After Dark

Written by Marty Basch

Friday, 02 March 2007

Mount Washington Valley After Dark The Mount Washington Valley heats up when the sun goes down.  The valley after dark is a place to boogie and bop, hoist a brew, sit and sip or groove to jazz and funk. Make it hot -  The Up Bar at Horsefeathers in downtown North Conway Village features a hotbed of talent from blues to folk artists.  Their Sunday afternoon series is perfect for those who can’t stay up much past sunset.  Sports memorabilia fills the walls at Delaney’s in North Conway as rollicking sounds echo from rock and jam bands on select nights.  The new brick walled Wild Boar Tavern features Thursday night acoustic performances.  The quintessential ski bar is the Red Parka Pub in Glen.  License plates and skis on the walls, free popcorn and lively bands get heads bobbing and happy feet moving.  There’s a touch of Irish in the music at Jackson’s Shannon Door.  Be sure to look around at the photos and newspaper clippings, a “Who’s Who” of Valley life.  Over the Jackson Covered Bridge is the Wildcat Tavern, a landmark with new owners looking to continue the pub’s acoustic and classic après ski entertainment.  For over 20 years, the refurbished Wildcat has been home to “Hoot Night” every Tuesday where locals showcase their singing and song-writing talents. Make it mellow - Fine dining and wine sampling are combined during events at area restaurants like the refined Inn at Thorn Hill in Jackson.  The eclectic beer dinners at the valley’s only brewpub–Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Company–also feature wine and vegetarian offerings in the lively après ski spot with its concrete bar.  Puccini lovers ramble down the road to Eaton where the Inn at Crystal Lake hosts monthly opera nights with a four course dinner, lecture and song.  Porches are perfect to watch the sun go down while sipping cocktails at the majestic Mount Washington Hotel and comfortable Eagle Mountain House in Jackson. See a show - Community theatre takes the stage–fittingly–along the factory outlet Route 16 “strip” in the Red Barn Outlet Center where award-winning M&D Productions showcases area talent in dramas and comedies all year.  Famous faces have graced the stage at the summer stock and historic Barnstormers’ Theatre in quaint Tamworth while the high notes are hit during the summer musicals of North Conway’s Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company in the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse.     Even going to the movies is quirky in Conway Village where the Majestic Theatre owner stands up and routinely introduces the films to the audience with a quick synopsis and preview of coming movies.  In winter the Appalachian Mountain Club in Pinkham Notch has entertainment with its Wednesday night international dinners featuring cuisine of a country followed by a slide show.  In the Valley that’s called backcountry dinner theatre. A Taste of Tuckerman Without Touching the Snow Getting a taste of frosty Tuckerman Ravine doesn’t have to mean hiking up to the steep glacial bowl on the shoulder of mighty Mount Washington.       Instead, the intrepid can venture down a Conway Village side street to the Tuckerman Brewing Company where thirty-somethings Kirsten Neves and Nik Stanciu own the microbrewery that produces an American pale ale and a German style alt.  The two started the business in 1998 and open the grass-roots operation in the cement-floored warehouse to the public for two hours on Saturday afternoons.  During the short tours, beer lovers get a look at how the beer is made and top off the visit with a small sample.       No talking frogs or draft horses here.  It’s a simple down home operation run by a couple who love beer and the outdoors.  The Ravine’s influence is everywhere, from the labels on the brown bottles to the photographs on the walls of the upstairs gift shop.     The tours give the two a chance to mingle with their customers and share Tuckerman stories, whether it be of the beer or of a ski adventure.  Tuckerman, the beer, is available only in NH, MA, VT and RI.       Head to Hobbs Street and slide down a Tuckerman.

Marty Basch About the author: Marty Basch is an award-winning writer who covers the outdoors, travel, sports and food. He is the author of six books, including The White Mountain Ride Guide, second edition due for spring 2007 publication. He lives on a dirt road in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Read More >>

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 March 2007 )

 

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