Three miles south of Franconia Notch, tiny North Woodstock (pop. 700) is a good example of what White Mountains towns used to look like before vacation condos popped up like prairie dog colonies; neighboring Lincoln (pop. 1,229) is the portrait of “after.” North Woodstock is a handful of mostly unpretentious businesses at the junction of US-3 and Route 112, while Lincoln seems to be nothing but a strip of ski-clothing stores, malls, and motels east of I-93 at the base of the Loon Mountain ski resort. When Loon’s condo-covered foothills fill to capacity during fall and winter holidays, the weekend population can mushroom more than 20-fold to more than 30,000.
Diner fans will want to check out the Sunny Day Diner (closed Tues.; 603/745-4833), a stainless-steel 1950s icon at the north edge of North Woodstock on US-3. A classic breakfast and lunch place, the Sunny Day makes some fine French toast (including a deeply flavored banana variation that goes great with local maple syrup). The Sunny Day, which is just south of Clark’s Trading Post, also serves delicious dinners on Friday and Saturday.
