Day Three

For your third day in the diverse state of New Hampshire, head to the capitol city of Concord. With 36,000 residents, Concord maintains a small-town charm, despite its political prominence. You can take a self-guided tour of the gold-domed State House. When you are finished, move on to the Museum of New Hampshire History, which has great exhibits highlighting the state’s history. Kids will adore the high-tech astronomy shows at the Christa McAulliffe Planetarium. Grab some lunch at Fodee’s Pizza.

 

About 20 minutes north of Concord is the Canterbury Shaker Village. Of the old Shaker communities that used to thrive in New England, this one is preserved the best. There is an informative and interesting museum and a couple of dozen buildings located on almost 700 acres.

 

Make your way south to Manchester to visit the Currier Museum of Art. Housed in a 1932 Beaux Arts building, it maintains some 12,000 pieces in its permanent collection. You can see works by masters such as Monet, Picasso, and Degas. The Zimmerman House was one of only five homes in the Northeast designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is the only one open for tours. Tickets can be hard to come by, so call way in advance if you can.

 

The best options for lodging in the area are in Bedford. The Bedford Village Inn was once the site of a working farm built in 1810. The Wayfarer Inn is located on the site of an historic mill. Both offer a gracious amount of charm in this formerly industrial portion of the state.