Littleton NH: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

Now in Littleton NH--:--:--

--°

Littleton grew on the falls of the Ammonoosuc River, first around a grist mill and then as a railway town for summer visitors to the White Mountains. Its long Main Street is one of the liveliest in northern New England, with independent shops, a famous candy counter and a statue of the town's best-known fictional daughter. This walk takes about an hour and a half, and the last stop is a short forest climb. Park once on Main Street and do it all on foot.

A short history of Littleton NH

Littleton is a small town on the Ammonoosuc River, on the edge of the White Mountains, settled in the 1770s. In the 19th century it was home to the Kilburn Brothers company, one of the largest producers of stereoscopic photographs in the world. In 1868 Eleanor Porter was born here; in 1913 she wrote 'Pollyanna', and a statue of the girl from the book stands in front of the town library.

The ten best sights in Littleton NH

1
Pollyanna statue
A bronze girl with open arms on the library lawn, on Main Street; a two-minute stop
2
Thayer's Inn
A 19th-century inn on Main Street with tall white columns; ask to see the cupola
3
Riverwalk Covered Bridge
A covered footbridge over the Ammonoosuc River behind Main Street, next to the old grist mill
4
Kilburn Crags
A short forest hike from town to a lookout over Littleton and the mountains; about an hour return
5
Flume Gorge
A boardwalk through a narrow granite gorge, 30 minutes south; buy timed tickets online in summer and autumn
6
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway
A cable car to a summit with views to four states; closes in strong wind
7
Old Man of the Mountain Museum
Small museum and the profile plaza by Profile Lake where steel rods recreate the lost face
8
Echo Lake
A small lake under Cannon Mountain with a beach and boat rentals in summer
9
The Frost Place
Robert Frost's farmhouse in Franconia, open in summer; poems are posted along a short woods trail
10
Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation
A small synagogue in the next town, a reminder of the Jewish summer visitors who came for the clean mountain air

sleepntripFree with every roomThree audio walks in every city

A guide in your headphones, stop after stop.

To the walks

What is an audio walk?

Tours in Littleton NH →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Littleton NH:

Free walking tours in Littleton NH

Main Street, the glad town

Pollyanna statue · Eleanor H. Porter, who wrote Pollyanna in 1913, was born in Littleton in 1868. The girl who plays the 'glad game' made the word 'Pollyanna' part of English, and the town put up this statue in her honour in 2002.
Thayer's Inn · The inn has stood on Main Street since the mid-1800s, when Littleton was a railway stop for summer tourists heading to the White Mountains. Ulysses S. Grant is said to have spoken to the townspeople from its balcony.
Chutters · The candy counter here runs 112 feet, about 34 metres, and is listed by Guinness World Records as the longest in the world. It is lined with hundreds of glass jars, and you fill a bag and pay by weight.
Riverwalk Covered Bridge · Unlike most covered bridges in New England, this one is new: it was built in 2004 for walkers, using traditional timber framing. It crosses the Ammonoosuc beside the grist mill of 1798, whose water power helped start the town.
Lahout's · Lahout's calls itself America's oldest ski shop, opened in 1920 by a Lebanese immigrant family. Its walls are covered with old skis and photographs of the early days of skiing in the White Mountains.
Kilburn Crags · The ledges look over the town and the Ammonoosuc valley toward Franconia Ridge. In the late 1800s Littleton's Kilburn Brothers were the largest makers of stereoscopic photographs in the world, and their pictures of these mountains travelled around the globe.

Franconia Notch

Twenty minutes south, Interstate 93 narrows to two lanes and squeezes through Franconia Notch, a deep pass between Cannon Mountain and Franconia Ridge. The whole notch is a state park, with gorges, waterfalls and lakes a short walk from the car parks. It is also where the Old Man of the Mountain watched over New Hampshire until 2003. Allow a full day, start early at the Flume, and bring layers for the summit.

Flume Gorge · The gorge was found in 1808 by Jess Guernsey, a 93-year-old woman who came upon it while fishing. Its granite walls rise up to about 27 metres, and the boardwalk runs along the stream between them, close enough to touch the rock.
The Basin · A round granite pothole about 9 metres across, carved by the Pemigewasset River over thousands of years. Henry David Thoreau saw it in 1839 and called it perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England.
Old Man of the Mountain Museum · For centuries a granite profile of a man's face hung on Cannon Cliff, and it became the symbol of New Hampshire. It collapsed on 3 May 2003. At the plaza, steel 'profilers' line up with the empty cliff to show you exactly where the face used to be.
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway · The first passenger aerial tramway in North America opened here in 1938. Today's larger cars, from 1980, lift you over 600 metres of vertical to the summit in about eight minutes.
New England Ski Museum · Beside the tram station, this small free museum tells the story of skiing in the region, from wooden skis to the Olympians who trained here. The museum also runs a second branch at North Conway, on the other side of the mountains.
Echo Lake · From the beach you look straight up at Cannon Cliff and Franconia Ridge. The short climb to Artist's Bluff above the lake gives the view that 19th-century painters of the White Mountain School came here to paint.

Poets, hay fever and the big mountain

The hills around Littleton were a summer world of their own: farmhouses where poets wrote, hotels full of hay fever refugees, and grand resorts at the foot of Mount Washington. This drive loops from Franconia and Sugar Hill through Bethlehem to Bretton Woods and the Cog Railway. The driving is about two hours in all, on quiet roads. Book the Cog Railway in advance and plan pancakes at Polly's for breakfast.

The Frost Place · Robert Frost lived on this farm with his family from 1915 to 1920, the years when he became famous. The house is now a centre for poetry, and every summer a poet lives here and gives readings.
Polly's Pancake Parlor · Polly and Wilfred Dexter opened the parlour in 1938, during the Depression, to sell their maple syrup by serving it on pancakes. The pancakes are still cooked to order, and the view goes straight to the Kinsman and Franconia ridges.
Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation · From the late 1800s Bethlehem's high, pollen-free air made it a refuge for hay fever sufferers, and many of them were Jewish families from New York and Boston who filled its hotels each August. The small synagogue they founded still holds summer services.
The Rocks Estate · This was the summer estate of John Jacob Glessner, a Chicago farm-machinery executive, who began it in the 1880s. Today it belongs to a forest conservation society and grows Christmas trees, and you can cut your own in December.
Omni Mount Washington Resort · The hotel opened in 1902. In July 1944 delegates of 44 Allied nations met here at the Bretton Woods conference and created the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The room where the agreements were signed is marked off the lobby.
Mount Washington Cog Railway · Opened in 1869, it was the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway. On the trestle called Jacob's Ladder the grade reaches about 37 percent, so steep that the seats are built to stay level.

sleepntripRoad and rail routesEvery night on the road, our hotel

Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

To the routes

Getting to Littleton NH and getting around

Mount Washington Regional Airport · A small general-aviation field in Whitefield with no airline service; the nearest airline airports are Manchester, Lebanon and Burlington, about 1.5-2 hours away

Cheap eats in Littleton NH

Northern New Hampshire eats like a farm country: diner breakfasts, pancakes with maple syrup boiled down in the spring sugarhouses, aged cheddar and apple cider doughnuts in the autumn. Main Street has a diner, a bakery and a brewery within a few minutes' walk. Prices are in US dollars, and a tip of 18-20% is expected at any table with service.

Littleton Diner · Pancakes, eggs and turkey dinners at the counter, about $8-16
Miller's Cafe and Bakery · Soups, sandwiches and cakes by the river, about $6-14
The Coffee Pot · Small breakfast and lunch place, about $8-14
Polly's Pancake Parlor · Pancakes with maple syrup and a mountain view, about $12-20
Littleton Food Co-op deli · Sandwiches and salads to take on a hike, about $6-12
Chutters · Fudge and sweets by weight, a bag about $5-12

Museums in Littleton NH

Old Man of the Mountain Museum · The story of the lost profile, then the plaza; free
New England Ski Museum · Skiing history beside the tram; free
The Frost Place · Frost's farmhouse and poetry trail, summer and early autumn
Mount Washington Cog Railway · Base station museum and the ride to the summit
Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation · Summer synagogue in a resort town of the hay fever era

Nature and day trips near Littleton NH

Flume Gorge · A 3.5 km loop through the gorge and past waterfalls; about two hours
Kilburn Crags · A short hike above town to a view
Artist's Bluff · A steep 20-minute climb to the classic view of Echo Lake and the notch
Kinsman Falls · A short walk up from the Basin to a waterfall and pools
The Rocks Estate · Easy paths with mountain views, free

Things to do in Littleton NH with kids

Chutters · The longest candy counter in the world
Clark's Trading Post · Bear shows, a steam train and old-time fun in Lincoln, summer only
Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves · Boardwalks and squeeze-through boulder caves; good shoes needed
Echo Lake · Beach, paddle boats and lifeguards in summer
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway · The cable car ride and a summit loop trail

Where to eat in Littleton NH

Schilling Beer Company · Craft beer and wood-fired pizza by the river, about $15-25
Beal House Inn and Restaurant · Dinner in an old inn at the top of Main Street, mains about $25-40
Littleton Town Opera House · Concerts and community shows in the town hall; check the programme
Colonial Theatre · Films and live music in a historic small theatre in Bethlehem
Sugar Hill Inn · Country-inn dinner with a mountain view, book ahead

sleepntripFree cancellationEvery room we sell cancels for free

Plans change? Until the date on the card it costs nothing.

Find a room

Frequently asked questions about Littleton NH

What is there to see in Littleton NH?

The top sights in Littleton NH are Pollyanna statue, Thayer's Inn and Riverwalk Covered Bridge. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Littleton NH?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Littleton NH without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Littleton NH?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Littleton NH, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Main Street, the glad town.

How do you get to Littleton NH and get around?

The main ways are Mount Washington Regional Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Littleton NH, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Littleton NH that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Littleton NH for your dates?

Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.

All hotels in Littleton NH

Plan a trip across United StatesA coast-to-coast adventure→