5 great indoor activities
What can you do in the Mount Washington Valley in the middle of the winter if you don’t want to ski? Turns out, plenty. From arcades and bowling alleys to escape rooms and indoor golf, you can find hours of indoor entertainment. The valley even has an aquarium.
living shores aquarium
Watch otters play, feed stingrays, touch friendly sharks and nibble fish, and get up close with an axolotl (a kind of salamander that looks like it was designed for a Disney cartoon). These are just some of the things you will find at Living Shores Aquarium, located next to Story Land in Glen.
Visitors will find exhibits on the Great Barrier Reef and exotic fish from Pacific and Atlantic reefs, trout and other New Hampshire species, as well as an aviary with lorikeets. There are several touch pools and daily talks where you can learn more about the animals that live at the aquarium.
Open Friday through Monday, throughout the winter (every day in the summer). It's worth checking the website before you go for online tickets at discounted prices.
PHOTO: Living Shores Aquarium Facebook page
Mystery NH
Picture yourself in a room with a map. Hidden inside is a code, maybe in the street names, maybe in the arrangement of buildings. You must figure out the code to unlock the door …
Mystery NH in Conway Village offers escape rooms that test puzzle-solving abilities.
Its brainteasers are centered scenarios like the one for “Toy Title Tradition” currently playing: “The family's legacy business is in danger of being acquired by the bank unless you can find your father's will and claim your rightful place as CEO.”
To win, players must solve all the puzzles within an hour. Staff offer hints when needed. Though the name suggests being trapped, entrances are never locked.
Mystery NH has three escape rooms, with rooms being replaced regularly to keep the experience fresh.
“I’m always retiring and reimagining new rooms,” owner Beth Scrimger says. “My crew is just full of creative ideas.”
The escape rooms are for ages 8 and up.
Open Friday through Mondays (daily during the summer).
PHOTO: courtesy of Terry Leavitt
Monster mash
Last summer, Scrimger opened a new attraction next door to her escape rooms — Monster Mash Haunted Attraction. The year-round haunted house has several rooms of spooky fun.
Scrimger describes Monster Mash as a classic haunted house with dim lighting, fog, special effects and features designed to surprise visitors and make them jump.
“All my themes are very family-friendly,” Scrimger says. “I might scrape creepiness but I don’t dive into the horror and the gore.”
Open Friday through Sunday
ryan’s Amusements
If you are looking for arcade games, Ryan Amusements has a game room at Settlers Green in North Conway, featuring everything from skeeball, claw machines and coin pushers to racing and shoot-em-up video games.
Ryan’s has two virtual reality rides, where you can strap into VR headgear and sit back for a wild virtual ride, turning your head to fly in different directions, shoot enemies or talk to friends who now look like rabbits.
Most games earn points that can be used to win prizes.
The North Conway games room is one of 10 locations for Ryan’s Amusements, which has been providing bowling and arcade amusements in family-friendly settings in New England for more than 60 years.
Ryans also caters to birthday parties and other events.
Ryan’s Amusements is located at Settlers Green Outlet Village, 2 Common Court, North Conway.
PHOTO : courtesy of Terry Leavitt
saco valley sports center
Saco Valley Sports Center in Fryeburg, Maine, offers a traditional bowling alley with 16 lanes of candlepin bowling with a retro feel, as well as bowling leagues for those who want to take their game seriously.
There’s also a snack bar and you can take a break from the bowling with other games the center offers, including billiards, air hockey, golf simulators and arcade games.
Saco Valley Sports Center is located at 95 Pine Street, Fryeburg, Maine.
PHOTO: Saco Valley Sports Center Facebook page
White Mountain Indoor Golf
Just because the courses are covered with snow, that’s no reason to put away your clubs. With the rise of indoor virtual golf experiences, you can golf year-round and experience courses from around the world in one location.
White Mountain Indoor Golf in Intervale opened in 2022 and offers the latest in virtual golfing experiences in three bays with AboutGolf simulators. Its large screens display your choice of 75 courses and a system tracks your ball and swing to place your ball on the green (or if you’re like me, somewhere in the trees off to the right).
White Mountain Indoor Golf not only lets you play on virtual courses but also hosts parties and offers league events and lessons with golf pro and manager Jack Wyman.
White Mountain Indoor Golf is located at 15 Town Hall Road in Intervale.
PHOTO: courtesy of Terry Leavitt
