Start from 29 curated places around Jackson, NH, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
1869 Room at The Wentworth
The white-clapboard Wentworth Inn anchors Jackson Village, and its dining room lives up to the setting. Chef Brian Gazda runs a locally sourced contemporary American menu that shifts with the seasons — heritage pork one week, local trout the next — in a candlelit room that feels like a proper New England occasion. Breakfast here is equally worth the early rise.
White Mountain Cider Company
Set in a restored 1890s farmhouse just outside Glen with an orchard outside the windows, this is one of the valley's most atmospheric restaurants. Executive Chef and Owner Miles Williams changes the menu each season, building around foraged mushrooms, local farms, and housemade charcuterie. A crackling fireplace in winter makes it feel like the platonic ideal of a White Mountains dinner.
Trails & outdoors
Thorn Mountain Trail
A short but steep 1.8-mile out-and-back right from Jackson Village that climbs 1,161 feet to the summit ledges of Thorn Mountain at 2,275 feet. The views from the top look directly down into Jackson Village and out across the Presidential Range — one of the best summit-to-effort ratios in the area. A perfect morning hike before lunch in the village.
Iron Mountain Trail
A 4.4-mile out-and-back from Jackson that climbs 844 feet to a summit ledge with expansive views across the White Mountains. The trail is well-marked and moderate in grade, making it one of the most approachable hikes in the area for visitors who want real mountain views without technical terrain. Dogs welcome on leash.
Things to do
Story Land
A beloved New England theme park that has delighted young children for over 70 years in the village of Glen, three miles from Jackson. Storybook-themed rides, Cinderella's castle, a water play area, and a genuine old-school charm that big corporate parks have long since abandoned. It is the best children's attraction in the White Mountains, and a pilgrimage for NH families.
Wildcat Mountain Ski Area
The most dramatic ski mountain in the valley, perched directly across Pinkham Notch from Mount Washington with views from the summit that stop you mid-turn. Wildcat runs 2,112 vertical feet of mostly intermediate and expert terrain, including some of the steepest groomed runs in the East, and the gondola serves as a year-round sightseeing ride in summer. The Attitash partnership allows skiing two mountains on one ticket.
Landmarks & sights
Jackson Covered Bridge
The most photographed covered bridge in New Hampshire, this 1876 red-painted span crosses the Ellis River at the entrance to Jackson Village and earns its nickname — the Honeymoon Bridge — with a setting framed by peaks and foliage. At just 120 feet long it is also one of the most accessible covered bridges in the state, a 30-second walk from the roadside.
Jackson Falls
A series of granite ledges along Carter Notch Road where the Ellis River tumbles through natural water slides and cascading pools. Families wade in the shallower upper sections, while the lower gorge carves out swimming holes that cool down a summer hike day instantly. The access is easy — a short walk from a small roadside pullout on Route 16B.