Family-Friendly White Mountain Weekend - Exploring Bethlehem, Whitefield, Franconia, Littleton, and Lancaster

We love the White Mountains.  From my years working for the Appalachian Mountain Club to Matt’s passion for rock and ice climbing - we are very familiar with its trails and towns…or so we thought.  It turned out we were really just familiar with one part of the White Mountains.  When my hiking friend, Stephen, invited us to stay at his short term rental/AirBnb - we discovered another region with charm, trails, and adventures.  From family friendly hikes, to delicious brewpubs, to historic sites - we had an amazing long weekend based in Whitefield, New Hampshire - the northwest corner of the White Mountains.

Weeks State Park - 7 minutes from our AirBnb

Here’s how to recreate this adventure:

Stay - Adventure Property in Whitefield, New Hampshire

We stayed at the Adventure Property in the small town of Whitefield, New Hampshire.  This multi-unit home offers a comfortable and affordable base camp to White Mountain adventurers.  It’s close to Franconia Notch State Park, Bretton Woods ski area, and many of the 4000 footer peaks.  It’s also a short distance to many other charming small towns like Bethlehem, Lancaster, Littleton, and Sugar Hill. 

We were guests at two of the three accommodations at the house- Adventure Property First Floor and Second Floor.  This gave us a private unit with two large bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen, and two living areas.  The property also has a studio apartment for rent. 

We loved the comfortable, clean, and spacious accommodations, proximity to adventure spots, and helpful host Stephen.  I highly recommend this property!

Adventure Property upstairs bedroom is
 a suite with its own living room area.

Exterior of Adventure Property - grill, seats, and fire pit

Food - Bethlehem, Sugar Hill, and Littleton

With our own kitchen at Adventure Property, we did a mix of eating out and cooking in.  All the restaurants we tried were phenomenal and we even went to two of them twice!  They were:

• Super Secret Ice Cream - James Beard Nominated ice cream parlor in Bethleham is known for seasonal homemade ice cream.  I recommend getting a “flight”.  We went twice!

• Polly’s Pancake Parlor - Tucked away in Sugar Hill, Polly’s is a James Beard Award Winner and New Hampshire Institution. Get there early to avoid a wait.  Matt loves the buckwheat pancakes and I love their maple butter spread.

• Rek Lis - This trendy brewpub in Bethlehem has great beers and homestyle artisan food.  The first night I enjoyed the duck tacos, then went back for the Salmon Sandwich.  The pub pretzel was super as well!

• Schilling’s Brew Pub - I’ll be honest - we chose Schilling for its charming location hanging onto the Ammonoosuc riverfront in Littleton. That said, it was the perfect spot for lunch with thin-crust wood-fired pizzas that the whole family enjoyed.

Great Beer in the area - Schilling Brewery

Duck tacos at Rek Lis Brewpub

Breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor

Ice cream flight with waffle cone chips
at Super Secret Ice Cream

Family Friendly Activities - Franconia Notch, Lancaster, Jefferson, and Littleton

When alone, I’m in this area to tackle some high peaks, but our goals as a family were different.  Fun, easy trails and activities that interested everyone.  There was plenty to explore and many more on our “to do” list!

• The Basin - This 0.8 mile out and back is located in Franconia Notch State Park.  Parking here is free and the trail is easy. We loved seeing the historic and natural wonder. 

• Flume Gorge - An iconic New Hampshire tourist destination, I’ve avoided this one in the past because of the cost ($18 adult, $16 kid plus online fees).  However, our rainy Saturday turned out to be the perfect day to visit.  The easy, 2 mile loop hike takes visitors past multiple waterfalls, through narrow gorges, and past a beautiful covered bridge. The kids favorite part was the (optional) wolf den cave crawl - they did that section three times.

• The Rocks Estate - This historic property in Bethlehem hosts nature trails, manicured gardens, a visitor center, and a working Christmas Tree Farm. We've enjoyed staying at the rental property here in the past and the kids requested a visit. We enjoyed the views (in the rain) and walked the nature trail to some of the historic outbuildings on the property.

• Mud Pond Trail, Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge - This 1.2 mile trail in Jefferson is wheelchair accessible and perfect for all ages. A combination of packed gravel and boardwalk takes walkers to a viewing platform of Mud Pond. I was hoping for a moose sighting but no luck.

• Weeks State Park - Just up the road from our Adventure Property rental, Weeks State Park in Lancaster offers a perfect visit for families.  Located on top of Prospect Mountain, visitors can hike the peak or take the auto road.  We chose the auto road (free), and enjoyed our time at the summit by climbing the stone fire tower and walking the nature trail loop to the viewing platform.  There were gorgeous views of the surrounding peaks!

• Littleton Town Time - Our Sunday afternoon was spent walking around Littleton.  We shopped at the Shaun Terhune Gallery, Chutters Candy Counter, and Lahout’s Ski/Outdoor Shop. The kids also loved playing at the Remich Park Playground and the Harmony Park in the River District.

Flume Gorge, Franconia Notch State Park

The Rocks Estate, The Forest Society

Weeks State Park

Mud Pond Trail, Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge

Harmony Park, Littleton

Chutters in Littleton claims to have
the longest candy counter in the world

Until next time…

Our weekend in Whitefield was mostly a rainy one.  But even under gray skies, there was plenty to do and explore.  On the way home, the clouds parted and we were greeted to blue bird skies over the Presidential peaks.  It was so stunning, we decided to stop for one last hike up to Crystal Cascade at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center/ Joe Dodge Lodge.  This short, 0.7 mile out and back hike gives views to one of my favorite waterfalls in the Whites. 

It’s good to be home but dreaming of another family friendly visit to the White Mountains soon!

Crystal Cascade on the drive home

Consider these similar adventure:

Spring Family Weekend in the White Mountains

24 Hour Affordable Family Getaway to the White Mountains

5 Best Family Hikes in the White Mountains

Florida 3 Night Vacation With Kids: Everglades, Beach, and Pool

See how to make the perfect family Florida vacation in just three nights!

Last April, Matt and I drove down to West Virginia for a rock climbing adventure for our ten year wedding anniversary. It felt so good to drive from New Hampshire’s depressing want-to-be spring to a place with actual leaves on the trees and flowers in the gardens, that I decided immediately after the trip that I had to “warm up” the following April break as well. I started researching trips and Florida seemed a great choice. No…not Disney (can’t afford and don’t like crowds). I proposed a trip for the family to the Everglades. I’d been a couple times before (here and here) and knew everyone would love the wildlife and unique ecosystem. My husband and kids loved the idea. I decided we could add in a day or two of pool and beach and it would be a fun and somewhat affordable trip.

By August of 2024 - my April 2025 trip was completely booked! So for nine months I’ve been waiting for this trip and it finally came. I can say without a doubt that our three night mini-vacation to Fort Lauderdale and the Everglades felt anything but “mini. From riding the waves of warm ocean beaches, to floating a lazy river, to seeing over thirty alligators in one day - it was a memorable trip of a lifetime. Here’s a breakdown of the trip. 

Family selfie from day 1 - on a nature walk just hours after landing!

Florida 3 Night "Mini" Vacation With Kids: Everglades, Beach, and Pool

Day 1 - Fly to Florida, Mangrove Nature Walk, Pool Time, Crab House (with Alligator Bites), and Dania Beach

We caught a 7 am flight out of Boston and was in Fort Lauderdale by 10 in the the morning. After picking up rental car (we used Avis), we looked at google maps to find an easy lunch spot and ended up grabbing lunch at Burger Fi at Dania Mall close to the airport. Still to early to check into our hotel, we drove to Secret Woods Nature Center. We were pleasantly surprised by this free location. It was the perfect intro to Florida - we walked the one mile boardwalk loop and saw lizards and mangrove forest. From there we drove to our hotel for night one (the Residence Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port) in Dania Beach. I chose this for the first night since we would spend the whole next day at the Everglades. I wanted a clean, easy location with included breakfast and free parking and a pool for the kids. We loved the roomy suite and large outdoor pool. Plus, they let us check in early! Once there, the kids swam in the large outdoor pool, followed by an hour-long nap (since we had got up at 3 am for our flight)! We woke up ready for dinner and more fun. One of my husbands goals was to try alligator and he found it. Nearby was the Rustic Inn Crabhouse. This was an experience and reminded me of lobster pounds back home. The kids malleted their crabs, and we all tried alligator bites and fried frogs legs - tasted like chicken! The evening ended by driving to Dania Beach so we could put our feet in the sand and watch the sunset. It was a great first day in Florida.

Learning about mangroves on the interpretive trail at Secret Woods Nature Center

Cracking crab at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse

Getting silly with our mallets at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse

Day 2 - The Florida Everglades - Airboats and Alligators

The day started with a great continental (included) breakfast at the Residence Inn. We checked out and drove over to Homestead where we met up with Everglades Airboat Expeditions. This was second time using this company (see Florida Girls Trip Blog Post). We loved our one hour tour. Our guide, Mo, was knowledgeable and approachable. He explained all about the current dry season and wildlife behaviors - touching on the impact of invasive species and challenges to the fragile ecosystem. Reflecting on the whole trip - the airboat ride stood out as a favorite for the whole family.

From the boat ramp, we drove to Robert is Here Fruit Stand right outside the park gates where we had delicious smoothies and Cuban sandwiches for lunch. They have a wild collection of rescued animals out back and the kids loved seeing tortoises and emus! It wasn't too busy when we went but I've had to skip it before when the lines get too long. Next, we drove into the National Park and stopped at the Ernest F Coe Visitor Center. The kids got a stamp in their National Park Passport books. We were informed there was a wildfire near the road in the park and we wouldn't be able to do all the hikes which was fine. The hike I wanted to take the family on was at the Royal Palm Stop - here the Anhinga Trail takes visitors on a one mile boardwalk loop where we saw alligators, herons, turtles, and more. The kids were getting tired and we wanted to make it to the other end of the park so we drove the 45 minutes to Flamingo. We visited the visitor center, stared at the gulf coast water, and searched for manatees and crocodiles in the marina. We found a croc but sadly no manatees - I was sad for my daughter who wanted to see one so badly. By then it was afternoon, and we wanted to get back to Fort Lauderdale. It took about three hours to get to our new hotel due to distance and traffic. A quick McDonald's dinner on the way and we checked into our final destination - a resort on the beach. We stuck our feet in the sand and crashed - ready for a relaxing day the next day.

Little Sis was nervous to do the airboat ride
but now she says it was her favorite part of the trip.

Smoothies at Robert is Here

Soft-shelled Florida Turtle on the Anhinga Trail

We saw so many alligators

Day 3 - Resort Life - Beach, Pool, and Lazy River

I searched hard for a resort that we could stay at and essentially not leave for our last final day. I wanted a beach, a kid-friendly pool, and a restaurant on site. The Pelican Grand Beach Resort fit the bill. It had a warm zero entry pool, fun lazy river to tube down, and private beach with attendants to set up lounge chairs and order drinks. The resort also had a lounge/bar, restaurant, and ice cream shop on site. I got the room on Expedia for about $250 a night but with fees, parking, a resort fee, and meals - it obviously racked up quite a bill. That said - the two nights were the full Florida relaxation experience. On Day 3, we ate breakfast on the restaurant veranda while the sun rose on the Atlantic. Then the kids suited up and we spent hours in the pool. They had great attendants and it wasn’t busy. We took a break from the sun for lunch on the lounge deck before applying more sunscreen and popping down to the beach. The hotel provided lounge chairs and umbrellas that they set up for you. We raised a flag on our spot and a waitress came and took our drink orders. Our New Hampshire kids loved the warm ocean waves and played in the sand. The hotel also had boogie boards and beach toys but I’d brought a few from home too. We went back to the lounge for dinner before crashing after a great day in the sun!

One of the main reasons I chose this hotel is
we wouldn't have to drive (or walk) to the beach!

The lazy river pool was a deciding factor in choosing this hotel.  It didn't disappoint!

We ate all our meals on the outside portion of the hotel restaurants

Views from the hotel - Pelican Grand Beach Resort

Lunch at the lounge next to the pool and ocean

Day 4 - One Last Swim Before Leaving

Our hotel was only twenty minutes from the airport and with a 1 pm flight, we were able to leisurely leave on our last day. We had breakfast outside again on the hotel deck, then went to the pool one last time before packing up and heading to the airport. 

It was a perfect vacation!

Wrapping Up Our Florida Mini-Vacay

Even with just three nights, it felt like we crammed in a full adventure: wildlife thrills, beach play, pool splashes, and palm-tree sunsets. We did keep an eye on costs (the Residence Inn cost us less than $200 a night on Expedia, thanks to the free breakfast, and we splurged on two nights at Pelican Grand for about $690 total for the two nights). It was worth every penny for the memories. We saved money by not booking any tours besides the airboat ride ($180 for four), packing snacks from home, filling water bottles in the hotel, and doing a couple cheaper meals. Still, this short trip added up to over $2,000 with airfare added. 

This little escape was exactly what our family needed. We got a healthy dose of sunshine, science lessons on reptiles, and plenty of goofy family selfies in flip-flops. Honestly, between tropical smoothies, a friendly alligator wave, and the kids naming every iguana on the hotel property - the trip felt priceless – a reminder that the best souvenirs are laughter and time together.

The perfect family vacation does exist!

Interested in Similar Adventures? Check out these past posts:

Ogunquit, Maine For Families
3 Family Friendly Nights in Acadia National Park
4 Family Friendly Days in Olympic National Park
South Florida Girls Trip

Follow me on Instagram at FreelanceAdventurer to see similar adventures or DM me with questions!