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The state is at its best in August and early September, when the lakes echo with loon calls, trails are canopied in green, and local fairs set up their tents. More airlines serve Boston, but the gleaming airport in Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city, rivals Boston's for user-friendliness. Distances here are minimal. Driving from the Mountain View Grand, near the Great North Woods, to Portsmouth, on the seacoast, takes less than three hours on the interstate, though doing it that fast misses the point. Slow down and smell the spruce.

WHERE TO STAY
Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa
DOUBLES FROM $215. MOUNTAIN VIEW RD., WHITEFIELD 866/484-3843 OR 603/837-2100; www.mountainviewgrand.com

Home Hill Inn
DOUBLES FROM $275; TASTING MENU FOR TWO $178. 703 RIVER RD., PLAINFIELD; 603/675-6165; www.homehillinn.com

Walpole Inn
On the edge of Walpole, this 1762 manor has eight guest rooms with pencil-post beds and muted colors. DOUBLES FROM $135. 297 MAIN ST., WALPOLE; 603/756-3320; www.walpoleinn.com

The Wentworth
An elegant resort in the heart of rustic Jackson, with 51 tastefully decorated rooms. Request one of the newly renovated Arden suites, in an outbuilding with a courtyard and a sauna and whirlpool. ARDEN SUITES FROM $318, INCLUDING TWO MEALS. 1 CARTER NOTCH RD., JACKSON 800/637-0013 OR 603/383-9700; www.thewentworth.com

Wentworth by the Sea
Another Wentworth (no relation), this one outside Portsmouth. The 161-room hotel, built in 1874, has been reborn as a Marriott resort, with traces of old-school glamour. DOUBLES FROM $259. 588 WENTWORTH RD., NEW CASTLE 866/240-6313 OR 603/422-7322; www.wentworth.com

WHERE TO EAT
Grandma's Kitchen
BREAKFAST FOR TWO $5. RTE. 3, WHITEFIELD; 603/837-2525

Polly's Pancake Parlor
You'll need pancakes. Here's where to get them: whole wheat, cornmeal, or buckwheat, dished out with house-made syrup and maple spread in an old carriage shed with stellar mountain views. BREAKFAST FOR TWO $17. RTE. 117, SUGAR HILL; 603/823-5575

Acqua Bistro
Bebel Gilberto warbling on the stereo, cured olives on the bar, vintage Italian posters: Acqua is the most inviting restaurant in town. The dining room hangs over a rushing brook, which makes the view even better than the stylish interior. DINNER FOR TWO $80. 18 DEPOT SQUARE, PETERBOROUGH; 603/924-9905

Peterborough Diner
Tailor-made for primary candidates' photo ops, this 1950's railcar diner is as homey as a grilled-cheese sandwich, which they do awfully well here. LUNCH FOR TWO $20. 10 DEPOT SQUARE, PETERBOROUGH; 603/924-6202

L. A. Burdick
LUNCH FOR TWO $50. 47 MAIN ST., WALPOLE; 603/756-2882

Shannon Door Pub & Restaurant
RTE. 16, JACKSON; 603/383-4211

Pesce Blue
DINNER FOR TWO $90. 103 CONGRESS ST., PORTSMOUTH; 603/430-7766

SHOPPING
Toadstool Bookshop
12 DEPOT SQUARE, PETERBOROUGH; 603/924-3543; www.toadbooks.com

Boggy Meadow Farm
13 BOGGY MEADOW LANE, OFF RIVER RD., WALPOLE; 603/756-3300; www.fannymasoncheese.com

Plainfield General Store
RTE. 12A, PLAINFIELD; 603/675-2222

Calef's Country Store
RTES. 9 AND 125, BARRINGTON; 603/664-2231; www.calefs.net

Tamworth Village Store
85 MAIN ST., TAMWORTH; 603/323-8050

The Other Store
77 MAIN ST., TAMWORTH; 603/323-8872

Tuttle's Red Barn
151 DOVER POINT RD., DOVER; 603/742-4313

SIGHTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Mariposa Museum of World Cultures
26 MAIN ST., PETERBOROUGH; 603/924-4555; www.mariposamuseum.org

Ashuelot Bridge
JUST OFF RTE. 119 IN THE UPPER VILLAGE OF ASHUELOT, WINCHESTER; alder.stonemarche.org/covered_bridges

Monadnock State Park (Mount Monadnock)
RTE. 124, JAFFREY; 603/532-8862; www.nhstateparks.org

North Star Canoe Rentals
FROM $15 PER PERSON. RTE. 12A, CORNISH; 603/542-5802; www.kayak-canoe.com

Jackson Falls
NEAR CARTER NOTCH RD., OFF RTE. 16A, JACKSON; www.swimmingholes.org/nh.html

White Lake State Park
RTE. 16, TAMWORTH; 603/323-7350; www.nhstateparks.org

Papa Wheelies Bike Shop
MOUNTAIN BIKES $40 PER DAY. 653 ISLINGTON ST., PORTSMOUTH; 603/427-2060; www.papa-wheelies.com

Odiorne Point State Park
RTE. 1A, RYE; 603/436-7406; www.nhstateparks.org

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