North Conway's Great for Skiiers and Shoppers

By Sandra Miller
Daily Evening Item, Lynn, Mass.

On an early winter weekend morning, he drops off his family at one of the ski mountains, because his kids want to sled and his wife plans to shush down the black diamond slope. But he hates winter sports – way too cold for his liking -- so he drives a couple of miles away for some warm indoor holiday shopping at the Levis outlet, and some Black and Decker bargains for himself. He picks up a warm parka at the L.L Bean outlet, two pairs of loafers at the Bass store – buy one, get the second at 40 percent off! – and some stocking stuffers for his wife at the Farberware store – all of the kitchen gadgets are 50 percent off already discounted prices. He considers bargain hunting a contact sport, and he’s very good at it.

Got a family that can’t make up its mind how to spend its leisure time? North Conway offers the best of all worlds, a mere two-hour drive away. Its snow-tipped mountains cradle a multitude of entertainment choices -- shopping, skiing, skating, sleighrides, and Santa’s Village.

A popular four-season bed-and-breakfast getaway, this New Hampshire town tucked away in the White Mountains first greets visitors driving along Route 16 with a handful of antiques shops and New England charm. A mile more down the road, and you’re inundated with outlet shopping centers.

“I do all my Christmas shopping here,” said Settler’s Green outlets shopper Judy Oldale, a Newburyport woman sitting patiently, if a bit worn out, on a bench that served as an island amidst dozens of shopping bags. She was babysitting some of the items for her family, who still had some shopping strength left in their legs after a good four hours at the outlet. A veteran, she said she’d be back in January for some great post-Christmas sales, too.

Settlers’ Green features 50 stores, including Banana Republic, Nike, and J. Crew. The Tanger Outlet Centers includes Liz Claiborne, Fanny Farmer, and Corning Revere. More stores line Route 16, which leads into the more quaint shops along Main Street and its alleyways. Zeb’s features everything New England, from maple syrup to coffee, wooden toys to candles, plus an excellent penny-candy assortment. Try the Butterfinger fudge.

For something more substantial, head a few doors down to Horsefeathers, a restaurant that bills itself as the “Greatest neighborhood eatery in the known universe.” Can’t vouch for that, but the lobster ravioli in a light cream sauce was delicately delicious, as was the catch of the day, tuna prepared cajun-style. The bartender couldn’t make enough Cosmopolitans to keep up with demand, although one customer’s huge strawberry daiquiri turned quite a few heads. At night, upstairs features live bands.

If you arrive early enough on a Sunday, the White Mountain Hotel down the road offers a substantial array of brunch items until 1:30 p.m., featuring freshly prepared omelets, Belgian waffles with fresh berries, tender rosemary-flecked roast beef and creamy clam chowder, plus a decadent array of pastries. For some fine margaritas and inexpensive tacos, stop at Café Noche on your way home just before leaving North Conway, on Route 16. The special of the day during a recent visit were enchiladas with crawfish in a green-chile sauce.

For the kids, the Conway Scenic Railroad chugs around the region for a 55-minute Conway roundtrip to a 1 3⁄4-hour roundtrip to nearby Bartlett. For an extra fee, you can dine onboard. On November 30, and the first three weekends of December, the railway recreates the “Polar Express,” an award-winning children’s tale of a mystical journey to the North Pole. Another December ride features a visit from Santa, loaded with presents for children.

The beloved New Hampshire institution Story Land theme park in nearby Glen is closed until mid-June, but nearby Santa’s Village in Jefferson, featuring magic shows, train rides, and visits with Santa and his elves, is open Nov. 24-25, and Dec. 2, 9, and 16.

If weather isn’t obscuring the top of nearby Mount Washington, pick a good picture-perfect observation point to view the Northeast’s highest peak and the surrounding Presidential mountain range. Although you won’t be able to slap a bumper sticker on your car that declares it climbed the mountain, at least until the auto road reopens in mid-May, you can take a winter snowcoach tour, weather permitting.

In the spring, you can return to the mountain and check out the observatory and museum. Scientists love Mount Washington’s capricious weather conditions, and kids read with awe the museum’s plaque that details just how many foolishly unprepared hikers perished while attempting to climb the stormy mountain.

The White Mountains offer day skiiers full or half-day packages at a dozen area ski mountains, including Attitash Bear Peak, Black Mountain, Bretton Woods, Cannon, Cranmore, King Pine, Loon, and Wildcat.

For non-downhill skiiers, many of these resorts also offer cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snow tubing, ice skating, snowbikes, and even rock-climbing walls. Or try a horse-drawn Austrian Sleigh along the Ellis River at Nestlenook Farm Resort.

But as of early November, the area was still waiting for snow, or at least temps cold enough to support the snow-making machines. Outside of Main Street and the outlets, many of the businesses surrounding the ski slopes were shut down until the ski crowd picked up. One shopkeeper did a crossword puzzle. Almost all of the smaller shops had friendly workers all too willing to strike up a long chat.

“We’re in the in-between season,” apologized one storekeeper who had time to be very, very attentive to the two customers in his clothing-and-sunglasses shop on Main Street during a very sunny November Sunday. “It’s nice to relax a bit, but we can’t wait for the snow season to begin. Then it gets really crazy.”


-- Winthrop resident Sandra Miller didn’t get to cross-country ski, but left North Conway with four pairs of Bass shoes, two dresses from J. Jill, and a huge bag of kitchen gadgets.