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New Hampshire 
Motto: Live Free or Die
State bird, purple finch. State flower, purple lilac. State tree, white birch
Harsh, glacier-scarred interior of NEW HAMPSHIRE , with its dense forests and forbidding mountains
The first American state to declare independence, in January 1776, New Hampshire has been proud to go its own idiosyncratic way. The absence of a sales tax, or even a personal income tax, is seen as a fulfillment of the state motto, "Live Free or Die." Alternative sources of revenue include state-owned liquor stores.
The
Kancamagus Highway between Lincoln and Conway, make for an enjoyable driving
tour. However, 
you
won't really have made the most of the White Mountains unless you also
set off, on foot or on skis, across the long expanses of thick evergreen
forest that separate them, with snowcapped peaks.
Even when the Indians were finally driven back, following the defeat of their French allies in Canada, the settlers could make little agricultural impact on the rocky terrain of this "granite state." Towns such as Nashua, Manchester and Concord grew up in the fertile Merrimack Valley, but not until the Industrial Revolution made possible the development of water-powered textile mills did the economy take off. For a while, ruthless timber companies looked set to strip all northern New Hampshire bare - very few of the trees you see now are original growth - but they were brought under control when the state recognized that the pristine landscape of the White Mountains might turn out to be its greatest asset. Large-scale tourism began towards the end of last century; at one stage fifty trains daily brought travelers up to Mount Washington.
Ever since becoming the first American state to declare independence, in January 1776, New Hampshire has been proud to go its own idiosyncratic way. The absence of a sales tax, or even a personal income tax, is seen as a fulfillment of the state motto, "Live Free or Die." Alternative sources of revenue include state-owned liquor stores in which, unlike in neighboring states, you are able to purchase alcohol on Sundays. The stores were set up after the failure of Prohibition, and have been enthusiastically promoted ever since: they even have them in freeway rest areas. The state has long gained inordinate politi cal clout as the venue of the first primary election of each presidential campaign, with its villages well used to playing host to would-be world leaders.
One less ideological aspect of New Hampshire's individualism is the emphasis on a healthy outdoor lifestyle. Hiking, climbing, cycling and skiing are enjoyed both by energetic locals and by the many visitors who drive up from Boston and New York. The major destinations are Lake Winnipesaukee , and Conway, Lincoln and Franconia in the mountains further north. Some have grown rather too large and commercial for their own good, but if you steer clear of the paying "attractions," the lakes, islands and snowcapped peaks themselves remain spectacular. To see the bucolic rural scenery more usually associated with New England, take a detour off the main roads up the Merrimack Valley - to Canterbury Shaker Village near Concord, for example.
The short boardwalk at WEIRS BEACH , the very essence of seaside tackiness even if it is fifty miles inland, is in summer the social center of the Lakes Region. Its little wooden jetty throngs with vacationers, the amusement arcades jingle with cash, and there's even a neat little crescent of sandy beach, suitable for family swimming. The better of its two competing water parks is Surf Coaster (summer daily 10am-8pm, weather permitting; $20, less if you're under 4ft tall) on Hwy-11B just south of town, which offers dramatic rides and a powerful wave machine.
Nearby LACONIA controls the purse-strings for Weirs Beach but isn't really worth a visit of its own except for a stop at the White Mountain National Forest Headquarters at 719 Main St (Mon -Fri 8am-4.30pm; tel 603/528-8721, ), which has helpful maps and camping info. Belknap Mill here claims to be "the oldest unaltered brick textile mill building in the United States." Though now an arts center, the mill's machinery is still in working order amongst the gallery space, which is the venue for evening concerts and lecture programs.
On Father's Day weekend (the third in June), at least twenty thousand bikers cruise up for a gigantic motorcycle race and rally in Loudon , where the New Hampshire International Raceway hosts NASCAR on a regular basis. Even at quieter times, room rates in Laconia are high; the best choice is the Landmark Inn of the Lakes Region , 480 Main St (tel 603/524-8000; $50-130), but motel options are abundant along Rte-3 between Weirs Beach and Meredith. Laconia's heartiest place to eat is Water Street Café (tel 603/524-4144), at 141 Water St, which serves healthy helpings of old-fashioned food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The nearest campground is the Gunstock
HAMPTON BEACH , a little further on, is a traditional family-oriented, if somewhat tacky, seaside resort (its free information line has the optimistic number tel 1-800/GET-A-TAN). The usual assortment of motels and fast-food places lines the approaches to the boardwalk and crowded beaches, but in a place this close to Boston summer accommodation rates are high. The Breakers by the Sea Motel at 409 Ocean Blvd (tel 603/926-7702, ; $50-75/$75-100), is one of the least expensive options, offering roomy one- or two-bedroom apartments; for a bit more comfort try the Oceanside Inn at 365 Ocean Blvd (tel 603/926-3542; $75-100). Large local campgrounds include Tuxbury Pond in South Hampton (tel 603/394-7660 or 1-800/585-7660, ).
Thanks to their accessibility from both Montréal to the north and Boston to the south, the White Mountains have become a year-round tourist destination, popular with summer hikers and winter skiers alike. Commercialized they may be, in built-up strips along the main highways, but the great granite massifs retain much of their majesty and power. Mount Washington can claim the severest weather in the world, and conditions are harsh enough for the timberline to be at four thousand feet, as compared to the norm in the Rockies of ten thousand.
Just a few high passes - here called " notches ," discovered only after infinite pains by the early pioneers - pierce the range, and the roads through these gaps, such as the Kancamagus Highway between Lincoln and Conway, make for an enjoyable driving tour. However, you won't really have made the most of the White Mountains unless you also set off, on foot or on skis, across the long expanses of thick evergreen forest that separate them, with snowcapped peaks poking out in all directions. The best sources of information in the region are the White Mountains Attractions visitor center at I-93 exit 32 in North Woodstock (tel 603/745-8720 or 1-800/FIND-MTS, ) and the info center at Pinkham Notch (tel 1-800/262-4455, ) on Rte-16, open daily year-round 6.30am-10pm.
Of the literally hundreds of lakes created by the snowmelt flowing south from the White Mountains, much the biggest is Lake Winnipesaukee , which forms the center of the vacation-oriented Lakes Region. Long segments of its 300-mile shoreline, especially in the east, consist of thick forests sweeping down to waters dotted with little islands, which are disturbed only by pleasure craft. The most sophisticated of the towns is Wolfeboro ; the most fun to visit has to be Weirs Beach .
Lakes
Ideally,
you would bring your own small boat and get thoroughly lost in the maze
of small channels and islets. Failing that, the cruise ship
Mount Washington does daily two-and-a-half-hour tours of the more open
stretches in summer, leaving Weirs Beach daily at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm,
Wolfeboro (except Mon & Thurs) at 11.15am and Meredith Mondays at noon
and 2.30pm. The tours cost $18, and also call at either Center Harbor (Mon
11am) or Alton Bay (Thurs 11.15am). It's certainly a pretty ride, though
it can seem a little long in the heat of the day, and you might prefer
to take an evening dinner cruise instead for $35-39 (July & Aug Mon-Sat;
tel 603/366-5531 or 1-888/843-6686, ). A smaller mail-boat does more local
round-trips from Weirs Beach for $14 (Mon-Sat 11am & 2pm; tel 603/569-1114)
or from Wolfeboro daily at 10am,
