The small towns of the Great North Woods set a picturesque backdrop to the snowy beauty of winter. While each town only has a handful of stores and eateries, they create flexibility through multi use spaces – for instance a convenience store in Bethlehem serves Indian food on the weekends and the Polish bakery in Lancaster has pizza and pierogi nights. 

Whitefield

My homebase during my stay was the town of Whitefield. The raised bandstand decorated with lights and wreaths made the small town center look like something out of a Hallmark movie.  During the winter, the town even sets up a small ice rink in the town common.  Surrounding the common area are a few thrift stores, an art gallery/hostel, and a pizza place. Of the town centers, this one seems to be the sparsest for amenities, but the cutest in appearance.  

Up the mountain roads of Whitefield, the Mountain View Grand Hotel lives up to its name – with sweeping views of the Presidential Range and a stunning three story historic hotel, the 19th century hotel is grand in the truest sense.

The hotel started as a farmhouse, and they still maintain a working fiber farm on the grounds. I was lucky enough to be there during their barn’s open house hours. Inside the barn are a variety of farm animals and informational displays about the process of fiber making. The goats were adventurous; the alpacas, friendly; and the llamas, hungry.

My morning started with a short walk at the Mud Pond trail in Jefferson.  I’m a sucker for a boardwalk, so when I found out that more than half this trail is a boardwalk, I had to check it out.  The boardwalk ends at a small pond, and while there wasn’t much to see in the winter, I enjoyed the peacefulness of the winter landscape and the snow sculptures that were created as the snow piled up on the railings of the boardwalk. For those who are cross country skiers, the winter-only Mooseway trail extends to a few other small ponds.

Lancaster

Set along the Israel River, Lancaster’s downtown is a set of historic mill and shop buildings: pictures of the town from the 1900s don’t look much different than today.  The Lancaster neon sign instantly drew my attention to the corner mill building, and when I looked up, I noticed the ornate patina gargoyles and some arched stonework around the windows.

On the first floor of this building is the WM Rugh Art gallery.  The gallery is home to a large collection of Ed Widmayer but also art from all different styles, time periods, and price ranges. The owner has kept some of the original details – like vault doors – and has used the architectural details of the space – like stained glass lit up in front of the windows – to create a vibrant space. There was also music playing, refreshments offered, and locals stopping by for a visit while I was there.  All these elements made this feel like a community space just as much as an art gallery. 

This same community feeling emanated in the comfortable sitting area of the Polish Princess bakery, healthy agricultural mission of the Taproot Marketplace, the hometown love in the Northwoods on Main gift shop, the local free pantry outside of the Episcopal church, and the colorful community mural near the visitor center.  

Just outside of the center is the Israel River covered bridge (1862). I always think of Vermont when I think of covered bridges, but the ones I saw during this weekend in New Hampshire were just as picturesque as any I’ve seen in Vermont.  

The drive from Lancaster to Littleton took me along the Connecticut River that separates New Hampshire from Vermont.  The winter snow blanketed the river and snowmobilers raced along its banks.  I couldn’t help but stop to take pictures of a few other bridges that crossed the river on my drive. 

Littleton

Before heading to Littleton center, I planned a hike up the Kilburn Crags. While the hike is under 2 miles round trip, the consistent incline in the deep snow made it a challenge. The hike ends at an overlook with panoramic views of Littleton town center and the Presidential Mountain range in the background.  The sun glinting off the snow and the white peaks of mountains beyond were beautiful.  

Set along the Ammonoosuc River, Littleton is another mill town.  While the mill industry in the town has come and gone, the historic buildings, covered bridge, and water wheel harken back to that time. All the mill buildings have been converted into restaurants, shops, and businesses.  A short riverwalk parallels the river and offers opportunities to enjoy the scenic views of the river & covered bridge as well as make some music at Harmony park. Walking across the Riverwalk Covered Bridge provides a better view of the architecture of the mill buildings. On the other side, I followed the path along the river to the Curran suspension bridge. This is the 3d version of a bridge at this point in the river; supposedly the first was nothing but a rope drawn skiff for the mill workers to cross the river. 

Most people stick to the main street of Littleton, where shops like Chutters – known for the longest candy counter in the country – and gift shops honoring the local book character Pollyanna draw visitors.  Along with the classic tourist gift shops, more niche shops like the White Mountains Canning Company, Northern Lights Music, The Little Herb Shop, and Shaun Terhune Fine Art Photography add character to the street.  

However, don’t miss out on the shops along Mill street.  The layering of design and color at Maison Boheme, inventive light fixtures and humorous photo captions at Bad Art, and fantastical prints and decor at Baba Yaga all made me smile. Also right next to the Riverwalk Covered Bridge, Schilling Brewery and Restaurant offers ambiance in all seasons. Even though it was a 25 degree day in February, the roaring fire pits and thick blankets that they have set up outside of the Brewery kept me toasty and able to enjoy the scenic river views. 

Bethlehem

Bethlehem at first glance doesn’t feel like a cohesive town center. However, after a walk up the street, I found some small collections of storefronts and eateries.  As it was a Sunday in the winter, many of the stores were closed, but as I glanced inside, I could imagine spending some time browsing these in the warmer weather.  I found that many of the stores had unique concepts. For instance, Lonesome Woods is a mix between a gift shop and a vintage store, but that doesn’t really accurately describe it either. Much of its stock are rustic snowshoes, axes, cast iron pots, and the like.  Talking with the owner about his collections, I could tell that he is invested in what he chooses to stock.  It was a fun shop to browse.  Next door is the vegan/gluten free friendly coffee shop Maia Papaya. Across the street was also a mobile truck serving up made-to-order donuts.

The other thing that surprised me about all of these towns was the dedication to the arts. Each of towns offered a theatre: Whitefield has the Weathervane Performing Arts Theatre; Lancaster, the Rialto movie Theatre; and Bethlehem, The Colonial Theatre.