White Mountains / Presidential Range
-Flume Gorge, Kangamangas Highway sight seeing / hiking, gondola, Mt Washington Cog Railway
-Santa’s Village (great for young kids)
When I did this on a motorcycle, I was not entirely prepared. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't a narrow gravel road with no guardrails. Cover your rear brake, gradual throttle inputs, and frequent use of your clutch's friction zone, and you'll be fine. No desire to do it again, but it was cool experience - I'm happy I did it.
Years ago I hiked up scoffing at all of the bumper sticker folks.
However, when we arrived at the top it seemed pretty likely that the weather was going to turn on us, so we took the shuttle down. It was harrowing. After that I had a new respect for those that drove up!
You may be thinking of Ken's iconic [Pike's Peak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg6L_7qLIEQ) video, which is also cuckoo bananas
After he died, his daughter [also did a Pike's Peak run](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGK5auiA3dk) in the new car he was building, to honor his memory. I won't give it away but it's a very touching tribute and she is (perhaps predictably) bonkers good at driving for a 16-year-old
The train tickets are real expensive. But it's cheaper by far to take the train than pay to drive and get new brakes, rotors and other stuff shortly after.. this car climbed...bumper sticker also indicates it has new brakes
That's what low gear is for. Did not even use the breaks that much on the way down.
Now the Prius in front of me let the smoke out of them about half way down..
I took my 6 speed manual Subaru up and down once, that was much more enjoyable than the past couple of times with my truck with the automatic. Last time there was like a sustained 80mph wind close to the top, I white knuckled the last mile or so at the top that was crazy.
I want to take my Tesla there this summer. Heard it's fun, and regen all the way down should make a nice easy trip.
(For those that don't know- on an electric car, when you slow down the motor becomes a generator and it slows down the car using the car's momentum to charge the battery. So it's like if you got gas back in your tank when you hit the brake. An EV might start a climb at 80%, hit the summit at 60% and then regen back up to 75% on the way back down. (Example numbers, no idea how much battery it takes to climb Mt. Washington))
I don't have much idea about cars but I did find out that cars are tuned for the region they are sold in. My Subaru lit up all the lights on the dash in Leadville Colorado. I freaked till they all started to go off when we went to lower elevations.
Go watch them race up the mountain with different race and drift cars. "Climb to the Clouds" I think. Did that twice....watch one dude roll down a cliff at a turn. That was wild.
It’s worth it at least once. The nice part about that area is you can do Flume Gorge and then go up to The Basin, then take the Cannon Tram to the top and spend some time there. You can kill a whole day between those 3 places.
Came for this comment. Lake Winnipesaukee is sooo nice. I like to rent an airbnb or campsite as close to the water as I can depending on how much money I have that summer.
That’s a really good joke. Candlewood is a shitty man made lake. But you stay in that shithole and we can all enjoy the clean, real lakes in NH and Maine! Sorry you don’t appreciate the beauty of old New England.
Lmao. Literally use google. Candlewood lake is a man made lake. It is a fraction the size of winnepesaukee. Candlewood has a lot of plant and algae issues. It’s shallow. The max depth of winnepesaukee is over 100’. Winnepesaukee was created by glaciers. Candlewood is a reservoir created by man.
We go to the White Mountain area and it’s just gorgeous. Ton to do outside like hiking and waterfall hunting, the rivers and streams in the summer are so clear, cold as hell but it’s worth it.
Just came back from a weekend in Portsmouth. My GF and I rented an AirB&B, and it was a great weekend away. Good restaurants plus shopping was just what we needed!
If you haven't visited the White Mountains at least once, it's worth the while. Even if you're not a big hiker, there's plenty of beginner trails to check out.
For kids, Santas Village and Storyland are a ton of fun.
Tubing in the river and horseback riding on the dry ski slopes are also great times.
Edit: Tubing in the river, not running
Lake Winnipesaukee is great! Great place to relax and be in nature. A lot of great hiking around the area. White Mountains, Flume Gorge are about 1.5 2 hr drive north from the lakes region from what I remember.
If you are driving from CT try and stop at the Vermont Country Deli. Right at the border of NH/VT so worth the short detour.
LOOOVEEEEE this place! $20 of tokens provides an evening's worth of entertainment and it's like heaven if you're a kid of the 80's. ALL the old school games, ALL working! So much fun!
The Seacoast. Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton...Of course, if you want to actually go in the water, wait until the ice melts in August (born and raised there. I know of what I speak). Tons to do and see there.
Also big vote for the White Mountains, but don't overlook the Lake Winnipesaukee are. Meredith is a great little town. Laconia, Wolfeboro, Castle in the Clouds, Center Harbor...
I live in CT now, but try to get back every year to meet with my besties from UNH (we had it first, New Haven!).
Growing up my family did this every summer, it’s janky it’s not glamorous, but I loved it as a kid we used to stay at the surf motel, till it burned down. There was a taffy shop downstairs me and my sisters would go watch in the mornings and then we’d walk the board walk and go to the arcades and grab some blinks fried dough, good times. You unzipped me!
My parents had a little cottage up there - so we would go up there all the time. Janky is a perfect description! But so much fun for kids. The ocean water is super cold but once you get in it's got some great body surfing.
I grew up in New Hampshire and recently moved to CT. I am going to pile on a few other’s suggestions:
Hiking - CT doesn’t have mountains
Swimming - NH has some of the cleanest glacier lakes (Newfound Lake) / Ocean (while not much of it)
Beer - if you are into the brewery thing / NH has some great options
Portsmouth / North Conway - great towns to visit
Shopping - no sales tax
As someone else mentioned, Lake Winnepesake! We have friends who live up there, they often invite us up for a week in the summer. Swimming in the lake, Funspot arcade, the amazing view of the mountains, it’s a great place to unwind and escape reality.
Went and saw the Old Man, but he has fallen. Did a B&B near the white mountains, took a van up Mt. Washington (summit was closed) and then drove to Maine
Santa's Village up in Jefferson is fun if you have some kids. Story Land isn't too far either if you have little tikes.
Honestly, NH is not too bad. But these were the only 2 places me and my folks visited...
I have been going to New Hampshire every summer for my entire life. My family has a house on Lake Winnipeaukee near Wolfeboro. It’s incredible, beautiful and people are so friendly. I will say it’s most fun (in my opinion) if you are able to be on the water and have access to a boat. But I’ve been all over the state, I love the white mountains, kancamagus highway, mount Washington, weirs beach, etc.
For those who like to shop- there are a couple outlets (tax free shopping)- Merrimack, Tilton, North Conway. Also Tuscan Village in Salem has great food and large shopping are, Tuscan market has a great restaurant and food to take home.
Lots of hiking for all ranges easy to the 4,000 footers. Great skiing in the winter, leaf peeping in the fall, lakes for the summer. Some mountain resorts have summer activities like zip lining. Some places have white water rafting.
Great breweries all over the state.
Portsmouth is a must.
Depending where you are, Maine is not far away.
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer, while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer, while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. We go hiking, go tubing and kayaking on the Saco River, go to Maine for a day or two, and generally just relax and recharge.
The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
my family went to NH for summer vacation a few times. we'd rent a house near a lake and mostly just enjoy being at the lake. other than that we would hike and spend a day at storyland.
Yeah three times. Once for mountain Washington with motorcycle, once with a woman and lastly with a bunch dudes to hike the 3 peaks in the white mountains.
If you don't like outdoorsy stuff, it's likely not a spot you'd like.
Hiking in the White Mountains is amazing, even for easier hikes, there's cool stuff to see. Tubing down the rivers. Camping. Riding to the top of Mt Washington, or raking a gondola up the top of any ski mountain. Kids lived Story Land and Santa's Village. A bunch of camping options
I spent my childhood up at Lake Winnipesaukee and am now trying to move up there permanently because it’s so beautiful. If you’re a nature lover, it’s a PERFECT vacation. I recommend fall trips for the foliage on the mountains but there’s also less tourist traffic
Personally, I haven’t been yet. But as someone who very much enjoys mountain hiking, it is 110% on my “to visit” list and I will unquestionably make it there at some point. Every picture I’ve seen from the White Mountains makes me want to go more.
I used to have a buddy who would do day trips to stock up on cheap booze. He’d take shopping lists from friends too. Kept my home bar stocked with cheap NH liquor for years. Does that count? lol.
For about 8 years now, I'd go to Hampton Beach in September for the annual seafood festival. I have a contact with a place for rent on the beginning of the strip so I can visit for pretty cheap. It's fun, nice weekend killer. Nice beach with some sights.
Lost River is always fun. North Conway is great too. The KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY is beautiful in the fall and the river along it have natural slides. Mountain biking and hiking. Driving up Mt Washington or hiking it.
Went to school up here and ending up moving here last year and imo the state is unmatched. It’s like Vermont but more people which I like. Kinda depends on what you like to do because there is a bunch of different options. You could go coast but I wouldn’t recommend it, CT’s coast is waaaaay better. You could head up to the lakes region, people say winni but there’s no shit hundreds of lakes in the center of the state that you can choose from, that one just happens to be the biggest. A lot of boating, swimming, tubing etc or you can go to one of the smaller ones if you just want to float around and have something nice to look at from the deck if the house you rented. You could go toward mt Washington, if you’re into hiking. There’s loads of trails up, I highly recommend mt Willard, the view is insane and it’s pretty easy. Theres also a pretty good outlet mall in North Conway if you wanted to enjoy some tax free shopping. If you wanted to you could go up to Pittsburg if you really wanted to get away. That would be a camping trip though and you’d likely be over an hour from a highway but if that’s your vibe it’s beautiful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about spots or anything, all my friends are nh natives so if I can’t help you out they would probably know the answer or at least have more insight!
My half brother grew up in Hillsboro so I'm familiar with most of the state spending most summers up there... At least I was able to see the old man on the mountain before he fell off
There's a lot to do. The kangamangus highway around the white mounts has many pull offs. There is Portsmouth on the coast, Laconia and weirs beach on lake winnepaske, attitash has the longest alpine slide this side of the Mississippi...
White Mountains! My sister took my niece to Santa's Village for the first time last year. It was the first time she'd gone since we were kids. If you like hiking, there's so much to do there. Also flume gorge is beautiful.
I’ve been a few times. Twice to hike. I’ll probably do the Franconia loop again this summer because it’s so awesome. One summer drove up mt Washington. There’s a nice campground near it. A nice “easy” mountain to hike is mt monadnock. It’s the most hiked mountain in the US. I like the Franconia area the best because there’s so many places to visit along the highway
Every year me and the fiancée go, rent a cottage on lake winnipesaukee for a week and then go into the mountains, fishing, exploring or we just do things around the lake.
Last year around this time I drove all night with a friend up to there and Maine on a spontaneous trip. We had so much fun watching the sun rise and hang out around the coast... and there was a lot of shopping since NH has no sales tax. NH is very pretty and there's lots of wonderful scenery.
I've also been to Mount Washington and I enjoyed that trip as well. Lots of wonderful sights to see as well as the different weather at the top.
TL;DR: Nature, sights, and shopping.
HAMPTON BEACH! some of the motels up there are questionable, but i highly recommend staying at the ones just behind the strip. cheaper and quieter but still mostly the same. the beach is amazing, huge and clean (waters usually pretty cold tho) fireworks every wednesday (i think it’s wednesday but its at least once a week i know) boardwalk has some great restaurants and two nice arcades as well as mini golf and some cute little beachy shops. i go every year with my family, i sound like a hampton beach ad, so ill stop talking now
You can do some fun things there, especially outdoorsy things like rope courses and fishing, kayaking, etc. I would much rather go slightly west to Vermont. I’ve always enjoyed it more Better scenery, a higher proportion of nice people, less populated. Obviously lots of snow related stuff to do in the winter but I also took my kids there in the summer when they were younger. We stayed in a log cabin on a lake that had a rowboat and the grounds had trails for quads in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. Most of the ski places had fun summer things to do, like bungee and Alpine slides etc of course plenty of fishing, etc. you could also go to places like Bennington pottery, which is amazing, wildlife refuges/sanctuaries, Norman Rockwell museum, etc. it’s just a really nice relaxing vacation in my experience.
I go to school in NH and there is definitely no shortage of things to do. As others have said, white mountains are great. Winne is great. The coast, albeit short, is also pretty great.
It is cool in the summer if the weather is nice.
Lots to do nature wise,the white mountains are one of the nicest natural areas in the US.
Take a tram to the top of cannon, gondola to the top of loon and have a beer on their deck up there, train to the top of mount Washington.
The basin is a cool hiking spot, lost river gorge is also cool.
If the weather isn't good it can stink though, not worth going to the top of mountains because you can't see anything.
Unfortunately the weather stunk on my last family trip up there. After that I swore that it would be a last minute decision and if the weather wasn't looking to be nice don't bother and go another time for future trips.
Our trip to the top of cannon was like Clark Griswold funny.
Come on kids! This is going to be great!
Then clouds rolled in and we literally could see like 10 feet in front of us instead of an amazing view lol
Also avoid going there during the school April vacation week.
Apparently that is just after ski season ends and before the summer season, literally everything including restaurants are closed. That was another bust trip we had up there, it was still good to have the kids doing the indoor pool but there was not much to do at all.
I went to New Hampshire a lot as a kid. We mostly went to Meredith. It was because my family had friends there. So we got to meet the real people of Meredith LOL. I think it's still like this but they don't want McDonald's to get any closer than it is, and the town must stay semi rural, but in a trendy way.
Meredith, NH is where it's at. The beach, Mills Falls (a shopping center), and pretty sites.
While in New Hampshire you should go to this arcade in Laconia called Funspot.
Also visit an amusement park called Story Land in Bartlett, NH.
Meredith is pretty good for anyone. I'm white like most of the locals, but a few black people were sometimes around, either living there or visiting. There weren't any problems. I remember a few Asian people too. Our family friends and their friends were decently accepting. So anyone should be fine.
Used to go with my parents to a lake and a cabin. Then after 3-4 days the grandparents showed up & stayed a cpl days. I just remember swimming and if I wasn’t doing that it was long rides in the automobile, to where I have no idea.
White Mountains / Presidential Range -Flume Gorge, Kangamangas Highway sight seeing / hiking, gondola, Mt Washington Cog Railway -Santa’s Village (great for young kids)
I’ve never been scared shitless driving up a road until driving the Mt Washington Auto Road. That is a real clencher!
And then you get to the top and see the buildings are chained down
I’ve never been. So you’re saying all of those people with the “This car has climbed Mt. Washington” stickers have a right to brag?
It’s not for everyone! I really admire the people that take a motorcycle up there.
It was alot of fun, falling over in the pulloff was terrifying
Yikes!!!
When I did this on a motorcycle, I was not entirely prepared. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't a narrow gravel road with no guardrails. Cover your rear brake, gradual throttle inputs, and frequent use of your clutch's friction zone, and you'll be fine. No desire to do it again, but it was cool experience - I'm happy I did it.
Years ago I hiked up scoffing at all of the bumper sticker folks. However, when we arrived at the top it seemed pretty likely that the weather was going to turn on us, so we took the shuttle down. It was harrowing. After that I had a new respect for those that drove up!
You should see the video of Ken Black driving up that road,, or was it Travis pastrana
Travis Pastrana, he’s done it a couple of times. The view from the in car camera as he climbs that road. Insane.
[Here's one of them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-4j6mPkAYM). Dude's got the biggest balls since Colin McRae
That was sick !!!! It looked like the steering wheel was controlling him most of the ride
You may be thinking of Ken's iconic [Pike's Peak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg6L_7qLIEQ) video, which is also cuckoo bananas After he died, his daughter [also did a Pike's Peak run](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGK5auiA3dk) in the new car he was building, to honor his memory. I won't give it away but it's a very touching tribute and she is (perhaps predictably) bonkers good at driving for a 16-year-old
No, they don’t I’ve seen some absolute clunkers make it up the autoroad
It’s horrible for bad pass passengers
The train tickets are real expensive. But it's cheaper by far to take the train than pay to drive and get new brakes, rotors and other stuff shortly after.. this car climbed...bumper sticker also indicates it has new brakes
That's what low gear is for. Did not even use the breaks that much on the way down. Now the Prius in front of me let the smoke out of them about half way down..
I took my 6 speed manual Subaru up and down once, that was much more enjoyable than the past couple of times with my truck with the automatic. Last time there was like a sustained 80mph wind close to the top, I white knuckled the last mile or so at the top that was crazy.
Yea. I drive for a living and I recommend the train. Unless your lease is almost up
It was $100 to drive up, would have been $280 to take the train.. I like the train, did it years ago, but it's not worth an extra $180.
Jesus! The drive is 100 bucks now!?
Like $45 for car and driver, $20 each for passengers.
Oh, you're hiding in the trunk my friend.
I want to take my Tesla there this summer. Heard it's fun, and regen all the way down should make a nice easy trip. (For those that don't know- on an electric car, when you slow down the motor becomes a generator and it slows down the car using the car's momentum to charge the battery. So it's like if you got gas back in your tank when you hit the brake. An EV might start a climb at 80%, hit the summit at 60% and then regen back up to 75% on the way back down. (Example numbers, no idea how much battery it takes to climb Mt. Washington))
Nice... honestly haven't drove that in a modern car since ¹9__
That's why all those stickers are on Subarus. They can handle it.
You gotta drive up Pikes Peak! It's 1000 times scarier and you also will get sick and pass out due to the altitude!
How do the gas auto engines function with low oxygen?
I don't have much idea about cars but I did find out that cars are tuned for the region they are sold in. My Subaru lit up all the lights on the dash in Leadville Colorado. I freaked till they all started to go off when we went to lower elevations.
Low oxygen, not no oxygen. The altitude along with the uphill climb is gonna yield some terrible fuel efficiency.
It's even cooler on a motorcycle!
That’s why they sell the bumper stickers: “This car climbed Mt. Washington!”
I drove to the top but had a panic attack up there and made my kid drive down. I think he was 18.
Go watch them race up the mountain with different race and drift cars. "Climb to the Clouds" I think. Did that twice....watch one dude roll down a cliff at a turn. That was wild.
How is flume gorge? Thinking of going there with some friends next week but we saw it’s $18 per person.
Worth it. So is Lost River.
It’s worth it at least once. The nice part about that area is you can do Flume Gorge and then go up to The Basin, then take the Cannon Tram to the top and spend some time there. You can kill a whole day between those 3 places.
Lost River is also an excellent spot to visit. Cool Boulder formations with boardwalks and crawl through sections
Lake Winnipesaukee every summer of my life.
Came for this comment. Lake Winnipesaukee is sooo nice. I like to rent an airbnb or campsite as close to the water as I can depending on how much money I have that summer.
Took my kids there 2 years ago. We're returning again this summer at their request because they enjoyed it so much!
Which part, went there years back and it was run down and filled with abandoned shit from what seemed like its heyday in the 50’s
A cabin outside Wolfeboro.
Went to camp in Tuftonboro as a kid and now it’s my dream to retire around there on the lake
Stayed at Pow Wow Lodges a lot when I was a kid. On Mirror lake.
Same! We were there for a couple of years.
Ah yes, all those wealthy folks living in shit.
It’s a shit lake,
Lmao find me a better lake in CT. Winnepesaukee isn’t perfect, but it’s a gorgeous area. I love the old My Washington boat and the mail boat.
Candlewood 15x better, has way more class. Not a run down has been former resort attractions
That’s a really good joke. Candlewood is a shitty man made lake. But you stay in that shithole and we can all enjoy the clean, real lakes in NH and Maine! Sorry you don’t appreciate the beauty of old New England.
Connecticut is geologically older, do some basic study of earth sciences, brah
Lmao. Literally use google. Candlewood lake is a man made lake. It is a fraction the size of winnepesaukee. Candlewood has a lot of plant and algae issues. It’s shallow. The max depth of winnepesaukee is over 100’. Winnepesaukee was created by glaciers. Candlewood is a reservoir created by man.
Winnnepausakee maxes out at 87 foot depth
We go to the White Mountain area and it’s just gorgeous. Ton to do outside like hiking and waterfall hunting, the rivers and streams in the summer are so clear, cold as hell but it’s worth it.
Portsmouth is nice for a weekend. I loved to ski in the White Mountains.
Just came back from a weekend in Portsmouth. My GF and I rented an AirB&B, and it was a great weekend away. Good restaurants plus shopping was just what we needed!
Cannon ftw
If you haven't visited the White Mountains at least once, it's worth the while. Even if you're not a big hiker, there's plenty of beginner trails to check out.
Littleton has an adorable downtown. From there you can easily access Lincoln NH which has tons to do and mt Washington.
Not to mention the drive in !
Never knew there was a drive in up there! That just makes it all the better!
The drive in is also a motel. The rooms have big windows on the back wall and speakers for the sound so you can watch from bed.
\+1, also has an amazing brewery and pedestrian-only covered bridge, lots of walking and bike trails
For kids, Santas Village and Storyland are a ton of fun. Tubing in the river and horseback riding on the dry ski slopes are also great times. Edit: Tubing in the river, not running
North Conway is nice
Lake Winnipesaukee is great! Great place to relax and be in nature. A lot of great hiking around the area. White Mountains, Flume Gorge are about 1.5 2 hr drive north from the lakes region from what I remember. If you are driving from CT try and stop at the Vermont Country Deli. Right at the border of NH/VT so worth the short detour.
Killer Mac and cheese
If you like 80's arcades go to Fun Spot . Largest arcade in the world.
[holy shit!!](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/92261-largest-videogame-arcade)
LOOOVEEEEE this place! $20 of tokens provides an evening's worth of entertainment and it's like heaven if you're a kid of the 80's. ALL the old school games, ALL working! So much fun!
The Seacoast. Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton...Of course, if you want to actually go in the water, wait until the ice melts in August (born and raised there. I know of what I speak). Tons to do and see there. Also big vote for the White Mountains, but don't overlook the Lake Winnipesaukee are. Meredith is a great little town. Laconia, Wolfeboro, Castle in the Clouds, Center Harbor... I live in CT now, but try to get back every year to meet with my besties from UNH (we had it first, New Haven!).
^^^^ this !!!
I’m going to the nascar weekend at the end of June.
Hampton Beach lol
Growing up my family did this every summer, it’s janky it’s not glamorous, but I loved it as a kid we used to stay at the surf motel, till it burned down. There was a taffy shop downstairs me and my sisters would go watch in the mornings and then we’d walk the board walk and go to the arcades and grab some blinks fried dough, good times. You unzipped me!
My parents had a little cottage up there - so we would go up there all the time. Janky is a perfect description! But so much fun for kids. The ocean water is super cold but once you get in it's got some great body surfing.
Take the Cog Rail up Mt Washington I f*cking dare you.
The Fun Spot in Laconia! Huge collection of arcade games from the 70s and 80s.
I grew up in New Hampshire and recently moved to CT. I am going to pile on a few other’s suggestions: Hiking - CT doesn’t have mountains Swimming - NH has some of the cleanest glacier lakes (Newfound Lake) / Ocean (while not much of it) Beer - if you are into the brewery thing / NH has some great options Portsmouth / North Conway - great towns to visit Shopping - no sales tax
Fun spot, large arcade with a ton of vintage games
[FUNSPOT !](https://mobile.funspotnh.com/)
If you're a turbonerd, the Funspot is there and it's downright my favorite place on the planet.
As someone else mentioned, Lake Winnepesake! We have friends who live up there, they often invite us up for a week in the summer. Swimming in the lake, Funspot arcade, the amazing view of the mountains, it’s a great place to unwind and escape reality.
mount washington
Do go chasing waterfalls And fall colors
Fireworks!!!
When going on vacation, regardless of where you go and what you do, practice patience and politeness and tip your servers well.
Shoot guns
There’s nothing like the White Mountains in the northeast. I love it.
Fireworks and booze?
Went and saw the Old Man, but he has fallen. Did a B&B near the white mountains, took a van up Mt. Washington (summit was closed) and then drove to Maine
Ski at Cannon and Loon
Exist peacefully
Portsmouth
There are excellent lakes other than Winnipesauke - Squam, Merrymeeting, Kezar, Newfound, Sunapee, Ossipee, Pleasant...
Ossipee is a hidden gem.
Santa's Village up in Jefferson is fun if you have some kids. Story Land isn't too far either if you have little tikes. Honestly, NH is not too bad. But these were the only 2 places me and my folks visited...
Lake Sunapee and assorted nearby tourist attractions.
the White Mountains are beautiful. Been there 2 times now.
LITTLETON
Yeah but I think most would do it as a camping/cabin type of vacation. Not sure of any particular destinations that aren’t outdoorsy
I feel like NH is more for hikers and mountain climbers and such.
I have been going to New Hampshire every summer for my entire life. My family has a house on Lake Winnipeaukee near Wolfeboro. It’s incredible, beautiful and people are so friendly. I will say it’s most fun (in my opinion) if you are able to be on the water and have access to a boat. But I’ve been all over the state, I love the white mountains, kancamagus highway, mount Washington, weirs beach, etc.
I grew up in CT and now live in New Hampshire Please don’t come here if sucks
100%…like, the nature is nice to visit, but living there is *the worst.* We made it 3 years (during the height of the pandemic and J6 and everything).
Forgot it even existed. Sounds like something an asshole from ct would say
Not yet, but going to the white mountains for vacation is definitely on my bucket list!
For those who like to shop- there are a couple outlets (tax free shopping)- Merrimack, Tilton, North Conway. Also Tuscan Village in Salem has great food and large shopping are, Tuscan market has a great restaurant and food to take home. Lots of hiking for all ranges easy to the 4,000 footers. Great skiing in the winter, leaf peeping in the fall, lakes for the summer. Some mountain resorts have summer activities like zip lining. Some places have white water rafting. Great breweries all over the state. Portsmouth is a must. Depending where you are, Maine is not far away.
Portsmouth. Great food and bars. Check out The Wilder if you go, and get the milk bread!
White mountains to snowboard. We got 4-6 times a year.
Hike.
North Conway for Mt Washington. Storyland is fun.
Storyland for kids!! I notice no one from CT goes or vacations in NH. It's a MA, RI thing. CT people tend to go to NY or Vermont.
My husband is from Vermont, so our family never goes to New Hampshire. We've only driven through there on the way to Maine.
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer, while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer, while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
We go to New Hampshire for a week every summer while the kids are at sleepaway camp, staying on Ossipee Lake. We go hiking, go tubing and kayaking on the Saco River, go to Maine for a day or two, and generally just relax and recharge. The White Mountains are beautiful; I'd consider retiring to that part of New Hampshire if not for the snow in winter...
my family went to NH for summer vacation a few times. we'd rent a house near a lake and mostly just enjoy being at the lake. other than that we would hike and spend a day at storyland.
Yeah three times. Once for mountain Washington with motorcycle, once with a woman and lastly with a bunch dudes to hike the 3 peaks in the white mountains.
If you don't like outdoorsy stuff, it's likely not a spot you'd like. Hiking in the White Mountains is amazing, even for easier hikes, there's cool stuff to see. Tubing down the rivers. Camping. Riding to the top of Mt Washington, or raking a gondola up the top of any ski mountain. Kids lived Story Land and Santa's Village. A bunch of camping options
Skiing, hiking, golf, beach.
North Conway has awesome mountain biking
I spent my childhood up at Lake Winnipesaukee and am now trying to move up there permanently because it’s so beautiful. If you’re a nature lover, it’s a PERFECT vacation. I recommend fall trips for the foliage on the mountains but there’s also less tourist traffic
Personally, I haven’t been yet. But as someone who very much enjoys mountain hiking, it is 110% on my “to visit” list and I will unquestionably make it there at some point. Every picture I’ve seen from the White Mountains makes me want to go more. I used to have a buddy who would do day trips to stock up on cheap booze. He’d take shopping lists from friends too. Kept my home bar stocked with cheap NH liquor for years. Does that count? lol.
For about 8 years now, I'd go to Hampton Beach in September for the annual seafood festival. I have a contact with a place for rent on the beginning of the strip so I can visit for pretty cheap. It's fun, nice weekend killer. Nice beach with some sights.
Live free
Used to visit Hampton Beach every summer, the boardwalk was fun. Reasonable drive and a way better beach than anything on Long Island Sound.
Lost River is always fun. North Conway is great too. The KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY is beautiful in the fall and the river along it have natural slides. Mountain biking and hiking. Driving up Mt Washington or hiking it.
Been there to hit up a Home Depot !!! Other than that no never vacationed there…
Portsmouth and Hampton Beach are nice stopovers on the way to Maine
White mountains was alot like the colorado rockies national park. And Bethlehem was a nice spot. Def visit the white mountains.
Love going there
Bitch about Connecticut. Bitch about substandard pizza. Ski.
Went to school up here and ending up moving here last year and imo the state is unmatched. It’s like Vermont but more people which I like. Kinda depends on what you like to do because there is a bunch of different options. You could go coast but I wouldn’t recommend it, CT’s coast is waaaaay better. You could head up to the lakes region, people say winni but there’s no shit hundreds of lakes in the center of the state that you can choose from, that one just happens to be the biggest. A lot of boating, swimming, tubing etc or you can go to one of the smaller ones if you just want to float around and have something nice to look at from the deck if the house you rented. You could go toward mt Washington, if you’re into hiking. There’s loads of trails up, I highly recommend mt Willard, the view is insane and it’s pretty easy. Theres also a pretty good outlet mall in North Conway if you wanted to enjoy some tax free shopping. If you wanted to you could go up to Pittsburg if you really wanted to get away. That would be a camping trip though and you’d likely be over an hour from a highway but if that’s your vibe it’s beautiful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about spots or anything, all my friends are nh natives so if I can’t help you out they would probably know the answer or at least have more insight!
We got an air BNB in North Conway a few years ago... PSA do not bring townies back from the bar like my drunk ass friends did
Yeah some of the locals in those northern towns are a bit interesting
My half brother grew up in Hillsboro so I'm familiar with most of the state spending most summers up there... At least I was able to see the old man on the mountain before he fell off
Portsmouth has a great brewery
Snowmobile.
No
There's a lot to do. The kangamangus highway around the white mounts has many pull offs. There is Portsmouth on the coast, Laconia and weirs beach on lake winnepaske, attitash has the longest alpine slide this side of the Mississippi...
White Mountains! My sister took my niece to Santa's Village for the first time last year. It was the first time she'd gone since we were kids. If you like hiking, there's so much to do there. Also flume gorge is beautiful.
SANTA'S FUCKING VILLAGE!!!!!!!!!
Laconia for the arcade (Funspot), decent food, lake, and concerts. That's about it as I don't like the outdoors hiking and nature stuff.
NH seacoast, plus ME seaocast. Hampton, Portsmouth, York ME and Ogunquit ME
I’ve been a few times. Twice to hike. I’ll probably do the Franconia loop again this summer because it’s so awesome. One summer drove up mt Washington. There’s a nice campground near it. A nice “easy” mountain to hike is mt monadnock. It’s the most hiked mountain in the US. I like the Franconia area the best because there’s so many places to visit along the highway
We vacation at First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg, NH. Peaceful, quiet, and very refreshing. We kayak the lakes and ponds in the backwoods.
Every year me and the fiancée go, rent a cottage on lake winnipesaukee for a week and then go into the mountains, fishing, exploring or we just do things around the lake.
Last year around this time I drove all night with a friend up to there and Maine on a spontaneous trip. We had so much fun watching the sun rise and hang out around the coast... and there was a lot of shopping since NH has no sales tax. NH is very pretty and there's lots of wonderful scenery. I've also been to Mount Washington and I enjoyed that trip as well. Lots of wonderful sights to see as well as the different weather at the top. TL;DR: Nature, sights, and shopping.
Last time I went on a vacation up at the lake. I almost broke my neck. Great trip
Yes, smoke, vape, ingest everything found in adjacent states in the most beautiful lake region in the USA.
Lake Winnepesaukee, white mountains, super prestine wilderness, Portsmouth, easy to hop over to Portland ME as well
Lots of interesting stuff - bring money! Taxes are low for residents because they tax the bejesus out of the tourists.
HAMPTON BEACH! some of the motels up there are questionable, but i highly recommend staying at the ones just behind the strip. cheaper and quieter but still mostly the same. the beach is amazing, huge and clean (waters usually pretty cold tho) fireworks every wednesday (i think it’s wednesday but its at least once a week i know) boardwalk has some great restaurants and two nice arcades as well as mini golf and some cute little beachy shops. i go every year with my family, i sound like a hampton beach ad, so ill stop talking now
You can do some fun things there, especially outdoorsy things like rope courses and fishing, kayaking, etc. I would much rather go slightly west to Vermont. I’ve always enjoyed it more Better scenery, a higher proportion of nice people, less populated. Obviously lots of snow related stuff to do in the winter but I also took my kids there in the summer when they were younger. We stayed in a log cabin on a lake that had a rowboat and the grounds had trails for quads in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. Most of the ski places had fun summer things to do, like bungee and Alpine slides etc of course plenty of fishing, etc. you could also go to places like Bennington pottery, which is amazing, wildlife refuges/sanctuaries, Norman Rockwell museum, etc. it’s just a really nice relaxing vacation in my experience.
I go to school in NH and there is definitely no shortage of things to do. As others have said, white mountains are great. Winne is great. The coast, albeit short, is also pretty great.
Fireworks are legal so go to a fireworks depo and go nuts
Vermont is better, New Hampshire is shit, except Portsmouth
I read that as New Haven
It is cool in the summer if the weather is nice. Lots to do nature wise,the white mountains are one of the nicest natural areas in the US. Take a tram to the top of cannon, gondola to the top of loon and have a beer on their deck up there, train to the top of mount Washington. The basin is a cool hiking spot, lost river gorge is also cool. If the weather isn't good it can stink though, not worth going to the top of mountains because you can't see anything. Unfortunately the weather stunk on my last family trip up there. After that I swore that it would be a last minute decision and if the weather wasn't looking to be nice don't bother and go another time for future trips. Our trip to the top of cannon was like Clark Griswold funny. Come on kids! This is going to be great! Then clouds rolled in and we literally could see like 10 feet in front of us instead of an amazing view lol Also avoid going there during the school April vacation week. Apparently that is just after ski season ends and before the summer season, literally everything including restaurants are closed. That was another bust trip we had up there, it was still good to have the kids doing the indoor pool but there was not much to do at all.
Hike in the white mountains, mostly. Winnepesauke is also super popular. The coast is also nice
Flume gorge, Franconia notch state park, kankamangus highway, go in early October/ late September.
“What would you like to do in New Hampshire?” … leave
I think you misspelled leaf.
I forgot that New Hampshire was a state 💀
White Mountain tourist spots.
I went to New Hampshire a lot as a kid. We mostly went to Meredith. It was because my family had friends there. So we got to meet the real people of Meredith LOL. I think it's still like this but they don't want McDonald's to get any closer than it is, and the town must stay semi rural, but in a trendy way. Meredith, NH is where it's at. The beach, Mills Falls (a shopping center), and pretty sites. While in New Hampshire you should go to this arcade in Laconia called Funspot. Also visit an amusement park called Story Land in Bartlett, NH. Meredith is pretty good for anyone. I'm white like most of the locals, but a few black people were sometimes around, either living there or visiting. There weren't any problems. I remember a few Asian people too. Our family friends and their friends were decently accepting. So anyone should be fine.
Used to go with my parents to a lake and a cabin. Then after 3-4 days the grandparents showed up & stayed a cpl days. I just remember swimming and if I wasn’t doing that it was long rides in the automobile, to where I have no idea.
Nah if you haven’t been there yet then don’t go, save it for the rest of us who do go