Press Kit

News from Mt Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce

Contact:  Marti Mayne, 207-846-6331, PR@mtwashingtonvalley.org

What’s new for the summer at Mt Washington Valley attractions?

Memorial Day marks the unofficial launch of summer.  While meteorologically summer doesn’t start for a few weeks, in every travelers’ mind, the Memorial Day holiday marks the onset of summer fun.  In Mt Washington Valley, Memorial Day is the holidays when all of the family attractions are open.  While some started operations back in April or May, many will open on Memorial Day weekend marking the beginning of a full season for family fun.  And this year, look forward to plenty of new features, rides and events at Mt Washington Valley’s attractions.  While you’ll still enjoy all the tried and true aspects of our attractions, a number of new features have been added this year.  From the introduction of “You Tubing” at Santa’s Village to the new ropes course for kids at Cranmore Adventure Park and added “autism-friendly” trains at Conway Scenic RR when Thomas the Tank Engine™ comes to town, there’s a lot to look forward to this summer season.

Kids: Don’t YouTube at home.  Head to Santa’s Village where a new ride called “You Tubing” is being introduced for the summer of 2015.  It’s a summertime version of a wintertime classic tubing hill. You’ll slide down a hillside in a large inner tube, much like snow sledding during the wintertime.  A carpet conveyor lift makes the uphill trek easy, and silicone lubrication between the inner tube saucers and two bristle-mat lanes make the downhill ride smooth and fast.  The ride accommodates guests at least 39 inches tall, and is located on a hillside between the park’s Ferris wheel and reindeer barn.  Christmastime visitors got a sneak peek at this new attraction last December, and gave it rave reviews.

Plus, we know how anxious your family is to get into the park.  Now it’ll be easier. Visitors to Santa’s Village will be welcomed by a new ticketing and entrance building this year.  The timber-frame structure will make arrival and entry easier by streamlining entrance into the park and accommodating more guests at one time – with up to six lanes of combined ticketing and entry, compared to four lanes of ticketing and one separate entry lane in prior years.

TripAdvisor gave special kudos to Santa’s Village making it a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice 2014 Award Winner: Top 25 Amusement Parks in the US.  Santa’s Village is the only New England park to make the list, which primarily features parks in Orlando and California.  We ho-ho-hope to see you at Santa’s Village this summer.

Cranmore Mountain Resort is adding a new children’s ropes course to their line-up this summer. It’s a continuous belay, so kids get harnessed in and can go right around without having to clip in and clip out.  It’s going to be geared for younger kids, ages 3-8, as it’s pretty close to the ground taking the fear factor away.  It will include bridges, zip lines and other fun obstacles.  It will be the perfect intro to the larger Aerial Adventure Park for the younger set.  Kids using the orange course only pay just $19 for up to two hours of fun.

And for the older and taller members of your family, Cranmore’s Aerial Adventure Park challenges adventure seekers to new heights. The park features five individual courses and varies in terms of elevation and ability level. Elements include ropes bridges, ladders, cargo nets, zip lines and an array of features. All courses are self-guided and each person is attached to a guide line. Sessions in Cranmore’s Aerial Adventure Park are two hours long. Each two hour adventure includes a half hour ground school session, where participants will learn course safety and the basics of equipment use. Height, age and weight restrictions do apply for each individual course. Tickets for the Aerial Adventure Park are $49 for participants over 54”, $39 for participants 48”-54” and $19 for participants 3 years and older (orange course only).

Each summer Thomas the Tank Engine’s™ arrival in North Conway is the big news at the Conway Scenic Railroad.  This year the younger set will be happy to hear that Thomas has company!  Percy will be joining Thomas the Train for Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2015™ on July 17-19 and July 24-26.  Introduced with success last year, the Conway Scenic Railroad has designated the July 19^th and July 26^th 4:00pm trains as “autism friendly”.  The First Class cars are climate controlled with closed windows, which helps to reduce the noise, and the speakers in the car will be turned off.  Additionally, volunteers from the MWV Children’s Museum will be on board with quiet activities from Imagination Station for the children (temporary tattoos, coloring sheets, etc.).  Frodo “The Walking Tank” (a Sulcata Tortoise from Africa) will be on board, too. Because this is the last train of the day, riders will not be rushed to get off the train once it returns to the station so that others may board. Rather, children can spend up to another 30 minutes on the train, interacting with the conductor to the extent that he or she wants and participating in the activities. The Conway Scenic RR has found in the past that parents of children on the autistic spectrum found these small efforts made a huge difference in the enjoyment of the ride for their children.

The North Conway Moose Safari Moose Tour is planning to go bigger this summer.  For July and August the plan is to put a new bus – or should we say Moosemobile – with the capacity of 45 passengers into service.  For the July and August tours, there will be both a driver and a guide.  Make sure you have the camera ready.  Moose safaris leave at dusk as traditionally the best time to spot moose is in the evening.

Making its debut last fall, the Attitash ZipTour will open for its full season this year at Attitash Mountain Resort.  The Zip Tour offers the longest, single zip span in the contiguous United States from the summit of Bear Peak to Attitash Mountain at a length of 4,969 feet and heights reaching 250 feet above the forest canopy.  Here’s a way to take adventure to new heights!  The ZipTour, includes Preflight instruction, the ZipTour, Flying Bear and Attitash Aerial Zips and is $70 per person.

Attitash Mountain Resort will also host the 2015 Eastern States Cup Mountain Bike Enduro and Downhill Regional Mountain Bike series. The Enduro Practice/Race is June 27 and 28. The Downhill Practice/Race August 29-30. Visit easternstatescup.com for registration and additional information.

Mt Washington Valley offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor attractions for summertime fun.   Whether it’s rainy or sunny, there’s plenty of options for exploration and family fun here.  To learn all about Mt Washington Valley’s family, outdoor, adventure attractions, click here.  To plan your Mt Washington Valley summer getaway, visit www.mtwashingtonvalley.org or call 1-800-DO-SEE-NH (800-367-3364). And to plan your New Hampshire vacation, visit www.VisitNH.gov.

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Photos upon request; call Marti Mayne at 207-846-6331.