New Hampshire travel ideas?

[runamuk]

My husband and I have decided that we can no longer afford to make our big annual trek to WI. The drive is too far and the cost of staying in the North Woods has just climbed out of our modest vacation budget now that his family is no longer renting a cabin with us.

 

Instead, we'd like to make shorter visits to the 13 original colonies (over several years, of course :)). New Hampshire was the first state drawn from the hat. We've never been to NH and don't know anyone who has, so what else could I do but ask the Hive? :D

 

We're planning on spending 3 or 4 days in the state. We'd like to see some historic sites and do some hiking, canoeing and fishing. I'm interested in musuems and Nick likes looking around local shops. We like small towns and would like to do something the kids (ages 10 and 5) would enjoy. An overnight stop in a big city would be fun, too.

 

I'd love to hear from anyone - travelers or residents - about some of the "can't miss" spots. We're open to just about anything. :)

[JoyfulMama]

As a kid I loved to go to the Lost River Gorge.

There is tons of hiking, camping, and such in NH - lots of small towns as well. But the above is what first popped into my head as a place I'd like to take my kids back to.

[Matryoshka]

We're planning on spending 3 or 4 days in the state. We'd like to see some historic sites and do some hiking, canoeing and fishing. I'm interested in musuems and Nick likes looking around local shops. We like small towns and would like to do something the kids (ages 10 and 5) would enjoy. An overnight stop in a big city would be fun, too.

 

 

LOL - not sure NH has any "big cities" - they're more comfy-sized. Manchester is the largest with only a bit over 100,000 people and the downtown is only about 10 blocks wide.

 

The North Conway area is great to explore. Lots of mountains to hike up, caoneing, shopping in cute downtown as well as outlets, and just around the corner is Storyland, which is an amusement park aimed at younger kids - but not babyish. Teens might find it too young but I think a 10yo would still find plenty to enjoy. My 11 1/2 yos want to go back this summer. You can also take the cog railway to the top of Mount Washington (highest peak in the Presidential Range). There's also Lake Winnepesaukee, which you'd drive by on the way to North Conway.

 

There's a great living history museum in Portsmouth called Strawbery Banke (spelled that way) - and Portsmouth is a charming seaside town.

Edited December 29, 2009 by matroyshka

[Amy in NH]

Portsmouth is a great tourist spot, lots of shops, Strawberry Banke is a living history museum, Prescott Park has free theater in the summer, all within walking distance of each other. There the Seacoast Science Center with tons of tide pools at Odiorne Point, along with hiking/biking trails. There is also Water Country Waterpark. There's a nice short hike at Great Bay. Nearby Dover has a Children's Museum. They are both close to Maine.

 

Salem is a mid-size city that has Canobie Lake Park, a regular amusement park with a large wooden rollercoaster and a new waterpark, among other attractions.

 

Manchester is a larger city with the Currier Art Museum and the SEE Science Center which is a small science center in the same building with First Place (think Lego Leagues and Segway).

 

Concord is the capitol, and has a very nice downtown walking district local to unique independent shops and restaurants as well as the statehouse. There is also a NH History Museum there, which I am ashamed to admit I have never visited.

 

Nashua is a bigger city with a Children's Museum and a few malls. The Pheasant Lane Mall is quite large. Nashua is quite close to Lowell, MA, which has an excellent Mill Museum about the history mills and textiles and the Industrial Revolution.

 

Up I-89 there is an Indian Museum over by Mount Mondanock, which I have heard is quite good. And Mt. Monadnock is one of the most hiked mountains in the US.

 

Further up 89 is the small city of Hanover, where Dartmouth is, with lots of nice walking/shops. The Montshire (children's science) Museum is just over the bridge in Norwich, VT, as is the King Arthur Bakery and Store. There are bunch of neat museums in that area of VT, but if you want to do the 13 original states, you might want to save them for later.

 

Up I-93 from Manchester and Concord is the Lakes Region. You'll find a lot of nice shops on Lake Winnipesaukee, there is the Mount Washington Cruise (which is really boring for kids), and tons of boating, hiking, and camping. In Ashland you'll find the Squam Lake Science Center, a natural history museum/zoo of indigenous animals in their native habitats with nice hiking trails. You can rent kayaks in Campton and get a shuttle ride up to Lincoln to put in up river.

 

An hour north of Ashland you'll hit the White Mountains, where the Old Man used to live - tons of hiking and camping. You can rent bikes in Lincoln and get a shuttle up to Franconia, and bike down the trail. That is a TON of fun! (We often drive two vehicles to shuttle ourselves.) Lincoln also has the Whale's Tale Waterpark, the Flume, and Clark Trading Post with trained bear shows, as well as luge-type and treetop zip-line tours on Loon Mountain. Lost River Gorge is just up the road.

 

North of the Notch, Littleton is a cute little town with a very vibrant Main Street full of unique shops, including Chutters - the World's Longest Candy Counter, and a water wheel with wooden cogs at the Littleton Grist Mill (fresh ground flour). It is 1/2 hour from St. Johnsbury VT which has the Fairbanks Natural History Museum and Maple Grove maple sugaring museum.

 

From Littleton, you could go East on 302 through Crawford Notch, with awesome hiking. The Cog Railway will take you to the top of Mt. Washington; and Rte 302 will take you to Conway, which has outlet shopping, minigolf, Storyland (a little amusement park), and Great Glen where you can rent mountain bikes and ride their trails at the base of Mt. Washington.

 

The Kancamagus Highway is a famous scenic road that takes you from Lincoln to Conway, and you might not want to miss that. There are waterfalls along the Kanc where people stop to swim.

 

Peterboro is another small town with a Children's Museum. And Jefferson has Six-Gun City and Santa's Village, but not much else.

 

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. If I think of it, I'll post again later.

HTH!

[jenL]

When do you plan on heading to NH? I was born, raised, and lived there for 32 years. The weather may affect your choices. If you are going in the summer, then here are my suggestions:

 

Portsmouth is beautiful, so I second that idea, especially for the historical/museum aspect! The Lakes Region is gorgeous! Everything in NH is easily accessible from there. I'd find a place to stay in the lakes region, closer to the eastern side so you can travel north to North Conway/White Mountains, and then south to Portsmouth. Wolfeboro is a quaint, little town along Lake Winnepesaukee, and you can easily travel Route 16 north and south to the towns mentioned above. It's a beautiful scenic route as well. You also must do the Kancamangus Highway if you can. It winds through the White Mountain National Forest, and it is beautiful; hiking and fishing options are also abundant there. You can pick it up in North Conway, follow it to Lincoln, NH, then hop on Route 93 South to head back to the Lakes Region.

 

It's a gorgeous state, and I miss the landscape immensely!

 

Ps - I just noticed AmyinNH posted before me... her suggestions are PERFECT!!!

[jujsky]

I live in NH, and I agree with everyone who mentioned North Conway. We vacation there every year. Lost River is also a must. We went there for the first time this summer and it was amazing (this is coming from someone who is NOT an outdoorsy person!). There is a cute model train museum in or around North Conway. Hartmanns Model Railway Museum, I think. A nice old German couple owns it. He always wanted to own a train museum and his friends back in Germany told him it would never happen, and now he's living his dream. It's a very cool place! You may also want to check out Squam Lake Science Center in Holderness. Clarke's Trading Post isn't too far from North Conway and it is so cute! They do a live black bear show, have an old train, and they have a cute little Main Street that looks like it's out of the early 1900s with little museums. They have the best fudge EVER there too!!!!! Stay away from Six Gun City. It is much cooler in the brochures than it is in person. It's extremely lame and over-priced. If your kids are 10 or under, I recommend Story Land in Glenn (close to North Conway) for an amusement-park type of experience. Santa's Village in Jefferson is also good too, but the only way to exit the park is through the gift shop, which as a parent, I don't appreciate. Both places will let you take in outside food. I highly recommend that you do that -- at least at StoryLand. The food is really gross and over-priced. Their snacks are okay, but their meals are nasty! We usually bring a cooler, leave it in the car, and Dh will go out and get it while the kids & I hold a table.

 

The Portsmouth area is also a lot of fun. The Strawberry Bank museum is great. Portsmouth is chock-full of little shops and some truly excellent community theaters.

 

Someone mentioned that Nashua has a children's museum, but it doesn't. I don't know if it used to, but it hasn't had one in the 10 years I've lived here. There is a museum in Manchester though -- the SEE Museum, I think. Nashua does have a great mall, some lovely parks, and some wonderful restaurants in the downtown area. Surf or Michael Timothy's (both on Main St, and both owned by the same person, I believe) are excellent. Truly, I wouldn't bother much with the 2 major cities (Nashua and Manchester) because there's nothing super-remarkable about either one. You're going to have a much better time in Portsmouth, the White Mountains, or the Lake's Region.

 

If you decide to go to MA and want to visit Boston, it may actually be cheaper for you to stay in Nashua (for some reason we have a billion hotels here), drive down to Lowell, MA (20 minutes away) and take the train into Boston from there. If you do go to Boston, I highly recommend the Boston Museum of Science. It's a fantastic museum! You can also take the Boston Duck Tour from there.

 

HTH!

Edited December 29, 2009 by jujsky

[Matryoshka]

Someone mentioned that Nashua has a children's museum, but it doesn't. I don't know if it used to, but it hasn't had one in the 10 years I've lived here. There is a museum in Manchester though -- the SEE Museum, I think. Nashua does have a great mall, some lovely parks, and some wonderful restaurants in the downtown area.

 

 

There was a children's museum near Nashua - the Met in Derry. It apparently closed last year. There is a children's museum close to Portsmouth in Dover NH.

 

The SEE Museum in Manchester is lame, sorry. Went there once, won't bother going back.

 

The Seacost Science Center near Portsmouth, on the other hand, while small has some cool stuff and has tidepools and a boardwalk through a salt marsh nearby, and a nice playground for a picnic lunch.

 

The Pheasant Lane Mall is a mall. On the order of malls in the US, it is a mall like many others, smaller than many, with average stores and nothing to distinguish it, and it's currently missing one of its anchor stores. The only mall around here I would even consider suggesting to someone visiting from out of state is in Natick MA, as it's huge and over-the-top and hs lots of "destination" stores that aren't in other malls, like American Girl, Lego and Apple. If you have a mall where you live, the one in Nashua is going to be just like it. JC Penney, Sears, the Gap, Gymboree. Yawn.

I like Nashua, and do most of my shopping there, but I wouldn't recommend it as a vacation destination, especially if you've got 3-4 days - Portsmouth and the Lakes Region/North Conway area all have a lot more to offer.

[Debbie in IL]

I actually remember the Children's Museum in Nashua - my grandma used to take my sister and I there when we were kids. :) It used to be on Library Hill - it was a wonderful little place. I remember that there was a fire pole to slide down from one pole to the next! :) Great memories. My parents both grew up in Nashua, and I was born there...it is a wonderful little city. Martha's Exchange, on Main Street, has been there FOREVER and is a great place to eat.

[MIch elle]

In mid-NH:

 

Storyland - the BEST, cleanest amusement park for children ~10 & under

Clark's Trading Post - the bear & acrobat shows are good

Santa's Village - not bad, if you like amusement parks

Whale's Tale waterpark - fun on a hot day

Six Gun City - a bit chezzy but my boys loved it when they were about age 6-7

Lost River

Cannon Mountain gondola ride & hike

Kancamagus highway for great views

Sabbaday Falls - nice hike for small dc - water fall at end

Woodstock Inn - nice place to stay & the BEST breakfast!

[runamuk]

As a kid I loved to go to the Lost River Gorge.

There is tons of hiking, camping, and such in NH - lots of small towns as well. But the above is what first popped into my head as a place I'd like to take my kids back to.

 

This looks like something we definitely want to do. It's beautiful.

 

The North Conway area is great to explore. Lots of mountains to hike up, caoneing, shopping in cute downtown as well as outlets, and just around the corner is Storyland, which is an amusement park aimed at younger kids - but not babyish. Teens might find it too young but I think a 10yo would still find plenty to enjoy. My 11 1/2 yos want to go back this summer. You can also take the cog railway to the top of Mount Washington (highest peak in the Presidential Range). There's also Lake Winnepesaukee, which you'd drive by on the way to North Conway.

 

There's a great living history museum in Portsmouth called Strawbery Banke (spelled that way) - and Portsmouth is a charming seaside town.

 

I think the kids would love Storyland and the railway ride (our son is big into model trains right now).

 

Portsmouth is a great tourist spot, lots of shops, Strawberry Banke is a living history museum, Prescott Park has free theater in the summer, all within walking distance of each other. There the Seacoast Science Center with tons of tide pools at Odiorne Point, along with hiking/biking trails. There is also Water Country Waterpark. There's a nice short hike at Great Bay. Nearby Dover has a Children's Museum. They are both close to Maine.

 

Salem is a mid-size city that has Canobie Lake Park, a regular amusement park with a large wooden rollercoaster and a new waterpark, among other attractions.

 

Manchester is a larger city with the Currier Art Museum and the SEE Science Center which is a small science center in the same building with First Place (think Lego Leagues and Segway).

 

Concord is the capitol, and has a very nice downtown walking district local to unique independent shops and restaurants as well as the statehouse. There is also a NH History Museum there, which I am ashamed to admit I have never visited.

 

Nashua is a bigger city with a Children's Museum and a few malls. The Pheasant Lane Mall is quite large. Nashua is quite close to Lowell, MA, which has an excellent Mill Museum about the history mills and textiles and the Industrial Revolution.

 

Up I-89 there is an Indian Museum over by Mount Mondanock, which I have heard is quite good. And Mt. Monadnock is one of the most hiked mountains in the US.

 

Further up 89 is the small city of Hanover, where Dartmouth is, with lots of nice walking/shops. The Montshire (children's science) Museum is just over the bridge in Norwich, VT, as is the King Arthur Bakery and Store. There are bunch of neat museums in that area of VT, but if you want to do the 13 original states, you might want to save them for later.

 

Up I-93 from Manchester and Concord is the Lakes Region. You'll find a lot of nice shops on Lake Winnipesaukee, there is the Mount Washington Cruise (which is really boring for kids), and tons of boating, hiking, and camping. In Ashland you'll find the Squam Lake Science Center, a natural history museum/zoo of indigenous animals in their native habitats with nice hiking trails. You can rent kayaks in Campton and get a shuttle ride up to Lincoln to put in up river.

 

An hour north of Ashland you'll hit the White Mountains, where the Old Man used to live - tons of hiking and camping. You can rent bikes in Lincoln and get a shuttle up to Franconia, and bike down the trail. That is a TON of fun! (We often drive two vehicles to shuttle ourselves.) Lincoln also has the Whale's Tale Waterpark, the Flume, and Clark Trading Post with trained bear shows, as well as luge-type and treetop zip-line tours on Loon Mountain. Lost River Gorge is just up the road.

 

North of the Notch, Littleton is a cute little town with a very vibrant Main Street full of unique shops, including Chutters - the World's Longest Candy Counter, and a water wheel with wooden cogs at the Littleton Grist Mill (fresh ground flour). It is 1/2 hour from St. Johnsbury VT which has the Fairbanks Natural History Museum and Maple Grove maple sugaring museum.

 

From Littleton, you could go East on 302 through Crawford Notch, with awesome hiking. The Cog Railway will take you to the top of Mt. Washington; and Rte 302 will take you to Conway, which has outlet shopping, minigolf, Storyland (a little amusement park), and Great Glen where you can rent mountain bikes and ride their trails at the base of Mt. Washington.

 

The Kancamagus Highway is a famous scenic road that takes you from Lincoln to Conway, and you might not want to miss that. There are waterfalls along the Kanc where people stop to swim.

 

Peterboro is another small town with a Children's Museum. And Jefferson has Six-Gun City and Santa's Village, but not much else.

 

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. If I think of it, I'll post again later.

HTH!

 

So many ideas! :) I can see we might need to make a second trip.

 

When do you plan on heading to NH? I was born, raised, and lived there for 32 years. The weather may affect your choices. If you are going in the summer, then here are my suggestions:

 

Portsmouth is beautiful, so I second that idea, especially for the historical/museum aspect! The Lakes Region is gorgeous! Everything in NH is easily accessible from there. I'd find a place to stay in the lakes region, closer to the eastern side so you can travel north to North Conway/White Mountains, and then south to Portsmouth. Wolfeboro is a quaint, little town along Lake Winnepesaukee, and you can easily travel Route 16 north and south to the towns mentioned above. It's a beautiful scenic route as well. You also must do the Kancamangus Highway if you can. It winds through the White Mountain National Forest, and it is beautiful; hiking and fishing options are also abundant there. You can pick it up in North Conway, follow it to Lincoln, NH, then hop on Route 93 South to head back to the Lakes Region.

 

It's a gorgeous state, and I miss the landscape immensely!

 

Ps - I just noticed AmyinNH posted before me... her suggestions are PERFECT!!!

 

We're planning to go this summer. And a scenic drive was one of the "must haves" on the list - thanks!

 

I live in NH, and I agree with everyone who mentioned North Conway. We vacation there every year. Lost River is also a must. We went there for the first time this summer and it was amazing (this is coming from someone who is NOT an outdoorsy person!). There is a cute model train museum in or around North Conway. Hartmanns Model Railway Museum, I think. A nice old German couple owns it. He always wanted to own a train museum and his friends back in Germany told him it would never happen, and now he's living his dream. It's a very cool place! You may also want to check out Squam Lake Science Center in Holderness. Clarke's Trading Post isn't too far from North Conway and it is so cute! They do a live black bear show, have an old train, and they have a cute little Main Street that looks like it's out of the early 1900s with little museums. They have the best fudge EVER there too!!!!! Stay away from Six Gun City. It is much cooler in the brochures than it is in person. It's extremely lame and over-priced. If your kids are 10 or under, I recommend Story Land in Glenn (close to North Conway) for an amusement-park type of experience. Santa's Village in Jefferson is also good too, but the only way to exit the park is through the gift shop, which as a parent, I don't appreciate. Both places will let you take in outside food. I highly recommend that you do that -- at least at StoryLand. The food is really gross and over-priced. Their snacks are okay, but their meals are nasty! We usually bring a cooler, leave it in the car, and Dh will go out and get it while the kids & I hold a table.

 

The Portsmouth area is also a lot of fun. The Strawberry Bank museum is great. Portsmouth is chock-full of little shops and some truly excellent community theaters.

 

Someone mentioned that Nashua has a children's museum, but it doesn't. I don't know if it used to, but it hasn't had one in the 10 years I've lived here. There is a museum in Manchester though -- the SEE Museum, I think. Nashua does have a great mall, some lovely parks, and some wonderful restaurants in the downtown area. Surf or Michael Timothy's (both on Main St, and both owned by the same person, I believe) are excellent. Truly, I wouldn't bother much with the 2 major cities (Nashua and Manchester) because there's nothing super-remarkable about either one. You're going to have a much better time in Portsmouth, the White Mountains, or the Lake's Region.

 

If you decide to go to MA and want to visit Boston, it may actually be cheaper for you to stay in Nashua (for some reason we have a billion hotels here), drive down to Lowell, MA (20 minutes away) and take the train into Boston from there. If you do go to Boston, I highly recommend the Boston Museum of Science. It's a fantastic museum! You can also take the Boston Duck Tour from there.

 

HTH!

 

Good tips about the food and attractions. I like knowing what to avoid as well as what to see. And the train museum sounds like fun.

 

Thank you!

[runamuk]

There was a children's museum near Nashua - the Met in Derry. It apparently closed last year. There is a children's museum close to Portsmouth in Dover NH.

 

The SEE Museum in Manchester is lame, sorry. Went there once, won't bother going back.

 

The Seacost Science Center near Portsmouth, on the other hand, while small has some cool stuff and has tidepools and a boardwalk through a salt marsh nearby, and a nice playground for a picnic lunch.

 

The Pheasant Lane Mall is a mall. On the order of malls in the US, it is a mall like many others, smaller than many, with average stores and nothing to distinguish it, and it's currently missing one of its anchor stores. The only mall around here I would even consider suggesting to someone visiting from out of state is in Natick MA, as it's huge and over-the-top and hs lots of "destination" stores that aren't in other malls, like American Girl, Lego and Apple. If you have a mall where you live, the one in Nashua is going to be just like it. JC Penney, Sears, the Gap, Gymboree. Yawn.

I like Nashua, and do most of my shopping there, but I wouldn't recommend it as a vacation destination, especially if you've got 3-4 days - Portsmouth and the Lakes Region/North Conway area all have a lot more to offer.

 

Thanks for the tip on the museum - I like to know what to avoid as well as what I should see. And I'll keep in mind the AG store - my daughter has been wanting to go to one since she got her doll last year.

 

In mid-NH:

 

Storyland - the BEST, cleanest amusement park for children ~10 & under

Clark's Trading Post - the bear & acrobat shows are good

Santa's Village - not bad, if you like amusement parks

Whale's Tale waterpark - fun on a hot day

Six Gun City - a bit chezzy but my boys loved it when they were about age 6-7

Lost River

Cannon Mountain gondola ride & hike

Kancamagus highway for great views

Sabbaday Falls - nice hike for small dc - water fall at end

Woodstock Inn - nice place to stay & the BEST breakfast!

 

Thank you for the list and the recommendation on where to stay. :)

 

I can see I'm going to be spending some time going through everything. :) We may have to plan a second visit.

 

Thank you!

[Jen500]

We used to rent a condo near Loon Mtn. My boys loved Hartmann's Train Museum!

[jujsky]

I actually remember the Children's Museum in Nashua - my grandma used to take my sister and I there when we were kids. :) It used to be on Library Hill - it was a wonderful little place. I remember that there was a fire pole to slide down from one pole to the next! :) Great memories. My parents both grew up in Nashua, and I was born there...it is a wonderful little city. Martha's Exchange, on Main Street, has been there FOREVER and is a great place to eat.

 

 

Martha's has gone way down-hill. We used to go there often, and the last few times we went both the food and service were awful. We rarely complain about service because we can blow a lot of stuff off, but the service was so bad last time that we had to call the manager over. They have changed the menu in recent years so a lot of the old favorites are gone. According to DH, the beer is still great though. They brew a lot of their own stuff, so if you or DH like micro-breweries, you may want to stop in for drinks and appetizers.

[Sherri in MI]

You all are making me pine for New Hampshire again! My family moved there from PA when I was in 4th grade and I loved it! We moved away and back again after high school. Out of all the states I've lived in (PA, NH, CT, DE, CA & now MI), NH is my favorite! I hadn't been there since 1987 until 2 years ago when ds & i vacationed there with some friends and I fell in love all over again. There is just something about the landscape and the feel of it that makes me feel right at home. I don't know anybody there anymore, but I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could. I lived in Merrimack (mostly), Nashua and Manchester (briefly).

 

As far as tourist destinations, I second the recommendations for Portsmouth and Strawberry Banke and The Flume. (I haven't been to the Lost River Gorge, I don't know how that compares to the Flume.