, etc… Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Northwest Massachusetts, Boston, Montreal, all within a day and chock full of activities and beautiful places. The closest Bed Bath & Beyond is in Concord.
@NorCalTootsie I thought we were the only people who ever stayed at The Coolidge! 
Like the Tuckerbox a lot. Our favorite place is no linger there–the site is now part of Kendal, I think. We are cheapskates when it comes to accommodations, unlike many here. When we visited the area in later years–S was working in the area–we once stayed at the Hampton Inn, and it was very convenient.
Staying in the dorms for graduation is definitely the way to go, I think, both price and convenience. Only potential problem is no A/C, depending on the weather.
@Consolation Frugal parents unite! We’re going to stay at the Coolidge for graduation (2020!) so we can stay more nights than they allow for the dorms, even though the dorms would be more convenient.
Hi all, S19 got his trip assignment and will be out of that on Sept 5th. He can stay in his dorm until the 10th when orientation starts. Will that be weird being in his room for 5 days before orientation? Or is he likely to be occupied with hanging out with his new friends? Also will it be useful for me to be around or am I likely to feel like a 3rd wheel during that time? S19 is excited and looking forward to ‘Camp Dartmouth’ for the 10 days before the grind starts and as far as I can tell does not feel like he particularly needs/wants mom around. I expect that setting up his room will take all of 15 minutes and that I will not be needed. Actually me going with him is for my enjoyment and I have friends in NH who I want to see while I am on the East Coast. However I do want to see his dorm and go to the parent part of orientation. I did that with D16 and have fond memories of that. Any advice? I like hiking and canoeing and have not spent much time in NH (we are from the west coast).
@liska21 Enjoy the ride, it was a lot of fun being the third wheel during orientation, but better that we got out of Hanover and explored the area while our son stretched his wings with his new friends.
Btw when I wrote “Will that be weird being in his room for 5 days before orientation?” I was talking about him not me, i.e. will it be weird for HIM to be in his dorm room for 5 days before orientation. I’ll be in a hotel.
LOL, yes, good that you clarified that. Our adventures in the area, many years ago now, were excitedly chronicled in the very early stages of this thread and remain some of our fondest memories of the Dartmouth experience.
Ah, I shall go back an read through the early parts of this thread then. 113 pages should keep me entertained for a bit! Yeah, I re-read my post and realized ‘Oh wait, that sounds creepy. That’s not what I meant.’
I think the question of “will it be weird” depends so much on the kid. And one thought I have is that even if it IS a little weird, it’s not all bad. If you return to campus the afternoon before move-in day, you can help with any last minute purchases for the dorm room, do something fun together, have dinner (and invite along any friends he has made already) and not deal with the chaos of all the other families showing up on move-in day. That would still give you time to enjoy being in New Hampshire for a few days.
Totally agree. A dinner outside campus dining is a huge currency for the students, though perhaps not as apparent to the freshpeople. Not as effective when other parents/friends are around, but tremendous when you are the only game in town. Best ROI you will find. As I have stated multiple times in this thread, it is like driving the van to the soccer pitch, everyone forgets you are there, and you get an unfiltered view of your child’s real world (again, more relevant later than the first week).
Enjoy!
Thanks for all the advice! It’s very helpful. Over the last week, I read through the thread from the beginning. It was fun (and rather touching) to read about your (and your kids) journeys from the exciting and giddy first week to graduation, which came shockingly fast. It really helped me think about how to enjoy this stage of my kid’s life and see some of their college world. My tendency is actually to not visit enough (based on my experience with kids #1 and #2) and I want to visit more with kid #3 (and last year of #2 at different college). Since the nest will be empty, I’m thinking/hoping I’ll have more time to travel (though less money, lol). I made notes as I read and now have a long list of restaurants and sites I want to visit sometime over the next 4 years along with some big Dartmouth event weekends.
S and I came in on a west coast red-eye this morning and I saw S off on the Dartmouth Coach from the airport. I will stay in Boston and go see him in 5 days when he returns from his trip. He was a combination of anxious and excited (as is expected) and I am so curious to hear about his adventures on his return. One of his big reasons for choosing Dartmouth was the outdoor adventure culture (skiing! paddling! hiking!) along with snow in winter. He’s on the ‘most strenuous’ hiking trip so I think he’ll quickly fall in with like-minded peers. He got into his dorm alright to drop off stuff and it seems pretty nice (McLaughlin). He got in one the the LLCs and he’s super excited about that.
In the end, he didn’t end up taking much stuff. One suitcase plus the stuff for the hiking trip. He decided it was better to take less now and figure out what he really needs after first quarter. Also I told him he can go to the Sustainability Sale and get stuff. But hopefully I can help him get a cheap bike next week. He commutes by bike at home and would like one at school.
For my part, I’m working on my visit list. Things I want to see and do while in the area. Looking forward to that.
Freedom Trail. Gelato in the North End. Are the Red Sox in town? Fenway!!!
Hi Fellow D parents, and prospective students. With my son’s permission, I am sharing his recent editorial in The Dartmouth, in the hope that it might help someone in their transition to college life. https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/10/hill-weld-identity-reflection
Very well written, thoughtful, and insightful. You should be proud!
Very nice and heartfelt.