New Hampshire: White Mountains and Lakes Region
Travel guide · editorial"Live Free or Die" is printed on every license plate, and that spirit of independence still shapes New Hampshire today. A vacation in New Hampshire takes you to the White Mountains with the notoriously windy Mount Washington, to deep blue lakes, and to New England villages with white wooden churches and covered bridges.
Landscape: Mountains, Lakes, and a Sliver of the Atlantic
This small New England state stretches long and narrow from the coast near Portsmouth all the way to the Canadian border. At roughly 18 miles (29 km), its Atlantic coastline is the shortest of any coastal state in the U.S. The heart of the state is the White Mountains in the north, whose Presidential Range is named after U.S. presidents. At 6,288 feet (1,917 m), Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeast and is known for some of the harshest weather on Earth; in 1934, a wind gust of more than 230 mph (370 km/h) was recorded on its summit. To the south lies the Lakes Region with Lake Winnipesaukee, the state's largest lake, dotted with islands and summer cottages.
Sights in New Hampshire
You can reach the top of Mount Washington on foot, via a toll road, or aboard the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which opened in 1869 and was the world's first mountain cog railway. The Kancamagus Highway between Lincoln and Conway is considered one of the most beautiful drives in New England in fall. In Franconia Notch State Park, a boardwalk leads through the narrow gorge of Flume Gorge; the famous rock formation "Old Man of the Mountain," the state's symbol, collapsed in 2003 and is now commemorated with a memorial at Profile Lake. Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish was the home and workplace of one of America's most important sculptors, and Canterbury Shaker Village preserves the life of the religious community of the Shakers. In summer, the excursion ship Mount Washington cruises Lake Winnipesaukee between Weirs Beach and Wolfeboro, which likes to call itself America's oldest summer resort.
Cities and Towns
Manchester, once home to the enormous Amoskeag textile mills on the Merrimack River, is the largest city; today its brick mill buildings house tech companies and restaurants, and the Currier Museum of Art shows European and American art. Nashua, the second-largest city, lies within Boston's commuter belt. Concord is a small capital with a granite State House, where the legislature still meets in the original chambers from 1819. Portsmouth, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, is one of New England's most charming port cities, with colonial houses and the Strawbery Banke open-air museum. Hampton Beach is the state's summer beach, North Conway is the outlet shopping hub of the mountains, and Dover and Salem are established small towns in the south.
Culture and History
The land of the Abenaki and Pennacook was settled by the English starting in 1623. In January 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to adopt its own constitution, and in 1788 it was the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, which put it into effect. Politically, the state is known for holding the first presidential primary in an election year and for levying neither a general sales tax nor an income tax on wages. Dartmouth College in Hanover is a member of the Ivy League.
Food and Drink
Maple syrup is collected in March, and many sugarhouses invite visitors to stop in for a taste. In fall, farms offer freshly pressed apple cider and warm cider donuts. In Portsmouth and along the coast, lobster, clams, and clam chowder are on the menus, and the craft beer scene is surprisingly large for such a small state. A experience all its own is a "church supper" in a village's parish hall, where baked beans, ham, and pie are served in fall for just a few dollars.
Getting There and Best Time to Visit
Manchester-Boston Airport is the nearest gateway, but many travelers arrive via Boston Logan, from which Portsmouth and Manchester are about an hour away. The best time for hiking is June through September; from late September to mid-October the foliage glows, and accommodations book up early. In winter, ski areas such as Loon Mountain, Cannon, and Bretton Woods draw crowds.