To stroll along North Conway’s Main Street and glance up on either side is to see why vacationers for generations have flocked to this scenic retreat in the heart of the White Mountains.
Flanked east and west by Mount Cranmore and Mount Washington, this tiny village’s majestic views continue to inspire artists and challenge skiers. Indeed, North Conway is celebrated as the “birthplace of American skiing”, a designation earned in the 1930s when prominent businessman Harvey Gibson rescued world-class skier Hannes Schneider from Nazi captivity to help open his newly built Cranmore resort.
While outlet shopping has in recent years overtaken skiing as the town’s featured pastime, North Conway remains a place where you can test your skills on the slopes, or simply take in the views from one of the pastel deckchairs at historic Stonehurst Manor.
It is a town where history still stars front and center, whether it is snapping up that rare bargain in one of the nation’s few remaining five-and-dime stores, sampling some of the homemade preserves and syrups at Zeb’s General Store… or simply waving to Mrs. Evelyn Woodbury on the porch of her immaculate 19th century Queen Anne home, a yellow wedding cake of wood and glass unchanged since its cover shot on a 1957 Saturday Evening Post. 
A couple of blocks up the road you can hop aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad for a breathtaking ride through Crawford Notch. Built in 1874, North Conway’s iconic twin-domed Victorian depot has more than withstood the test of time, greeting everyone from dignitaries to moms and dads over the decades with its Crayola-yellow facades and dramatic Mount Washington backdrop. Now a National Historic Landmark, the depot no longer shuttles skiers from New York and Boston to the slopes, instead offering seasonal excursions through the Mount Washington Valley.
Town Facts
by Michael Deblasi
• Population of 2,069 (2000 census)
• Largest village (4.3 sq miles) within the town of Conway
• Located directly in the heart of the White Mountains, with Mount Washington looming to the northwest
• Cathedral Ledge in Echo Lake State Park and White Horse Ledge, are regarded among the top rock climbing spots on the East Coast
• Known as the “birthplace of American skiing”
• The landmark train station, home to the Conway Scenic Railroad, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Emmy Award winning actor Gordon Clapp, a distant relative of Ethan Allen, was born and raised in North Conway
• For the past 33 years, North Conway has hosted the “Mud Bowl”, a weekend of family, fun and mud football competition that has raised nearly a half million dollars for local charities.
