Good spots in NH for summer vacation. (Conway, Gorham: rent, house)
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I know the seacoast NH area best... Exeter is only about 40 mins drive from Manchester airport. Then Exeter, Newmarket and Dover and interesting river towns and Rye, Portsmouth and Kittery are interesting coastal towns - historical buildings, quaint shops, pretty outdoors and nice local parks and beaches. There are numerous brewpubs and great seafood in the area, plus you could do something like a guided kayak paddle in the beautiful Great Bay or out at NewCastle, take a cruise out to the Isles of Shoals. hire a guide to take you striper or bluefish fishing inshore, visit historic StrawBerry Bank museum (a bit like a New England version of Williamsburg). If you have more than a few days, you could drive north up the coast a little further and visit Ogunquit, Cape Elizabeth and Portland, Maine, get a proper lobster roll or steamed lobster meal, add in a lobster boat ride or some whale watching, lighthouse peeping, take the ferry out to Peaks Island and visit some of the great Portland restaurants. A week would provide enough time to experience this lovely stretch of New England coast without rushing too much.
I know the seacoast NH area best... Exeter is only about 40 mins drive from Manchester airport. Then Exeter, Newmarket and Dover and interesting river towns and Rye, Portsmouth and Kittery are interesting coastal towns - historical buildings, quaint shops, pretty outdoors and nice local parks and beaches. There are numerous brewpubs and great seafood in the area, plus you could do something like a guided kayak paddle in the beautiful Great Bay or out at NewCastle, take a cruise out to the Isles of Shoals. hire a guide to take you striper or bluefish fishing inshore, visit historic StrawBerry Bank museum (a bit like a New England version of Williamsburg). If you have more than a few days, you could drive north up the coast a little further and visit Ogunquit, Cape Elizabeth and Portland, Maine, get a proper lobster roll or steamed lobster meal, add in a lobster boat ride or some whale watching, lighthouse peeping, take the ferry out to Peaks Island and visit some of the great Portland restaurants. A week would provide enough time to experience this lovely stretch of New England coast without rushing too much.
We've actually been to the Portsmouth area and LOVED it!
We are trying to decide between western White Mountains, maybe the Franconia area and combining it with perhaps the Woodstock VT area or going to the Eastern White Mountains around Jackson and also visiting Ogonquit ME. Which area would you say has more to do?
Regarding the White Mountains, I used to go a lot but not so much recently, so I will leave it to others with more current experience on specific locations.
One thing though regarding timing... you're saying late spring early summer, and being outdoors and maybe swimming a lot... as I recall from my hiking and backpacking days anyways, black flies can be pretty fierce from the last week of May through at least the first 3 weeks of June. You can get get in ahead of the black flies by going in late April or early May, but, then there will be snow in high passes and the lakes will be iced over early on and still frigid for swimming by mid-May. I'd suggest either adjusting your activities a bit and going early to mid-May, or waiting until the last week of June to where the black flies begin to taper off and the lakes begin to warm up for more reasonable swimming. Weather and insect wise, last week of June through the first week in September are nicest, IMO, for warm weather outdoor activities.
Regarding the White Mountains, I used to go a lot but not so much recently, so I will leave it to others with more current experience on specific locations.
One thing though regarding timing... you're saying late spring early summer, and being outdoors and maybe swimming a lot... as I recall from my hiking and backpacking days anyways, black flies can be pretty fierce from the last week of May through at least the first 3 weeks of June. You can get get in ahead of the black flies by going in late April or early May, but, then there will be snow in high passes and the lakes will be iced over early on and still frigid for swimming by mid-May. I'd suggest either adjusting your activities a bit and going early to mid-May, or waiting until the last week of June to where the black flies begin to taper off and the lakes begin to warm up for more reasonable swimming. Weather and insect wise, last week of June through the first week in September are nicest, IMO, for warm weather outdoor activities.
Yes, after thinking a bit more, we would probably go mid July or mid September instead. We aren't swimmers, but do like to kayak and jetski, although these aren't necessities if there are lots of other activities. I remember seeing something about a sled dog experience and moose tours. I will have to further research where these are at.
For non-nature and outdoor activities, there is a lot more to do in Jackson/Conway area than Franconia area. If you are going to play around the west side, then look at all Lincoln has to offer. I think Lincoln is the best central area to see all of the Whites.
Regarding outdoor fun, either area is fine. I'm in the Whites every week or two playing around and never run out of hikes to do or sights to see.
Good advice about spring and bugs earlier. I personally think mid July to mid August is the best time to visit if you want to swim. If you don't want to play in the water then mid September to mid October is great, especially during peak fall foliage.
We are looking more for attractions and nice towns to walk around. We have tons of hiking and kayaking spots here, so we probably wouldn't spend too much time doing that there since we will most likely only have around 3 days to spend. We were looking at the cog railways, atv tours, moose tours, dog sled experience, etc...
Summer dog sled attractions consist of the dogs pulling a cart across a field. You'll need to come back in the winter for a real "dog sled experience."
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