My husband Todd and I just got back from an epic Fall Foilage Roadtrip. Our trip was 10 days and we visited 8 different cities. We started in Massachusetts (Salem & Boston). Then we headed to Portland & Bar Harbor, Maine, and then ended up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire!
The White Mountain area is very large. Getting from one side to the other can easily take an hour. We stayed two nights in the White Mountains in two different towns (Lincoln & Plymouth).
Why Visit?
There is one very good reason to visit the White Mountains and that is Fall Foilage, I could talk about others, but seriously these mountains are huge and extra pretty in the Fall time!
Where to Stay?
The places we stayed in NH were my absolute favorite out of everywhere we stayed on our trip! We ended up staying two nights in the White Mountains.
The first night, we stayed in an Airbnb, but not just any Airbnb….we stayed in a Treehouse!
The man that owns this Airbnb actually built the treehouse totally by hand! It was such a beautiful place to stay! You can book your stay in the treehouse here, or you can check out the other awesome Airbnb AirStream he was working on while we were there!
If you have never used Airbnb, you really should give it a try! Often times I find it is cheaper to stay in a house than it is a one bedroom hotel room! Also, you often get to stay in the quaintest and coolest houses out there. If you would like to give Airbnb a try click on this link to get $40 dollars off your first booking!
The next night we stayed on the other side of the White Mountains, and stayed in probably my favorite hotel to date. There is a company in NH called Uncommon, and this was their hotel, but they also had restaurants and other places to stay, and they just did it really really well!
The hotel was called The Uncommon Man Inn & Spa, and it was themed so perfectly as a log cabin type feel. We went with the Squam suite (you can pick which room you want online).
We even had our own fireplace!
The Lobby had an adorable gift shop with locally made items and Christmas ornaments. I seriously just loved this place.
Pro Tip: add the chocolate covered strawberries to your package (only $3!) They will be waiting for you when you arrive!
Where to Eat:
If anything is lacking in the White Mountains, it’s a plethora of restaurants. Everything is so spaced out, so you have to evaluate where you are and sort of pick whatever is closest for a bit to eat! There are not a whole lot of restaurants, and not many reviews either, so we took our chances and just went with what sounded good!
Black Diamond Pub: While this food wasn’t the highlight of the trip, it was still a good place to eat, with a pretty view. The restaurant is located in a ski resort, so going in the Fall time, it wasn’t very crowded. I had Caesar salad and Todd had a Salmon burger.
Italian Farmhouse: This is exactly how it sounds, an Italian restaurant in a Farmhouse. This was one of our favorite dining experiences of the trip! Not only was the food delicious, we also had fantastic service, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was so cool! They even had a bread bar! This is a place you must eat if you are in the area!
Room Service: For dessert, we decided to try room service at our hotel because the menu was so unique! I had cookie dough wontons and Todd had a homemade peanut butter cup! (Told you the hotel was super cool). We also ate the next morning at the hotel for breakfast (it was complimentary).
Mad River Coffee: Before we headed out of town we stopped and got some coffee at Mad River (continuation of that Log Cabin type feel that made us love NH!). The coffee was great and the menu was huge (would be great for breakfast). I ended up with a seasonal muffin, which was delicious.
What to Do:
The one day of rain on our trip ended up being while we were in NH. There was a lot more outdoorsy things we wanted to do/views we wanted to see (super foggy!), like drive up Mount Washington! However, we made the most of it and still had fun!
The Flume Gorge: The Flume Gorge is a short hike located in Fronconia State Park. The hike to the Gorge is a short one and fairly easy, however there are a bunch of steps. I think in total it was about 2 miles, many of which was on a road. (You can take a bus halfway there if needed). Along the hike their are many neat features, such as the beautiful red covered bridge, and the bear cave! There is a $16 cost per person to go on the hike.
Drive the Kancamagus Highway: Also known as the Kanc, this highway is a 35 mile drive (with no gas stations!) of beautiful scenery and many beautiful overlooks. I mean, can you even with all this Fall Foilage!? It was the perfect rainy day activity, because we were able to hop in and out at our connivence. My advice, if you see a stop that looks pretty, then stop!
Also, we met many people who wanted to exchange pictures along this journey (you take a pic of us and vice versa). One time a photographers wife asked if she could take our pic and it turned into a mini photoshoot, because she was trying to prove to her husband that she could see a good shot (see the pics below)! It was such a funny experience, but we are always thankful for someone to take our pic!
Go to the Spa: I booked a massage for both Todd and I, as well as a pumpkin butter facial for myself at our hotel! Yes you read that right…a pumpkin butter facial! After all our walking around this was definitely needed, and oh so relaxing!
Other Suggestions:
Mount Washington Auto Road
Mount Washington Cog
Artist Bluff Trail
FlapJack’s
Texas Toast
Peaked Moon Farm Store
Gypsy Cafe
If you want further information on the White Mountains, make sure to check out the resources I used to plan our trip on my Pinterest Fall Foilage Trip board!
Also, I have created a Google Map of our stops to help you plan!
You can check out the rest of our trip here.
Lastly, I created a Fall Playlist for our trip that was awesome to listen to during all the driving! You can check it out here.
A few more scenic views:
(because I just can’t even handle the Fall leaves we saw there!)
Keep up with all my posts on Bloglovin | See day to day pictures & stories on Instagram | Like the Kasey Holloway blog page on Facebook | Pin along with me on Pinterest | See what I’m reading on Goodreads Listen to my Worship Playlist on Spotify
-Kasey