Top Things to do in New Hampshire
Top Hotels in New Hampshire
- 1. The Glen House
- 2. Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown
- 3. White Mountain Hotel and Resort
- 4. Comfort Inn & Suites
- 5. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Manchester
- 6. Ashworth by the Sea
- 7. Hampton Inn & Suites North Conway
- 8. Hampton Inn & Suites Tilton
- 9. Port Inn And Suites Portsmouth, Ascend Hotel Collection
- 10. Top Notch Inn
Countries
10 Hidden Gems Things to do in New Hampshire That You Shouldn't Miss
If you are looking for diversity, you will certainly find it in New Hampshire. From lakes to beaches, waterfalls to woods and mountains to sea coast, the state has huge potential for outdoor vacations, including downhill or cross-country skiing in winter. With no less than seventy-five state parks that offer natural areas, hiking trails, beaches and historic sites, New Hampshire caters for a variety of tastes. Crawford Notch State Park in Harts Location has picturesque waterfalls, wonderful mountain views and opportunities for viewing wildlife. You can go hiking and fishing there as well as pay a visit to the historic Willey House. Monadnock State Park, unlike some other state parks, is open all year round for hiking. Want to go swimming? You will find five state park beaches along the coast of New Hampshire, such as Wallis Sands with its view of the rocky Isles of Shoals. On North Hampton State Beach and Jenness Beach you can have a picnic as well as a swim. When you've finally had your fill of fresh air, head for the Museum of New Hampshire History in Concord with exhibits focusing on heritage and traditions; children should enjoy them just as much as adults.
Restaurants in New Hampshire
1. Franconia Notch State Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 639 reviews
Named one of the 12 best state parks in America.
Reviewed By MT1 - Aurora, United States
I lived in NH for many years and have passed through Franconia Notch many times, back when the actual Old Man of the Mountain actually existed. This is a beautiful drive, especially in the Fall, and there are lots of places to stop and things to do - the Old Man of the Mountain "hologram" if you will, the Flume Gorge, the Basin, Profile Lake, hiking trails, etc. If you are visiting NH you should definitely make a visit here, and you can also check out the nice little town of Littleton on the north side of "the Notch".
2. Peterborough Players
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 49 reviews
Founded in 1933, the Peterborough Players offers professional theatre of the highest quality and has established a reputation for itself as a prime destination in the region.The Peterborough Players presents its work in an intimate theatre located in a converted 18th-century barn at historic Stearns Farm, three miles from downtown Peterborough. The state-of-the-art theatre seats 250 in air-conditioned comfort.As the only professional producing theatre in the region and one of the oldest summer stock companies in the country, the Players has staged more than 300 different plays over the years. Distinctive from the programming of many other summer theatres, the Players has presented a variety of world and regional premieres and works by contemporary playwrights as well as the classics.Seven Main Stage productions are produced each season and two Second Company shows for children. During the "off" season, (October - May), The Metropolitan Opera and London's National Theatre is broadcast onto the "big screen" at the Players.Residents of New Hampshire as well as daytrippers from the greater New England aread enjoy coming to our charming, rural setting to experience excellent theatre, as well as high definition broadcast offerings. Our Getaway Easy packages with local Inns and restaurants make the Peterborough Players a sought-after destination for out-of-towners as well, or locals who want an affordable, low-stress “getaway” without having to travel far!
3. Wright Museum of WWII
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 310 reviews
This Museum's purpose is to educate, entertain and inspire visitors with the story of WWII-era Americans often called "the greatest generation". The Wright Museum is open seasonally from May 1st to October 31st.
Reviewed By Maurene_K - Dover, United States
The Wright Museum of WW II always has wonderful exhibits that keep me returning at least once, if not twice, each year. This year’s primary opening exhibit was “Memories of World War II – Photographs from the Associated Press Archives.” There were about 50 black and white photos. Several photos caught my attention. One photo showed German Army soldiers marching into Paris under the Champs-Elysees. Others showed the liberation of German concentration camps and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Copies of two famous photos were in the collection --- raising the American flag at Iwo Jima and a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in NYC. Once again, the museum had more works by Private Charles J. Miller in the exhibit “WW II Paintings from the South Pacific.” Several of his watercolor paintings portrayed combat scenes from the Battle of Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in January 1944. Others showed scenes of American soldiers engaged in activities such as laundry, watching a movie, and playing a sport. This exhibit was scheduled to end on June 17th; but, due to popular demand, it is being held over until August 12th. I also enjoy revisiting the Time Tunnel, the displays of military vehicles and tanks - especially the Sherman tank named Alice, and the vignettes of WW II life on the homefront with an ice cream parlor, a kitchen, a living room, and a gas station, plus many cases of period jewelry, old cameras telephones, plus other objects. This year, the victory garden near the back of the parking lot was more developed. I rate both exhibits and the museum’s permanent exhibits at 5.0. I highly recommend visiting this museum. If you found this review helpful, please click THANK below.
4. Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain Loop
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By muktwo - East Elmhurst, United States
This is quite a challenging hike especially going up the smooth rocky surfaces uphill. The view at the top however is well worth it. Amazing 360 degree view of other mountaintops and early fall foliage (we went on 9/16). Downhill path is easy but could be a little better marked especially in the rocky areas (look for the cairns). Overall one of the best hikes I have done!
5. Glen Ellis Falls
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 343 reviews
Reviewed By TNKaz
When we visited in October, 64 ft high Glen Ellis Falls was quite impressive with a great amount of water flow. The Falls are reached by just a very short walk (0.3-mile) from the parking lot. There is a pit toilet available near the parking area. You start the walk by going through a tunnel which goes under NH Route 16. Over 100 stone steps will lead you down to the base of the falls for the best viewing of the entire falls. When we visited, these stone steps were still wet from a rain the night before, so we had to use extra caution. The round trip walk took us 20 minutes. The location and description of the walk to this Falls was listed in the book, “AMC's Best Day Hikes in the White Mountain's” which we purchased prior to our trip. The book mentions that this is a very popular walk, so we are glad that we visited early in the morning. At that time of day it was not crowded at all. We were told by the White Mountains Visitor Center to display our Senior National Park Pass so that it could be seen through our car window. Otherwise, in the parking lots, there is usually a box for a fee for day use of White Mountains National Forest areas.
6. Mount Kearsarge
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 54 reviews
Reviewed By Emily01230 - Milford, United States
My cousin and I did the summit and back hike up Kearsarge North. It's about 6 miles round trip and moderate difficulty for us. I hike a few times in summer/fall and am in pretty good shape. The view from the summit is stunning, make sure to a lot some time to take it all in. There is also a fire tower up there which is pretty cool. Parking at the trailhead is minimal, probably will have to park along the road. It is a perfect hike in the North Conway area.
7. Benson Park
8. Smoky Quartz Distillery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 41 reviews
Smoky Quartz is a veteran owned and operated craft distillery. Distilllery produces The award winning V5 bourbon and Granite Coast Rum. The distillery also produces premium craft spirits Granite Lightning Moonshine and Solid Granite Vodka. .
Reviewed By Jileon508
Place was cool. Tour was awesome. Kevin was super knowledgeable. We got some bourbon and hot sauce so no complaints here!!!
9. Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 38 reviews
The Oceanarium is a small, unique hands-on natural history museum with a touch tank and deep water tank. Admission includes a personal tour with a biologist including handling the deep-water crabs, stars and other live sea animals and a short talk on whales, sharks and lobstering. There is unlimited time at the touch tank and to explore the exhibits on your own. The biologist is available for questions during your entire visit. Everything in the museum is brought in by local commercial fishermen and can be found in the Gulf of Maine.
Reviewed By 743heidil
We discovered this place by accident on our walk down the boulevard one day While on vacation last week. Ellen was great. She followed Covid guidelines so we felt safe while in the building. She was great with all the kids and let them touch so many different ocean animals. She had a great variety of sea creatures like Blue lobsters, horseshoe crabs, starfish etc that the kids got to handle. We learned all about whales before we went on our whale watch trip scheduled for a few days later! She was so willing to answer all our questions. Would highly recommend this!!!
10. Seven Birches Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 247 reviews
Handcrafting classic European grapes and locally sourced fruits into wines of distinction, Seven Birches offers wine tasting daily and "Meet the Winemaker" tours weekly. The fruit may be from around the world, but the wine in our bottles embraces the spirit of NH. Live Free!
Reviewed By T2871TVbobr
Highly recommend the Meet the Winemaker tour. I am not a huge wine lover so just a tasting would not interest me. Really enjoyed learning about the wine making process. Nathan made sure everyone had fin and was very accommodating in answering questions.
