Sights in New Hampshire
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Libby Museum
At the age of 40, Dr Henry Forrest Libby, a local dentist, began collecting things. In 1912 he built a home for his collections, which later became the eccentric little Libby Museum. Starting with butterflies and moths, the amateur naturalist built up a private natural history collection. Other collections followed, including Abenaki relics and early-American farm and home implements. It lies 3 miles north of Wolfeboro.
reviewed
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Enfield Shaker Museum
Set in a valley overlooking Mascoma Lake, the Enfield Shaker site dates back to the late 18th century and grew into a small but prosperous community of Shaker farmers and craftspeople in the early 1800s. At its peak, some 300 members (divided into several ‘families’) lived in Enfield, farming 3000 acres of land. They built a handful of impressive wood and brick buildings in the area, took in converts, orphans and children of the poor – who were essential for the Shaker future, since sex was not allowed in the pacifist rule-abiding community. By the early 1900s the community had gone into decline, with the last remaining family moving out in 1917. The Enfield Sh…
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Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
In the summer of 1885, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens rented an old inn near the town of Cornish and came to this beautiful spot in the Connecticut River Valley to work. He returned summer after summer, and eventually bought the place in 1892. The estate, where he lived until his death in 1907, is now open to the public as the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Saint-Gaudens is best known for his public monuments, such as the Sherman Monument in New York’s Central Park and the Adams Memorial in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the Robert Gold Shaw Memorial across from the State House in Boston. Recasts of all of these sculp…
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Crawford Notch State Park Visitor Center
In 1826 torrential rains in this steep valley caused massive mud slides that descended on the home of the Willey family. The house was spared, but the family was not – they were outside at the fatal moment and were swept away by the mud. The dramatic incident made the newspapers and fired the imaginations of painter Thomas Cole and author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both men used the incident for inspiration, thus unwittingly putting Crawford Notch on the tourist maps. Soon visitors arrived to visit the tragic spot – and they stayed for the bracing mountain air and healthy exercise. From the Willey House site, now used as a state park visitor center, you can walk the easy 0.…
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American Independence Museum
Exeter’s early history is still widely celebrated, thanks in part to the American Independence Museum, which maintains the town’s collections inside the historic Ladd-Gilman House. Among the highlights of this National Landmark Property are the furnishings and possessions of the Gilman family, who lived here from 1720 to 1820, along with a document archive, including two original drafts of the US Constitution and personal correspondence of George Washington, Pierre L’Enfant and other notables. The museum also maintains Folsom Tavern, which was once an important meeting place for George Washington and his revolutionary officers.
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Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
To get up close and personal with the wildlife that lives in the Lakes Region, visit the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Four different nature paths weave through the woods and around the marsh. The highlight is the Gephart Trail, leading past trailside enclosures that are home to various creatures including bobcat, fisher (a kind of marten), mountain lion, a great horned owl and a bald eagle. The nearby Kirkwood Gardens, featuring many species of New England native shrubs and flowers, are specially designed to attract birds and butterflies. The center also organizes nature cruises around Squam Lake.
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Hampton Seashell
North of the state park, where NH 1A becomes Ocean Blvd, the town of Hampton is both beach and honky-tonk playground. In summer this vast main beach is crowded with all of humanity. At the center of the strip the Hampton Seashell is a band shell with an amphitheater, as well as public toilets, a first-aid station and the chamber of commerce information center. Across the boulevard, the Hampton Beach casino has live entertainment, video games, fast-food stands and souvenir shops. Beach admission is free, but you’ll have to feed quarters to the parking meters ($1.50 per hour).
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Mt Monadnock
This commanding 3165ft peak can be seen from 50 miles away in any direction and is the area’s spiritual vertex. Complete with a visitor center (where you can get good hiking information), 12 miles of ungroomed cross-country ski trails and over 40 miles of hiking trails (6 miles of which reach the summit), the Mt Monadnock State Park is an outdoor wonderland. The White Dot Trail (which turns into the White Cross Trail) from the visitor center to the bare-topped peak is about a 3½-hour hike round-trip.
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John Paul Jones House
The John Paul Jones House was a boardinghouse when America’s first great naval commander resided in Portsmouth. Jones, who uttered, ‘I have not yet begun to fight!’ during a particularly bloody engagement with the British, is believed to have lodged here during the outfitting of the Ranger (1777) and the America (1781). The marvelous Georgian mansion with gambrel roof is now the headquarters of the Portsmouth Historical Society.
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Flume
To see this natural wonder, take the 2-mile self-guided nature walk that includes the 800ft boardwalk through the Flume, a natural cleft (12ft to 20ft wide) in the granite bedrock. The granite walls tower 70ft to 90ft above you, with moss and plants growing from precarious niches and crevices. Signs along the way explain how nature formed this natural phenomenon. A nearby covered bridge is thought to be one of the oldest in the state, perhaps erected as early as the 1820s.
reviewed
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Jenness State Beach
As NH 1A enters Rye, parking along the road is restricted to vehicles with town parking stickers, but Jenness State Beach has a small metered parking lot that’s open to the general public. Further north near Rye Harbor you’re allowed to park along the roadway. Climb over the seawall of rubble and rocks to get to the gravel beach. It lacks facilities, but it is much less crowded than anything further south.
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Clark’s
Just north of North Woodstock on US 3, Clark’s has been a traditional family stop since 1928. If the children are bored from too much time in the car, Clark’s has an old-fashioned photo parlor, water-bumper boats, a magic house and a gift shop. Admission includes a 30-minute excursion on a narrow-gauge steam locomotive. The featured attraction is the Bear Show, a sad spectacle starring a team of North American black bear.
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Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery
The Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery housed at Keene State College plays a crucial role in supporting the arts in this rural region. Its spacious skylit halls showcase rotating exhibits of regional and national artists. Sagendorph hosts an annual exhibit focusing on New Hampshire native artists. The small permanent collection includes pieces by the many national artists that have been drawn to the Monadnock region since the 19th century
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Seacoast Science Center
At the northern tip of the seacoast, just before NH 1A turns westward to Portsmouth, lies the underutilized Odiorne Point State Park. It is the site of the Seacoast Science Center. Undersea videos, huge aquariums and a hands-on ‘touch tank’ are the highlights of this family favorite. The center hosts lots of special activities such as trail walks, lighthouse tours and concerts.
reviewed
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Prescott Park
- Portsmouth, USA
- Sights › Park
Overlooking the Piscataqua River, this small, grassy park makes a pleasant setting for a picnic. More importantly, it’s the leafy backdrop to the Prescott Park Arts Festival, which means free music, dance, theater and food festivals throughout the summer. Separate one-day music festivals showcase jazz, folk and Americana; other highlights include the clam-chowder and chili festivals.
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Miller State Park
New Hampshire’s oldest state park is Miller State Park. Miller is the site of Pack Monadnock, a 2290ft peak (not to be confused with its better-known neighbor, Mt Monadnock). It has three easy-to-moderate paths to the summit of Pack Monadnock; you can also access the 21-mile Wapack trail here. The park has an auto road to the summit, and is located about 4.5 miles east of Peterborough along NH 101.
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Millyard Museum
Former textile mills, impressive brick buildings with hundreds of tall windows, stretch along Commercial St on the Merrimack riverbank for almost 1.5 miles. Today, Mill No 3 houses the Millyard Museum. The museum hosts exhibits, walking tours and other programs that trace the history of Manchester, from the Amoskeag Indians who dwelled in this region, to the Amoskeag Mills that developed it.
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Museum
‘Please touch!’ implores this museum, which exhibits folk art and folklore from around the world. It’s a wonderful place for kids, who are invited to dive into the collections to try on costumes, experiment with musical instruments, play with toys and make their own art. Periodic performances feature musicians and storytellers who lead interactive performances.
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Hampton Beach State Park
The beach actually begins south of the state line, on the north bank of the Merrimack River at Salisbury Beach State Reservation in Massachusetts. Take I-95 exit 56 (MA 1A) and head east to Salisbury Beach, then north along NH 1A to Hampton Beach State Park a long stretch of sand shielded by dunes. Facilities include changing rooms, toilets and a snack bar. Parking is $10 per day.
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Dartmouth Row
The green is the focal point of Dartmouth College campus, both physically and historically. Along the east side of the green, picturesque Dartmouth Row consists of four harmonious Georgian buildings: Wentworth, Dartmouth, Thornton and Reed. Dartmouth Hall was the original college building, constructed in 1791.
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Sugar Hill Sampler
The Sugar Hill Sampler was originally a collection of heirlooms amassed by the Aldrich family over the many years they have lived in Sugar Hill. The collection has expanded to include all sorts of local memorabilia dating from 1780, all housed in an old barn built by the Aldrich ancestors themselves. This place also has a store, selling homemade arts and crafts and edibles.
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Clark House Museum Complex
The Clark House Museum Complex is Wolfeboro’s eclectic historical museum, comprising three historic buildings: the 1778 Clark family farmhouse, an 1805 one-room schoolhouse and a replica of an old firehouse. The buildings contain relevant artifacts (such as fire engines!), furniture and the like. Admission was free when we were there but a fee was being considered.
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Folsom Tavern
Exeter’s early history is still widely celebrated, thanks in part to the American Independence Museum, which maintains the town’s collections inside the historic Ladd-Gilman House. The museum also maintains Folsom Tavern, which was once an important meeting place for George Washington and his revolutionary officers.
reviewed
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C
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion
The 42-room Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, south of the town center, was home to New Hampshire’s first royal governor and served as the colony’s government center from 1741 to 1766. The lilacs on its grounds are descendants of the first lilacs planted in America, which were brought over from England by Governor Benning Wentworth.
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Wright Museum
For a Rosie-the-riveter and baked-apple-pie look at WWII, visit the Wright Museum. Interactive exhibitions feature music, documentary clips, posters and other American paraphernalia relating to the war. There are also uniforms, equipment and military hardware (including a 42-ton Pershing tank), meticulously restored by the museum.
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