From a train-chasing wolf man to a scooter-riding black bear and Cinderella’s pumpkin coach, New Hampshire has plenty of funky, vintage, and beloved roadside attractions.
A century or more before giant theme parks were just a gleam in Walt Disney’s eyes, New Hampshire was home to quirky family attractions and storybook towns. So instead of heading south and spending big bucks that you probably had to scrimp and save for this spring and summer, we suggest you fill up the minivan, buy some snacks, and head to New Hampshire’s vintage, funky, and affordable roadside attractions. Many of these have been open and popular for generations. These destinations are super-family-friendly, including the littlest and the oldest in the bunch. Because the six named here have been around so long, they are beloved by generations of New Hampshire residents.
1. Canobie Lake Park (1902)
Location: 85 North Policy Street, Salem
Dates: May 16 through Halloween
Bring your child to Canobie Lake Park, and they may ride the same roller coaster that you, your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother rode when they visited this cozy, vintage amusement park—the longest continually running park in New Hampshire and one of the oldest in New England.
In fact, the park’s 1930 Yankee Cannonball wooden roller coaster was built nearly a century ago and is one of many vintage and iconic rides at Canobie. Those include a stunning Victorian wooden carousel, DaVinci’s Dream, a magical ride with a circle of suspended, rotating swings that looks like something you’d see in a Florentine piazza a century ago, and one of the last original Caterpillar rides left in the country.
When the 65-acre attraction on the shore of Canobie Lake opened nearly a century ago, it started as a trolley park and botanical gardens, and is one of the few remaining trolley parks in the country. Many buildings and midways harken back to Victorian times, but the park has kept up with the times, adding new rides and features regularly. Canobie also stages family-friendly concerts and shows throughout the season.
The park is accessible to all ages and abilities.
2. Storyland (1954)
Location: 850 Route 16, Glen
Dates: May 23 through Oct. 25
A year before Disneyland opened in California, Bob and Ruth Morrell opened a small storybook-themed park in a pasture in the state’s White Mountains Region called Storyland. Nearly 70 years later, children can still meet up with OG storybook characters like Mother Goose, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater, and the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe. They can hitch a ride on Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach, take a spin on the Turtle Twirl, ride in a giant Dutch wooden shoe, or hop on any of the other 50 attractions geared to the younger kids in your life.
The park also features live shows, a Moo Lagoon water park, a Living Shores Aquarium, and much more.
3. Clark’s Bears (1928)
Location: 110 Route 3, Lincoln
Dates: Open mid-May through mid-October
The only possible thing more iconic in New Hampshire than Clark’s Bears (formerly Clark’s Trading Post) was the late, great Old Man of the Mountain.
For nearly 100 years, the attraction has been a must-see destination for visitors to the White Mountain region. Generations of the founding family have run the park. Visitors can watch North American black bears ride scooters, toss balls back and forth, and hug their trainers during 30-minute shows. They can also hop on for a 25-minute ride on the White Mountain Central Railroad through a 122-year-old covered bridge, and eventually through the territory of a very grumpy “Wolfman” who chases you out of his territory on a tricked-out go-kart. There’s also a summer circus, a Segway safari, gemstone mining, fossil finding, and other attractions.
4. Santa’s Village (1953)
Location: 528 Presidential Highway, Jefferson
Dates: Open May 23 through Oct. 24 with special holiday programs in November and December
For 73 years, Santa’s Village has been a happy place for young children and their parents. It’s got everything: Santa, reindeer, antique cars, and lots and lots of nostalgia. That might be because the same family has owned the popular White Mountains region attraction for four generations. In addition to over 20 Christmas-themed rides, like the Reindeer Carousel, Little Elf Flying School, the Chimney Drop, the S.S. Peppermint Twist, and the Great Humbug Adventure, the park also has a Yule Log Flume, bumper cars, You Tubing, and two roller coasters.
5. Polar Caves (1922)
Location: 705 Rumney Route 25, Rumney
Dates: Open mid-May through mid-October
Not all of New Hampshire’s oldest and most loved attractions are manufactured. Take the Polar Caves, which first opened 104 years ago. The caves are a geological feature at the base of what’s now known as Hawk’s Cliff, shaped during the last Ice Age by a glacier that crossed the land, depositing giant granite boulders that form passageways. According to the Polar Caves website, they got their name because even in the height of summer, they stay cool and emit “a visible polar breath.” Visitors might even find snow in the deepest caverns during the summer.
Visitor spelunkers can explore the caves on trails, stairs, and boardwalks. They can also try their hand at fossil and gem hunting.
6. The Friendly Farm (1964)
Location: Route 101, Dublin
Dates: Late May through early September
Who needs Animal Kingdom when you can take a relaxed and scenic drive to the seven-acre Friendly Farm in the Monadnock Region, where you can pet and feed baby and adult goats, sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, and bunnies. This place has an authentic, chill vibe—a great, natural retreat from our over-stimulating world. And while this homey attraction opened in 1964, it sits on a farm established 137 years earlier, and a century-old farmhouse is still part of the attraction.
