Things to Do in New Hampshire

Chunky's Cinema Pub has been mixing the polished glimmer of modern technology with the gauzy glow of yesteryear for almost two decades. Eight screens mingle first-run blockbusters with themed throwback classics catering to children of the ’50s or ’80s. There, in the glow of the previews, is another testament to the melding of time—a contemporary dinner-and-a-movie setup brings with it the nostalgia of old-school drive-ins. Instead of traditional cinema chairs, individual cushy Lincoln Continental surround communal dinner tables, and the seats roll and recline to let guests maximize their comfort and customize their sightlines as they catch the onscreen action and pretend to be backseat drivers. At their tables, American pub snacks and entrées from the extensive menu spread out, combining movies with burgers, quesadillas, and steak tips.

While the theater blends old with new, Chunky's Bio Truck zooms into the future with a gas tank full of the 100% trans-fat-free canola oil used for cooking in the kitchen. The bio-fuel reduces the truck's greenhouse emissions and helps to decrease its carbon footprint, spreading an eco-conscious message to the community.

For the past several decades, Bowl-O-Rama has been carefully tended to by the Genimatas family. Over its history, the alley has retained much of its original 1950s charm but, as co-owner Dale Genimatas says, "We are always updating and doing new things." Dale operates the alley with her husband and sister-in-law, who she says have been involved with Bowl-O-Rama their entire lives. Dale began working at the facility in 1979 and has since seen it grow to include a total of 28 candlepin lanes, computerized scoring systems, and a food-and-beverage kitchen where chefs bake hand-tossed pizzas and appetizers that include chicken tenders and cheese sticks. Throughout the year, the family hosts open-bowling hours and special events, closing only on Christmas Day to let the pins celebrate with their families. With each weekend comes the return of cosmic glow bowling, and each year brings annual fundraisers such as the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl-A-Thon. "It's a very electric environment," says Dale, reflecting on the scores of players and benefactors that come together each year to support the organization.

Since 1965, the family-run Ski Haus has kept customers coming back by adhering to the family motto: “Make sure we keep a fun environment and give everybody a fair deal. They get a ton of stuff for their money and we stay in business for a long time." Patrons can still expect the same low prices and see the same friendly staffers’ faces year after year while shopping for winter gear.

Racks stocked with apparel by brands such as The North Face and Marmot, skis and snowboards by brands such as Atomic and K2, and a team of skilled technicians have earned Ski Haus accolades from Ski magazine, SnowSports Industries America, and New England Winter Sports Representatives, Inc. During tune-ups, technicians polish skis, stone-grind ski edges, apply hot wax, and repair bases damaged by treacherous slopes and sharp snowman noses.

When festival founder Anne-Marie Aigner first noticed the burgeoning food-truck scenes on the West Coast and the Midwest, her prescient mind foresaw that the tide would make its way to New England. In order to cultivate the nascent movement, she founded her food-truck-festival tour to bring dozens of trucks' eclectic wares to locales outside of Boston. Already scoring mentions in Boston and Worcester Mag in its first year, the festival has featured such four-wheeled kitchens as Redbones BBQ and Roxy's Grilled Cheese. Aigner hopes to sustain the food-truck industry beyond the festival's inaugural year by attracting interest throughout the region and motivating grassroots support for the mobile culinary spots and their future descendants, sandwich-slinging helicopters.

With thousands of flight hours under his belt, experienced pilot Keith Deschambeault of Acadian Seaplanes chauffeurs nature-bound groups over breathtaking treetops and seascapes in a single-engine plane specially designed for water landings. Maine's illustrious coastline unfolds below as the small, sturdy planes soar on specialized air tours that seek out moose, remote mountain lakes, or destination fishing for trout, bass, and Maine's native aquamoose.

Film buffs across six states stare wide-eyed at large cinema screens, losing themselves in first-run Hollywood movies and the smell of fresh, buttery kernels within Your Neighborhood Theatre's 17 locations. Though all theaters prioritize comfortable seating, old-fashioned friendly service, and high-stakes preshow trivia slideshows, each location encompasses its own distinct charm, be it through arthouse décor, 3-D screens, or Rhode Island's vintage 1950's drive-in setting.