[3] The town overlooks the White Mountain National Forest, with views of the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman and Dalton ranges.

First attracted by paintings of White Mountain artists, the wealthy arrived by train to escape the heat, humidity and pollution of summers in Boston, Hartford, New York and Philadelphia.

Patrons found amusement in the casino and bowling alley, or on carriage rides touring nearby Franconia Notch.

Built in 1897, the 9-hole Sugar Hill House Golf Course, together with its 1900 clubhouse, are the oldest in the state and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With the advent of automobiles came a decline in grand hotels, however, as tourists were no longer restricted by the limits of rail service.

The aging structure was demolished in 1974, although its annex survived and was purchased in 2013 by new owners, to reopen in 2015 as "The Inn at Sunset Hill".

[4] While hosting winter guests early in the century, the need for increased clientele prompted him, with the assistance of his wife, Katharine Peckett, to establish the first resort-based ski school in the United States.

Kate Peckett brought in several more European instructors including Otto Lang to teach the Arlberg system.

Among pupils were Nelson Rockefeller, Averell Harriman, Lowell Thomas, Minot Dole and Roger Peabody.