North Conway, in the heart of New Hampshire’s scenic White Mountains, has been welcoming winter vacation guests for nearly a century. Snow sports, particularly skiing, began to catch on in the early 1930s and North Conway was a leader in making the sport popular. By the late 1930s the same trains that brought summer visitors were chugging into town all winter filled with avid young skiers from Boston, New York and Hartford. Today North Conway is a year-round vacation and getaway mecca famed for its recreation and shopping options, as well as its variety of dining and lodging.
Winter Sports in North Conway
In winter skiing is the big sport – after all, the industry was born here. Cranmore Mountain Resort is one of the nation’s original major ski hills and is still one of New England’s best. Its full range of services include ski lessons for all ages, day care, equipment rentals and dining. Cranmore also offers tubing and for the more adventurous, a several-thousand-foot mountain coaster that is new this year is open all year. To add variety, ski or board at Black Mountain in nearby Jackson and Attitash Mountain in Bartlett, each only a few miles north.
The Mount Washington Ski Touring and Snowshoeing Foundation has 65 km (39miles) of snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails in the Intervale area, and some of the nation’s best Nordic skiing is on the trails of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation in Jackson. Ice skating is free at the rink in the center of North Conway, and for more extreme adventures, Eastern Mountain Sports teaches ice climbing on nearby frozen ledges. For equipment tuning, repair or to buy new, go to Stan & Dan’s on Route 16 north of North Conway. They have everything and they fit boots better than anyone else anywhere.
A Bit of Shopping Too
In downtown North Conway, Zeb’s Country Store stocks a fascinating mix of New Hampshire- and New England-made products, from jellies and cheeses to clothing and home decor. Sweeten a weekend with chocolate specialties from the Bavarian Chocolate Haus and browse next door at the HandCafters Barn, with works by 200 artisans. On the south end of town along Route 16, a string of outlet plazas offer merchandise and deals enough to make the most devoted shopper dizzy. Everyone’s favorite is the LL Bean Outlet store. The Weather Discovery Center is a good place for inquiring minds to learn about the extreme conditions atop Mt Washington and to actually feel what it’s like up there in high winds. Visitors can even do their own televised weather reports. Conway Scenic Railroad runs winter trains during the holiday season.
How to get to North Conway
The nearest airports are Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Boston Logan Airport and Portland International Airport. Access from I-95 is via Route 16 (Spaulding Turnpike) at Portsmouth; from I-93 take the Route 25 exit toward Meredith and follow it to Route 16 at Ossipee.
Stillman Rogers - Travel is an important method of learning about the rest of the world and finding our own place in it. Exposure to other culture enriches ...
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