New Hampshire attractions feature sky rides, caves, railway, Santa

New Hampshire > White Mountains > Things to Do and See > Attractions

White Mountain attractions may start on Mount Washington’s Auto Road or the Cog Railway, but they don’t end there. Clark's Trading Post has great food, shopping and entertainment. Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves takes you to spectacular waterfalls, granite cliffs, and mysterious caves. The Conway Scenic Railroad takes you on a scenic journey back in time departing from an 1874 Victorian rail station. The Christmas season is in full swing at Santa’s Village and the Loon Mountain resort features a scenic gondola skyride to the mountain’s summit. The region hosts lots for fun events year-round, too.

Loon Mountain Resort

60 Loon Mountain Road Lincoln, NH, 03251 Phone: 603-745-6281 Toll-Free: 800-229-5666

Fun for Everyone in Any Season!

Rated New England’s most-accessible mountain resort destination, Loon Mountain offers activities year round. In summer and fall, ride New Hampshire’s longest gondola skyride to the 2,733-foot summit for breathtaking views, glacial caves, a scenic nature trail and the Summit Café. At the mountain’s base, ride a zipline across the Pemigewasset River, explore the Aerial Forest Adventure Park, scale a rock wall, rent a bike, navigate the LogJam Maze, or climb a 30-foot-tall spider web. Kids will enjoy Bunyan’s Bouncin’ Backyard with a bounce house. During the winter, you’ll ski and ride 2,100 feet of vertical with three peaks of terrain for all abilities – including an award-winning progression of terrain parks and New Hampshire’s only Superpipe, plus snow tubing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing. Photo Credit: Hinkley Photo

Santa's Village

528 Presidential Highway Jefferson, NH, 03583 Phone: 603-586-4445

Pure Joy, Family Style.

Enjoy the excitement of the holidays and the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year, all summer at Santa’s Village – named by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards as one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the USA, and number one in New England for seven straight years. Featuring reindeer and elves, cookies and ice cream, a roller coaster, log flume, monorail, and plenty of other rides and activities, it’s a memorable visit to Santa’s summer home. Admission covers an entire day of memory-making fun for families with young children. For nearly 70 years and three generations, from our family to yours – Santa’s Village is pure joy, family style.

Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train

3 Crossing at Riverplace North Woodstock, NH, 03262 Phone: 603-745-3500

Take a scenic rail adventure with great food and service

The White Mountains offer majestic scenery, family attractions, outdoor recreation, great food and shopping year round. It also has a special dinner train that can urn any event into a timeless and memorable experience. The Café Lafayette Dinner Train runs a 2hour 20 minute scenic and culinary journey in beautifully restored railcars along the western slopes of the mountains and the Pemigewasset river and back. Along the way you and your guests can celebrate your kinship or special event with local and seasonal foods, fine wines, exciting cocktails and gracious service. The train’s unique seating arrangement and layout offers intimate interactions for groups of any size, from a table of four, full railcar, the entire train, or anywhere in between.

Elevated Views - Mount Washington Auto Road - Gorham, NH

Mt. Washington Auto Road

Route 16, Pinkham Notch Gorham, NH, 03581 Phone: 603-466-3988

Drive, Tour and Explore the Highest Peak in the Northeast

Experience America’s original man-made attraction! The timeless and dramatic beauty of the Presidential Range and the highest peak in the Northeast is yours to enjoy when you drive your own car or take a comfortable, 2 or 3-hour guided tour on the Auto Road. Adventure can be found all the way up to the 6,288-foot peak where, on a clear day, visitors can discover panoramic views spanning the mountains and valleys of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and even north into Canada and east to the Atlantic Ocean! Rain or shine, and included with your Auto Road ticket, the entire family will love the new interactive museum “Extreme Mount Washington” located on the summit, brought to you by the Mount Washington Observatory.

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River Walk Resort at Loon - New England's Newest Grand Resort! In New Hampshire's spectacular White Mountains

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Ice Castles

24 Clark Farm Road North Woodstock, NH, 03262 Phone: Toll-Free: 888-407-4054

A kingdom of ice gives visitors to this castle the royal treatment

Imagine castles made of ice, with towers reaching 35 feet or higher. Inside fountains have frozen over, tunnels and caves are ready for exploring, icy thrones await royalty and slides stand ready for kids and adults to race down. That’s what it’s like at Ice Castles, where everything is made of ice and snow, including the paths and walls. At night, the castles are even more amazing, as color-changing LED lights frozen inside the ice illuminate with all the shades of the rainbow while whimsical music plays. Perfect for families, romantic dates – and unbelievable photos – the castle sprawls more than an acre. Grab a hot cocoa or an apple cider from the on-site concession, then take a sleigh ride around the castles and through an enchanted forest. Tickets are guaranteed to sell out each weekend - be sure to buy yours in advance at IceCastles.com!

Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves

1712 Lost River Road -- Route 112W North Woodstock, NH, 03262 Phone: 603-745-8031

Explore a river that plays hide and seek

Some 300 million years ago glaciers moving across New Hampshire formed the wilderness wonderland known as Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves. Today you can explore this unusual site during your White Mountains vacation. A three-quarter-mile boardwalk leads you into the gorge, where you'll find spectacular waterfalls, granite cliffs, a river that plays hide and seek, and the mysterious boulder caves. Step off the boardwalk and explore Thor's Workshop, the Devil's Kitchen, the Lemon Squeezer, Shadow Cave, the Dungeon, and the Judgment Hall of Pluto. You'll also find over 300 varieties of flowers, ferns, and shrubs. Pan for gold and fossils in the mining sluice. Come at night for an adults-only lantern tour. Open early May to mid-October. Sturdy footwear recommended.

Seven Birches Winery

River Walk at Loon - 22 South Mountain Drive Lincoln, NH, 03251 Phone: 603-745-7550

Take a tour, meet a winemaker, sample some of this local winery’s wares

Spend a few relaxing hours at the Seven Birches Winery and gain a new appreciation for how fresh local fruits, as well as European grapes, can be miraculously transformed into wines of distinction. The winery, inside the new Riverwalk Resort at Loon Mountain, offers tours where you can meet and talk to winemakers as well as sample their wares. In the summer, sip on the terrace overlooking the Pemi River. At the winery’s location in the nearby Lincoln Village Shops, the Atrium Wine Bar offers flights and picnic-style food. At both locations, a friendly, helpful staff will help you choose from a wine menu. The fun, low-key winery has been given a certificate of excellence from Tripadvisor.

White Mountains Attractions

Visitor’s Center at Exit 32 Off I-93 North Woodstock, NH, 03262 Phone: 603-745-8720 Toll-Free: 800-346-3687

Endless variety of ways to explore and enjoy the glorious White Mountains

There are so many ways to explore and enjoy the breathtaking White Mountains! You can zoom down a mountain on an alpine slide or coaster, or zoom up on a gondola. You can travel to the summit of Mount Washington on a cog railway, take a classic train ride through the valley or along a river. Go on a moose safari or guided ATV tour, zip-line through the trees, go mountain-biking or hiking. The kids might want to visit Story Land, Clark’s Bears, Santa’s Village or Whale’s Tale Water Park. You might want to take a lake cruise, fishing excursion, go golfing, tour a brewery or winery – or shop ’til you drop! All that and more is part of the White Mountains experience. To find out more, follow our link above or call us today at 1-800-346-3687.

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Conway Scenic Railroad

38 Norcross Circle North Conway, NH, 03860 Phone: 603-356-5251

All aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire's White Mountains

At Conway Scenic Railroad, you’ll enjoy old-fashioned train rides, all departing from a beautiful 1874 Victorian Station in North Conway Village. Whether you choose a Valley route to Conway or Bartlett, or the legendary Mountaineer to Crawford Notch, you'll experience the fun of rail travel in restored historic passenger cars. Premium class, First Class, and Coach seating options are available on all routes. Roundtrip excursions range 1 to 5½ hours. Schedules vary, so be sure to call 603-356-5251 for details, or visit our website by clicking above Valley trains run April through December 31. Our Mountaineer operates from June through October. Snow Trains run weekends in January and February. Take a journey back in time the whole family will enjoy!

Mount Washington Cog Railway

Off Route 302 Bretton Woods, NH, 03589 Phone: 603-278-5404 Toll-Free: 800-922-8825

Cog railroad journey brings visitors up Mt. Washington to ‘second greatest show on Earth’

P.T. Barnum, a man who knew a great attraction when he saw one, called the view from the Mt. Washington summit “the second greatest show on Earth.” The Cog Railways has been delivering passengers to that show for 152 years, chugging up the mountain and thrilling people with views of forests, ravines – even the occasional moose or bear. The journey begins at the base station and Cog Railway Museum, where you can learn how the engineering feat was accomplished, and culminates at the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. At the visitor center, you can explore an interactive weather exhibit, the rooftop observation deck and the summit post office. Next door is the historic Tip Top House, an original summit hotel dating back to 1853. Trains climb the mountain from late April through November. Enjoy the trip!

Story Land

850 New Hampshire Route 16 Glen, NH, 03838 Phone: 603-383-4186

Happily ever after for everyone at enchanting Story Land

What tales you will tell when you get back from Story Land, where rides and live entertainment have been thrilling families for over 60 years. There’s the time you and the kids conquered the Roar-o-Saurus wooden roller coaster, twirled around in Alice’s Tea Cup and got splashed going down the Bamboo Chutes! You’ve tooled around farmland in a mini-tractor and road in a magical pumpkin to Cinderella’s Castle!. From touring the 35-acre park in the Huff Puff & Whistle Railroad to panning for gemstones in Los Bravos Mining Co., there is something for everyone in the “Land Where Fairy Tales Come to Life.” In addition to over 30 attractions and uniquely themed rides, you can play family-themed games, join Daniel Tiger for his Grr-ific Stage Show, sing along with campers at Camp Fairy Tale or dine with Cinderella.

Summer Dog Sled Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel & Raft Jefferson New Hampshire

Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel & Raft NH

32 Valley Road Jefferson, NH, 03583 Phone: 603-545-4533

No one back home has had a vacation experience like this (unless “back home” is Alaska)

Make yourself a hero to your kids by planning a vacation day on a dog sled, riding behind a sled dog team galloping through the New Hampshire mountains. This is the experience you’ll find at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, where 80 dogs wait eagerly to harness up and take you on a thrill ride (rides in the warm seasons are on a dog cart, with a full, harnessed dog team). The dogs offer a personal greeting to all guests and you can watch the sled drivers doing all the preparation and harnessing and dog care. A summertime arm of the business, Raft NH, takes you river rafting, from mild to wild!

The Bear 500x250 - Clark's Trading Post - Lincoln, NH

Clark's Bears

110 Daniel Webster Highway (Route 3) Lincoln, NH, 03251 Phone: 603-745-8913

Famous bear show not the only attraction at this family fun park

No lions or tigers – but bears? They're in the name at Clark’s Bears! The trained bear show has been a favorite at the park for generations, but it’s not the only attraction. There’s also the Anaconda Escape water raft ride with 300 feet of twists and turns, the White Mountain Central Railroad (watch out for Wolfman!), Yandong's Chinese Circus, Segway rides, Merlin’s Mystical Mansion, water-blaster boats, a rock-climbing tower and Tuttle's laser shooting gallery. You can also mine for gemstones and fossils, and after enjoy a treat in the Peppermint Saloon ice cream parlor or have your picture taken at Kilburn's photo parlor.

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