FAMILY FUN IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS: AMUSEMENT PARKS AND SCENIC RAILROADS

There is no shortage of family fun options in the White Mountains – natural and manmade, and if amusement parks are your thing, we’ve got you covered! The most popular ones are Storyland in Bartlett and Santa’s Village in Jefferson. Both are SURE to please the young ones, but as a parent of 2 young ones, I have to say, I rather enjoy them myself! These parks cater to a younger crowd, but they fill adults with joy as well – between the atmosphere, the ambience, and the nostalgia factor, it’s always a good time! StoryLand has some great rides, including a wooden coaster that’s quite enjoyable for adults as well as older kids, and Santa’s Village oozes charm, plus has a recently expanded water park.

In addition to StoryLand, if you’re looking for water parks, there is an outdoor park called “Whale’s Tale” in Lincoln and an indoor park at the Red Jacket in North Conway, although the latter is temporarily closed due to a massive fire that destroyed an entire wing of the hotel.

North Conway also offers an arcade and several mini-golfing options for more family fun! Pirate’s Cove has 2 separate 18 hole courses, and UberBlast has mini golf, arcade, and Laser Tag. White Mountain Family Golf in Bartlett is also worth mentioning, but it’s not always open so check first! And of course, there is also Pirate’s Cove sister property in Lincoln, NH – Hobo Hills Adventure Golf.

On the Lincoln side, always fun is also Clark’s Trading Post, home of the famous “trained bears.” With rides, museums, and the famous shows, this attraction has been operating since 1928, and was an Editor’s Pick in Yanke Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England.

Not quite an amusement park, but the Scenic Railroads often delights visitors displaying magnificent views of the area. There are themed trips, dinner cars, foliage tours, and more!

• Conway Scenic Railroad offers rides through Crawford Notch, between the beautiful train station in the middle of North Conway and all the way to Bretton Woods. They have different trips and experiences based on the season, from dinner train to murder mystery trips to foliage sightseeing and the popular “Polar Express” ride during the holiday season.
• Café Lafayette Dinner Train in North Woodstock.  With a two hour train ride complete with a  5 course dinner aboard 1950’s restored vintage rail cars, the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train is a dining experience of a lifetime.

And of course, don’t forget the most popular train of all: the Cog Rail!  Aside from the “cool factor”, the Cog Rail also happens to be the oldest mountain climbing cog rail in the World, with over 150 years of history! And speaking of cool, don’t forget that the train whisks you to the summit of Mt Washington, home of the “World’s Worst Weather”, and snow can happen even in the summer. Be prepared and enjoy an amazing ride! Shorter rides are available in the winter as well for those who want to enjoy the breathtaking scenery – check their website for more information!