This is a lovely little museum on the grounds of a prestigious private academy. There was just…read moreenough variety as we wandered from gallery to gallery. My favorite seems to showcase a few pieces from their permanent collection. There was a nice piece from Hopper and three Whistlers that I loved. They have a website where you can verify hours and special exhibits. Parking was close and we had free admission. It was a nice family, holiday activity.

This is a great hidden gem for those of us not in the art community or the North Shore. If you are…read morereading this before January 4th. Please see the highway men (women) exhibit. It shows Floridan artists. They depicted the landscapes of Florida by Indigenous and African Americans. The gift shop is super affordable and the people are nice.

This place is super cute! I've been to all the popular aquariums in the US (Atlanta, Monterey,…read moreetc.) and this might actually be my favorite. While the entire exhibit only takes place in one room, the amount of hands-on experiences and knowledge offered by Ellen is next level. My daughter greatly enjoyed the experience, and I did as well!

What a great experience for my kids (6 and 13). Read the website for details but there's something…read morefor all ages in this tiny little place. Both kids were engaged and Ellen did a great job of doing so at the proper level. Highly recommended

What an unexpected pleasure!! We were met by Frank and given a tour by Andy. We were able to see…read morethe history of printing in the US and the gradual changes over time that improved the process. . My daughter actually printed a small paper. The archives of old printed religious books, old printing presses and the personal tour made it a wonderful visit. I would highly recommend taking an hour or two checking this place out. What a gem that Haverhill is so lucky to have!!!

This museum is jam packed with art and artifacts and enthusiasm. While we were there the volunteers…read morewere giving very thorough demonstrations of the linotype machine and there was a book binding class going on. It was hopping! They had some block printing exhibits, historic printing machines and reproductions, library's of ancient prints, a room on the Bible and it's role in and relationship to print. A good spot for machine, art and history enthusiasts in addition to print enthusiasts. A hidden gem Parking felt limited today, I don't know if it's always that way

Love the history that's preserved, staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, best trolley…read moremuseum I've ever been to

What a great, little museum…read more It IS very little, but it's very nice. It's located right in downtown Lowell. There are so many old photos, tickets, turnstiles and other trolley paraphernalia. The second floor is geared toward children, but still good for adults. There's a place for kids to set up their own train tracks, a party room for birthdays, a small trolley car that kids can sit on, a small house that kids can crawl into and play, a computer with trolley-oriented software games and more. See the photos. It's only $3 for adults and $2 for children. With admission, you get coupons for $1 off admission to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.

Before our visit to the science center I wondered if it would be a good fit for the ages of 6-12,…read morebut it was. in fact, this is a place for anyone over the age of one. Everyone learned a great deal and had a fun time. We loved that it was self guided. The staff is great. The gift shop has a wide variety of affordable items. I wish it had not been raining because we could have spent the entire day at the state park. There is also a great playground.

Odiorne Point State Park is a public recreation area that opened in Rye, New Hampshire in July…read more1972. It is administered by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. The park is located along the Atlantic seacoast in Rye, not far from Portsmouth. The area is the site of the Pannaway Plantation: the first European settlement in New Hampshire. Settled in 1622, the plantation was completely abandoned by the 1630s when the settlers moved to nearby Strawberry Banke. The land was settled in the mid-1660s by the Odiorne Family, whom the park is now named after. From 1942 to 1947, the park was the home of Fort Dearborn. The ruins of the deactivated World War II-era fort can still be seen today. Today the park is home to hiking trails, bike paths, a playground, picnic areas, pavilions, and a Seacoast Science Center which opened in 1992. My family and I visited Odiorne Point State Park this summer while we were heading to Maine for a summer getaway. We had some time to kill before we could check in to our AirBnb, so we decided to stop at the park. We had fun exploring the grounds and my two sons especially enjoyed playing on the nautical-themed playground. The highlight of the park is the Seacoast Science Center. There are all sorts of exhibits devoted to the conservation of marine and coastal environments. My two sons loved learning about whales, local shellfish populations, the local fishing industry, the fight against ocean pollution, and underwater exploration. There was even a cool gift shop where we picked up a few things. Whether you live in the area or you're just passing through like us, Odiorne Point State Park is a fun place for the whole family!

Castles have always reminded me of fairy tales. But Hammond Castle is a fairy tale with a…read moredistinctly Gothic twist. There was something about the story of its lonely owner and the maze of dark little passageways, hidden entrances, and unexpected exits between rooms that gave me chills. It felt less like I was walking through a castle and more like I had stepped into a fortress where it is eternally Halloween.... Why - because this castle has the unique story of being built from ruins of so many European structures, real structures. Roman pillars from Italian ruins, medieval doorways from French monasteries sometimes even entire rooms dismantled stone by stone and shipped. This inventor (known for the remote control and 400 odd patents), was no doubt super rich, who dreamed and created one of a kind castle to live in. He delighted in calling him the preserver of heritage, some called it plunder and also claimed it was cursed having been built on ruins. No wonder, there are innumerable 'stories' of haunting associated with this castle. There are plenty amazing locations for pictures. The architecture is captivating, it is a popular location for weddings given the dramatic backdrop. Costing anywhere between $6000 to $10K just for the space. I was cautious to walk with my tour group when inside the castle, it was not just to listen to the many interesting scraps of information but also to ensure am surrounded by people......lol Hammond Castle is perched directly on a rocky cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, so its pretty scenic in soo many ways. Its beautiful, its strange, it has loads of mini stories from past and present, something very different. Was I able to pique your interest yet .... ?!

I visited Hammond Castle Museum with my mom a week or so ago when we spent a long weekend on Cape…read moreAnn, and we loved our time there! Hammond Castle is a 20th century castle! It was built by John Hays Hammond, Jr., who was a very wealthy inventor and all around quirky guy. To make a long story short, Jr. offended his upper crust parents by picking a woman they considered inappropriate to be his wife (a divorcee from a family they didn't consider worthy to marry into the family). They kicked him out of the family castle down the road, so he built his castle - a bigger one. Hammond Jr. was a collector, and he traveled around Europe after both world wars and was able to collect beautiful pieces of European art and architecture that became part of the house. So the castle was built between 1926 and 1929, but it contains elements from 15th, 16th, and 18th century European architecture. You can tour the Castle by self-guided or guided tours, but I highly recommend a guided tour. Our tour guide was Leila, and she was incredible - funny, informative, charming! She walked us around, into several areas of the castle, and then we explored more areas on our own after the guided tour. The castle is incredible. The architecture and art are incredible, and there are great stories behind a lot of both (some pieces and elements have questionable provenance)! The castle also has great views. We had tickets for the first tour of the day on a Saturday. I highly recommend going early and getting a tour in the morning. When we arrived around 9 for our 9:30 tour, the parking lot was pretty empty. When we left around 11, the parking lot was entirely full and there were several cars with their flashers on waiting to be able to pull into a spot as people left. It's a popular spot, so if you're visiting on a weekend, go early if you can. Or be prepared to wait for a parking spot or take a rideshare! Hammond Castle is quirky, beautiful, interesting, fun. It should definitely be on your itinerary if you're visiting Cape Ann if you like art, architecture, history, quirky places... There's so much to enjoy about Hammond Castle!

Wonderful children's museum. We spent two hours here, but our 8 and 5 year olds, could have lasted…read moreanother three hours. Great staff as well!

Wow, what an amazing children's museum. Highly recommend reservations because we came in on a…read moreSunday right at opening and they only had a few spots left for walk-ins. But I do love that they sell out on like a lot of other museums that will overpopulate. There is plenty to do for all ages in the special area for our children under 3 . Kids 12 months and under free above 1 12.50 they offer military discounts and memberships! What a great spot on our vacation to stop at!

On our second visit to the Zimmerman House, we were blessed with two docents (guides) from the…read moreCurrier Museum, both were very knowledgeable about Wright and the building. I learned a few new things on this visit, and we also got to walk to the Kalil house just down the street, which the museum has recently taken under its control. That could hardly be more different, yet still recognisably a Wright house.

Not what you might expect to find in Manchester, NH…read more Connected to the Currier Art Museum, they provide tours that are hosted by two volunteers. You can see this home and there is one two blocks away called the Kalili Home. If you appreciate Frank Lloyd Wright, this is a must of you're in Manchester.

This is an amazing hidden gem in Manchester located in the old airport terminal…read more It's entirely staffed by a great group of volunteers who know a lot about aviation and the history of the airport. The parking lot is right across from the runway and is a great place for plane watching. The $10 admission covers a lot including use of their cool flight simulator which I really enjoyed. The staff are incredibly kind and helpful, and there are some cool exhibits to view including a jet engine and more! Visit this amazing museum if you're an aviation fan and in the area!

Longstanding and with so much history with regards to the airport. This was such a nice local find…read moreand you can tell the staff care so much about the exhibit. One of the best parts is the simulation which lets you fly the plane - and they said it is very accurate you can fly anywhere in the world and it will show what the landscape is like there. Naturally our resident pilot did an A+ on take off and landing! Such a cool piece of history and not expensive for admission at all. Highly recommend!

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.