The White Mountains attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, all fascinated by the natural beauty of the area and awestruck each season anew by what the region has to offer. Adventurous city-dwellers began arriving almost as soon as carriages and dirt roads could carry them. As the number of visitors has increased with each passing year, one of the most telling barometers of change in the White Mountains has been the hostelry. This wonderful visual history reveals the history of the hotels, inns, and taverns in the White Mountains, and explains their impact on the area from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth. Travel was an adventure in the mid-nineteenth century—not for the weak of heart—and travelers would generally find accommodations in taverns on stage routes or in local farmhouses. The arrival of "steel roads" made the region much more accessible, and large, opulent hotels were built to cater to the rich and famous while more modest country inns provided a quieter environment for artists and writers seeking sanctuary from the cities. Some of the most fascinating images here portray the opulent lifestyle that was enjoyed amidst the forests and falls of the mountains and capture a sense of serenity that was not to last.
