The Best New England Winter Vacation and Travel Destinations
Winter on North Street in Walpole, Mass.
by Eric Hurwitz. Updated 12/02/16.
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The cold weather will never stop a hardy New Englander from
enjoying his or her outdoor surroundings and it
shouldn't stop visitors either. Scenes of fluffy, white snow
gracing town commons and winding country roads, the opportunity to ski,
cross country ski and snowboard, the wonderful Vermont or New Hampshire
mountain family resorts in sleepy or bustling ski destination towns,
ice skating on the pond, sledding down a hill, and Christmas
celebrations are enough to keep hundreds
of thousands of New Englanders living in New England rather than, say,
moving to Florida. Let's get the snowball rolling...
WINTER VACATION IDEAS IN THE NEW
HAMPSHIRE WHITE MOUNTAINS
Omni Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, N.H.
Perhaps the best choice for spending a family winter vacation is in the
White
Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. This isn't your basic,
wimpy, measly- hills-disguised-as-mountains vacation getaway. Mt.
Washington peaks at 6,288 ft. It's a beautiful sight, with its peak
capped with a blanket of snow, as is virtually other location in this
rugged region. North Conway is a terrific place to stay with
views of Mt. Washington from Main St. and loads of great options for
White Mountain-style lodging and dining choices -- as well as
delightful, local store and a growing number of outlet stores. It's
home to Mt. Cranmore with 40 acres of skiiable terrain with a vertical
drop of 1,200 ft. and 41 trails of novice, intermediate and expert
trails. While high and lonesome Bretton Woods doesn't have a downtown
as clearly defined as North Conway, its closer in proximity to Mt.
Washington. This family-oriented ski area becomes a ski lover's dream
in the winter 434 acres of ski and snowboard terrain, 101 trails and
glades, as well as four terrain parks. Bretton Woods is home to the
1902 historic landmark Mount Washington Resort -- dramatically stunning
in appearance with its grand Spanish Architecture in an almost
castle-like appearance. The quintessential sleepy New England
town of Jackson has a lot to offer in the winter with some classic,
historic New Hampshire inns as well as Wildcat Mountain, a highly
developed ski area with amazing views of Mount Washington that you
simply won't believe! Cross country skiing is prominent at
Jackson Falls and Jackson X-C, a 150+ kilometer trail system that will
take you through the heart of a truly scenic White Mountains area.
STOWE VERMONT IN THE WINTER
Photographed at the Stowe Mountain Lodge, Stowe, Vt. Photo
credit: Stowe Mountain Lodge.
Stowe has grown from a sleepy, little village into a major
tourist
attraction with Mountain Rd. featuring numerous hotels, dining, and
shopping choices. Despite its growth, the small-town feeling and the
scenery can never be taken away from this famous travel and vacation
destination. The downtown is still classic Vermont with its general
store, small-town stores and white church steeple within a spectacular
mountain setting. Of course, those mountains create ideal skiing
situations at Stowe
Mountain Resort
where Mt. Mansfield resides as the state's highest elevation at
4,395. The highest skiing elevation comes in at 3,640 ft. and
vertical drop at 2,360. The Mountain features 116 total trails,
including 40 miles of 485 skiiable acres!
Stowe lodging abounds from the ski area to the quaint downtown in the
form of motels, hotels, family-oriented resorts, and quaint classic
Vermont inns and bed and breakfasts. One famous lodging
destination is the Trapp Family Lodge, a 96-room alpine lodge and
mountain resort with spectacular mountains views and three heated
pools, 100 km of trails, concerts in our meadows, world class cuisine,
wine tastings and much more. With its
Austrian-meets-classic-Vermont-country-inn feel, the Trapp Family Lodge is perhaps
best known as the
inspiration for the classic movie "The Sound of Music."
TOP NEW ENGLAND HOTEL AND SKI
DESTINATION TOWNS
Make hotel reservations through
Booking.com or at some of New England's best ski areas!
Many areas mentioned below also include cross-country skiing,
snowshoeing and snowboarding opportunities. Research each community and
its hotels and you'll be amazed at the big-time winter attractions in
such small towns...
Lincoln, N.H.-- Loon Mountain, in
the heart of the
White Mountains
Killington, Vt. -- Mt.
Killington, perhaps New
England's best developed ski area
Westminster, Mass. -- Wachusett
Mountain, an
underrated mountain with "major league" ski facilities.
Hancock, Mass. -- Jiminy Peak, in
the heart of the
Berkshires
Ludlow, Vt. -- Okemo Mountain, a
well-regarded ski
area in a very nice "Vermont" town
Warren, Vt. -- Sugarbush
Mountain, nice historic
town center, beautiful Vermont rural scenery
North Conway, N.H. -- Mount
Cranmore, a great ski
area in one of New England's most idyllic, fun mountain towns
Here, you can find huge discounts on
ski lift tickets at ski resorts in New England...
New England
winter travel articles from VisitingNewEngland and the Thrifty New
England Traveler
Best
ski resorts for families in New England
Find
top cross country skiing spots in New Hampshire
Boston Frog Pond winter ice skating at the Boston
Common in Boston, Mass.
Turner Pond ice skating and lodge at Turner Pond in
Walpole, Mass.
Winter cross country skiing in Jackson, N.H.
Winter recreation opportunities in west, northern Maine
Chilly
outside, chili inside in Pomfret, Conn.
New England winter travel fun for the person who
doesn't like skiing
Winter ice skating at Patriot Place in Foboro, Mass.
Experience
the best Christmas celebrations, festivals in New England
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Eric
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