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New Hampshire

New Hampshire

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Best Cities to Visit

  • Concord
  • Manchester
  • Portsmouth
  • Nashua
  • Keene

Size

24,214 KM2

Population

1,377,529

Spending Budget

$400 - $548

Famous For

  • Embark on a scenic coastal road trip
  • Cool off at a waterpark
  • Attend a local festival
  • Visit a world class art museum
  • Hit the slopes in one of America’s oldest ski resort towns
  • Ascend the world’s most climbed mountain
  • Admire the historic homes of Portsmouth
  • Explore the rugged & expansive White Mountains

Best Time to Visit

  • January
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October

History

New Hampshire was one of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against British rule during the American Revolution. By the time of the American Revolution, New Hampshire was a divided province. The economic and social life of the Seacoast region revolved around sawmills, shipyards, merchants' warehouses, and established village and town centres. Wealthy merchants built substantial homes, furnished them with the finest luxuries, and invested their capital in trade and land speculation. At the other end of the social scale, there developed a permanent class of day labourers, mariners, indentured servants and even slaves. The only battle fought in New Hampshire was the raid on Fort William and Mary, December 14, 1774, in Portsmouth Harbor, which netted the rebellion sizable quantities of gunpowder, small arms and cannon. (General Sullivan, leader of the raid, described it as, "remainder of the powder, the small arms, bayonets, and cartouche-boxes, together with the cannon and ordnance stores") over the course of two nights. This raid was preceded by a warning to local patriots the previous day, by Paul Revere on December 13, 1774, that the fort was to be reinforced by troops sailing from Boston. According to unverified accounts, the gunpowder was later used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, transported there by Major Demerit, who was one of several New Hampshire patriots who stored the powder in their homes until it was transported elsewhere for use in revolutionary activities. During the raid, the British soldiers fired upon the rebels with cannon and muskets. Although there were apparently no casualties, these were among the first shots in the American Revolutionary period, occurring approximately five months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The United States Constitution was ratified by New Hampshire on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so.

Present Day

The first oil was discovered at the small Balder field in 1967, but production New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber, and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a centre of high technology and as a service provider. Starting in 1952, New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became the most important testing grounds for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The media gave New Hampshire and Iowa about half of all the attention paid to all states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision powers and spurring repeated efforts by out-of-state politicians to change the rules.

Future

The first oil was discovered at the small Balder field in 1967, but production New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber, and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a centre of high technology and as a service provider. Starting in 1952, New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became the most important testing grounds for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The media gave New Hampshire and Iowa about half of all the attention paid to all states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision powers and spurring repeated efforts by out-of-state politicians to change the rules.
Must Visit Places ------------

Mt. Monadnock

The world's most climbed mountain owes its popularity to several factors: you can climb it easily in a day, its trails offer options for different abilities, and it is an easy day trip from the Boston area. Most hikers use one of the five main trails, but the 35-mile trail network includes alternative routes for those who hope to climb in solitude. The mountain stands alone and has given its name to the geological term describing a mass of solid rock that withstood the force of moving glaciers scraping away the earth that once encased it. Because it stands alone, the views from its summit ledges are unobstructed, wide-reaching, and beautiful, especially when fall foliage paints the surrounding forests red and orange. That also means that the mountain is visible as a backdrop to scenery and villages across the entire southwest corner of New Hampshire. Not surprisingly, it's called the Monadnock region and is also known as the "Currier

North Conway and Mt. Washington Valley Ski Resorts

North Conway was one of the first ski resorts in America and is still a major ski destination. Six mountain resorts in the scenic Mt. Washington Valley offer state-of-the-art lifts and trail grooming, while North Conway and Jackson are centres of the lively après-ski scene. Cross-country (Nordic) skiing, snowshoeing, sledging, dog-sledging, sleigh rides, and ice skating make these resorts appealing to those who eschew downhill skiing. Most are four-season resorts, with golf, tennis, swimming, and other activities. In the summer, Cranmore Mountain has an Aerial Adventure Park and Mountain Coaster, while Attitash Bear Peak offers an alpine slide, water slides, mountain bike trails, and horseback riding. Wildcat Mountain, one of the most challenging for skiers, has a zipline and stupendous views of Mt. Washington from its summit, where the skiers' gondola takes tourists in the summer and fall. On the other side of Mt. Washington from Wildcat is Bretton Woods, also with a zipline and other year-round activities. Black Mountain is an especially family-friendly ski area, as is King Pine, at the all-season Purity Springs Resort in Madison. North Conway is as well known to shoppers as it is to skiers, with one of New England's largest concentrations of outlet stores, as well as tax-free shopping. In the summer and fall, the Conway Scenic Railroad runs the entire length of the valley in vintage cars.

Hampton Beach

New Hampshire may have the shortest seacoast of any state, but it has one of the Northeast's favourite family beach resorts. Hampton Beach has been a popular resort town for generations and still has its "casino" - a community focal point of beach resorts at the turn of the 20th century. These were not built for gambling but to house a ballroom, tearooms, and family entertainment. Today, the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, which was built in 1899, is a live music and comedy venue on the boardwalk that lines the long white-sand beach. Other activities in this always lively town are concerts at Hampton Beach State Park's Seashell Stage, movies on the beach, and fireworks.

Story Land

Story Land is straight out of a fairy tale book, made for kids, but with such clever and original places to play that parents love it, too. Kids can board a pumpkin coach to Cinderella's Castle, ride in a wooden shoe or sail in a pirate ship, take a swan boat for a spin around the lake, or "drive" parents around a track and through covered bridges in an antique car. Then they can get dizzy in a spinning teacup and slide down from a treehouse or playhouse in a giant pumpkin. The charm of Story Land is not only its imaginative rides and play areas but the fact that they are original and unique to this long-time family operation. Clever new attractions are constantly being added to appeal to different ages.

Clark's Bears

Formerly known as Clark's Trading Post, Clark's Bears has been entertaining families with trained bear shows for more than 50 years, and as you watch these animals ride scooters, shoot basketball hoops, and balance on barrels, you'll notice that the bears are having as much fun performing their tricks as the audience is watching them. In addition to the bears, the several daily shows include performances by a team of acrobats. Between shows, families can ride a steam train through the woods, learn to "drive" Segways, play in the splash park, and visit the quirky fun houses and museum collections along the Victorian Main Street. Like Story Land, Clark's is family-owned (the fifth generation is now in place), and its attractions are original and unique. Just up the road, Whale's Tale Water Park is a good place to take kids on a hot summer day, with speed slides, a wave pool, and two huge water slides.

Market Square and Portsmouth's Historic Houses

The Portsmouth Harbor Trail connects more than 70 of the city's historical sites and scenic attractions. Among these are 10 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, 10 National Historic Landmarks, and several historic homes that are open to visitors. Each of these has unique features, history, and collections. Warner House, built-in 1716, has the oldest Colonial wall paintings still in place and the first example of Queen Anne furniture known in America. The 1758 John Paul Jones House, where Captain John Paul Jones lived while in Portsmouth, exhibits collections of china, silver, glass, portraits, and clothing. Moffatt-Ladd House, built-in 1763, still contains original furniture and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The 1785 Governor John Langdon House interior features ornate woodwork and period furnishings, and the Rundlet-May House, built-in 1807, features furniture made by local craftsmen.

Kancamagus Highway and White Mountain National Forest

This scenic route, stretching 35 miles from Conway in the east to Lincoln in the west, offers access to several natural and man-made attractions. The entire area is part of the vast White Mountain National Forest, which protects 148,000 acres of wilderness. Be sure to take advantage of the scenic pull-outs, as some of the best views are not visible from the road; this is especially true on the western side of the summit. At the Conway, ends are a covered bridge and two especially scenic spots on the Swift River: Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls, both popular for swimming and picnics. A half-mile trail leads to Sabbaday Falls, where a mountain stream flows through a gorge with 40-foot walls. Wooden railings make it safe to look straight down at the waterfall and potholes. The Kancamagus Highway ends in Lincoln, where Loon Mountain is not just a winter ski resort, but a year-round sports centre. The gondola that carries skiers in the winter takes summer and fall visitors to the summit for views, a nature trail, and a tumble of glacial boulders that form caves and passageways.

Strawbery Banke

Strawbery Banke was the name of the first 1623 settlement at what is now Portsmouth. The 10-acre Strawbery Banke Museum contains houses from four centuries of the old port neighbourhood. Some are restored and furnished to show life in the various eras, while others are preserved to show construction methods and restoration techniques - of particular interest to those who are restoring old homes. Costumed interpreters demonstrate cooking, crafts, and skills from various periods, and you can watch authentic boats under construction. The homes vary from that of a prosperous merchant and political leader to a 1950s duplex and represent various ethnicities that called the neighbourhood home.

The Flume Gorge and Franconia Notch

The Flume Gorge, in Franconia Notch State Park, is an 800-foot-long crack in the rock at the base of Mount Liberty. Its walls rise 70 to 80 feet above the brook that flows through it, and you can follow it on a boardwalk just feet above the water. When the mile-high sheet of ice that formed the notch melted, torrents of water raged down this valley, carving a 20-foot smooth-bottomed depression into the solid granite of the mountain. Follow signs to The Basin, where the now benign Pemigewasset River continues the process begun 10,000 years ago.

Mt. Washington and The Cog Railway

On a clear day, the view from the summit of Mount Washington spans four states; on a cloudy day, you may be able to look down on the tops of clouds while the summit is in sunlight. The easiest way to reach the top of Mount Washington, the highest elevation in the northern Appalachians at more than 6,000 feet, is on the steep Cog Railway that has been carrying tourists since it opened, the first of its kind in the world, in 1869. Those who long for the nostalgia of an authentic coal-fired steam engine train, can reserve the steamer special morning departures from late May through late October. At the top, the Sherman Adams Visitors Center houses a small museum; a cafeteria; and the Mount Washington Observatory, a research station that studies extreme weather conditions, for which the mountain is notorious. In 1934, the world record wind speed was recorded here.