Recreation and Places
of Interest
The rugged White Mountains, the many woodland
lakes and scenic splendors, and the cool summers
bring many visitors to New Hampshire. The attractions
include hunting, camping, hiking, and mountain
climbing in the summer and fall; swimming and
boating in summer; skiing and snowmobiling in
winter; and local theater and music programs.
One of the most famous New Hampshire sights
was the “Old Man of the Mountain,” a
striking rock formation resembling a human face
on Profile Mountain that fell off the mountainside
in 2003. Other scenic features of Franconia Notch
include the Flume, a spectacular gorge, and the
Basin, a deep glacial pothole. Also in the White
Mountains are the glacial caverns of Lost River,
near North Woodstock, and the view from the top
of Mount Washington, New England’s highest
mountain. A cog railway and a toll road allow
access to a visitor’s center at the summit.
The larger lakes of New Hampshire all have well-developed
resorts with excellent boating and water-skiing
facilities. Weirs Beach, on Lake Winnipesaukee
near Laconia, is one of the better-known inland
resorts. Hampton Beach is New Hampshire’s
most popular seaside resort.
New Hampshire has many major ski areas. Many
large ski lifts and gondolas operate during the
summer for sightseers and picnickers. These lifts
include those at Mount Sunapee State Park; Loon
Mountain, near North Woodstock; and the aerial
tramway at Cannon Mountain, near Easton.
National Forests
The White Mountain National Forest covers 292,000
hectares (721,000 acres) of northeastern New
Hampshire with hardwood forests and the largest
alpine area east of the Rocky Mountains and south
of Canada. Some of the state’s most popular
sites are located in the forest, which also contains
five national wilderness areas: the Caribou-Speckled,
Great Gulf, Presidential Range-Dry River, Pemigewasset,
and Sandwich Range. The Appalachian National
Scenic Trail, which travels nearly the length
of the Eastern United States, traverses the White
Mountains.
State Parks
New Hampshire has 42 state parks. Among them
are popular year round sites that include camping,
hiking, boating, fishing and other recreational
opportunities, such as those at Mount Sunapee,
Pillsbury, Hampton Beach, and Sculptured Rocks
Natural Area. Bear Brook State Park provides
recreation as well as a museum, a nature center
and an historic meeting house.
Museums
Two
of the state’s leading art galleries
are the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College
and the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester.
Both have fine permanent collections as well
as special periodic exhibitions. Other notable
galleries include the Lamont Gallery at Phillips
Exeter Academy in Exeter, the Art Gallery at
the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and
the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State
College. The museum of the New Hampshire Historical
Society houses period rooms and art objects.
The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is a statewide
organization that promotes handicrafts through
a teaching program as well as through the shops
it operates in various parts of the state and
the gallery at its headquarters in Concord. The
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish
features the home, gardens, and studios of the
sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
The MacDowell Colony at Peterborough, named
for the noted American composer Edward MacDowell,
is a special haven for artists in all creative
fields. This colony was originally MacDowell’s
summer home.
Other Places to Visit
Throughout New Hampshire the visitor will find
well-preserved 18th-century towns, many of which
still have white wooden churches, public greens
or commons, and early homes. Some of the historic
sites in the state include the Franklin Pierce
Homestead in Hillsboro, the birthplace of Daniel
Webster near Franklin, the Wentworth-Coolidge
Mansion near Portsmouth, which was the residence
of New Hampshire’s royal governor, and
the Robert Frost farm at Derry. Saint-Gaudens
National Historic Site preserves the home and
studio in Cornish of Augustus Saint-Gaudens,
one of the country’s noted sculptors. Strawbery
Banke, at Portsmouth, is a restored maritime
community dating from the 1630s. New Hampshire
has 53 covered bridges dating from the 19th century.
Source: MSN
Encarta: Online Encyclopedia |
