North Conway, NH used to be a one horse town.
Today, North Conway is home to tons of outlet stores, gorgeous views all around, almost every outdoor activity except white water rafting, plenty of history, antique stores, home-grown restaurants, theater, museums, you name it!
Although there is plenty that is lacking in North Conway, if having fun outdoors, getting great deals, and going to bed early is what makes your heart skip a beat, you're in luck!
If that doesn't sound up your alley, plan a vacation in a city - you'll be glad you did!
Skiing was the only reason that folks traveled all the was from the cities.
Skiing became so popular in North Conway and the White Mountains that snow trains traveled from Boston every weekend.
The snow trains transported 700-800 skiers to Cranmore Mt in North Conway every Friday and carted them back to the city on Sunday.
Considering that the population of North Conway today is 2,800 people, back in that day, the snow trains must have at least doubled the population every weekend!
North Conway, NH is not for you if these characteristics describe you...
You want vibrant nightlife
You and technology are attached at the hip
Dark places drive you nuts
And quiet drives you nuts too
Wildlife encounters are your worst nightmare
You get impatient easily
Your dream vacation involves indoor activities
You find comfort in chain restaurants in North Conway
You plan to throw a rowdy house party at Four Seasons Lodge
1. You want vibrant nightlife
Sorry, all our bars close by 1 AM - most by 11 PM!
Before then, you’ll find more oldies covers and bluegrass than bumping bass. But we’re not boring! We know how to have a good time…then go to bed at a reasonable hour.
And if you have a tendency to drink and drive…well shame on you first of all, and second of all you won’t want to visit North Conway. We have three arresting agencies and they work hard to make sure drunk driving doesn’t affect our community of less than 2,300 full-time residents.
2. You and technology are attached at the hip
No judgments—technology and I are pretty close too (we get about 200 email inquiries a day about Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch). But here in North Conway, you can’t rely on it. The cell coverage is crappy. The Internet connection is spotty. If you start to get nervous twitches when you fail to connect to the larger world, then North Conway isn’t for you.
If, on the other hand, the thought of a temporary break from connectivity (and an excuse to let some work emails go unanswered) sounds heavenly to you, by all means, come and see us! (btw, we have OK cell service and great Internet at Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch)
3. Dark places drive you nuts
Out here at night, there are no streetlights. No 24-hour shopping centers to light up the night like a spaceship. No traffic. Just you, your loved ones, and a big, open sky full of stars. Some people find such deep dark and lack of light pollution maddening. If that’s you, then give North Conway a pass
Bear. Moose. Turkeys. Foxes. Herons. It’s a free-roaming zoo out here in North Conway. Due to our proximity to the ecologically diverse White Mountains National Forest, we’ve learned to co-exist peacefully with our non-human neighbors.
4. And quiet drives you nuts, too
You’ll hear plenty of crickets in the evenings. Maybe the hoot of an owl or two. But otherwise, you can hear a pin drop. (See # 9).
5. Wildlife encounters are your worst nightmare
Bear. Moose. Turkeys. Foxes. Herons. It’s a free-roaming zoo out here in North Conway.
Due to our proximity to the ecologically diverse White Mountains National Forest, we’ve learned to co-exist peacefully with our non-human neighbors.
Hate the thought of seeing a bear or raccoon while driving? You won’t like it much here.
Oh, and if you think feeding the wildlife is funny or cute…you probably shouldn’t stay here. We work hard to make sure the wildlife don’t become dependent on human handouts.
6. You get impatient easily
If you live life in a hurry to get to the next thing, you and North Conway won’t get along.
We operate by more of a “live slow, live long” philosophy.
And everywhere from the roads to the restaurants in North Conway abide by this unwritten law. Service is much slower than down south. Road rage is non-existent…at least among residents.
We believe in putting the cell phone away, slowing down and enjoying every dinner conversation, every beautiful flora or fauna we come across.
7. Your dream vacation involves indoor activities
Though North Conway is a sleepy place, there’s actually quite a lot here to keep you busy. However, most of it is outdoors. Hiking, skiing, stargazing, canoeing, and low-key stuff like antiquing and craft stores.
For the die hard shoppers in the crowd, we do have a gazillion outlet stores that have great deals on everything from clothing to tools!
8. You find comfort in chain restaurants
We have very few chain restaurants in North Conway. But maybe you won’t miss them.
Instead, try A Taste of Thai in North Conway. They serve fresh, from-scratch Thai food and it’s to die for. Or, try local favorites—Delaney’s Hole In the Wall, Hooligans, Muddy Moose or many other of the "Valley Originals".
9. You plan to throw a rowdy house party at the Four Seasons Lodge
Karaoke Night with the family? Sure! A game of “Marco Polo” in our indoor in-ground pool? Of course! But house parties that get out of hand are not welcome here.
As we mentioned above, nights around here are silent accept for the sounds of our neighboring critters. House parties and loud music echo far and wide and you will not be a popular person in North Conway. Though you’ll likely get one visitor: the cops.
If these don’t describe you—or you’re willing to give a quiet, tight-knit, beautiful place a try for your next vacation—then we’d love to have you.
Click on the green words if you need some suggestions for fun things to do in North Conway, NH.
Get in touch with me, Teena, to book your stay at Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch - the best NH cabin rental!
Teena
603-662-5391