Find fun and interesting Great Things to Do in Great North Woods

Enjoy the only New England park named one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the USA and #1 in New England by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards for seven years in a row: Santa’s Village in Jefferson, NH. It’s home to Santa and his reindeer, and dozens of amusement rides and shows and other attractions for families with young children. It’s the joy and excitement of Christmas morning, and every bit as memorable. Admission covers an entire day of memory-making for the entire family. For nearly 70 years and three generations, from our family to yours – oh, what fun it is!

Embrace your inner trailblazer with New Hampshire’s premium Polaris outfitter, Bear Rock Adventures. As “Your Guide to the Wilds,” Bear Rock Adventures offers fully-equipped top-of-the-line ATVs and side-by-sides (2, 4 and 6-seat options) with electric start, reverse, 4-wheel drive, automatic transmissions and power steering. Get ready to experience over 1,000 miles of Ride the Wilds interconnected trails throughout Northern New Hampshire where you are free to explore the Great North Woods on half, full, or multi-day excursions. Pick your own adventure with customized itineraries, perfect for families and thrill-seekers alike.

Enjoy rolling dog sleds and exciting raft trips on Class II to Class 4 rapids. Muddy Paw sled tours allow you to meet the sled dogs, help the musher harness and hitch the team, enjoy the dog sled ride, and reward the sled dogs for a job well done. You’ll soak in the views and have plenty of photo opportunities. Raft NH is a family-friendly, rafting outfitter offering whitewater trips for ages 6 and up with or without experience. Trips from mild to wild offer an unforgettable adventure for everyone. The “Paws & Paddles” package combines daytime whitewater rafting and evening rolling dog sledding for a great day outdoors.

The Great North Woods of New Hampshire contains five habitats for bird watching. The open lakes, ponds, and rivers of the northern waterways have nesting water birds like the loon. Freshwater marshland supports warblers, olive flycatchers, and rusty blackbirds. Grasslands kept clear by grazing animals or fires have the eastern meadowlark and bobolink. Mixed forestland supports warblers. The Great Northern Boreal Forest is a unique habitat and has rare birds like the spruce grouse and Canada jay. Experts at the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Colebrook are ready to offer advice, referrals, and assistance to bird watchers. Phone: 603- 237-8939.

Beaver Brook Falls fans out over a sliding cascade, then broadens and drops about 30 to 40 feet over a sheer and jagged cliff face before collecting itself and cascading about 25 to 30 feet more to the base. The terrain is very steep, and the dirt is slick. Unless you're very comfortable with strenuous and treacherous terrain, stay on the lower level. The falls are the centerpiece of a small park, just north of Colebrook. The parking area overlooks a well maintained expanse of lawn, with picnic tables and restroom facilities. To find it: From Colebrook, take Route 145 east for 2.5 miles. The well marked recreation area and parking lot are on your right.

Many visitors to northern New Hampshire crave a viewing of the magnificent moose, perhaps the state’s favorite non-human representative. If you want to undertake a moose search of your own, drive the Moose Path Trail, considered to be Route 16 from Gorham to Errol or Route 26 to Dixville Notch to Route 3 to Pittsburg. The town of Gorham is home to a Scenic Moose & Wildlife Tour where there is a 95 percent guarantee of spotting some of the Granite State’s unique wildlife.

Der Markt at Marklin at 28 Riverside Drive in Contoocook sells interesting and high-quality products from skilled artisans. At this fine-quality shop you will find candles, jewelry, honey, Simon Pierce glass, felt slippers, Himalayan salt, wooden ggifts , cards, books, women's and children's clothing. . The gift shop is associated with the neighboring M G Marklin, which creates candles, wooden products and liturgical goods onsite at this riverside location.

Northern New Hampshire’s Ride the Wilds trail network — 1,000 miles of interconnected ATV trails —covers all of New Hampshire’s mountainous Coos County. Ride the Wilds, which is based in Lancaster is your go-to information source for planning ATV adventure in the breathtaking White Mountains. The Ride the Wilds network presents a huge array of options for starting and stopping points, from Berlin, Gorham, Milan and Errol on the eastern side of the county to the Connecticut River towns of Pittsburg, Stewartstown, Colebrook, Stratford, Groveton and Lancaster to the north and west. All towns within the Ride the Wilds trail system allow OHRVs on specified roads to access services like food, gas and lodging, or to connect with other sections of trail. Riders should look for “OHRV Permitted” signs on open sections of highway.

Yes, the 7,500-square-foot Potato Barn Antiques at 960 Lancaster Road in Lancaster was, indeed, a barn for potato farming back in the day. Now it houses antique glassware, tools, quilts and textiles, books, furniture, jewelry, prints and pictures, and vintage lamps and shades. An adjunct of the shop, Ladies Slipper Vintage, sells clothing and accessories. Voted Best Rural Antiques Shop in 2009 by New Hampshire Magazine, the shop has a wide collection of friends and fans. Owners Mark and Kellyann are happy to search out special requests. Phone: 603-636-2611