New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in New England in the northeastern United States of America. Noted for its terse and independent inhabitants and cold winters, New Hampshire offers much natural beauty.

Regions

Regions of New Hampshire

Dartmouth Lake Sunapee

Great North Region

Lakes Region

Monadnock Region

Merrimack Valley

Seacoast

White Mountains

Cities

Some of the major cities are:

• 1 Concord — The capital of the state and its third-largest city
• 2 Berlin
• 3 Dover
• 4 Hanover — Home of Dartmouth College, this college town on the Appalachian Trail also makes a good base for exploring the nearby Quechee area of Vermont
• 5 Keene
• 6 Manchester — revitalized mill town and its largest city
• 7 Nashua — revitalized mill town and its second largest city
• 8 Portsmouth — seaside town known for beer and Strawberry Banke Museum
• 9 Rochester

Other destinations

From left to right: Mount Clay, Mount Jefferson, Mount Adams and Mount Madison — Presidential Range, White Mountains

• 1 Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish — Former home and studios of noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
• 2 Mount Washington State Park
• 3 Waterville Valley — a resort town in the White Mountains.
• 4 White Mountain National Forest — home of many peaks in the Presidential Range

Understand

Residents of the state are proud of the nature around them; so, careless actions that damage the local environment are not appreciated. If hiking in the White Mountains, make certain that your travel plans are sound, as volunteer rescue teams do not appreciate being called in the middle of the night to find lost tourists.

However, as tourism is the main industry in New Hampshire, tourists are certainly greatly appreciated.

• Visit New Hampshire website

Talk

The main language is English.

Because of the proximity to Quebec and immigration by French Canadians, some French speakers can be found in the northern part of the state, especially in the Berlin area.

The southern regions have a growing Spanish-speaking population, especially Manchester and Nashua, but it remains small compared to larger U.S. cities such as Los Angeles or Albuquerque.

Get in

Administration Building, Holderness School

By plane

• Manchester - Boston Regional Airport, Brown Av. Route 101 exit 2, Manchester, +1 603 624-6556. A convenient way to get to the city and much of southern New Hampshire. Sometimes used as a low-cost, low-hassle alternative to Logan International Airport in Boston.

By bus

• Greyhound, +1-800-231-2222. Service from Montréal, Boston, Vermont, and Maine.
• Concord Coach Lines, +1-800-639-3317. Service from Boston.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

There is limited access to New Hampshire by train, with no trains to the major cities. The two Amtrak routes that at least straddle New Hampshire are:

• Downeaster serves the seacoast region, passing through from Boston North Station to Portland, Maine. Note that if coming from south of Boston on the NE Corridor, trains terminate at Boston South Station, and you must connect via the T or taxi to North Station. Alternatively, buses (see above) leave directly from South Station.
• Vermonter primarily serves eastern Vermont, but also serves Claremont, although several other stops are across the Connecticut river from New Hampshire, including Bellows Falls (across from Walpole), White River Junction (across from Hanover and Lebanon), and Brattleboro (across from Hinsdale).

Get around

Concord Coach, Dartmouth Coach, and Boston Express offer service to much of the state. Information on New Hampshire Transit can be found here.

However, the easiest mode of transportation is by car. Buses and trains don't serve most areas; so, cars may be the only option.

See

Main Street, Concord

• Manchester is a revitalized historical mill town.
• The White Mountains offers natural beauty, hiking, and skiing.
• Dartmouth College is an Ivy League school in Hanover with a beautiful campus. The Hopkins Center hosts an impressive number of highly regarded performers. Local interest in culture is low and therefore seats at the Hopkins Center can be obtained easily.
• Visit a small town outside of the "Golden Triangle" (Area from Salem to Nashua to Manchester) and check out the atmosphere.
• Mount Washington at 6,288 ft (1,917 m) is the largest mountain in the Northeast, and the site of the highest recorded windspeed at 231 miles per hour (372 km/h). Mount Washington provides an excellent experience for a hiker as well as contains Tuckerman's Ravine, a popular and difficult skiing destination reached only on foot.
• Lake Winnipesaukee
• Portsmouth is a historic town on the sea and was home to Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones.
• American Classic Arcade Museum. Weirs Beach in Laconia Located inside the Funspot Family Entertainment Center (or simply Funspot) the ACAM has been recognized as the "Largest Arcade in the World" by Guinness World Records. The museum hosts roughly 180 playable games on the floor and another 100 or more in storage. It has been called "the Louvre of the '8-bit' world." 

Do

Flume Gorge, Franconia Notch State Park

Skiing

Good terrain with great skiing.

• Attitash, ☏ +1 603 374-2368. Barlett. 
• The Balsams, toll-free: +1-800-255-0600. Dixville Notch. 
• Black Mountain, in Jackson.
• Bretton Woods Mountain Resort, in Bretton Woods is New Hampshire's largest.
• Cannon Mountain, Franconia.
• Dartmouth Skiway, ☏ +1 603 795-2143. Lyme. 
• Gunstock, in Gilford.
• King Pine, ☏ +1 603 367-8896. East Madison. 
• Loon Mountain, in Lincoln.
• Cranmore Mountain, in North Conway.
• Mount Sunapee, ☏ +1 603 763-2356. Mount Sunapee. 
• Pats Peak, ☏ +1 603 428-3245. Henniker. 
• Ragged Mountain, ☏ +1 603 768-3600. Danbury. 
• Tenney Mountain, ☏ +1 603 536-4125. Plymouth. 
• Waterville Valley, ☏ +1 603 236-8311. Campton. 
• Whaleback, ☏ +1 603 448-1489. Lebanon. 
• Wildcat, in Jackson.

Hiking

The White Mountains are a common destination for hiking, located in the central part of the state.

• Appalachian Trail

Mt. Monadnock is the most prominent peak in southern New Hampshire at 3,165 ft. A designated National Natural Landmark, it is said to be the world's second most frequently climbed mountain after Japan's Mt. Fuji.

Eat

New Hampshire offers up many great roadside diners and belt-busting quick-cheap eateries.

Drink

While the state is not known for its nightlife, there are some clubs to check out in Manchester.

There are many breweries throughout the state, including more than 20 microbreweries, more than 30 nanobreweries, and more than 20 brewpubs.

Some noteworthy breweries and brewpubs include:

• Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth.
• Redhook Brewery, Portsmouth.
• The Portsmouth Brewery in, you guessed it, Portsmouth.
• Seven Barrel Brewery, Lebanon.
• Tuckerman Brewing, Conway.
• Flying Goose Brewpub, New London.
• Elm City Brewpub, Keene.
• Budweiser, Merrimack.

Stay safe

New Hampshire is constantly ranked among the safest states in the country. Crime is typically not a problem, but make sure to be careful while driving—especially if you're unfamiliar with winter driving. Moose occasionally pose a hazard on roads in the White Mountains and northward. When hiking, bear encounters are possible and the weather can change rapidly at higher elevations, especially in the Presidential Range. The area surrounding Mount Washington is known for having some of the worst weather in the country. Please plan ahead when hiking.

Respect

New Hampshire's LGBT community is relatively obscure when compared with the other New England states, although the US Census reports that it has among the highest concentrations of gay and lesbian residents of any U.S. state. Gay venues do exist in the urbanized far south, but the heavily forested north still retains some remarkably homophobic attitudes. Overall, New Hampshire is less LGBT-friendly than neighboring states.

Go next

• Maine - The state's northeastern neighbor is known for its seacoast fishing villages, wooded and remote interior, and stunning vistas such as that found in Acadia National Park.
• Massachusetts - The birthplace of America's revolution, New Hampshire's southern neighbor is home to historical towns, the vacation hotspot of Cape Cod, and the always-interesting city of Boston.
• Vermont - The fall foliage in New Hampshire's western neighbor is a site not-to-be missed, while during the rest of the year the state offers a rural charm unique in America.
• Quebec - New Hampshire's northern neighbor, Québec's European feel, history, culture and warmth have made it a favorite tourist destination both nationally and internationally.