Driving up Moose Alley (Rt 16 north of North Conway) at dusk makes it pretty easy to see moose, but they just stand there and look big. Frankly, it’s not worth the trip unless you’re *really *into moose.
There’s lots to do in NH/VT if you’re into hiking. There are big and small hikes all around, although there will still be some snow up high at that time. North Conway is a fine town to spend some time in, shopping, eating, taking the stage or cog RR up Mt Washington or the gondola up Wildcat. There are zip lines and rope courses there as well. Plenty of B&Bs in the area, or the fantastic Mt Washington Hotel (although that’s pricey).
Blindfold your wife and take her to Mendocino in CA. You’ll be able to see whales and a place where so many New England (esp. Maine) TV shows and/or movies were filmed you’ll never know the difference. Except the weather will be fantastic every day!
I always recommend a trip to Newport, RI, but might not be practical since you are focusing on northern NE.
I went to a friend’s wedding in Boothbay a few years ago…I dunno, it struck me as “faux Maine.” Things get better the further Down East you go.
I recommend trying to get at least as far as the Penobscot peninsula and seeing Castine and Blue Hill, as well as Brooklin, where E.B. White had his farm and wrote Charlotte’s Web.. Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park are even better.
I’m also very fond of The Big Chicken Barn on Route One in Maine, between Bucksport and Ellsworth. It’s a very big chicken barn, over a hundred yards long, with antiques on the lower floor and books and vintage magazines on the upper.
You actually see “moose crossing” signs along I-95 through southen Maine - much the same as you see “deer crossing” signs along roads in other areas :D.
I always complain that it’s false advertising - 5 round trips to Portland and we didn’t see one single moose! (we have actually seen them - a long-ago trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton).
Not related to anything you asked but I gather New Hampshire has no sales tax. Every time we were going to Portland, we were driving up from the Boston area, and the most noticeable thing you see along the highway in NH is signs for a huge liquor store (both directions). We finally stopped this last trip and it was indeed larger than a regular ABC store here in Virginia, and had a much larger selection. As we’re not big drinkers there wasn’t much we wanted to buy, but we did come home with a nice bottle of maple liqueur.
NH has not sales tax; there is tax on meals and hotels. There are big liquor stores in part because only the state can sell hard liquor. Technically there’s a limit on how much you can transport out of NH.
“State law makes its illegal to transport more than eight quarts of hard liquor or six gallons of beer or wine.”
