North Conway, NH - The Tourist Becomes a Resident
Written: Mar 08 '08 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
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Pros: natural attractions, good restaurants, ski areas, Storyland, foliage, Fryeburg Fair
Cons: traffic issues
The Bottom Line: This is a great area to visit. Know what to expect from the area to have a great vacation.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Village of North Conway, NH |
I grew up spending summers in New Hampshire and later on time during the winter for the great skiing in the area. More than once I thought about moving here. Once I finally made the jump, I became fortunate enough to see things not only from the perspective of the tourist, but from a resident's point of view as well.
North Conway, NH is about a three hour trip from Boston, and about two hours from Portland, ME. The main road through town is NH Route 16. The nearest interstate, Route 93, is at least 45 minutes away.
North Conway is actually a part of an area known as the Mount Washington Valley It encompasses several other small towns and villages, with North Conway being the largest.
YEAR-ROUND
What North Conway has year-round is a lot of small-town ambience. The main attraction that isn't seasonal is the outlet shopping. There is no sales tax in the State of New Hampshire, only what is called a "tourist tax" on prepared foods (think restaurants) and hotel rooms. Settler's Green is the main outlet area. It has a huge listing of stores such as Reebok, Adidas, Banana Republic, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Carter's Childrenswear, Yankee Candle, and much more. There are also a number of satellite stores floating around the main area of Route 16. There is also a new area being built called Settler's Crossing not quite directly across from Settler's Green which will house outlets for LL Bean and Eastern Mountain Sports as the highlights. Other outlet stores in the area include Liz Claiborne, Polo-Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Louis Garneau, Timberland, and much more.
If all that shopping isn't enough for you, or just not your cup of tea, in the Village of North Conway itself there are tons of small shops all in a several block area around Schouler Park. Shops here include For Your Paws Only (a pet shop), The Penguin Gallery (unique gifts), Donderos Rock Shop, and the not to be missed Zeb's General Store.
For your dining pleasure, North Conway has a huge number of restaurants which cater to just about every taste. If you are looking for chain restaurants, for the most part you will be out of luck. The only ones here are Ninety-Nine Steakhouse, Friendly's and Applebees. There are the usual selection of fast-food joints. My theory is why would you want to eat on vacation at the same places you can at home?
Right on the main strip is Merlino's Steakhouse, North of the Border, Muddy Moose, Bellini's, 1785 Inn, Homestead Restaurant, and Up Country Family Restaurant and Tavern. In North Conway Village you have Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, Decades Steakhouse, Rafferty's, Horsefeathers, Stonehurst Manor, Shalimar of India, and The Wild Boar.
Off the beaten path on West Side Road is the excellent Lobster Trap which even has good food for landlubbers despite the name. For good brewpubs, you can't beat Moat Mountain Smokehouse with their own line of beers and great food. For coffeeshops, The Met in North Conway Village is a popular spot, although the Starbuck's due to open in 2008 might challenge its popularity.
To the north in the town of Glen is Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub which had probably the best steaks in the area. The village of Jackson, about 20 minutes away also has a variety of restaurants.
There are a number of restaurants which are smaller and serve just breakfast and lunch. My particular favorite is Peach's in North Conway Village. There's also Banners and The Blueberry Muffin, both in North Conway, Bea's Cafe in Conway, and Glen Junction in Glen.
For accommodations, it runs the gamut. There are a number of chain motels including the Hampton Inn & Suites with an indoor waterpark included in your rate, Comfort Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express, and the Best Western Red Jacket with waterpark $40 per person in addition to the rate. There is a hotel right in Settler's Green which used to be a Sheraton called The North Conway Grand.
More than anywhere else I've been, North Conway has a significant number of mom & pop motels. Some of these are terrific and the rates are lower than the chains. Others leave a lot to be desired. I've had people come to our desk at 2 AM in the morning leaving an establishment due to the quality of the room. The best thing is to check out reviews on the web for current conditions being experienced. These usually don't feature breakfast and whether or not you'll have wireless internet access is up in the air. They also usually don't have a 24-hour desk, so if you don't check in my a certain time you can be out of luck. Still, these charming lower-rate motels might just be what you're looking for.
If you are coming to the area, especially during the summer and weekends in the fall and winter you should have a reservation. Last summer there were a number of times when there wasn't a room to be had in the entire town. We were sending people as much as two hours away to find accommodations.
If you have a timeshare, there are a few in the area. Right in North Conway Village is the Eastern Slope Inn. Up in Bartlett is Attitash Mountain Village.
Many people also have homes here that they rent. If you are looking for some peace and quiet outside of the main happenings, this might be for you. You can contact local real estate offices about home rentals.
Related Websites:
http://www.settlersgreen.com
http://www.mtwashingtonvalley.org
http://www.northconwayvillage.net
One thing to know in advance is the lack of nighlife in North Conway. We have one - count it - one club on the strip. Several of the taverns stay open until about 12:30 and occasionally have entertainment, especially in the summer months. Still, be prepares that the town rolls up the sidewalks early and it can be difficult to get food after 11PM.
The other drawback is with basically three ways in and out of town, traffic is a mess. Most of Route 16 is a one-lane strip of highway, although it briefly goes to two lanes in each direction for about the mile known as "The Strip". In North Conway Village, parking can be at a premium as well. I have seen weekends in the fall when people are parking in the grass around the outlets. There is trolley service that makes stops at various locations and some of the hotels as well as two taxi service companies.
With all of those restaurants and accommodations, you might be wondering about just what there is in North Conway that has so many people visiting here. I've broken it down season by season of what there is to do.
SUMMER
Summer is the time the population goes from about 20,000 year-round residents to about 75,000 including tourists and summer residents.
The main draw is nature. Locate in the heart of the White Mountains, there is all of the beauty of nature surrounding the town. A scenic drive can be taken on Route 302 up through Crawford Notch or on the Kancamagus Highway. The Saco River runs from Bartlett through North Conway and connects with the Swift River in Conway where it continues its journey all the way to the ocean in Maine. Between Bartlett and a hydro-electric dam in Maine is about 30 miles of uninterrupted canoeing. There are places around town that rent canoes, kayaks, and tubes as well as providing guided trips. Saco Bound is probably the biggest of these, but you can check out the Chamber of Commerce website (http://www.mtwashingtonvalley.org) for a listing.
North Conway borders White Mountain National Forest with options for hiking and camping. There are several campgrounds in town, but the ones in the National Forest will prove to be much quieter. Most of the campgrounds close up and lock their gates by 11PM as well, so be forewarned of this before you leave to do something at night.
A big draw for families is Story Land in Glen. This very family-friendly park has been thrilling generations of young folk and I have some terrific memories of going here when I was little. Other attractions like this in the area include Santa's Village and Six Gun City, both in Jefferson NH.
If riding the railroads is something you're interested in, North Conway has a few options available. The North Conway Scenic Railway has terrific trips that are 1 1/2 hours, 2 1/2 hours or 5 hours in length. The 5 hour trip is a "Notch Train" that goes up through Crawford Notch. If you drive up Route 302, you'll see where this is along the road - it's an amazing trip by rail! Nearby, about 45 minutes away, is the Mount Washington Cog Railway that takes passengers up to the summit of Mount Washington.
Speaking of Mt. Washington, there's more than one way to get up it. The drawback with the railway is you have to conform to their schedule and can't sight-see too long or you'll miss your ride back down. You can always hike up it on one of the many trails, but for us amateur hikers, that's not a viable option. If you've seen the vehicles with the THIS CAR CLIMBED MT. WASHINGTON stickers on them, then the third way is to do just this. The Mt. Washington Auto Road is about 40 minutes north of North Conway and you can drive your car up to where "the world's worst weather" happens on a regular basis.
If the hotel pool just isn't cutting it, there's a variety of places to go swimming. The Saco River has several public beaches along it, and there's a great place to swim in the Swift River at the Lower Falls area on the Kancamagus Highway. Conway Lake is southeast of North Conway and has a public beach as well as a public boat ramp. It's a great place to head out with friends for a day on the lake whether swimming, tubing, or fishing is your pleasure. Silver Lake is also south of North Conway and is a bit more hidden and secluded. Ossipee Lake is even further south but is much larger than these two. On all three of these lakes, there are plenty of rental homes, as well as on smaller ponds in the area also suitable for swimming.
Echo Lake State Park is just outside North Conway and is a park with a beach and some great hiking trails. White Lake State Park about fifteen minutes south on Route 16 is also a great bathing and picnicking spot.
FALL
There are two things that draw people to North Conway in the fall. One is the beautiful foliage and the other is the Fryeburg Fair.
The Fryeburg Fair is a country fair held usually the first week of October in the town of Fryeburg, Maine. That's about a 10 minute drive with no traffic, which can turn into and hour or two ordeal on a day during the Fair. It has a good midway, but in addition has all sorts of farming and loggging competitions, the kind you read about in rural areas. The food selection is terrific. It's not just the booths with the traditional fair food, but local restaurants, churches, and organizations operate food service as well.
The foliage in the fall is stunning. Timing is everything and some years peak foliage has been later than others. This past fall it was well into October and foliage really only started turning about the time of the Fair. There are many bus tours which come through this time of year as well, bringing even more tourists in. The scenic drives such as on the Kancamagus Highway or up on Route 302 through Crawford Notch take on new meaning with their beauty. Both the Conway Scenic Railway and the Mount Washington Cog Railway operate foliage trains.
Shopping also gets ratcheted up a bit as the Outlets and stores draw people in for their holiday shopping.
Time for swimming in the lakes generally ends right about Labor Day as the nights become cooler and the water doesn't stay as warm as over the summer. Heated pools at the motels are still usable for a time, although my kids have gone skiing at Halloween. Story Land is open on fall weekends until Columbus Day.
WINTER
When the snow flies around these parts, people are happy. After two less than spectacular seasons, we have been blessed (or cursed) with 158 inches of snow in the 2007-2008 winter. What this has meant is the ski resorts have been operating since the beginning of December 100% open almost continuously.
For skiers, Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort is right in North Conway. It is a medium-sized mountain with 40 trails, plus glades and a tubing park. For those who like challenging terrain, Wildcat Mountain in Pinkham Notch is about a 40 minute trip north of town. It has some excellent vertical challenges on the 47 trails.
For the family that likes to ski together, King Pine Ski Resort in East Madison, NH might be the choice for you. It's relatively small with just 17 trails, but several of those are the steepest ones in the northeast! It's a place you can let your kids ski by themselves and not worry. For non-skiers there is also tubing, snowshoeing, and ice skating in addition to the cross-country ski trails.
Cross-country trails are also present at Bretton Woods Ski Resort as well as an extensive network of alpine trails. It is one of the larger ski areas with 101 trails and glades and four terrain parks. It also is usually the first ski resort open in the fall and the last to close in the spring.
Running right through the greater North Conway area is one of the state snowmobiling trails. It is actually the railroad tracks which run behind several of the hotels and restaurants on "The Strip".
If you are looking for something special to do at Christmas, look no further. North Conway is home to the original live Polar Express Event which takes place each December on the Conway Scenic Railroad. Tickets are issued by lottery and can be hard to come by. Several of the hotels do have packages in conjunction with the event, but you must reserve early.
The Ham Arena in Conway is an ice rink and home to several ice skating and ice hockey competitions throughout the year. It also has sessions open to the public.
Wintertime hiking can be done throughout the mountains. The only caveat from me is to be prepared. Every year there is at least one fatality because people aren't prepared and the weather can change in the mountains in an instant. Sometimes it's sunny and mild in the valley, while the mountains are out of sight in snow squalls.
SPRING
Spring is about the slowest time in North Conway. It's also known as "Mud Season". There's a good reason for that. Between the spring rains and the melting snow, any place that's not paved is generally very soft. Since I live on a dirt road, I can tell you that means many of the back roads are a pain to get around on.
It's still a fine time for shopping and sight-seeing. Seeing the trees spring their leaves is a very pretty sight. You can also take in the restaurants at a time when they aren't crowded. Just wear your boots if you are going to be out walking around off the beaten path.
We're usually swimming by Memorial Day, although the water is cool. Story Land opens for weekends around Memorial Day and daily around the middle to end of June.
If all these things aren’t enough to hold your interest, North Conway is also a short ride away from Franconia Notch State Park and a host of attractions on that side of the Kancamagus Highway.
North Conway isn’t going to be a place to go for a lot of nightlife and action. However, if you’re looking for a general break from the rat-race and some down-time, this area offers plenty. Come on up and see us anytime!
Sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Madison Boulder Natural Area ~ Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Six Gun City ~ Story Land ~ Whale's Tale Waterpark ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Hampton Inn - Concord/Bow NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Merlino's Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2008 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
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