To complement the four seasons of outdoor adventures in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are take-home gifts ranging from Bangor, Maine-famous moose poop jewelry to vintage ski posters at North Conway, N.H.-based Framed Art Superstore. Inquiring planners should ask local CVB representatives for fun gift ideas.
Jessica Donahue, spokesperson at the Greater Bangor CVB, says aluminum water bottles are "very cool and in demand," and will be a hit with delegates getting outdoors. One local store that sells water bottles is Dick's Sporting Goods (www.dickssportinggoods.com) at the Bangor Mall.
Sea Bags (www.seabags.com), with locations in both Freeport and Portland, Maine, are totes and various other bags, including a wine carrier, made from recycled sails. The large totes are on the pricier side—perhaps perfect for members of an executive or board retreat.
The Acadia shops of downtown Bar Harbor, Maine, including the Acadia Outdoors Store, share an online Web presence (www.acadiashops.com) where planners can order some dandy gifts, from Acadia National Park jigsaw puzzles to the more expensive Acadia wind bell, which mimics the buoy bell off of Acadia National Park.
In New Hampshire, maple syrup makes for a great gift after a maple sugaring outing at an area sugar house, such as Fuller's Sugarhouse (www.fullerssugarhouse.com) in Lancaster.
If convening anywhere near Peterborough in New Hampshire's Monadnock region, a Peterboro Basket Co. (800.555.3919; www.peterborobasket.com) picnic basket would make a lovely gift.
Vermont walking sticks, visors, golf club covers and handmade winter hats and scarves are among the endless gift options that complement outdoor activities in Vermont, according to Ronda Berns, executive director at the Vermont Convention Bureau, adding that a Vermont Teddy Bear (http://vermontteddybear.pointshop.com) might be the best gift of all.
Snowboarding bears are quite popular, she says, and a hockey bear helped the destination win the bid for the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Women's Ice Hockey Championships in 2012. Other outdoorsy bears include tennis players and golfers.
When meeting anywhere in Vermont, Ben & Jerry's (www.benjerry.com) is a must—either serve it during a break, take the group on a Waterbury, Vt.-based factory tour, or gift delegates with B&J tchotchkes, including those useful in the great outdoors, such as umbrellas, lip balm and baseball caps.
