Things to Do in New Hampshire
Ten stops running from a mountain notch famous enough to have its own state park to a religious community that still sells the same furniture it's been making since the 1700s.
New Hampshire packs proper mountain scenery into a small footprint, this list heads past what the quiz already covers toward the White Mountains, a properly well-preserved Shaker village, and a lake that's been a summer destination since well before cars existed. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Franconia Notch & the White Mountains
A mountain pass running through the heart of the White Mountains, granite cliffs and Echo Lake framing one of the more photographed stretches of road in New England. The Flume Gorge, an 800-foot natural chasm with walls rising up to 90 feet, runs a well-marked boardwalk trail through the narrow granite passage, a proper, manageable hike for most fitness levels.
Cannon Mountain sits right within the same park, a good combination with the Flume Gorge walk and the aerial tramway ride nearby if you're spending a full day in the area.
Best time June-October, the Flume closes seasonally
Address Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth
A ten-acre living history museum in downtown Portsmouth, over 30 restored buildings spanning nearly 300 years of continuous settlement, several furnished to represent different specific decades so visitors can see the same neighbourhood evolve across time. Costumed interpreters staff many of the buildings, demonstrating period trades and daily life rather than delivering a standard tour narration.
This runs particularly well for families, hands-on activities and a properly relaxed, walkable layout keep the pace manageable for younger kids.
Hours Seasonal, roughly May-October, check current schedule
Address 14 Hancock St, Portsmouth, NH
Lake Winnipesaukee
The largest lake in New Hampshire, ringed with small towns and summer camps that have run continuously for generations, considerably more low-key and family-oriented than some of the busier resort lakes elsewhere in New England. The MS Mount Washington, a large cruise ship that's operated on the lake since the 1870s in various forms, runs scenic tours across the full length of the water.
Weirs Beach, the lake's main tourist hub, runs an old-fashioned boardwalk and arcade strip, a proper nostalgic summer stop if that's your thing.
Best time June-August for swimming and boat cruises
Address Lake Winnipesaukee, NH
Canterbury Shaker Village
A former Shaker religious community, founded in 1792 and active for nearly two centuries, the site preserves 25 original buildings, considerably more intact than most surviving Shaker settlements elsewhere in the country. Guided tours cover the community's beliefs, celibate lifestyle, and their properly significant contributions to furniture design and craftsmanship, still widely respected and collected today.
The village's gift shop sells furniture and crafts made in the traditional Shaker style, earns a look even if you're not buying, the craftsmanship remains properly impressive to see up close.
Hours Seasonal, roughly May-October, check current schedule
Address 288 Shaker Rd, Canterbury, NH
Story Land
A theme park built specifically around fairy tale and storybook themes, running since 1954, considerably gentler and more focused on younger children than a typical modern amusement park. Most rides suit kids roughly ages 2 through 10, worth knowing if travelling with older kids who might find the pace a touch slow.
The park runs a manageable size for a single day, plan a full day given how spread out the various themed lands run, though nothing here demands the marathon effort a larger park would.
Hours Seasonal, roughly late May-October, check current schedule
Address 850 NH-16, Glen, NH
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway
An aerial tramway that's carried visitors to Cannon Mountain's summit since 1938, one of the oldest passenger tramways of its kind still operating in the country, though the current cars are a more modern replacement. Summit views stretch across four states on a clear day, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and New York all visible from the same overlook.
The mountain switches to skiing come winter, one of New Hampshire's older, more established ski areas, check current conditions if visiting during the snow season specifically.
Best time Clear days for the best summit views
Address 260 Tramway Dr, Franconia, NH
New Hampshire Maple Syrup
New Hampshire runs a proper maple syrup tradition, sugar maples throughout the state tapped each spring when overnight freezes and daytime thaws get the sap flowing, boiled down in small sugar houses using methods that haven't changed much in generations. Maple Weekend each March opens dozens of these sugar houses to the public, a good chance to watch the boiling process directly rather than just buying the finished bottle.
This runs as a properly seasonal, weather-dependent activity, check current conditions and sugar house schedules given how much the exact timing shifts year to year based on temperature.
Best time Mid-March for Maple Weekend
Address Sugar houses statewide
Mount Monadnock
A relatively modest 3,165-foot peak that's reportedly one of the most climbed mountains on Earth, the combination of a manageable hike and sweeping summit views has drawn hikers for well over a century. Several trails lead to the summit, the White Dot Trail is the shortest and most direct, roughly four hours round trip for most hikers at a reasonable pace.
On a properly clear day, all six New England states are visible from the summit, a proper reward for a hike that most people can manage without technical climbing experience.
Best time Weekdays, this mountain draws serious crowds on weekends
Address Monadnock State Park, Jaffrey, NH
Hampton Beach
New Hampshire's main beach town, a properly short stretch of the state's coastline, barely 18 miles total, but Hampton Beach makes proper use of it, a classic New England boardwalk with arcades, ice cream shops, and a wide sandy beach. Weekly fireworks run through the summer season, a proper local tradition that draws crowds along the beach each display night.
This runs considerably quieter and less developed than the busier Massachusetts beaches just south of the border, a good fit if you'd rather a smaller-scale beach town atmosphere.
Best time June-August for swimming weather
Address Hampton Beach, NH
Clark's Trading Post
A properly old-fashioned roadside attraction running since 1928, trained black bears perform in a live show, a real steam train runs a scenic loop through the surrounding woods, and a wobbling suspension bridge deliberately shakes as visitors cross it, a small but properly memorable bit of showmanship. This leans hard into nostalgic Americana rather than modern theme park polish.
This works particularly well for younger kids, the bear show and steam train both hold attention considerably longer than a standard roadside stop, the full visit beats a quick photo stop.
Hours Seasonal, roughly June-October, check current schedule
Address 110 US-3, Lincoln, NH
Best time to visit New Hampshire
June through October covers the most comfortable window for the majority of this list, mild enough for the outdoor and mountain stops without winter's real cold.
Mid-September through mid-October specifically suits the White Mountains' foliage, plan a trip around then if autumn colour is a priority alongside the wider itinerary.
Getting around New Hampshire
A car is essential, the distances between the White Mountains, the Lakes Region, and the coast run into a couple of hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Is New Hampshire worth visiting beyond Mount Washington?
- Yes, easily, Franconia Notch, Lake Winnipesaukee, and Canterbury Shaker Village all offer a completely different picture of the state than its single most famous peak alone.
- How many days do you need in New Hampshire?
- Five days gives a comfortable pace to cover the White Mountains, Lake Winnipesaukee, and either Portsmouth or the coast.
- Is New Hampshire expensive to visit?
- Moderate, national and state park entry stays affordable, most of the cost on this list shows up in mountain town accommodation during peak foliage season specifically.
- What's the best New Hampshire trip for kids?
- Story Land and Clark's Trading Post both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state that packs proper mountain scenery into a small footprint.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
