New Hampshire is covered with forests and greenery, and many of its off-the-beaten-path towns sit right in the middle of it all. Waterville Valley is one such town, set against the White Mountains with Corcoran Pond, year-round outdoor recreation, and a tiny population of just 520 people. New Castle and Woodstock have the added advantage of gorgeous water views, with New Castle overlooking the Piscataqua River and Woodstock tracing the Lost River. Of New Hampshire’s many tiny towns, the 11 below offer some of the best glimpses of small-town living in the state.

Waterville Valley

It doesn’t get more off-the-beaten-path than Waterville Valley, with only one road in and out. The road through the town ends at the spectacular White Mountains. Although Waterville Valley’s population is less than 1000, it swells to 6,000 in winter for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities, including the NH Special Olympic Winter Games in March. Summer trails include hiking and biking, as well as boating, fishing, and swimming. Waterville Valley’s own trail network offers excellent access to the surrounding landscape, while Corcoran Pond and the nearby White Mountain scenery make it easy to enjoy the outdoors in every season.

The authors of the popular Children’s Curious George books, former residents of Waterville Valley, founded the Rey Cultural Center, which focuses on art, science, and nature education through its many exhibits and programs.

Watch spectacular sunsets from Corcoran Pond and appreciate the beauty of seclusion.

New Castle

Off the coast of New Hampshire lies a town on an island. Originally named Great Island, New Castle is the only town in the state completely on an island. It provides stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and panoramic vistas of the Piscataqua River. History buffs will particularly enjoy exploring New Castle. Notable sites include Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, Fort Stark Historic Site, and Great Island Common, although Fort Constitution is currently closed for repairs.

Ashland

Located on the southern edge of the White Mountains and surrounded by the beautiful lakes region, Ashland is a charming town full of delightful surprises. Visitors can explore the historic Whipple House Museum, built in 1837 and once home to Dr. Whipple, as well as the Pauline E. Glidden Toy Museum, showcasing charming toys from the 1800s collected by Glidden. Don’t miss the Ashland Railroad Station Museum and the picturesque Squam River Covered Bridge, which are among the town’s beloved historic landmarks.

For outdoor enthusiasts, there’s plenty to enjoy! Whether you’re hiking, biking, or engaging in water activities, Squam Lake, the Whitten Woods Trailhead, and the stunning White Mountain National Forest offer endless opportunities for adventure and relaxation.

Woodstock

Initially, Woodstock served as a hub for the logging industry until 1911. In 1905, tourism emerged as a vital part of Woodstock’s economy thanks to its pristine setting in the White Mountains. Today, the town draws many visitors who come to explore and enjoy its charming, off-the-beaten-path atmosphere. Discover the raw power of nature and breathtaking landscapes at Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves by walking along the wooden boardwalk through the gorge alongside the Lost River. Jagged rock formations, massive boulders, cascading waterfalls, a treehouse, and a suspension bridge invite every adventurer.

The Woodstock Inn Brewery offers backstage passes for guests to learn about the brewing process, live music, and spectacular igloo dining experiences. Another standout winter attraction in Woodstock is Ice Castles, a seasonal experience featuring ice slides, caverns, archways, crawl tunnels, and illuminated frozen sculptures.

Colebrook

In the Great North Woods Region is Colebrook, a stunning small town off-the-beaten path to relax and revive the body and mind. The town has preserved its centuries-old history by restoring and maintaining the architecture, historical markers, like the Coos Trail marker, and old-town ambiance. Magnificent buildings, such as the Citizen’s Bank and Hicks Hardware, can be viewed when walking through the town.

Moose watching and hunting are popular activities in Colebrook. The North Country Moose Festival takes place annually on the weekend before Labor Day. Exploring the countryside and its beautiful landscapes, the Poore Family Homestead Historic Farm Museum celebrates the Poore family’s efforts toward Colebrook’s sustainability. In addition to the museum, the homestead offers picnic areas and hosts events such as field trips, demonstrations, concerts, and a six-week student program. For a closer connection to nature, the Beaver Brook Falls Wayside features hiking trails that lead to breathtaking waterfalls and lush forests.

Chichester

Chichester is a town tucked neatly off the beaten path on the Suncook River. A prominent must-see in Chichester is the 1887 Thunder Bridge, crossing the Suncook River. The Chichester Historical Society keeps its heritage alive with many documents, artifacts, and knowledge of landmarks for public interest.

Family fun in Chichester is best experienced at Chuckster’s Family Fun Park, which provides a variety of activities for all ages, including go-karts, climbing walls, ziplines, bumper boats, and batting cages. Additionally, the Chichester Town Line Trail is a gentle two-mile route offering great wildlife sightings and beautiful scenery.

Sunapee

Sunapee is a charming small town that welcomes visitors year-round. During summer, Strolling along Sunapee Harbor offers live music, shops, and dining experiences, especially at The Livery. Visitors can also take a scenic lake cruise or a dinner cruise around Lake Sunapee. In spring and fall, the area is perfect for hiking and biking, while the Adventure Park at Mount Sunapee Resort in nearby Newbury provides additional family entertainment. In winter, the mountain’s ski trails are popular among skiers.

Sunapee’s intriguing past is brought alive at the Sunapee Historical Society’s Flanders-Osborne Museum and the Sunapee Archives on Main Street. In nearby Newbury, explore The Fells, the 83.5-acre 20th-century John Hay Estate, and its six gardens.

Hinsdale

Hinsdale hosts the oldest continuously operating post office in the same building in the U.S., operating since 1816. The area spans 37 acres along the Connecticut River, featuring landmarks like the Ebenezer Hinsdale House, Fort Hinsdale, and the Ebenezer Hinsdale Farm. The site includes livestock and agricultural barns, plus a blacksmith shop. Located in the Wantastiquet Mountain Natural Area, Hinsdale offers numerous trails suitable for all skill levels. An easy trail leads to the Walter H. Child Monument and connects to Miners Ledge, which provides stunning views of the Connecticut River Valley and the Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield.

Hinsdale is part of the popular 13,300-acre Pisgah State Park, which offers excellent outdoor activities like hiking, biking, horse riding, bird watching, ATV and snowmobiling, and many water sports. Since it is off-the-beaten-path, far from city entertainment, Northfield Drive-In, which has entertained people since 1948, is great for a family outing.

Ossipee

Ossipee, sharing its name with the Ossipee Mountains, is a hidden outdoor haven composed of several small villages nestled in the hills. The area features Ossipee Lake, its rivers, and the mountains, offering plentiful opportunities for fishing, swimming, hiking, and skiing. At the Ossipee Historical Society’s Grant Hall Museum, visitors can see men’s and women’s clothing, a spinning wheel, a bootmaker’s stand, and Civil War artifacts. The historic Whittier Bridge, which crosses the Bearcamp River and stands as an Ossipee monument, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Campton

The Campton Falls, also known as Beebe River Falls, is a 28-foot-tall waterfall nestled amidst lush vegetation but easily accessible to visitors. It flows throughout the year, offering stunning views of this natural attraction. Campton features 18 historical markers, including sites like the Campton Congregational Church, Campton Pond and Dam, the Campton Town House, and Campton Hollow, one of the original settlements.

The town’s conservation efforts enable visitors to enjoy preserved natural areas such as Blair Woodland Natural Area, Pattee Conservation Park, and West Branch Brook Forest.

Squiggles adds entertainment to this off-the-beaten-path town. It’s more than just a store in an 1826 building that sells locally sourced products, including gifts, toys, and candies. It also hosts a vintage arcade with games like air hockey, various pinball machines, and Pac-Man, all operated with quarters. Additionally, the venue offers mini-golf and a function hall.

Shelburne

Shelburne, a small town with about 360 residents, may be off the beaten path, but it is vibrant and rich in history. Nestled along the Androscoggin River and surrounded by the White Mountains, it is part of the scenic Presidential Range Trail. The town consistently charms and impresses visitors year-round. Notable landmarks include The Shelburne Birches, which features a bronze plaque honoring military service members, and the Stone Fish, a unique piece from Mason’s 1900 stone collection that stands as an interesting landmark.

New Hampshire’s small towns, gloriously placed within luscious mountain ranges and alongside rivers and the coast, might be off-the-beaten-path, yet they offer excellent outdoor and historical activities that cannot be experienced in a city. New Hampshire is a state for all seasons: winter invites skiers to the mountain slopes, summer invites water sport enthusiasts, and spring and fall invite hikers, bikers, and rock climbers to its countless trails through dense forests, waterfalls, and covered bridges.

The 2025-26 New Jersey Devils season will be another forgettable one in the team’s history.

With playoff aspirations and the hope of a deeper run than anything in the last decade, the team couldn’t build any consistency and as a result will miss the postseason again. Tom Fitzgerald was even let go as GM and President of Hockey Operations with part of the season still to be played due to his role in creating this mess. While the hope is that the team can turn things around with just some minor adjustments, the unfortunate fact is that until the games are played we simply don’t know how the 2026-27 Devils will be. They could look amazing on paper and be as bad as this year; conversely, they could look meh on paper and put together an amazing year.

While there will be plenty of time to forecast how 2026-27 will go, there were some things that went right in 2025-26. Today, I want to briefly acknowledge those things as well as how the Devils can build upon them to find more success next season.

Firstly, Jack Hughes was incredible after returning from the Olympics. His play from scoring the Golden Goal and beyond made it apparent that he was playing hurt upon returning from his freak dinner injury. 41 of his 77 points came in his final 25 contests. He was a point per game in the first 36 appearances, but played at a near 135 point (across 82 games) pace after the season resumed. He finished the season leading the team in points despite missing 21 games. It all goes to show how dangerous a healthy Jack is and how much the Devils need him to be healthy and in the lineup. Next season, do whatever it takes to keep him healthy. Bubble wrap him at team dinners, or when he’s not on the ice, whatever it takes.

Next, I think Cody Glass should be acknowledged for having a strong season. Glass went through a weird situation this past summer where it was rumored the Devils wouldn’t extend him a qualifying offer, but wound up doing so and re-signed him on the second day of free agency. As a fixture of the Bottom Six, Glass provided the desired secondary offense, potting 19 goals in 70 contests, good for sixth on the team. For a guy who spent majority of the season on the third or fourth line while not necessarily having the best line mates, Glass came and did what the team needed him to do. For next season, keep him with Arseny Gritsyuk (and maybe Lenni Hameenaho if he can take a step forward developmentally) and see if a talented player (or two) being with him consistently helps to keep his offense flowing.

One last positive for today: while there are probably a couple of other players that could be highlighted (depending upon your opinions and definitions of success) I’m going to go with Jake Allen. In a season where team goaltending was bad, Allen at least gave the Devils a chance to win for most of his starts. Additionally, with save percentage down across the league, Allen’s .904 was technically above league average. If the Devils got average to slightly above average goaltending nightly, they’re probably a playoff team even with only 3/4 of a season from Jack. Next season, give Jake more than half of the games, especially if Jacob Markstrom continues to rock below average numbers. He’s obviously not a long term solution, but if the Devils can’t adjust their goaltending situation (highly unlikely that they can) they need to play the guy with better numbers more often than the guy with the higher salary.

2025-26 has mercifully drawn to a close. For the Devils organization once they figure out their management situation, they need to build around the positives. If these three keep performing as they did, and others on the team rebound, 2026-27 can be a whole lot better. Once again, it will all depends on what is done to adjust the failings and then getting out on the ice next season and playing the games.

What are your thoughts on any positives from this Devils season? Were you happy with the play of Jack, Glass and/or Allen? Does the disappointing result of the season overall wipe away any positives for you? Is there a bigger positive that you feel i missed, keeping in mind that I technically mentioned that Fitz got canned? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!

As local tech groups predict that Pennsylvania will outpace its region for data-center growth in the next 10 years, another organization warned that some legislative proposals in play this session would weaken municipalities’ ability to say no. 

“Local authority remains one of the few meaningful tools communities have to push back against large-scale data center and AI development,” Data & Society, a nonprofit that studies the social implications of data, automation and AI, said in a new policy brief. “State government should support, not override, local decision-making, especially with infrastructural decisions as consequential as this.” 

It named several bills in the Pennsylvania legislature that it said would reduce local authority over siting decisions for major industrial facilities, centralizing that power within the state.

The bills include HB 502, a Democrat-led measure that’s part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan” to speed the permitting of energy projects. The bill would set up a statewide board to make decisions on whether to approve large-scale energy projects, which data centers will need. 

Among the other bills the group flagged are two Republican-led measures: SB 939, which would create a standardized “sandbox” to write statewide regulation for the industry, and SB 991, which would provide faster permits for data-center developers who commit to meet or exceed federal environmental standards.  

Pennsylvania communities are “vastly different,” Data & Society said in a statement. “This group of bills erases that diversity and assumes that the same solution will work for all.”

The bills remain in committee.

Meanwhile, an industry report released in late March by the Pittsburgh Technology Council and the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies projected Pennsylvania will see data-center capacity growth of more than 4,000 percent in the next decade. The report, written by Mangum Economics, says that growth will outpace any other place on the regional electric grid PJM Interconnection, which serves 12 other states and Washington, D.C.

Neither Mangum Economics nor the Data Center Coalition, an industry group, responded to requests for comment.

The report said Pennsylvania is especially attractive to data-center developers because it is courting data centers and has major attractions for the electricity-hungry industry. The state is the biggest exporter of electricity in the nation’s largest electric grid. And it’s the second-largest producer of natural gas, a major way that developers plan to power the new hyperscale complexes.

The state also has manufacturing that can supply the new infrastructure needed by the AI industry, the report said.

“While some states excel in hosting data centers, others in energy production, and others in advanced manufacturing, Pennsylvania is on track to uniquely possess all three advantages at scale,” said the report.

It predicted that by 2036, the data center industry will support 19,400 jobs in manufacturing, energy and other sectors. The capacity of new data centers—the maximum amount of electricity they need—is expected to exceed 7,196 megawatts by 2036, up from 186 megawatts now. 

More than 50 data centers are currently planned or under construction in Pennsylvania, according to Data Center Proposal Tracker, a website that monitors planned or actual data center construction throughout the U.S. 

Environmentalists say the expected surge in data center construction will worsen climate change by stimulating the production of natural gas. There’s also growing bipartisan concern about the impact on local water supplies and residential electric bills, which have already risen in anticipation of big new data center demand.

Some communities are pushing back. In February, for instance, commissioners of Montour County in central Pennsylvania rejected a plan by Talen Energy and Amazon to rezone land to build a data center.

Quentin Good, an analyst at Frontier Group, which does research for environmental groups including PennEnvironment, said the industry hasn’t yet provided evidence that there will be enough demand to justify all the data centers in the works. There is a danger of over-investing, especially in additional energy infrastructure, he said.

“That’s going to cost a lot of money,” he said. “But we might not even need it all.”

Good said the prediction of 4,000 percent growth in Pennsylvania’s data center capacity ignores state or local regulation that could have a significant effect. “The report doesn’t consider any of those competing factors,” he said.

In the legislature, state Sen. Katie Muth said she will introduce a bill that would place a three-year moratorium on data center development to give local governments time to evaluate its impacts on their communities.

Muth, a Democrat from the Philadelphia suburbs, said she didn’t expect any co-sponsors before the bill was published but now has four, including two Republicans. She said the unexpected support is probably because some members are hearing complaints from their constituents about the impact on their electric bills.

“People are rightfully upset about that,” she said. “I think that might be the reason why this has moved—public outrage.”