Clark's
Trading Post, North Woodstock, N.H. (Photo source:
ClarksTradingPost.com)The concept of a road trip is inherently built into our
American DNA. The thought of jumping into the car en route to
someplace fun and taking you away from the routine is truly pure
Americana.
I remember when growing up in the Boston, Mass., area, my folks would
take us in their wood paneled station Ford LTD station wagon to the
White Mountains of New Hampshire. The sight of tall rugged
mountains, the smell of fresh air and the virtual playground of really
fun travel attractions made this the best New England vacation
destination around. The great news is that so many of the things we
enjoyed in the White Mountains as kids "back in the day" happily exist
and often thrive as major New England vacation attractions to this very
day.
Here are some of those memories that you can still enjoy as part of
your family road trip to the White Mountains:
The Flume Gorge (852 Daniel Webster Highway, Lincoln) is a natural
granite gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty and
towering granite walls rising to a height of 90 ft. The Basin (Route 93
Lincoln) features a waterfall and a most unusual 20 ft. diameter
pothole. You could stay here for hours and enjoy the whirling water in
the basin (maybe it’s just me, but it does get crowded here). Clark's
Trading Post (110 Daniel Webster Highway) features a trained bear show,
museums, a circus act, family entertainment and the White Mountain
Central Railroad that takes you through the best of rural scenic New
Hampshire. Storyland (Route 16 Glen) is a thoughtfully-laid out
children's theme park with rides and a chance to meet some famous
storybook characters. Santa’s Village (528 Presidential Highway,
Jefferson) in Jefferson, N.H., is just, a theme park with Santa’s home,
Santa’s Express train, and amusements, entertainment and food with a
holiday theme. You can also experience incredible views by
driving the Mt. Washington Auto Road near Gorham, en route to the peak
of Mt. Washington -- new Hampshire’s highest peak at 6,288 ft. Just
like in the old days, you can also receive that well-deserved
“THIS CAR CLIMBED MT. WASHINGTON” bumper sticker!
As a family back in the day, we stayed at the Indian Head Resort (664
Route 3, Lincoln) in Lincoln. You’ll know you’re here when you’ve found
the landmark totem pole our front! Although a staple of the past, the
Indian Head is perhaps more popular than ever with millions of dollars
of renovation, year-round indoor and outdoor pools, 50 Plasma HDTVs in
all motel rooms, paddle boats and fishing at the lake out back, and a
ton of kids activities. You can stay in a motel room, cottage or
bungalow.
I also remember Woodward's Resort
in Lincoln, the ultimate family resort that always seemed sunny,
friendly and with nice rooms. Woodward's has expanded through the years
to offer indoor and outdoors pools, hot tub, tennis court, a pub and a
game room. It seems though that the staff has always elevated a very
good place to stay into a great resort destination. -- nice to know in
this day of age.
Of course, the White Mountains of New Hampshire has so many more
vacation attractions and places to stay today, so we recommend checking
out the whole
experience at VisitWhiteMountains.com.
But make sure to experience the attractions mentioned here in this
article. They are indeed wonderful New England vacation attractions
that have been a part of so many wonderful childhood memories through
the years.
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