My 9 year-old daughter and I had a fantastic experience spending June & July in New Hampshire. Thanks to a lot of great suggestions from Texags peeps and family in New England.
The trip:
We drove from Fort Worth, primarily because a rental car for that length of time was going to cost almost as much as our lodging. It was a lot of time on the road, but ultimately it was really nice to have our own vehicle as opposed to a rental.
On the way there, we spent the night in Jackson, TN, Roanoke, VA, and Bridgeport, CT.
On the way back, we stayed in Niagara Falls, NY, Louisville, KY, and Little Rock, AR. If/when we make the trip again, this is for sure the way we will go.
All told, from the time we left to the time we returned, we drove 8090 miles.
Where we stayed:
I rented a condo in Thornton, NH, at the southern edge of the White Mountains. Could not have been happier with the location. There's a large grocery store in Plymouth that was about 20 minutes away, and a small local grocery store in Campton that was about 10 minutes. There were a handful of local restaurants around, and tons of hiking trails super close.
Our very favorite thing was that our condo was walking distance to the Mad River. Beautiful, clean/clear river filled with large granite boulders. We went to the river nearly every day. It was heaven.
Our favorite hikes:
* Smarts Brook/Sandwich Dome
* Welch-Dickey Loop
* Kettles Path to The Scaur
* Flume Gorge
My daughter LOVED Lost River Gorge. I'd call it more of a stroll than a hike, but we went twice and she was still asking to go back.
Favorite "chill" day:
Definitely the Lower Scenic Falls area on the Kancamagus Highway. We went a few times and took towels, drinks, and snacks, and just spent the entire day lounging on the big boulders and playing in the water.
Favorite small town:
Littleton, NH. Cutest little mountain town. Main Street is packed with breweries, restaurants, and unique shops.
Favorite day excursions:
* Conway Scenic Railroad
* Mount Washington Cog Railway
* Drove a loop around Lake Winnipesaukee, just stopping when we saw something interesting.
* Spent an afternoon at Echo Lake Beach swimming and pedal-boating.
Things we loved outside of NH:
* Boston Pops 4th of July - ticketed event at the Community Boating marina, worth every penny.
* Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, VT
* Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH
* Lunch at Luke's Lobster in Portland, ME
* Whale watching in Cape Cod
* The Breakers, Marble House, and Ocean Drive in Newport, RI
* Stopped at Quechee Gorge in VT for a couple hours on the way home.
* Two night stop at Niagara Falls on the way home.
All in all, it's the best summer I've ever had as an adult. We hiked a total of 65 miles, slept with the windows open, and got out into the sunshine every day. My daughter has crippling allergies and asthma issues in TX, especially in the summer and fall. We stopped all allergy meds for the duration of our time in NE and she never had so much as a sniffle. It may not be be possible for us to leave home for that long every year, but I definitely plan to go for as long as we can, as often as we can.
The trip:
We drove from Fort Worth, primarily because a rental car for that length of time was going to cost almost as much as our lodging. It was a lot of time on the road, but ultimately it was really nice to have our own vehicle as opposed to a rental.
On the way there, we spent the night in Jackson, TN, Roanoke, VA, and Bridgeport, CT.
On the way back, we stayed in Niagara Falls, NY, Louisville, KY, and Little Rock, AR. If/when we make the trip again, this is for sure the way we will go.
All told, from the time we left to the time we returned, we drove 8090 miles.
Where we stayed:
I rented a condo in Thornton, NH, at the southern edge of the White Mountains. Could not have been happier with the location. There's a large grocery store in Plymouth that was about 20 minutes away, and a small local grocery store in Campton that was about 10 minutes. There were a handful of local restaurants around, and tons of hiking trails super close.
Our very favorite thing was that our condo was walking distance to the Mad River. Beautiful, clean/clear river filled with large granite boulders. We went to the river nearly every day. It was heaven.
Our favorite hikes:
* Smarts Brook/Sandwich Dome
* Welch-Dickey Loop
* Kettles Path to The Scaur
* Flume Gorge
My daughter LOVED Lost River Gorge. I'd call it more of a stroll than a hike, but we went twice and she was still asking to go back.
Favorite "chill" day:
Definitely the Lower Scenic Falls area on the Kancamagus Highway. We went a few times and took towels, drinks, and snacks, and just spent the entire day lounging on the big boulders and playing in the water.
Favorite small town:
Littleton, NH. Cutest little mountain town. Main Street is packed with breweries, restaurants, and unique shops.
Favorite day excursions:
* Conway Scenic Railroad
* Mount Washington Cog Railway
* Drove a loop around Lake Winnipesaukee, just stopping when we saw something interesting.
* Spent an afternoon at Echo Lake Beach swimming and pedal-boating.
Things we loved outside of NH:
* Boston Pops 4th of July - ticketed event at the Community Boating marina, worth every penny.
* Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, VT
* Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH
* Lunch at Luke's Lobster in Portland, ME
* Whale watching in Cape Cod
* The Breakers, Marble House, and Ocean Drive in Newport, RI
* Stopped at Quechee Gorge in VT for a couple hours on the way home.
* Two night stop at Niagara Falls on the way home.
All in all, it's the best summer I've ever had as an adult. We hiked a total of 65 miles, slept with the windows open, and got out into the sunshine every day. My daughter has crippling allergies and asthma issues in TX, especially in the summer and fall. We stopped all allergy meds for the duration of our time in NE and she never had so much as a sniffle. It may not be be possible for us to leave home for that long every year, but I definitely plan to go for as long as we can, as often as we can.
