New Hampshire in the summer bears the unmistakable markings of divine creation. The state offers recreation facilities for every touristic taste. Those who desire to escape the oppressive heat of the mid-Atlantic are advised to bring sweaters for moon-chilled evenings around a White Mountain tent site campfire or an evening stroll down the sleepy sidewalks of Littleton or Bethlehem. All manner of sport activities are available from golf to canoeing, and of course, hikes matched to any degree of expertise. And for those who want to get away from home -- but not too far -- there are the swarm of outlet stores -- and the traffic to match -- in venerable North Conway, the southern gateway to the White Mountains.
Every summer for the last eight years, my wife, our two girls, and I have
relished our annual two week trek to the state. Our vacation preferences
have changed as our kids have grown --they're now 8 and 5 -- and New
Hampshire has accommodated our needs graciously.
The Granite State has long depended upon tourist revenue for much of its economic base. The state levys no income or sales tax -- an idiosyncratic policy which is reflected in the still-authentic flavor of most of what the state's vacation industry has to offer. There are refreshingly few cookie cutter tourist facilities here. Most of what is on offer harkens to the golden era of mom and pop vacation spots, touted on scruffy roadside bulletin boards and local radio ads.
The White Mountain region -- dominated by the famous Mount Washington -- at 655 majestic feet the highest peak in the Northeast -- has the best of what New Hampshire has to offer.
There are two approaches to this region -- the easiest being along
Interstate 93 -- an easy two and one half hour drive to Waterville
Valley. The resort at Waterville boasts a most leasing array of
activities. There is a golf course, tennis, horse back riding, and a
rigorous 10 mile bicycle ride -- all undertaken against the rugged
panarama of the White Mountains. There is a beautiful, if somewhat uneven
auto ride from Waterville across to the town of , noted for its
fine museum, tony antique shops, and a wonderful store selling the works
of New Hampshire craftmen.
The resort maintains a lake in the town center, where kids happily spend the entire day catching pollywags and waiting for the evening storytelling hour to begin, around a campfire on the beach --with its much coveted marshmallows and chocolate bars.
Traveling north one passes a number of useful outlets and ski shops offering closeout specials to loon Mountain. There the gondola ferries travelers to the summit, where lunch can be purchased and eaten picnic-style --but only after the kids have had the chance to crawl and slither through a series of rock crevices -cum obstacle course. Parents are invariably shamed or bullied into following, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Lunch in the shadow of the neighboring peaks offers all an opportunity to recount how the boulder challenge was mastered.
One of our favorite stops is the stuffed animal museum in the town
of xxxxx, where an rusting Nike ICBM towers over its village green. The
museum recalls an era not so long ago when rich white men would travel
the world in search of not so elusive wildlife to shoot and kill. The
museum is a treasure trove of African and Asian wildlife-- some of it
much the worse for wear --displayed with none of the self-consciousness
that has attended our knowledge of the harmful effects of such slaughter.
The museum's benefactor who personally bagged most of the animals on display, was a shoe manufacturer by trade. The museum displays also include an extensive collection of shoes worn by peoples throughout the world. This extraordinary collection of footware attests to the pre-Reebok diversity of responses to this age-old requirement.
Interstate 93 turns into plain old Route 3 at Notch. Plans to extend the four lane interstate throughout the notch have always been successfully opposed by those who fear the damage that may occur to the venerable old man in the mountain -- the famous granite visage created by a rock outcropping overlooking the Notch. Family vacationers to New Hampshire seldom venture "north of the Notch, -- but they don't know about the Spalding Inn, in nearby Whitefield. Franconia Notch is celebrated for its bird's eye view of the famous "Man of the Mountain" stone portrait. The Spalding Inn, harks back to the days when New England's monied classes retired to the mountains for the summer. A group of feisty old timers, dressed in their whites, still gather at the bowling lawn every afternoon at 3. My two girls were warmly welcomed as spectators.
The Main House, recently redecorated by new management, opens to a
wonderful panoramic view of Vermont's Green Mountains.
The putting green, a short par three course, and a shuffle board court recall a less hectic vacation pace. There are plenty of clay tennis courts and a pool. A nine hole course is just down the road as is a very entertaining summer stock theater troupe at the Weathervane Theater -- for which the innkeeper thankfully provided us a babysitter. The nearby White Mountains and New Hampshire's little-traveled byways beckon walkers and bikers.
Meals are taken in the dining room, and the cook is happy to oblige those who prefer pasta and grilled cheese to the grander fare on the menu.
The Inn is particularly busy during fall foliage season. But those August days when we had the place almost to ourselves showed us that those old Yankees really knew how to live.
New Hampshire is studded with wonderful resorts, many of which have been given a fresh lease on life by a new generation of innkeepers. One of these is Adair, just outside of Bethlehem. Built by Frank Hogan, founding partner of Washington's high-powered Hogan and hartson law firm, Adair has a long association with Washington area.
Hogan built Adair as a wedding gift to her only daughter Dorothy in 1929. His effort stands as a monument to the kind of craftsmanship that money could once buy. The most arresting section of the house is the Tap Room -- the basement game room whose foundation walls of immense granite recall nothing so much as the pyramids of Egypt for their scale.
After Dorothy's death in 1991, the mansion was turned into an intimate inn, offering world-weary travelers an elegant, serene escape from temporal concerns.
The early photos of the mansion displayed in one of the downstair's sitting rooms show a lonely home overlooking a barren, treeless 200 acre estate. When the house was constructed most of New England had been stripped of its forests for farming and for fuel. Hogan enlisted the Olmsted brothers to landscape the back yard, which today still slopes from their flagstoned veranda with a riveting view of the White Mountains to a tennis court, gazebo, and a fish pond.
The forest of trees that has grown around the house over the past half
century now offers an array of walking paths and trails for the summer,
spring, and fall weekender.
The inn boasts eight well-appointed guest rooms furnished with period antiques and reproductions, each with a view of the mountains or estate grounds.
The estate combines the advantages of an expansive, cultivated setting with the intimacy afforded by the small number of potential guests. Coffee and tea are served from 8 am, with breakfast from 8:30. During our stay the only other couple was from Montgomery County. Afternoons can well be spent simply sitting on the patio, planning a visit to the shops of nearby Bethlehem and Littleton, and waiting for tea time. Dinners are served family style, at two large tables in the dining room.
Prices for two adults include breakfast and dinner. From $147 in the Main Inn to 175[private cottage]. Children under 6 are free. Over 6 add $25/per child