Road Trip to North Conway, NH
cn | 13 August, 2007 09:47So North Conway, NH is a pretty hefty drive from where I live in NY state. I'd never been and my dad's family was having a reunion there so I hit the road last Friday and headed out to North Conway.
North Conway, it turns out, is a great location if you're into anything outdoors. We all stayed at a big alpine-style house. It was a bit run down and the beds were hard, but the location was great and there were 12 bedrooms or so.
North Conway is pretty much surrounded by White Mountain National Forest and the Saco River runs through town. As a result of this a town of outfitters, gear rental places, coffee shops, pubs, and numerous other shops that you'd associate with a ski village has developed where in winter there are all types of snow sports and in the summertime there's kayakers, canoers, road bikers, mountain bikers, hikers, drivers, campers, photographers, climbers, rafters, etc., etc., etc...
Oh, and there are outlets. No sales tax in NH and throngs of tourists and travelers seeking the great outdoor experience means only one thing! Brand name outlet stores! Some of the stores I wandered into weren't necessarily ones you'd find in every outlet strip mall. I browsed a Pearl Izumi factory store and a couple mountain gear outlets. Not to mention the ski shops! All that and no Starbucks....hmmm...I guess there MUST have been a Starbucks somewhere, but they keep it off the main area at least...
Of course, the real draw of the area is the wilderness, and it is spectacular. If you don't hike, don't bike, don't ski, and don't like getting out on the river, you must at least go for the drive. Coming from the west, you zigzag through the mountains on state roads and a couple of interstates and the views are spectacular. No matter which direction you approach from, you'll pass through at least a dozen New England villages, seemingly all built around modest, stately churches with tall, white steeples.
North Conway may be pretty far from everywhere but Concord, NH, but it's worth the trip. Unless, that is, you're agoraphobic (fear of open spaces)...but even then the mountains might be enough too keep your fears at bay and if not, North Conway itself will be just built up and bustling enough for comfort.
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