High above the Israel River on the slopes of the White Mountains, the small resort town of Jefferson (pop. 1,003) is good base for the exploring the surrounding peaks, and is home to two big tourist draws, both ideal for the truly masochistic parent. About a mile west of Jefferson is Santa’s Village (daily in summer, weekends in Dec.; $20; 603/586-4445), with candy canes looming threateningly at the entrance, a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, the Yule log flume and, of course, Santa himself. Just east of town is Six Gun City (daily in summer; $17.95; 603/586-4592), an ersatz Wild West town featuring cowboy skits (“Come on out, you varmints!”), frontier shows, a carriage museum, a roller coaster, and a pair of water slides.
Outside the town, along US-2 on a crest between Jefferson and Gorham, the Grand View Lodge ($65 and up; 603/466-5715) has nice rooms and truly grand views. Two other accommodations in Jefferson deserve mention, starting with the historic Jefferson Inn ($90 and up; 800/729-7908), which has panoramic views and a swimming pond, right on US-2. A half mile south of Jefferson along Route 115A, the friendly Applebrook B&B ($65 and up; 800/545-6504) sits on 35 acres and offers full Victorian splendor gilded with summer raspberries and a hot tub under the stars.
East of Jefferson the road ascends, the valley narrows, and the scenery becomes more spectacular with every mile, as the Presidential Range looms larger and larger to the south.
Eight miles south of Gorham, towering Mt. Washington marks the start of our Appalachian Trail route, which follows along these landmark mountains all the way south to Atlanta.
