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!

The NH Historical Society Museum is a very good museum that is packed with a variety of state…read morehistorical treasures. Admission is a very reasonable $7.00 per adult. There are exhibits on several floors and visitors get to prowl around on their own as they checkout the stuff. In one end of the Museum is a research library that is chock full of original NH documents, books, records, letters and so forth - all available to the public. The library staff are extremely friendly and helpful. All in all this is a very worthwhile stop! A WORD OF WARNING: the Museum sits close to the State House and if our legislators happen to be at "work" they sure make it hard to find a parking space!

I visited this place last year in the spring sometime. It is not too far and close to shopping and…read morerestaurants. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised about this museum. A bit of everything and even the special exhibit was quite interesting on America's Kitchens. I especially loved the kiddy section where you can pretend that you are in a old country store shopping. There is also a cool observatory deck to teach you about forest fires, etc. Volunteers were great and explained about rural life back in the days on the first floor. Afterwards, you can visit downtown Concord with some nice quaint stores. Plus, the state capitol is just across the street. We just had bagel sandwiches for lunch down the street at the Works Bakery Cafe. I tried a honey bear smoothie which was especially good. Then, you can stop by the LL Bean factory store not too far away.

Was such a beautiful day today so I decided to go visit the Robert Front farm in Derry Nh and I'm…read moreglad I did what an amazing and beautiful place. The farmhouse is closed for the season but the old farm out back is quite the adventure walking on the trail and reading his poems and living on the farm the inspiration from living on the farm. Wonderful poem's along the way the sounds of birds squirrels just being in the nature of it all. What a time in America The cold winters weren't easy and yet we fortunate to have the Robert Frost farm here in New England

Was a beautiful day so we started with the walk around the estate. Every so often there would be a…read moremarker with information about Robert Frost and one of his poems. Unfortunately we arrived too late for a tour of the house, but those in the barn were very informative. Strongly encourage a visit if you are close by.

We have lived in the Peterborough area for over 15 years and driven by this museum many times, but…read morenever stopped. After visiting yesterday, I wished we would have stopped sooner. This is a small art and cultural museum located on Main Street in Peterborough, NH. The museum is three floors. It was $21 for my husband, 10 year old and I. The first floor is the entrance and gift shop. The second floor is the exhibit area with some hands on exhibits. The third floor is all different types of musical instruments and games. My 10 year enjoyed playing some of the instruments and games. We spent about one and half to two hours there. This would have been a perfect place to come when she was a little younger. I would highly recommend visiting this museum.

This is a small museum that is great for kids and adults. It's right in downtown beautiful…read morePeterborough, NH. The museum has two floors and a gift shop filled with musical instruments, dolls, toys, clothes, kids' books, puppets, costumes, paintings and trinkets FROM AROUND THE WORLD. There are many interactive things in their collection. You can gently and respectfully play with many of the instruments, dolls, puppets and toys and you can try on some of the costumes. The admission is only $5/adults, $3/kids. Check out the PHOTOS. After the museum, there are many trendy shops and restaurants right near by to enjoy.

I love Benson Park. I recently moved to NH and discovered this park while searching for a place to…read moreplay Pokémon Go. There's a huge community that plays the game there. If you like hiking, there are a ton of trails, a playground for your kids, and a small lake where you can do some fishing (tiny fish). There's no wildlife there, just some lovely and friendly geese. Many people go there to take pictures with their families, celebrate birthdays, and have BBQs. Unfortunately, the restroom is closed during the winter season, but there is a small one up the hill near the shop. It gets slippery during snowy weather, so make sure to wear the right shoes. I wish they could bring back the zoo or at least add some animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, goats, lambs, chickens, etc. Thank you!

Full disclosure, I went during the off season and it wasn't really put together yet, but what I had…read morea great time! I live in Los Angeles, but I have my own Benson's Collection and have been long-time obsessed with the park! I've been following Friend's Of Benson's Park on Facebook and have seen all the amazing work they've done restoring things. I was ecstatic when I heard that they were restoring the Elephant Barn into a Benson's Museum!!! I rarely make it back east, so when I was last month, I sadly realized that they are seasonally open and were closed for the winter. However... just for the heck of it, I contacted them through facebook and they were kind enough to open it just for me and my family!!! How nice is that?!?!? I can't give a fully authentic review because I wasn't able to see it in its full glory. Most of what is normally there is not currently there, and (as warned by the couple who run it) it wasn't set up and kind of dirty. That didn't matter to me, as I was able to see some crazy stuff that brought back some awesome memories! The highlight for me was seeing the Elephant Barn and Gorilla House large wooden signs! They were SO cool and exactly as I remembered them! Additionally, there was one of the large Toy Soldiers that they brought our during Christmas, some of the Hippo toppers that used to be on the trash bins, and even one of the old chainsaw statues. They had other stuff as well. My imagination ran wild about what this place could be. There is still a lot of work to be done, and the next thing is that they need to raise the money to put heat and climate control in the building. So folks can work during the winter and so that they can permanently store stuff here. Before he died, Friend's Of Benson's bought Arthur Provincher's (Benson's final owner) personal HUGE Benson's Collection. The folks I spoke with said they've never even seen it because it's still in storage. I can't WAIT to see that someday! Right now, only the front of the elephant barn is open during the season, but once they work on it, there is a whole large back section that I can envision how wonderful a museum would be here. There is even the place where the penguins used to be that still has the old faux rock in it! What an amazing display that could be once they restore that! I know this is a review, but please look them up and donate to them if you can. I'd love to see this come to be finished in my lifetime!!! When you go, make sure you check out the rest of the grounds! They have the old Gorilla house and the Woman Who Lived In A Shoe Boot all restored for folks to enjoy! It was really awesome!

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.

This castle is gorgeous! The spiraling entrance to the castle was great way to build expectations…read morefor guests. Once you get past those gates you really get to take the whole castle in and it's beautiful. This place was such a great backdrop for pictures that the wedding didn't really need much decorating. I also loved that the wedding guests were allowed to roam the castle and take pictures inside. This place really gave that elegant and vintage look that the bride was looking for. The person in charge of the castle was so friendly and kept walking around making sure everyone was comfortable and all their needs were being met. This place is a gem hidden among the trees and is truly a beautiful location for a wedding.

Searles Castle-- WOW. This whole experience was just incredible, and the castle gave us everything…read morewe needed. Shaun made planning so easy! Not only that, but the entire staff was amazing from start to finish. They were all super accommodating and moved with a purpose, they all worked so seamlessly together. I had an accident with my foot right in the middle of cocktail hour, where I was sure I was going to have to go to the hospital, and the party would have to go on without the bride and groom. The entire staff acted immediately with first aid, getting medical attention, and even set up a hidden stool with ice under my table to elevate my foot. They all made sure I was taken care of and went above and beyond our expectations. I can't say enough about the staff and how incredible my experience was with them all. They have an onsite catering company, and the food was so delicious! On top of all that, A BEAUTIFUL venue for a romantic, memorable, fairy tale wedding. The scenery is picture perfect, and our photos turned out phenomenally! A beautiful venue inside and outside, every inch of the castle is breathtaking. My husband and I feel so lucky to have gotten married here. If you are looking for a perfect venue for a wedding your guests will NEVER forget, book your wedding at Searles Castle!

I stopped in here while visiting Frye's Measure Mill, and I'm very glad I did. The artist in…read moreresidence is William Schnute, and I definitely think he's earned the the title of Artist, with a capital A. The sculptures on display, while not many, were VERY impressive. We go to speak to one of the staff, who told us about how he works in high relief, and spends time with each piece of wood to get the most out of it. Their company does wood projects of all kinds for hire - doors, sculptures, fences, tables, etc. There's a big album by the front door with a lot of examples in it. I couldn't really get photos inside (the place was tiny and we weren't there too long - they mostly do commission work anyway), but there are a lot of those on their website, at http://www.redshift.com/~oakleaves I haven't ordered anything from them, but as impressed as I was, if I did live in the area they'd definitely be on my list if I had any wood projects in mind.

Artistry, if you have any interested in artistic endeavors, methods, outcome, evolving, etc., this…read moreis an excellent place to stop in for a visit. William is amidst his work in progress so the tools and object are a great discussion about wood working, evolving craftsmanship, artistic endeavors and his migration into his field. He is generous with his time, with our many questions.