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

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. Bear Rock Adventures is open now through September 30, 2018.

Get away from the everyday with a visit to a New Hampshire campground. Stay in a tent, RV, cabin, cottage, lodge – even a yurt! – and enjoy activities from horseshoes and fishing to snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Hike, bike or take a cog railroad up a pine-scented mountain or kayak a pristine pond, river or lake. From your camping site in the woods, near the ocean or in a meadow, check out the Granite State’s historic sites, quintessential New England towns and acres upon acres of natural splendor. Visit our website for a handbook with all the details for individual parks, from whether they are pet-friendly to which ones have cottage rentals, pools, fireplaces, tennis courts, live music – or cable TV.

Enjoy the only New England park named one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the USA by TripAdvisor 2014 Travelers’ Choice Awards: 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 for the entire family. One low admission price covers an entire day of memory-making. For over 60 years and three generations, from our family to yours – oh, what fun it is! Seasons: Open Memorial Day weekend to Christmas.

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.

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.

You can almost always rely on a college town for fun shopping for new or consigned items. In Hanover, for instance, fans love the the Pink Alligator consignment shop of South Main, where you can easily find top-shelf brands at reasonable prices. Color-obsessed shoppers will enjoy the store’s arrangement, by color. Also for gifts, be sure to visit Lemon Tree Gifts of Hanover on South Main. Again, there’s no way to characterize the stock: think of baby gifts, candles, lamps, cute serving ware.

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