In Autumn, New England, and particularly the White Mountains is full of beautiful foliage, pumpkins, sweaters, boots, fairs, mountains, hot chocolate and everything fall. It’s easily the best time of year (hello, pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING).

Autumn in New England is astonishingly picturesque with perfect sweater weather and great activities that are fun for the whole family!

​Kids can enjoy autumn just as much as adults can. They can jump into piles of leaves, carve pumpkins, or go on haunted hayrides. Here are some family-friendly and fun, October activities that happen every year in the North Conway area. 

There are plenty of non Autumn things to do in North Conway, some that you'll have to reach for your wallet and others that  Mother Nature has provided for us!  Family friendly things to do that are low cost or free one of the wonderful side effects of vacationing in the White Mountains!

​Yeeehaaaa!  Winter is OVER!  The days are getting longer, April showers bring May flowers, the days are warm and the nights are cool.  

Don't you just LOVE spring?  I do and so do the black flies, or as some folks call them, May flies.  While you're ducking the black flies, check out 7 Perfect Summer Days in North Conway, NH.  

Don't let the black flies keep you from enjoying the outdoors.  There are many suggestions later on in this article to keep you black fly free!

When I was a kid, they used to say that the black flies in New Hampshire come out for two weeks starting around Mother's Day and almost disappear by Father's Day.  Those dates are pretty accurate.

Like mosquitoes, it's the egg laying female black flies that bite and the males are the first to hatch out in the spring.  Both male and female black flies are a food source for fish, birds and my two backyard chickens!

The Cooperative Extension at the University of New Hampshire states that there are approximately 40 species of black flies in New Hampshire but only 4 or 5 are human biters.  Even thought most species don't bite, they are extremely annoying when they swarm your head and neck!

Unlike mosquitoes, black flies hatch in clean, clear and non-polluted running water like streams and rivers.  A healthy population usually coincides with running water that is not polluted with organic pollutants.

Before we talk about the alternitive to VRBO, let me explain how Vacation Rentals have become such a big thing!

​Vacation rentals are one of the most popular ways to travel these days because of how convenient and affordable they are!

Because of the huge increase in popularity, the Internet has become clogged with Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) like VRBO, TripAdvisor and Airbnb, that clamor for your travel dollars. 

Several years ago, HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb started allowing property managers of vacation rentals to advertise on their family of sites.

So now, instead of talking to the owner of vacation rentals, you might be dealing with a property manager that has an inventory of hundreds of properties.  Any questions that you have are answered off a description sheet instead of chatting with an owner who loves their property!

You might be wondering what’s so special about booking a vacation rental directly with an owner?

Most vacationers that come to North Conway have a rough idea of what they want to do on vacation - after all, you picked a vacation in the White Mountains and not the beach!

If you're like me, you spent lots of time in northern NH as a kid.  My folks were not athletic but they loved going for rides through the mountains and pick a place to stay along the way!  I guess that's when I got my desire to live and work in North Conway!

I am a hiker, biker, horseback rider (call me anytime to talk about horses!), kayaker, canoer, explorer, love waterfalls, shop when I need to, LOVE to eat out, am very social so we frequently can be seen enjoying a drink with friends, raised children here and now get to enjoy all the "kid stuff" with the grand babies, and lover of any activity the gets me outdoors summer, fall, winter or spring!

Follow along my journey around North Conway and the White Mountains and benefit from the fact that I've wasted time and money on activities and you don't need to make the same mistakes as me.  I've included the best of the best in value and fun, things to do in North Conway.  I hope you agree!

If you play your cards right, you can arrive early and stay late to enjoy 8 perfect summer days with plenty of things to do in North Conway, NH!

Just seeing falling water is never enough…  admit it folks, you want to play in it!  The Mt. Washington Valley (MWV) is located in the White Mountains, a unique and very special place.  We are we lucky enough to have been carved out by glaciers long ago.  The movement of that giant ice along our land scraped away lots of areas where water flows and now because of the glaciers, drops off the earth as waterfalls. 

Yankee Magazine refers to MWV as “the ultimate rock concert” and understandably so!  Living here we love to hate our granite when it percolates out of the ground and into our lawns and pastures but when it comes to waterfalls, they wouldn’t exist without it.  So, pack a lunch, grab a map, don’t forget the water and head out for a day of adventure and fun!

My husband Russ and I are locals and explorers at heart.  We don’t care if we’re on foot, bike or horseback.  We have walked and ridden all over the Mt. Washington Valley and we’d like to tell you about our favorite places with falling water.

Don't Cry...  There's LOTS of Things to DO in North Conway!

Just in case you feel there's not enough to keep you busy at Four Seasons Lodge on a rainy vacation in North Conway, I've compiled a list of low cost/high enjoyment things to do!   

North Conway started out as a winter ski destination and in the last 25 years has morphed into a four season resort town with just about every type of activity you can imagine!

So, grab your raincoat and head out for some good old fashioned fun on this rainy day!

Oh, I could go on an on about this and that because there are SO many really fun things to do in North Conway.  Instead, I'm going to pretend you are my favorite cousins coming for a 3 day visit and want to be wow'd with scenery and have tons of fun!

If you've rented one of the great vacation rentals in North Conway, your check in time is about 4 PM.  Be smart and make the most of your vacation by pulling the kids out of school for the day and get on the road early!

If you plan to arrive at about 9 AM, drive directly ​Northern Extremes Snowmobiling.  They are friends of ours.  When you phone to make your mid-week reservation, mention you are staying at Four Seasons Lodge and you'll get a discount!

The staff at Northern Extremes Snowmobiling is friendly and knowledgeable.  Feel free to ask questions and make sure you buy a map.  The staff will suggest an appropriate route for you to take based on weather conditions, your ability, and the amount of time you're renting the sled.  They have a great selection of well cared for sleds and their rates are great.  

**Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather conditions of the day**

You are in for a real treat sledding on a mid-week day!  There won't be crowds on the trails and you'll be able to stop and enjoy lunch will taking in the views all around you.  The White Mountains are my favorite place to snowmobile and I'm sure it will be yours too!

Have fun and tell them that Teena says hi!

Now you can head to the best vacation rental in North Conway (Four Seasons Lodge) and check in!  Once you've picked your bedrooms and settled in, you can call one of the North Conway Restaurants that deliver rather than slave over a hot stove!  Remember - you are on vacation!

Finish off the night with a swim in our 81 degree INDOOR pool and then relax in our toasty sauna.  

There's much more to vacationing than finding the perfect North Conway vacation rental!  Once you've decided upon whichthings to do, the next task at hand will be to plan what and where you're going to eat! 

One of the many reasons to rent a vacation rental is that you're able to cook meals at home and save lots of cash!  Let's face it though, after a long day on the slopes or a Storyland, cooking might be the last thing you want to do!

A great compromise for your tired kids' sake as well as yours is to order great food from one of the restaurants in North Conway, NH that deliver!

​Like Oz popping out of our rolling mountains, teeming with excited shoppers and the occasional non-shopper with glazed over eyes, is Settlers Green Outlet Village, North Conway, NH.  This North Conway Outlet Mall is home to over 60 brand name stores with more on the way!

Settlers Green was built in 1988 on the former site of the White Mountain Airport.  You can see one of the original hangars on the left as you drive into the entrance off Rout 16.  

In addition to outlet stores the mall has several North Conway restaurants.  Two food kiosks are open during the warmer months (April - November).  Kaity's Big Chill and Wrapsody 'N Greens offer up some unusual and delicious "fast food."  Don't confuse these two with a typical chain restaurant's fast food though, theirs is made to order!

If you're looking to sit down and regroup with a snack or a beverage before tackling more outlet shopping, pick Brandli's Pizza and Grille.  They offer full service dining, are open daily and have been a favorite restaurant in North Conway for many locals.  For dessert, check out the White Mountain Cupcakery.  Their specialty is obviously cupcakes (they're delicious and pricey!) but they also sell a variety of pastries and coffee drinks.  

You're on vacation in the White Mountains, staying in a North Conway vacation rental (Four Seasons Lodge) and want to go out to eat with your children but have no idea what restaurants are family friendly.

In the old days you could pull out the telephone book and gaze at the advertisements to see if any mentioned being kid friendly.  I've raised my family but remember vacationing with children and not knowing which restaurants were kid friendly.  

In my not so humble opinion, one of the worst things that can happen on vacation is to go out for a bite to eat with tired, hungry kids and end up in a restaurant that caters to more mature folks!

My attempt here is to give my opinion about the best choices for kid friendly restaurants in North Conway, NH.  Boy do I have an opinion!

For more information about North Conway Restaurants check out "7 Non-Chain Restaurants with Insanely GREAT Food in North Conway"  and  "Food Allergies?  Check out these North Conway Restaurants"

I've decided against my better judgement to include chain restaurants (egads!).  I'm not sure why folks insist on eating at them but when I drive through the parking lots I notice many out of state plates.  I'll surmise that there are many families that choose to dine at chain restaurants in North Conway, NH.

One of our most favorite things to do in North Conway, when we have a day to ourselves is to jump in the car and go for one of the many scenic drives in the north country.  Our most favorite route happens to be a large circle, you can make it a quick four hour trip or you can make the drive last as long as you want!

Although we've taken this drive tens of times, until recently I never knew that the route had a name. I was chatting with a park ranger for the White Mountain National Forest who told me that our favorite route is called the White Mountain Trail.  This popular trail is a 100 mile loop and one of the most beautiful drives in the entire state!

North Conway started expanding in the 19th century due to its' popularity with artists that flocked to the area to paint the rugged terrain.  Their paintings were collectively known as "White Mountain Art" became popular in other areas and ultimately, attracted tourists to the area.

It wasn't until the 1930's and the advent of the snow train that skiing became the major draw of the area.  North Conway is often referred to as the birthplace of American skiing.

Since those days, passenger trains have ceased, the airport closed and became the site of Settler's Green Outlet Village and Conway Scenic Railroad was established.

Along with these major changes there were more subtle ones happening; local homes were transformed into antique shops, vacation rentals and restaurants, White Mountain Highway was widened and a parallel byway called North South Road was constructed.

Today, North Conway is a bustling tourist town with activities and entertainment for all ages surrounded by the beauty of the Presidential Range, Cranmore Mountain and the Moat Mountain Range.

If rain is predicted for your vacation dates, check out our suggestions for "10 Kid Friendly Secrets for a Rainy Day in North Conway" and for great weather, "Where to Hike with Tykes" or "Doesn't Everyone Feel Happy Playing in a Waterfall?"

Come on for the ride and explore with me all the Things to Do in North Conway, NH!

Russ and I have entered the world of food, pet and environmental allergies.  No one knows why but he is moderately to severely allergic to 18 of the 20 foods he was tested for plus many environmental and pet allergies thrown in for good measure too!

For all of you reading this blog, the great thing is that we live in North Conway and can help your food allergic loved one(s) enjoy a meal in one of our local North Conway restaurants that are gluten free!  We realize that many folks need more than just gluten free but that seems to be the most commonly know allergen.

For those of you that have allergies to many different things we highly recommend printing out these chef cards.  Click Here  They make it so much easier for the folks in the restaurant not to have to remember your laundry list of allergies! 

​I've been in your shoes!  

You are in charge of finding a great North Conway Vacation Rental that will WOW everyone in your group.  You're thinking... "How will I ever please everyone?"

Relax - Take a deep breath - You found the best Vacation Rental in North Conway, NH plus you can discount your vacation at Four Seasons Lodge by $50.  

Just share our website or Facebook page and when someone confirms a booking and mentions your name, I'll send you a check for $50!
​

• Imagine the kids tuckering themselves out in our private indoor pool?
• You can relax in our large, toasty sauna
• 10 bedrooms so everyone has the privacy they deserve on vacation
• Plenty of spaces to sneak away and read a book
• Huge back patio to catch some rays or BBQ some ribs
• Giant side lot for a game of corn hole or whiffle ball
• Minutes to EVERYTHING you want to do on vacation 
• You will receive a Valley Original gift card at check-in!

When folks think of North Conway, visions of ski slopes and outlet malls dance in their heads.  North Conway and the surrounding towns have much more than that to offer and most of it is family friendly and affordable!

I have so many wonderful memories of time spent in the White Mountains and more specifically, North Conway, NH!  As soon as I could, I migrated to North Conway to live and have never looked back!

My folks loved the mountains of the Presidential Range.  Every time we drove north we were subjected to the trip down memory lane of their wedding and subsequent honeymoon in North Conway.  If I do the math correctly, my family's passion for the area started 67 years ago!

My memory of North Conway goes back more than 50 years...  ouch!  It's funny though, the things I remember most are the things I love to do with my family!

For years my young (and now all grown up) family enjoyed splashing around in waterfalls, hiking lots of the local mountains, spending a leisurely day floating in a canoe, gazing at the stars from the top of Cathedral Ledge, exploring all the local covered bridges, squishing our toes in the sand at local beaches and winding drives along the "Kanc" to peek at foliage.

If your kids are not nature nuts, there are kid friendly activities that will delight even hard to please kids!  These days, there is a laundry list of attractions in North Conway that are more high tech and commercial...  and fun, don't forget the FUN!