On the Market

New Hampshire's Covered Bridge House Bed & Breakfast is on the market for the first time in 32 years.

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From “Gilmore Girls” to “Newhart,” running a quaint inn in New England has is often a romanticized dream. But with New Hampshire’s Covered Bridge House Bed & Breakfast coming on the market for the first time in 32 years, someone can actually make that happen.

Listed at $1.25 million, 404 US Route 302 in Bartlett, N.H., has served as a staple of the Mount Washington Valley for decades. In addition to the Bed & Breakfast, the property features one of the few privately owned covered bridges in New Hampshire, which currently serves as the seasonal Covered Bridge Gift Shoppe.

Built in 1850, the Bartlett Covered Bridge was once the main mode of transportation across the Saco River on Route 302. Later decommissioned from commuter use, it became the Gift Shoppe in 1965. The inn was built in 1900.

“They see thousands of tourists per season stop by their gift shop on the covered bridge,” says Tanner Wheeler of Senné Residential, who has the listing. “The bridge itself was built in such a way that it really showcases New England craftsmanship and ingenuity. It’s both a very attractive, cool, privately owned feature, but also one that helps amplify the business.”

The 4,316-square-foot classic inn has five guest rooms, each with a private bathroom. It also features a spacious dining area and a welcoming sitting lounge with a gas fireplace.

Current room rates range from $179 a night to $229 a night

Attached to the main building is the three-bedroom owner’s quarters, where the longtime owner/operators raised their family. Spacious yet cozy, the home features a living room with a wood-burning stove and a dining room. There’s one bedroom on the first floor, with a sliding door that opens out to the backyard leading to the river. The two other bedrooms upstairs, as is a loft that’s great for guests. 

Because of the building’s prime location on the Saco River, residents or guests can stroll up the river’s path and place inner tubes in the water for a fun 10 or 15-minute float back down to the bed and breakfast and the bridge. 

“On a nice day, it’s like your own little private Saco River tubing course,” said Wheeler.

While summer is plenty of fun on the river, the bed and breakfast is well-positioned by the ski mountains for winter access. Attitash Mountain Resort is about a mile and a half away, and Bretton Woods, Cranmore, and Wildcat are about a half-hour drive. Cross-country skiers will find plenty of nearby spots like Jackson Village, as will backcountry skiers. 

“It’s really a lifestyle opportunity — in addition to being an operating business that does well — for somebody who wants to be in the clean air and have access to all these outdoor things, whether it’s fly fishing or rock climbing. There’s just so much to do up here,” said Wheeler, who noted the property is zoned for both commercial and residential use.