-I'm in a region that I've been close to all my life and yet have so much left to explore.

It's a destination with a down-to-earth style where the mountains are meant to be climbed and the pristine lakes enjoyed... all so that the significance of nature is never taken for granted.

It's a place that reminds us of how things used to be, where main streets thrive, candy counters are taken seriously, and video games played religiously.

It's where the people don't brag but have plenty to brag about.

I'm back home, exploring the mountain and lakes regions of New Hampshire.

♪♪ I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

♪♪ Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... ♪♪ -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ♪♪ ...pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path... on storied rivers... with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

♪♪ -All the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, experienced on a journey by rail.

♪♪ Rocky Mountaineer -- proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

[ Ship horn blaring ] -I am from the state of New Hampshire.

I grew up here, moved here when I was in the second grade, spent my entire school life here, graduated from college, and then moved to the Big Apple, but my family still lives here, and even though I am from this state, we always spent all of our time along the coastline.

I never spent any time here in the lakes region or the mountains region, so everything I'm about to do is just completely new to me, and I just think that is wicked "ahsome."

♪♪ -Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lake Winnipesaukee.

This is New Hampshire's largest lake and the third-largest natural body of fresh water entirely within a single state.

-How many years has this vessel been making this journey?

-This vessel's been on this lake, making this journey since 1940.

-Wow.

And you yourself are a fixture of this lake, a real icon of this area.

-Well, that makes me feel old.

[ Both laugh ] Um... -Just appreciated.

-Yeah.

-Just appreciated.

Captain Jim Morash has been working with Mount Washington Cruises for 40 years and is now part-owner.

What do you love most about this lake?

-It's ever-changing.

It could be a beautiful sunny day, dead calm, with glass-like water conditions, or it could be a day like today where the sun's shining bright, you got a little bit of a chop from a northwest wind, which -- What we call diamonds on the lake, as they shimmer.

And it could be, you know, rainy or whatever, but even that's beautiful.

-Mm-hmm.

I grew up in New Hampshire.

To this day, I still don't know how to spell Winnipesaukee.

-Not a lot of people do.

-It's a Native American word.

What does it mean?

-One translation meant "beautiful waters in a high place."

-Okay.

-And the other one was, "smile of the great spirit."

I'm gonna go with "smile of the great spirit" because I think anybody that comes up here and experiences the lake, it puts a smile on their face, so... -Mm-hmm.

♪♪ Right by the largest lake in New Hampshire is the largest arcade in the world.

The Funspot has over 600 coin-operated games, including 300 classic video games that make up the American Classic Arcade Museum, and it's been owned by one man for over 65 years.

[ Machines beeping ] -I'm Bob Lawton, and I've lived in New Hampshire my whole life.

And running Funspot is the best job in the world, I can tell you that.

-So, Bob, I'm going to be -- I'm going to try not to be distracted talking to you because walking into a place like this, I feel like -- I feel like my parents just gave 5 bucks and I can just play and do whatever I want.

As you see, my hands are doing this now.

Like, I'm getting a little antsy 'cause as soon you start talking about video games from like 1981 to like 1986, like, that, Bob -- That -- I, like, peaked.

So, like, the arcade, Bob, it's my mecca.

It's amazing how as soon as you walk through your doors, you turn into, like, a 10-year-old kid.

Does that ever get old, seeing children's faces light up when they come into your business?

-Are you asking me that?

-I am.

-You know I love kids.

I walk through this building, and I can't hardly walk by a kid -- I carry a pocketful of tokens all the time, and I give them to kids.

♪♪ Where did she go?!

[ Machine beeping ] ♪♪ -Yes!

-I started Funspot in 1952 with a loan from my grandmother, whom I lived with, of $750.

-Bob started with a small mini-golf course and grew Funspot to be an entertainment center with arcade, bowling alley, Skee-Ball, and vintage bumper cars.

But what he's most proud of is his Landmarks of New Hampshire miniature golf course.

-Every one of these is a, uh -- a really important part of New Hampshire.

-If I'm looking at the North Conway Railway Station, how old is that structure?

-That was probably made 65 years ago.

-Oh, my gosh.

-And -- -So it's historic in its own way, right?

It's based on a historic building, and the mini-golf structure in itself is totally historic.

-It's all historic.

[ Machines beeping ] ♪♪ -Ooh!

-I work seven days a week.

I'm here every day at 6:00 a.m.

I have more fun here than anybody.

-What's your favorite game here?

What do you play?

-Rally-X.

[ Beeping ] I've always thought I'm at least equal to the happiest guy in the world.

-Mm-hmm.

-I truly am.

I can't wait to get here in the morning.

I just love it.

♪♪ I think I lost her!

♪♪ -This area is known for its, like, tried and true restaurants that have been here forever, and, then, there are those vacation spots that are only open seasonally.

And what you're doing here is really different.

Was that your mission?

-I think it just came about naturally.

♪♪ Just reproduce the best food possible.

Don't do a whole lot to them.

I think when you got the best ingredients, you have the best product.

-This is Kevin Halligan, the founder of the farm-to-table restaurant Local Eatery.

Oh, my goodness.

This is the most amount of meat I have seen.

I hope we're sharing this.

Are there two of these?

-Oh, no, we're gonna share it.

We're gonna share it.

-Wow!

-So, we dry-aged all the steak, all the meat on this platter, from the tenderloin, which was done for 60 days, the picanha, which was done for 45.

Even the pork was dry-aged for 30 days.

-What did you say that was?

-Picanha steak.

-Picanha.

Picanha steak.

This doesn't seem to be a common steak.

-So, there's only two per cow, and I think that's the beauty of the Butcher Shop because we offer different cuts that you can't get anywhere else.

-All the meat on the menu comes directly from the restaurant's own butcher shop just down the street.

-So, there's probably 10 -- 10 to 12 different steaks that you would never see in a grocery store that we have in the Butcher Shop.

-Does your menu stay the same throughout the summer so people understand it, or do you change it within the summer, as well?

-We change it every two weeks.

-What made you want to be a chef?

-So, my mother was a horrible cook.

So I actually started -- -[ Laughs ] Does she know that?

Does she know you're saying that about her?

-She's getting better now, but she's -- -And how old were you when you realized your mom wasn't a good cook?

-I was like six.

So, my sister told me I was gonna be a chef then, and I've cooked ever since.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Not many people know what they want to be at six.

New Hampshire is a beauty.

Take it from someone who knows.

And the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center's mission is to foster an understanding of the ecology of the Granite State by inviting visitors into one of its classrooms, and I'm sitting in one right now.

I'm looking around.

And I see no homes.

There's no commercial buildings.

I mean, it is so preserved.

How long has it been this way?

-The Squam Lakes Association started up back in 1904.

And right at the very beginning, they developed their charter to keep this lake looking exactly like you're seeing it right now.

Back then, there was a lot of logging that was going on, and all the trees you see all throughout this area here were actually stripped out.

-Oh, my gosh.

-And early settlers came in here, and they wanted to farm.

-So, all these islands that we're looking at right now, they were barren of trees.

-They were clear-cut.

-Wow.

-They were clear-cut.

-So it's actually more pristine now than it was over 100 years ago.

-Oh, it is.

It is, yes.

-At the helm is captain and guide Dale Lary.

And I'm not here for just a pleasant boat ride.

I'm here to see this lake's extraordinary residents.

So, is that a duck?

And this, I'm embarrassed to say... -No, that is a loon.

-That's a loon?

-That's a loon.

-...is the first time in my life I have ever seen a real one.

Wow!

The Loon Cruise focuses on common loon conservation, biology, and monitoring the only species of loon that breeds as far south as New Hampshire.

So -- So, what type of bird is it if it's not...?

[ Static ] A duck, Samantha!

Say it!

You thought it was a duck!

-They are actually a hybrid between the albatross and the penguin family.

-They're part penguin?

-They are part penguin.

They get their ability to dive from the penguin and their ability to fly from the albatross.

-Wow!

It's that time of day when this pair of loons do their feather maintenance, distributing oil from a gland on their tail across their body to keep them waterproof.

It's an act that is essential to their survival.

♪♪ Squam Lake isn't just famous for its birds.

The Oscar-winning movie "On Golden Pond" was filmed on location at this house.

The Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda.

-Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda.

-Katharine Hepburn.

-Yes.

-And you might remember Katharine Hepburn being obsessed with... [ As Ethel ] The loons, Norman!

The loons!

[ Normal voice ] This is why.

♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ Jim, you have the busiest store in New Hampshire.

-Yeah, I think so.

-No doubt about it.

-Sure.

Today, yeah, yes.

-This is the place to be.

-Yeah.

Right.

-And, of course, everyone's come here for one thing -- this.

♪♪ -It's the world's longest candy counter.

Guinness Book of World Records.

112 feet.

-That is incredible!

112 feet of candy jars!

That's incredible!

Wow!

-600 jars, 600 jars.

-Does this walk along your candy counter count as a hike in New Hampshire?

-Yeah, you're not getting a lot of elevation here, but, uh -- but it's a good warm-up.

♪♪ -Do you have a Swedish Fish?

-Yes, we do.

-I'm in the market for a Swedish Fish.

He can't find the Swedish Fish.

-I can't f-- [ Laughs ] Hey, here are fish.

It was right next to me.

-Yay, alright!

I've got my glove.

-Right at foot 19.

The 19th foot.

-Foot 19!

I love it.

Okay.

I'm just gonna grab them.

I'll pay you later.

-Don't worry about it.

-What are you going for?

You're going for the sours, huh?

-Yeah, I love sour candy.

-Where are you from?

-I'm from Massachusetts.

-Okay.

-It's kind of a family tradition that we always come here, and this is the first time, like, just me and my niece came, 'cause I can drive now.

So... -[ Chuckles ] Oh.

-It's kind of a special day for us.

-That's wonderful.

So, this is sort of your rite of passage.

You're independent, you're an adult, and the first thing you do is go to a candy store.

-Yeah.

[ Laughter ] -I remember, being a kid, that this is where you learned about budgeting money.

Your parents gave you a certain amount.

That's all you had, and it was up to you.

-Yeah, you've got to make your decisions with 600 options.

-[ Sighing ] Whew!

Problem solving at its sweetest.

[ Register dings ] -♪ By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea ♪ ♪ You with me, you with me, oh, how happy it be ♪ ♪ When the wave comes rolling in ♪ ♪ We will duck or swim ♪ ♪ And we'll float and look around the water ♪ -I'm Moocho Salomon.

My husband and I have owned a business on Main Street for 41 years.

♪♪ I get together with a couple of friends and my husband, Dan, on bass, and we play ukulele, and we are called The Mother Pluckers.

-Walking into Northern Lights Music, you are struck by how seriously the guitar is taken.

One of their rooms is humidified, and then there's the American Room, where all the guitars were made in the USA.

You have some of the most beautiful, expensive guitars in the area.

Why ukuleles?

-You can, like, put it on your back.

You can take it to the beach.

You can take it hiking.

You can stuff it in your backpack.

-And they're affordable.

I mean, musical instruments are expensive... -Yeah!

...and this is a nice kind of -- -Our ukuleles start at about $40.

-That's great.

Get the kids interested.

-♪ I love to be beside the sun, beside the sea ♪ ♪ Beside the seaside by the beautiful sea ♪ -You run this with your husband.

How did you meet?

-He came to my dormitory with his guitar and a six-pack of beer so... [ Guitar solo ] ♪♪ The rest is history.

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ [ Laughter ] -I would think a store dedicated to guitars would need to be in a bigger city, like a Portsmouth or a Manchester or Nashua, New Hampshire.

-Well, the Internet helps a lot, and a lot of people visit the White Mountains, and in their travels, they come in and see us.

Some people are just passing through and discover us, which is really cool, because they'll walk in and they'll go, "What's this doing here?"

[ Both laugh ] -At Northern Lights, you'll find love and passion for these instruments.

There are hundreds and hundreds of guitars, and Dan can play every last one of them.

[ Blues riff plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Waves crash ] Both Chutters and the Northern Lights Music shop are located on Main Street in the town of Littleton.

It's raining, so we decided to all get a beer together, which, truth be told, would've been our plan, even if it was sunny.

Here's a little New Hampshire trivia.

How do you spell Winnipesaukee?

♪♪ Down from Main Street, in a converted 18th-century gristmill on the Ammonoosuc River, is Schilling Beer Company.

Open for seven years, it serves European-inspired beers in a perfect setting, rain or shine.

How do you spell Winnipesaukee?

Moocho?

-Oh, no.

-No, you can't look.

-I-N-N-I-S -- -Engh!

How do you spell Winnipesaukee?

-Okay, W-I-N-N-A -- -Engh!

Hey, I didn't get it either.

That makes it -- I don't know -- 49 years that I haven't known how to spell that word.

So I'm like, "Why start now?"

If anything, I at least helped create a new drinking game in my home state.

Live free or die.

[ Chuckles ] ♪♪ If Littleton, New Hampshire, is considered the gateway to the White Mountains, then this marks that you have arrived.

The storied beauty known as the Mount Washington resort of Bretton Woods.

Even the interiors are breathtaking, and being a grande dame hotel, it's meant to be explored and its items of another time enjoyed.

There are so many elegant seating areas that I'm busy scheduling them in my head, so I'm going to be having my morning paper and coffee in the Princess Room, afternoon cocktails out on the lawn, of course, and then, for my nightcap, a dram of whiskey in front of the fire, under the moose.

It's gonna be challenging.

But I think I'm up for it.

♪♪ Out here on the veranda, you have this spectacular view that looks out over the Presidential Range of the White Mountains.

Now, the Presidential Range represents the highest peak of the Whites, and they form this... beautiful amphitheater of space where this resort is at center stage.

This is the star.

And you're looking out at the mountains, and the mountains are looking back and admiring you, and this is just the perfect relationship that this resort has had with these mountains for well over 100 years.

I will be going to the top of Mount Washington, that peak right there.

That is the highest peak in the Northeast.

Now, there are a few ways to get to the top.

I could hike it.

I was told it was about 10 hours, round trip.

I could drive it.

But the way I'm getting to the top was the first of its kind in the world.

♪♪ How long does it take to get to the top?

-It's about an hour with the steam locomotive.

It takes 37 minutes with the new diesel locomotive.

-Wow.

-The steam locomotive goes about 2.8 miles an hour.

-About the speed of me on a bike going up the hill.

-I'm Joe Eggleston.

I've worked here on the Cog Railway for 27 years.

I lost my hearing to spinal meningitis when I was 9 years old.

As a little boy, I always had a dream of operating a steam locomotive.

The Cog Railway made it possible.

-Now, this cog train, this cog railroad, was the number one in the world.

-Yes, it was.

-There were no cog railroads before this one.

I would've thought the Swiss would've beaten us.

-It was here in New Hampshire, and it was right after the Civil War.

-That is incredible.

When this was built or originally dreamed up, did people think the idea was crazy?

-When Sylvester Marsh, who invented and built the Cog Railway, applied for a charter from the state legislature back in the 1850s, they thought he was crazy.

And they granted him the charter to build it to the moon.

[ Both laugh ] So, ever since then, it's been known as the Railway to the Moon.

[ Whistle blows ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -If you've never been on a cog railway, it completely feels like going to the top of a roller coaster.

You can hear the clicks, and you're bouncing, and that sort of slow build mimics our anticipation, and it's building and building because everyone here on this train car -- we know that where we left was warm and sunny, and it looks warm and sunny, but when we get to the top, it can be completely different, and everyone's excitement is building as the train is getting [chuckling] higher and more elevated, and it's just this great feeling.

-Steam locomotive is the closest to a living thing that man has invented.

It eats.

It drinks.

It breathes.

And it has a heartbeat, and it has personality.

-Where's the heartbeat?

-You can feel it when you're sitting in the seat.

You can feel the beat of the pistons going back and forth.

[ Rumbling ] -And as the engineer, you know when it's not sounding so healthy or when it's vibrant.

-Yeah, the engineer becomes a part of the engine, and the engine becomes part of the engineer.

♪♪ [ Train whistle blows ] ♪♪ [ Hissing ] ♪♪ -We've arrived, and even though it's a sunny, brilliant day, the temperature tells a different story.

As you can see, I've had to add a few layers.

It's pretty windy and cold up here.

Where we started, down at the base, it was about 72 degrees.

It's 45 right now with a gust of -- I don't know -- heavy, heavy gusts of wind.

But, of course, one of the bragging rights to coming up to the summit is that it's known to have the worst weather in the world, and it can literally happen anytime, like snow, sleet, gusts of wind.

Like, climbers train for Everest and K2 here.

Now, having said that, there's a lovely gift shop, snack bar, where we can get a cup of coffee and bathrooms.

But it's amazing being 6,288 feet above the Earth, on a mountain, and there's a lot going on.

There's a lot to do, so let's set out and explore.

[ Grunts ] ♪♪ -I've lived here, in New Hampshire, all my life, and I'm telling you, it's the best place in the world to live.

The lakes and the mountains -- everything is beautiful here.

When I went in the legislature, my first bill was to put "Live Free or Die" on the license plates.

And I always felt that that represents the people in New Hampshire very well.

-I love being in New Hampshire because of the mountains and the rivers and the intensity of the weather.

If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute.

It'll always be entertaining.

-I never tire of the view up here.

You can go up there as a tourist.

You can go up there as a resident who lives here and loves this area, taking in a view that strikes you all the way to Canada and New York state.

-When the natural beauty of a destination can one moment thrill you, then relax you, when the people you meet have a way of doing the same, when you get to come back home to a place that formed you, that is when we share a love of travel, and that's why the lakes, the mountains, and all of New Hampshire are places to love.

♪♪ -For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... ♪♪ -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

♪♪ -All of the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains experienced on a journey by rail.

♪♪ Rocky Mountaineer -- proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪