5 kid-friendly North Conway activities

Sure, it’s gorgeous here in fall, fun-filled in summer, and a magnet for skiers and boarders when winter arrives. But now, in true shoulder season, North Conway is also an enjoyable, kid-pleasing destination. Economical, too: lodging prices can be up to 50 percent of the high-season rates. Here are five top family-friendly things to do in this mountain town before the snow flies.

GET WEATHER WISE

Step inside the re-created summit hut at the Mount Washington Observatory Weather Discovery Center (2779 White Mountain Highway, 603-356-2137, donations accepted), and the wind will begin to whip and howl and the building shudder and shake. It’s not quite as extreme as the real thing, but the kids love it.

SPLISH-SPLASH

Don’t put those bathing suits away yet. The Kahuna Laguna indoor water park (at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, Route 16, 603-356-5411, $40, spectators $10, under 3 free) is 40,000 square feet of wet and wild fun, with water cannons, shoots, tubes, sprays, fountains, falls, wave pools, and a 25-person hot tub.

RIDE THE RAILS

Take a photo of the kids with the conductor at the 1874 train station in the center of town, and then climb aboard the Conway Scenic Railway (800-232-5251, www.conwayscenic.com). The 55-minute excursion, perfect for younger children, travels 11 miles south (adults $15, ages 4-12 $10.50) crossing the Saco and Swift rivers; while the longer, 1¾-hour ride travels northwest 21 miles, crossing three rivers before reaching the town of Bartlett (adults $24.50, ages 4-12 $17.50).

PONY UP

Children as young as 7 can take the hour or so trail ride at the Farm by the River (2555 West Side Road, 603-356-2694, www.farmbytheriver.com, $50). The farm has been in the same family for seven generations, since 1771, and sprawls across 70 acres, in the shadow of the White Mountains. There’s a guide, but the horses know the way, down a country path, and across apple and maple sugar orchards. There are also carriage rides and pony rides.

TAKE A HIKE

We love visiting Diana’s Baths (3405 West River Road), a series of cascades tumbling down 75 feet from Big Attitash Mountain. The short, less than 1½-mile round-trip trail is flat and easy. For something a little more challenging, consider the Mount Kearsage North trail. There are a few huff-and-puff scrambles, but the rewards are worth it, including panoramic views from the summit. The trailhead is located on Hurricane Mountain Road, off Route 302.