We recently visited the Mount Washington Valley area of New Hampshire with our 13 year old daughter. Although we had been there years ago to visit Storyland, we were wondering if we could find enough to keep a teenager busy. We discovered there is so much to do there - we had a blast.

There are lots of places to stay and shop. We were at the Merrill Farm Resort in North Conway which has an old fashion feel to it. Ask for a loft room in the newer building if you want extra space. We loved the fresh baked breakfast muffins.

In three days we managed a hike to a beautiful waterfall and drove up the Mount Washington Auto rode in one of the vans (it is a pretty white knuckle drive in your own car). We were lucky to get a day with a good view. If you are consider going up the mountain check the weather on top before you take the time since it can be totally fogged in, cold and wet at the summit even when the weather is great at the base. If it is a clear day you can see 40-50 miles or more. Check these photos http://bit.ly/9jUxLl

We also tried the Gondola and ZipRider at Wildcat mountain which were sort of tame for our teen. She had a better time doing the High Ropes course at Monkey Trunks in Chocorua, NH just south of North Conway. Check out these photos - http://bit.ly/b7BPGC She could have stayed there all day.

The summer attractions at Attitash Mountain were fun. If you are into mountain biking the chair lift access to the trails looked great but we stuck to the Alpine Slide which is a New England classic. Mom and dad as well as teen enjoyed it.

Finally - we had to shop at the outlets in North Conway. Good but not amazing prices but no sales tax. We actually had a better time than we had expected. There really is a lot to do there for older kids and teens.