I grew up in New Hampshire but never visited the Manse until a decade and a half after leaving. I…read moreemailed the Manse's Pierce Brigade (their volunteer group) to see if they could offer a tour for the day after Thanksgiving. They put it together and brought our group of four on a very in-depth tour. You will learn so much about NH's only president, about society at the time of Pierce's life and presidency, and what local homes were like in that era. Our volunteer was able to answer every question that we lobbed her way, even on things not directly related to the Pierces. Bonus: you can see the dress that Pierce wore as a child. My one quibble was that our tour guide seemed to dismiss our personal anecdotes that we offered that connected with what we were seeing, which was disappointing as I used to be a docent at a presidential library, and learned the most from people on my tours. She also was very short with me when she saw me taking some photos (non-flash!), but she hadn't told me that it was not allowed. Apparently there was a sign in the lobby but I hadn't seen it. Overall, totally worth spending an hour while you're in New Hampshire to learn some history!

What a great museum about probably one of the least well known presidents our country has ever had…read more Sadly remembered as one of the worst presidents (if he is remembered at all) - mostly because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act -President Pierce actually had some rather great accomplishments during his tenure. To be honest, I knew almost nothing about Franklin Pierce when we went here and expected to be in the museum an hour or so......it is after all just a house he used to live in so how much could there be to see? Well, it was less about the house and more about what our docent offered us. She was so knowledgeable (sorry I have forgotten her name but she had a lovely Bostonian accent) and very happy to entertain our questions. We must have been there several hours soaking up all her knowledge and the stories she had to share. The Pierce's had quite a tragic family life. Having already lost one child in infancy and another as a toddler, Franklin Pierce began his presidency grief stricken by a tragic accident that took his older son's life. But, he had to deal with a country in turmoil and actually managed to accomplish quite a few positive things during his term. I was glad to come away from our visit with a much better understanding (and much more positive views) of our 14th President. I highly recommend this museum!

**November 2025: Weekday Early Afternoon Visit**…read more To be honest I almost skipped visiting the State Capitol because I foolishly judged it by its size. I thought it was small and thought that it wouldn't be worth the visit, but boy was I wrong. My friend and I arrived around 12:15pm and parked on the street. There's meter parking, but you'll pay by paybyphone.com. I think it's $1 an hour, but I recommend you fill the meter a little longer since it's $.85 extra if you need to add another hour (on top of the $1 per hour). I recommend 4 hours if you plan to visit the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the Library as well. Anyways, my friend and I got there and I was surprised by two things 1) The Hall of Flags all encased made for a really grand entrance and 2) There was no metal detector. We just basically walked in and headed towards the visitor's center towards the right side of the building. We signed our names in the guestbook and one of the volunteers gave us a shpeel about the area we were visiting. She informed us that since New Hampshire is start of the Presidential Primary and that a lot of presidential candidates will make an appearance here to start their campaign. It was kind of cool to stand in the same spot as Biden, McCain, Obama, Carter and many others. We saw went upstairs to the 2nd floor to see the Senate room, Governors Office, Secretary of State's office (and actually got to meet him - David M. Scanlan on our tour), and the house of reps (which was 400 seats!). In summary, never judge a book by it's cover. This small capitol held it's own and is definitely worthy of a visit!

A beautiful state house with a golden dome and an eagle on top. It was built in 1816-1819 as a…read moreGreek Revival style. The land it's on is 2.6-acres with a granite fence. There are seven statues/memorials on the grounds, the oldest being dedicated in 1886. The house chambers holds 400 people, which is the largest in the US. The building is open to the public and there are guided tours. This was part of the self guided walking tour and we enjoyed stopping by to explore it. It's close to everything; there were plenty of parking, restaurants, and shops. Overall, a historic building in a historic area, which is worth a visit.

If you're a fan of history, then historic Downton Concord is worth the visit. There were plenty of…read moreparking on street; it was free the day we went. The whole area is 25 acres and for the most part, kept the way it was back in the day. The architecture and old buildings were fun to look at; some even had old engraved signs stating what it was, for example a bank and hotel. There's a self guided walking tour, I saw signs throughout the main road. It's about two miles and takes an hour and a half. There were restaurants and shops throughout. A few of my favorite buildings were, the NH State House, Clock Tower, and NH State Library. Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the US had a home there. The oldest house that is still standing was built in 1735, it belonged to Reverend Timothy Walker. My family and I enjoyed walking around, exploring, shopping, and eating there.

We visited the downtown area and had a good time of walking around and browsing at several stores…read more They had several nice places to shop at and several restaurants to be able to get a bite to eat. I kind of expected a bit more in regards to shopping options but it was ok.

Beautiful Capitol building in downtown Concord, New Hampshire. Lots of historic building…read moresurrounding it in a gorgeous and vibrant downtown with shops, eateries and art. Desserts. Beautiful state and a beautiful capitol and capitol city. Well worth a visit.

Peripheral to the State House, this marker and a granite marker for each of the Presidents selected…read moreby New Hampshire reminds us of the critical part that NH plays in selecting a US President. It reads: Since 1920, New Hampshire has held its presidential primary election before any other state. Changes in New Hampshire law in 1949 made the primary a direct selection of presidential aspirants, not a mere choice of delegates pledged to specific nominees. Held in February or March, during the week preceding any similar election elsewhere, the New Hampshire primary has become a critical first step on the road to the White House. Taking their responsibility seriously, New Hampshire voters test contenders during the months leading to the primary and have usually favored the candidate who ultimately attains the Oval Office.

In the world of BBBs we must remember that the key role of the organization is to protect the…read moreorganizations that pay them. It's called patronage, folks. I have used them only once, but pretty much got the standard treatment. They contact the vendor you have a dispute with, pretty much reply with a non-committal response that the sponsor feeds them, and then they're done. I have found them pretty much average, as they perform their "services" pretty much on script. I think the error may be that people think that they somehow are an advocate for people who use the businesses that are members. Actually they are advocates for the Businesses. Keep this in mind and use them judiciously as the whole system is basically geared to the businesses and not you. It's not a ruse or anything, it just is what it is. It does question why the BBB "sticker in the window" thing is really worth anything, now doesn't it?

Everwood flooring of Nashua NH. The most beautiful floor I've ever seen. Everything was better…read morethan promised! You won't be disappointed!!!!