Region 6
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White Mountains
Living the dream
Courtesy Photo
“So much brought us back to New Hampshire, but first and foremost it was the quality of life.”
Top: Paradise Falls in Woodstock Below: Innkeepers Adam Lori Alderin with their daughter Lydia at the Beal House Inn
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Lori Alderin describes herself and her family as “boomerangs.” Alderin grew up in New Hampshire, and her husband, Adam, is originally from Connecticut and lived in Portsmouth for a few years. Together they moved to New York City, but the Granite State was where they wanted to raise their family. Alderin says that she and Adam both love the outdoors — skiing, hiking and being on the water are all things they love to do together. In New Hampshire, especially the White Mountains region, those things can be a part of their everyday lives. “We love the pace and the priorities of the people in our community,” she says. “The cost of living makes it so that you can work to live and not live to work, which was our goal.” In New York, she adds, they found themselves “working more and enjoying less.” They returned to the Granite State to reverse that situation. It wasn’t a one-stop move. First they lived in Londonderry for a short time before eventually settling in Littleton. While living in southern New Hampshire, they hunted for the right opportunity to make a dream come true — opening a restaurant. That chance came when the Beal House Inn came up for sale. Today, they own and operate the 55-seat restaurant and six-room inn. As the chef, Adam is in charge of the restaurant, while Lori handles most of the inn side of things — the marketing, accounting and other related tasks. “We wanted to have a business but we didn’t want to kill ourselves to make it successful,” she says. “We wanted to do it in a place where our family and spending time together could come first. The cost of living in New Hampshire, together with the community that we joined, allowed all of that to happen.” Today, she says, “we love living north of the Notch more than we thought possible. Littleton is a walkable town, which we love, and it still has a small town sense of community and Main Street feel.” Being in the middle of the White Mountains doesn’t hurt, she adds. “The state’s beauty never ceases to amaze us. We’re surrounded by beautiful sights that people travel to visit.” Combined with the welcoming nature of their neighbors and fellow Littleton residents, these new innkeepers have found their perfect home.
Destination NH | 2017
SNAPSHOT OF THE area There are endless outdoor activities to do in every season in the White Mountains. In the summer there are miles upon miles of hiking trails and in the winter there’s a mountain for every level of skier or snowboarder. Enjoy the fresh, crisp mountain air and the quirky, quaint towns that dot this breathtaking landscape. Don’t want to climb the famous Mt. Washington? Drive up the dizzying Mt. Washington Auto Road or take the historic Cog Railway. Picturesque Jackson and its maintained trails network beckon to cross-country skiers. The White Mountains National Forest offers too many beautiful attractions to list. Franconia Notch State Park alone contains the natural formations of the Flume and the Basin and the 4,100-foot Cannon Mountain ski area.
