The 11 best free attractions in North Conway

Parking is in an open gravel parking lot. There is a box at the entry to the trail where you pay through honor system. Restrooms are located at the entry too. Nice hike through lush forest next to the stream. There are small ponds and waterfalls past Diana's Bath. Hiking trail is not easy but less than an intermediate-level hike for some parts.

Outstanding marvel of nature! We spent a ton of time here, when the water level is low you can climb on the rocks. We climbed to the top. In the summer you can get refreshed by the cold waterfalls. Just be very careful as the rocks are worn smooth and are slippery even when dry.

We we're looking for a little walk with a 'reward' at the end and this place didn't disappoint. A really nice cool walk through the trees to Diana's Bath and the relaxing sound of running water. We used our America The Beautiful pass for free parking too.

There wasn't much water due to the drought we've been having, but there were still small water streams and not having as much water allowed us to explore on the rocks a little more which was cool. Definitely want to visit again when we're not in a drought.

Great place for a family friendly experience. Just be cautious of climbing on the rocks, it can be slippery. Very scenic and beautiful rock formations with waterfalls. Nice place to picnic but get there early because it's a popular attraction

It's a short easy hike which leads to a great many rocky steps which sends water cascading down into a plethora of pools. Great place to run around without too many sharp ledges to worry about. Always take care where the rocks look wet, of course! A few brief downsides: when we went there around early afternoon, it did take awhile to get into the parking lot. It's a very popular place! Also, the bathroom was a pig style (and smelled worse than one...)

A past time we have been enjoying with family every year since 1998! Such an iconic spot. The rainfall for the year determines how beautiful the falls will be. Easy half a mile walk to the falls then climb the rocks yourself or with your kiddos, grandkids and pups. Bring water or hiking shoes with you. Last but not least, get there before 8:30 because the line backs up out the entrance.

Beautiful little state park with a small entrance fee. We hiked Bryce trail up to Cathedral ledges. It was an intense uphill in several spots. Would recommend a hiking stick for older knees. Fantastic views. Found out you can drive up also once we got there. We didn't make it over to the White horse ledges, but I assume it's similar views.

This place made me feel like a pro hiker. I went there with my husband and we are supposed to be walking around the lake but then we end up climbing to the top of White horse Ledge. And take not I am not a hiker I am just a beginner but it’s worth it. Maybe they have to make the trail signs more clearer as we almost got lost because some trees fell down and it made us confused. But aside from that we made it to the top.

Great for kids, beautiful park. Sun and shade. Picnic tables, grills, handicap accessible. Great views of cathedral ledge and mountain climbers climbing up it. Bring binoculars! And enjoy the day.

Beautiful lake with the backdrop of hill. We went on a windy day yet had a lot of fun. There is place to grill, so BYO grilling stuff. No wood burning is permitted. It is trash in and trash out so I suggest brining trash bags if you are picnicking. Bring hiking shoes as the hiking is steep.

Echo Lake is a stunning and family-friendly destination with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife up close. The animals were surprisingly friendly and even walked right up to us. There’s lots of open space to relax, enjoy a picnic, or just take in the scenery, and the water was clear and refreshing. A perfect spot for a peaceful day outdoors!

What a beautiful spot! You have to make a reservation on the holiday weekends at least. I pulled the car over and was able to get in that day. You can fish here - my son didn't catch anything but we were only there for an hour. It's a picture perfect place. Cost us 11$ for two adults and one child. They have clean restroo.s and even a gift shop! All the staff were extremely friendly which added to our great time!

Quiet and beautiful, especially in early morning. The staffs are very nice and they open the gate for us 2 hours before posted time. Thanks!

I admit, I'm a ski fanatic...I could spend hours in that back library looking at all the old books and magazines spaning the last 75 or more years of skiing. If you are a skier and traveling through the area, this is a great little museum to spend an hour or two. Lots of interesting stuff. We really enjoyed it!

Awesome Museum! Knowledgeable and friendly staff/volunteers.. Interesting information and changing exhibits and free admission and stickers but asks for donations. New exhibit I found very interesting about Annalee dolls. I knew they were made in NH but I didn’t know the creator made a series of Annalee dolls showcasing the NH skiing industry. Lots of historical information here well worth the visit. Takes 1/2-1 hour to go through.

A small museum but super cute and educational! And entry is free!

Cute little museum worth a quick stop. It's free but they suggest a $5 donation. My favorite part was all the old skis lined up next to each other. Cool to see some of the historic ski equipment. They require face coverings still.

Small but well-done museum of the history of skiing in New Hampshire. Located in the center of North Conway adjacent to Schuyler Park. Exhibits with good signage. I was there for a memorial gathering and so did not explore the gift shop or a room which appeared to hold research and historic materials. There are restrooms at the rear of the building, accessible from a door on the outside. On-street parking only.

Amazing night at the Chamber of Commerce After Hours Event a must see when you visit North Conway

When you're in North Conway you must go here. Excellent short films playing, lots of memorabilia, and a great display of equipment from over the years. If you have been a lifelong skier this place is a true joy to wander through.

This place is amazing! They have stuff for infants up through adults. My kids loved it and I ha e to say I really enjoyed it too. We stayed from 11:30 until 7:30. The wave pool is a huge hit! **Just a tip for someone with a little one like my four year old that wants to enjoy the wave pool, but it's too rough.** Go to the basketball area! The waves go over there but are super gentle and only goes up to 3 feet! It was perfect!

Came here as birthday party guest. 2 year old celebration. Nice small water park for my toddlers first time. She enjoyed the wave pool, big water bucket and mini slides. You can bring your own food or buy from a food stand, - frozen pizza, tenders, fries act. Very packed on this Saturday. Not enough seating, we couldn’t find a place to put our things down for the first 20 mins. Overall fun time.

What a great place to spend a few hrs on some water slides and in a hot tub! My husband and I saw this indoor Waterpark online and decided to stop in while on our anniversary. It is family friendly, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel being an adult with no kids going here. I LOVED the water slides as they were fast, but not too much to be scary. My hubby and I must have gone down 6-10 times, sometimes double-tubing, some times single.

My kids loved this place! We were pleasantly surprised at how fun this waterpark is. It has something for everyone. The slides were thrilling yet not over the top or scary, there were various types of slides, some you can go down without a tube, some you go down with a tube individually or paired up. The wave pool produced nice, strong waves, the water was very clean. Plenty of seats available for everyone. We especially liked the basketball pool and even the outdoor pool was massive, warm and delightful. There were various areas for younger kids and non-swimmers as well. We had lunch there and the food was actually pretty good. Overall, the pricing was very fair and worth the time there. Dare I say my kids prefer Kahuna Laguna over Great Wolf?!

Very attentive lifeguards. Reasonably priced and open late! Plenty of food, snack, beverage items available as well as any miscellaneous swim gear you may need. Staff were friendly and amicable. My kids didn’t have to wait more than a few seconds for the slides. Pool water seemed clean and fresh. Lockers were inexpensive and easy to access. Large bathroom area and showers available as well. We almost went for a second night but we will definitely be back soon!

My friend and I went on Wednesday. There were no lines for the water slides. We stayed for 4 hours. We had a blast going from wave pool, to basketball, slides, jacuzzi, and of course we waited for the big bucket to dump water on us. We did have to pay for a locker, which was 5 more dollars. The pizza was pretty good and the fries were amazing. We are definitely going again.

This was wonderful and fun. The wave pool is so much fun, hot tub is wonderful and warm but be careful going into the waters it will be very cold. The slides are wonderful gave me a cut but not too bad wasn’t stinging it was still so much fun.

Shoulder Park is a little park set in the heart of North Conway, NH. There is a great playground for little ones, and lots of open space for playing or relaxing. We were there for 4th of July and there was a band and vendors. There are generally public restrooms but for this large event there were port a potties. The location is right by the Conway Scenic Railway with easy access to enjoy a train ride and right within the shopping area with lots of fun sores and eating establishments. The only drawback is sometimes lack of parking, but I've always managed to make it work.

Beautiful park in the heart of town the perfect place to relax after exploring the local shops and restaurants. I was lucky enough to catch a performance by the Mount Washington Valley Band, and it was absolutely wonderful. Such a charming spot, I love it here!

Nice area that has many events to do some great shopping. Senic train rids bakery, ice cream grilled cheese, candy. It's all right here

Very nice playground and splash pad. Ample street parking right in front. Easily walkable to lots of other things in the center of town. Well worth it if you have kids eight or under. Maybe even 10 or under.

Our kids loved it. Wish there was more shade. It was very hot but at least there was water splash area so kids could cool off Gazebo was the only shady spot to have lunch

Excellent hang out spot right in the middle of North Conway. You can access so many other little shops if you use the park or the train station (that has a public restroom btw)

It was a beautiful day and it was a lovely place for a walk.

Great place to bring your kids. We went with a group of adults and teens and we still had a great time. It's more safe than bigger parks, has more of a home feeling than you'd expect. The staff are very helpful and friendly. They're very safe witht the rides and you can bring in food and drinks of your own.

Cute amusement park but kind of dated. The park is storybook /nursery rhyme themed but we noticed most kids did not know Humpty Dumpty, mother goose, the old lady in the shoe and other rhymes. The water park “moo lagoon” is quite nice and they have adorable farm animal mascots. Cinderellas pumpkin coach was cute. And how cool to take it up to the castle to visit and have pix made with Cinderella.

I wish I could live there! Great entertainment, fun rides, saw favorite characters from when I was a child. I sat with Mother Goose and the old woman in the shoe Saw beautiful Cinderella, Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, Cinderella, Alice and even the fox. Went in the tea cups, a boat ride on a pirate ship and the train ride around the park. This was my first time there. My daughter and granddaughter brought me and I am so happy. There was lots of walking. They do have rentals for wheelchairs and scooters. (Also strollers). I think it truly takes more than one day to see and do many other things. There are other rides and splash pools in the summer. My granddaughter loves the Polarcoaster! She is 10 yrs old.

My family and I love going to Story Land! We are season pass holders and always get more than our money’s worth every year. My son is on the spectrum and this park is very autism-friendly. They have an amazing calming room (located right over by Humpty Dumpty next to the adult changing room) for when kids are dysregulated or are feeling overstimulated. All of the rides feature sensory ratings posted outside of the rides. We’ve been in June, July and October and the most we’ve ever waited in line was 40 minutes for the antique cars. October was so much fun for the Halloween decorations and cooler weather, lesser crowds, etc. Highly recommend for anyone visiting the area with kids.

Great place for small children. There are plenty of rides for small children and things to see to keep them occupied for several hours. The entertainment for cost is excellent. The park is super clean.

Really a 3.5. Kids had a blast but it’s a still a tourist amusement park that nickels and dimes you everywhere you step. Family of four was easily a $350+ day after all said and done. My girls loved the tea time with Cinderella and bamboo shoots

Its a great park we like it there alot of fun things to do for the family I recommend this park also I hope they expand and put more on to it

the aquarium is nice and small and wasn’t too crowded, loud, or overstimulating. the nibble fish and stingrays are very friendly and were fun to interact with. it was also cool to see a live axolotl and horseshoe crab for the first time. don’t expect to see a lot of colorful, “tropical” marine animals swimming about - that doesn’t mean the animals aren’t enjoyable to watch though! they do have plenty of cute reptiles too, which are in their own area if you’re not a snake/lizard/etc. person. I’d say my only “complaint” about the aquarium is that some “artwork” on the merchandise in the gift shop is clearly AI generated - and I personally thought that the enclosure for the softshell turtle was a little depressing, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it - but other than that I had an enjoyable time with my family. I’d recommend going if you enjoy aquatic life and/or reptiles and want a place that is small, relaxing, not too overstimulating, and interactive! And I’d say the tickets are a good price (especially online) if you plan on hanging out there for a while to enjoy the animals.

This is not a big aquarium but is great for young children. We went on a Friday to kill a couple of hours. Buy tickets on line for a discount. Took our 6 year old granddaughter and she loved the nibble fish the best. Feed the stingrays and turtles.

We were super disappointed with our visit here. This "aquarium" is very overpriced and there is nothing here that warrants paying $25 per person and $10 to park. The website is deceptive about what you will see, making it appear larger than it is. In reality, it is one room with small "exhibits". Based on good Google reviews we were expecting to see otters, but only after leaving did we read all the 1 star reviews and realized that the otters and birds are gone. (The website does not say that.) The 1 star reviews go back at least 6 months saying that they are under construction, meaning they have been under construction for 6 months minimum. Furthermore, we always look forward to seeing things like jellyfish, seahorses and pirahanas. And although those weren't advertised, there were none, so that was disappointing. Finally, the lighting in the room was absurd. It was somehow both too bright and too dark. The overhead yellow lighting reflected off all the tanks and water in such a weird way that it was hard to see the animals or get nice photos. (As reflected in my attached photos.) We have traveled to many aquariums, including very small ones like Save The Bay in RI and they were still enjoyable and filled with exciting things to look at but this one was so underwhelming especially for this price. Everything here felt like what you'd see at a pet store. Don't bother.

This place was so cool! We finally got the chance to visit and both my husband and I were elated at being able to see all the reptiles and fish! Our five year old daughter was beyond ecstatic! It’s not a huge place, but there’s a lot to see and the touch tanks are amazing! I mean, it’s not everyday you can feel a manta ray or nibble fish or even starfish! The staff was quick and happy to stop and educate us on anything we had we wanted to learn about. I want to give a special shout out to Jackie in the gift shop! I could have spent all day talking to her, what a sweet lady, and funny! Overall, had a blast, totally worth it, look forward to visiting again!

What an amazing experience if you haven't gone you should if you have little kids bring them here they will love them if you have bigger kids bring them here if you have adults bring them lol It was awesome

Really enjoyed the Living Shores Aquarium! It was much more interactive than a lot of those I’ve been to in the past. The stingrays and bamboo sharks loved the attention! A much larger array of species than I had expected and some really beautiful enclosures. The alligator exhibit was amazing! I was however very disappointed in the size of the tank/cage for the Reticulated Python. It is a huge and beautiful snake and it had very little room to move around.

We have been here a couple times. It is not a huge place, by any means, but you're right by Story Land, and it provides a great contrast. The exhibits are easily approachable, even if there is a decent amount of people in the aquarium. Staff is friendly and approachable, and there always seems to be some sort of exhibition going on. The layout is great, and the touch tanks have plenty of room around them, and the fish tanks have plenty of areas to view them from. There are some pretty friendly fish right when you walk in, my daughter was enraptured on both visits by a couple of fish that came up to her right as she walked by. The feedings are fun too, and so is the petting experience. We visited when my daughter was two, last year, and she STILL says "remember the stingrays?!?!" and "remember the fishies nibbling on you?" We visited again this year, with her being three now, and she had a great time again. There is a newly constructed reptile area as well, with some tortoises out in the open air that you can do a feeding with, along with a bunch of interesting frogs, snakes, and lizards. You probably spend about an hour or so in here if you really soak in each exhibit; personally I could do the sting-ray touch tank all day, it's mesmerizing watching them swim around and around in it. I think it is well worth the money, and even though it's not a full-day experience, not everything needs to be. Go to Story Land, and break up the day with a visit to Living Shores as well. We've done that twice now and it's been a great experience both times.

Don't waste your time! The only two trail markers we saw, one yellow & the other red, were at the trailhead by LL Bean. We first tried the "yellow trail" which should have taken us to the river. No markers at all & the trail divided with no indication which way to go. We tried each with no luck as they both were so overgrown any semblance of a trail could barely be seen. We backtracked to the trailhead & tried the "red trail"; but again no other markers and in short order the trail was obliterated by overgrowth including poison ivy. So, once again we went back to the trailhead and instead of hiking we browsed LL Bean. As an aside, there are signs all over the parking lot that parking is for LL Bean only, and not for "river access". This is interesting because the instructions for the Dahl Sanctuary indicate trailhead access is from the LL Bean parking lot.

Parking area is easily missed if you're not famaliar~ It's across street from Burger King entrance. I Opted for the shorter Silver Maple Swamp trail walk; timed it right hearing the toot too oot of Conway Scenic RR off in distance.

Very nice trails to enjoy all times of the year

Currently too overgrown to walk on the paths here. Most trails not accessible. July 2025

Nice trail right by the LLBEAN actually in the LLBEAN parking lot. Lots of birds and wildlife. A nice walk that is not overcrowded with people.

Not the most picturesque walk you can take in New Hampshire, nor the quietest, but it is a nice place in North Conway behind LL Bean so it's quick and easy to get to. Relatively flat with the exception of the hill at the start/end. Quite a few roots in the path that makes footing interesting at times so be mindful of that. Parking is limited and just to the south of the LL Bean store. About a mile and a half walk.

Easy hike but trail was very overgrown and hard to see. Some trails unavailable due to the rain. Despite how easy the hike is need a map or trail guide.

Beautiful preserve! The hike up Peaked Mountain followed a brook most of the way. The hike was moderately challenging, not too bad. The view of the valley is totally worth it.

This place is great!!!!! A hidden gem! We started here and did the Peaked trail to the summit. Moderate hike and just wonderful views.

Excellent hike up to Peaked Mtn…3.5 miles or so without the loop at the top. Harder than you think it will be but all my kids and the dog did fine. 1 hr up, 40 down. Enjoy the views of the N. Conway area and the opposing ridges.

Beautiful area and trails, unique summits, great views of the Conway region

Why have almost all the water bars been removed from the lower Black Cap trail??? All stones have been rolled back into the woods.The erosion is getting bad. Seems a slap in the face to the hard working trail crew. I have to assume the Conservancy officials are not aware of this vandalism presumably by bikers.

Beautiful spot for walking, hiking or biking. Great trails that are really easy to get to. You can just walk flat trails or hike up some mountain trails. Well maintained.

Great trails don't get lost

Challenging for anyone just starting out hiking trails, yet easy enough to do and feel accomplished about it at the end. Great views from the top.

Well marked easy to moderate trail well worth your time. One of the best views in the area and even our dog did it. I wouldn't skip this view!

The drive up is harder than the hike. .94 miles to peak from parking lot. Very limited incline. Incredible views you can see the entire presidential range as well as others. Recommend also walking over to cranmore for an even easier hike down and across. Very full parking lot esp as leaf peeping season is here. Good for any age. We packed a picnic and enjoyed lunch with a view.

I did this hike because of my son, he chose it.....it was hard for me but well worth the effort & challenge. The views were spectacular! & the fact that my son stayed by my side & encouraged me while educating me along the way, there isn't a tree he doesn't know! I love my time with him & being escorted down by a butterfly 🦋 made it even more special 💖

This hike was super quick and had amazing views for sunset. It took us about 35 minutes to get up at a very fast pace, and was entirely uphill. I would suggest if you’re a beginner hiker you take your time going up as it’s very rocky and full of roots. But it is so worth it at the summit! Also if you’re going for sunset - plan to get back down quickly or you’ll be using flashlights the last 10 minutes down like we did.

A little tough for a casual hike. Take a right at the fork in the woods if you don’t want to do any scrambling. Wonderful scenic views.

Wonderful easy hike with moderate difficulty towards the end and great views on top

So beautiful here . Trails are well marked and easy to follow.

We took a nice casual stroll here. This is a nice place to kind of get away from the noise and just take a nice leisurely walk. The trails are maintained pretty good.

Great trails! Had fun with my Grandson! Loved the Teepee too!

Love it here. Great place for families, dogs, quiet and easy hikes through the woods. A part of nature that should never be spoiled

This was suggested for a bike ride, and a scenic view of Mt Washington. Bike riding was a little less than smooth. We made it to the Summit and promised good trail markings. It was unclear to go left and we went straight and missed the view. I would advise this for a hike and do the curve in the map.

The map was a bit confusing since it was upside down.

Had a really nice time riding on the trails. They are wide and well maintained and signage and parking is great. Perfect for kids. Looking forward to skiing here in the winter.