Get outside

The North Country is calling

Brennan Ward

My son turned seven in July, and when I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday party, he lobbied hard for a YouTube influencer party. Thankfully, we eventually reached a compromise.

But that conversation stayed with me, because every parent fights some version of it. Screen time versus outside time. Passive entertainment versus real experience.

Sitting still versus getting dirty. My answer this summer is simple: We are going outside. All of us.

If you have a kid glued to a screen this summer, I understand the struggle. But New Hampshire’s North Country is one of the best arguments for putting the electronics down, and most people drive right past it on their way somewhere else. A family adventure will always beat hours of whatever the algorithm serves up next.

The summer tourism season is not a side business for communities in northern New Hampshire. It is the economic engine that keeps local restaurants open, small businesses alive and town budgets funded through the long winter months that follow. Every meal you eat at a locally owned restaurant, every night you spend at a family inn, and every attraction ticket you buy stays in the community in ways that matter. Choosing the North Country for a weekend is a small act of support for communities that genuinely need it.

A few ideas on North Country family-friendly activities:

Cannon Mountain has more to offer in summer than most people realize — trails, ranger-led outdoor programs on local wildlife and North Country history, and Echo Lake Beach for a swim with a mountain backdrop that is hard to beat. One heads-up worth noting: The iconic Aerial Tramway is currently offline after 45 years of service, with a third-generation tram system in the works.

At Franconia Notch State Park, plan to spend the whole day, because one visit is never enough. Near Cannon, The Basin is a short, flat walk to a massive glacial pothole carved by water over thousands of years, perfect for younger children and genuinely impressive for any age.

After the Notch, the river is your next stop. The Ammonoosuc, the Pemigewasset and the Connecticut rivers all offer swimming holes, fishing spots and the kind of lazy summer afternoon that children remember for years. Find a good rock to jump off, pack a lunch and plan to stay longer than you think you will.

Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln has been entertaining North Country families since 1928 — trained bear shows, a steamp-owered train, water bumper boats and enough nostalgia to keep parents just as entertained as their kids. It is genuinely fun, and it has been for nearly a century.

Whale’s Tale Waterpark, also in Lincoln, is New Hampshire’s largest waterpark with slides, a wave pool and a lazy river set against a mountain backdrop that no Florida park can match. A full family day, start to finish, and where yours truly manned the wave pool lifeguard station back in my teens.

Lost River Gorge in North Woodstock lets kids crawl through ancient granite caves carved by glaciers 25,000 years ago. Part adventure, part geology lesson and entirely memorable. Younger kids will need a hand in the tighter passages, but they will talk about it for weeks.

Santa’s Village in Jefferson is a North Country summer tradition for young families. A Christmas-themed amusement park running through the summer months — rides, shows and characters that make absolutely no seasonal sense and somehow work perfectly. Generations of New Hampshire families have made this an annual ritual, and for good reason.

Main Street Littleton deserves an afternoon of its own. One of the most charming small-town commercial districts in New Hampshire, with independent shops, locally owned restaurants and Chutters, home to the longest candy counter in the world. If that doesn’t get your kid off the couch, nothing will.

And do not overlook the farm stands.

Meadowstone Farm in Bethlehem and the orchards and berry patches throughout the Connecticut River Valley offer u-pick experiences that connect kids to where food actually comes from. It is wholesome in the best possible way.

The North Country does not ask much.

Show up, explore, eat local and let the mountains do the rest. The screens will be waiting in September. Right now, summer is here, and it is too short and too beautiful to spend inside.

My son’s birthday is going to be outside this July. No ring light required.

Brennan Ward has nearly two decades of experience in public affairs and strategic communications, shaped by work in Washington, D.C., with deep roots in New Hampshire’s North Country. He can be reached at bward@novuspublicaffairs.com.