My Favorite Places in New England: The New Hampshire Edition (plus a touch of Vermont and Rhode Island)

Originally published June 26, 2020.  Updated August 26, 2022.

This is definitely going to be my final post on places to go in New England, because I'm running out of things on my list (for now).

New Hampshire

1. White Mountains - there is so much to do in the White Mountains!  We camped in Jefferson and visited Santa's Village and Storyland, both amusement parks for the younger kids.  Santa's Village is newer and cleaner, while Storyland is like Disneyland but based on the traditional fairy tales.  Santa's Village also has a brand new water park called HoHoH2O.  😆Both offer an extra free day's ticket is you come in after 3 on a certain day.  So we did this one summer, but after spending a day and a half at Santa's Village and a half day at Storyland, we were theme parked-out, so we saved the extra day for a road trip back in the fall.  There's another water park called Whale's Tale, but we haven't tried that one yet.  Do the drive up Mount Washington with the audio guide.  We also took the Mount Washington Cog Railway up to the summit on a separate trip.  We chose to take the original coal-powered steam engine train.  It takes about an hour to go up the 3 miles, you get an hour at the top, and then it takes about 45 minutes to get back down.  Be sure to sit on the left side of the train and at the front of the train if possible (row 1).  The seats flip around so that you will be in the back on the way down.  Pack a light jacket because it's cold up top, even in the summer.  Drive the Kankamangus Highway, especially in the fall to see the leaves change colors.  We've hiked The Basin (a really easy flat trail along a babbling brook) and Artist's Bluff (which provides a magnificent view of Echo Lake).  The Flume Gorge is worth a visit, but it has a pretty steep fee.  Biking along the Pemi River is such a great ride!  The hike to Lonesome Lake was a great moderate hike with amazing views once you reach the lake at the top (the trail can be started at the Lafayette Place Campground); there's a hut managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club at the top where you can get a hot meal.  We attended church service at the top of Loon Mountain, which was spectacular, and then enjoyed the walk up in the trees afterwards!  In the winter, we like to ski at Cranmore in North Conway.  A great place to stay in North Conway is the Hampton Inn - it's a lot more affordable than the Red Jacket but it has a small indoor waterpark which is great after a day of skiing.  One last shout out is to check out the sushi at Delaney's Hole in the Wall.  We were pleasantly surprised considering we were in the middle of New Hampshire.  There are so many trails here and I just can't wait to go back!  2022 Update: We did 8 waterfalls in 2 days!  Sabbaday Falls, Upper Falls (Rocky Gorge), Lower Falls on the Kancamagus Highway; Jackson Falls and Diana's Bath near North Conway; and Bemis Brook Falls, Coliseum Falls, and Arethusa Falls.
2. Weir's Beach (Laconia) - this is a beautiful boardwalk on the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee that has old school arcades, ice cream shops, train ride, mini golf, and a drive in theater.  You can also board the Mount Washington Cruise ship to get onto the water.  Finally, there is a mail boat that you can take around the lake that actually delivers the mail.  
3. Canobie Lake (Salem) - another amusement park for slightly older kids.  We went when my kids were 8 and 9 and I thought it was perfect.  Take the little boat cruise out onto the lake, especially towards sunset.
4. Ragged Mountain - a small, but absolutely wonderful ski resort, "affordable" and family friendly.  Kids can't get lost and the lodge is a great place to relax.  We get the kids rentals for the season and it comes with a $99 season pass to Ragged.
5. Pat's Peak - we came here once when the kids were young and they just stayed on the bunny slopes.  I think the bunny slopes were free for everyone so it's a great place to learn and practice!

Vermont

1. Stowe - we spent a whole day on the ropes course at Smugglers' Notch, well, at least one kid in the family did.  If you like tennis, take some lessons at Top Notch - absolutely worth it.  We also drove to the Trapp Family Lodge - the Von Trapp family from Sound of Music settled here because it reminded them of their home in Austria.  You will feel like you were transported to another place and the green mountains are alive with singing here!  They craft their own beers, and you can sit outside and enjoy it with a pretzel and some brats.  Pick up some Heady Topper at The Alchemist - go early since they do run out.  A little bit outside of Stowe, you can visit the Ben & Jerry's factory (go early in the day because they do shut down and you won't see any ice cream being made) and the Cabot Store next door where you can sample their whole array of cheese.  On the way to or from Stowe, stop by the King Arthur Company Store and enjoy the bread.  You can even take some classes if you have time.  Finally, we took a tour of the Rock of Ages granite quarry, where the majority of gravestones in America come from, and a tour of the Vermont State House in Montpelier.
2. Killington - this is in the Green Mountains, but I just remember it being really white.  😉  It's another large ski resort.
3. Burlington

Rhode Island

1. Newport - I love the snack bar at Easton Beach, for a quick lobster roll without breaking the bank.  Also, definitely do the Cliff Walk and look into the backyards of all these mansions.  You can tour many of these ginormous mansions, but we haven't.  Downtown is a great place for shopping and eating.
2. Providence - the Waterfire show is still on the bucket list.

Connecticut - this is just a place you have to drive through to get to NYC.  just kidding.  We haven't really explored CT yet, but I see there's supposed to be dinosaur tracks and I'm sure there's a lot more to discover.