About 30 miles east of Littleton via US-302, Bretton Woods occupies a broad meadow valley beneath the Presidential Range, with Mount Washington itself visible at the head of the valley. The centrepiece is the Mount Washington Hotel, a vast white-and-red Spanish Renaissance pile that opened in 1902 and is one of the last of the great White Mountains grand hotels still in full operation. The setting alone — wide lawns, flower gardens, and a veranda facing the peaks — is worth the drive.
The hotel is best known internationally as the site of the Bretton Woods Conference of July 1944, where delegates from 44 Allied nations met to establish the post-war international monetary system, creating the IMF and World Bank. The Gold Room where the agreement was signed is still intact and open to view; non-guests can walk the grounds and visit the lobby without booking a room.
A short drive from the hotel brings you to the base station of the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which has been hauling passengers up the 6,288-foot summit since 1869 — the second-oldest mountain-climbing cog railway in the world. The three-hour round trip passes through the treeline and onto the barren alpine summit, with views on clear days stretching into four states and Canada. Book seats well in advance in summer, particularly at weekends.
In winter, Bretton Woods operates as one of the larger ski resorts in New England, with terrain spread across several interconnected peaks. The combination of a heated outdoor pool, cross-country trails, and the grand hotel dining room makes it a popular winter retreat even for non-skiers.