Scenic road trip from boston through new hampshire


THE HOTEL: Surrounded by golf-green, manicured lawns and a working farm, the sprawling four-story mustard-yellow Mountain View Grand Resort commands its location amid the White Mountains.

Settle into an Adirondack-style chair or a rocker on the veranda and savor eye-candy vistas of the Presidential Range. The Dodge family opened the Mountain View House in 1866, and its

popularity necessitated growing both outward and upward. When the family sold the property in 1979, it could house more than 300 guests, and the registrars listed celebrities, presidents and

writers. It closed in 1986 but reopened in 2002, after a four-year $20 million renovation that restored the grandeur and added a spa. From $159. WHAT TO DO: The Mountain View also offers

plenty to keep guests happy on-site, including a nine-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, mountain biking, tennis, disk golf and axe throwing. Especially if you're traveling

with the grandkids, you'll like the working farm's open house with a farmer who'll answer your questions (open from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily). Cavan/Alamy Stock Photo DAY 3:

WHITEFIELD TO THE WENTWORTH IN JACKSON Take Route 116 East for 10 miles for a detour to Jefferson. Then you have about an hour's drive to Jackson on Route 2 East to Route 16 South. EN

ROUTE: In Jefferson, explore New Hampshire Audubon's Pondicherry Wildlife Reserve, a National Natural Landmark with ponds, wetlands and woodlands. From its boardwalks, hiking trails and

viewing platforms, you may see beavers, black bears, moose, otters, a variety of bird species and more. For a different perspective on Mount Washington, ascend the 7.6-mile Mount Washington

Auto Road in Greens Grant, about a 20-minute drive south of Gorham, a construction marvel that opened in 1861 to horse-drawn carriages. You can drive this steep road yourself, but leave

that to the pros on a two-hour guided van tour. You'll learn about the fauna, flora, unique weather and history of the mountain and get splendid views of the Great Gulf Wilderness,

Pinkham Notch and the Presidential Range. THE HOTEL: If the Omni Mount Washington is a concert grand piano, the Wentworth is a baby grand. Joshua Trickey built the hotel in 1869 as a wedding

gift for his daughter, Georgia, and her fiancé, Gen. Marshall Wentworth. And it has grown over the decades to more than two dozen outbuildings, including Queen Anne-style guest cottages,

stables and a casino where Harry Belafonte, Alan King and Zero Mostel performed. Closed in 1971, a developer acquired the destitute property in 1982 and tore down unstable buildings, but

didn't reopen the hotel. Swiss hotelier Fritz Koeppel purchased the property with his first wife in 1988 and transformed it into a cozy and intimate country retreat. Gleaming hardwood

floors topped with Asian-style rugs welcome visitors into the lobby, and white linens drape dining room tables. Gas fireplaces and outdoor hot tubs, some in turrets, accent the cottages.

Koeppel's widow, Ellie, easily recognizable by her Irish brogue, now runs the hotel. From $165 with breakfast, $249 with breakfast and four-course dinner nightly. WHAT TO DO: The town

of Jackson, with its 1876 covered bridge and handful of shops and restaurants, earns the title “precious.” The National Register-listed Jackson Falls Historic District encompasses the

village, including the Wentworth, and much of a scenic 5-mile mountain loop ebbing and flowing by country inns and alpine chalets, a ski area, small farms and the privately owned Wentworth

Castle, a Victorian stone mansion just above the hotel. The Wildcat River tumbles from the castle down to the village, providing background music for hotel guests. Take a dip in one of the

cascade's pools, or catch some rays and picnic on the rocks along the river's banks. Tom Croke/Alamy Stock Photo DAY 4: JACKSON TO BOSTON Drive approximately 145 miles via Route 16

South and Interstate 95 South, with a stop along the way in North Conway. EN ROUTE: About 8 miles south of Jackson, you'll find North Conway, home to a quaint downtown, with its

Victorian railway station facing the town green. (Conway Scenic Railroad trains operate daily.) You can visit Mount Washington Observatory's Weather Discovery Center and interactive

museum, and independent stores such as White Birch Books. Or power-shop some of the 100-plus tax-free outlet stores strewn along Route 16, south of town. At the Lindt Chocolate Shop, perhaps

indulge in a few truffles for nibbles when you're back on the road. Enjoy some music along the route with this road trip playlist compiled for AARP by Kate McNally, host of New

Hampshire Public Radio’s _The Folk Show_.