The old Benson's animal park they did a good thing made it a nice park to enjoy walking picnics…read morewalking around and playing they have trails you can walk on they have old nostalgia left over from the zoo days cages the old shoe house and much more they also have a dedication to September 11 very cool so take your kids and have fun

Love trekking Benson's Park in Winter, Spring Summer or Fall! Great place for family, friends and…read morepets.

Yes there is a 1/2 mile walk to the trail and then 1/2 mile walk back to your parked car no biggie…read moredon't let that deter you from doing this hike. Agree there are better views in other parts of NH but this is ok. Bugs are vicious on certain parts of the trail and better off brining a bug net because someone else posted they don't care if you have bug spray I mean I even walked with can, I would still hike it though I prefer paid for parking on the website it's 5.00$ a person and you can use the whole state park for all day It was full of camps for swimming so if your not a fan of a lot of people maybe this lake is not for you Hope everyone enjoys there time there

Our walk/hike on the Shaw & Fundy Trails were perfect because they are well-trodden, pine-needle…read morecarpeted trails that were good for our sister who has a bad knee & can't handle trails with vertical climb, tree roots &/or rocky faces. The trails passed by marshes, over creeks &, at times, we had to navigate through areas that had some minimal flooding. Signage is practically non-existent, with arrows primarily @ intersections & also kind of confusing where the parking lots are for the trailheads. There is very little blazing on the trees but again, the trail directions are obvious. Not too much indication of wildlife, although, of course, we were in the thick of the trees. The folks at the Visitor Center are super friendly, knowledgeable & helpful.

There's tons of public parking, usually have a food truck in the parking lot if you get hungry and…read moretwo nice playgrounds with one being pretty brand new. My daughter loves coming to this park because it's well kept, you can ride scooters and bicycles that have been donated to the park and you just leave it there once you're done using it. The also have a track around the park for runners and people who want to walk with a view. Besides the playgrounds, there are also baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts and everything is in immaculate condition. I don't see any cons at all for this park and like I said it's the best one I've see so far in New Hampshire. If you and your kids are looking for a new park, be sure to give this one a try. It has it all, trust me!

Nice kids Nice parents…read moreLots of Grandparents too Always clean. Rest rooms were even accessible and clean! Nice spot

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!

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine (and NH) has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. I was looking for state parks in New Hampshire and this one caught my eye because of the name, if we're being honest. It sounded magical! So was the way it was advertised: "picnickers can enjoy sweeping views of the ocean and rocky shore, and explorers can uncover evidence of past military occupation. An extensive network of trails wind through the dense vegetation and traverse the park. [t]he property is also renowned for its... seven distinct habitats that can be visited within an hour's walk. Although the spectacular rocky shore is the one of the most notable, the woodlands, uplands, salt marsh, freshwater and salt ponds, and sandy beach (non-swimming) combine to create one of the region's most diverse nature walks." I like a little bit of everything, and this sounded like it had just that! The first time I came I bought a pass online; when we arrived it was a freak snowstorm and we were the only ones there. So we had a literal winter wonderland to play around it. The views from the coast were lovely and offer plenty of picnic tables to sit and enjoy yourself at, but exploring the woods that day was even more amazing - we spent a lot of time with a big buck who kept finding himself lazily meandering on the same trail as us. Thank goodness for binoculars! And the element of surprise! There was also some tremendously graffitied old batteries, a breakwater (that becomes nearly inaccessible when the tide is high; reversely when the tide is low that same area exposes a Sandy beach), there's an area called Pirate's Cove, an old cemetery, and Dolphin Fountain (which looks like it belongs in France, not NH). This became an immediate favorite! I can't wait to come back and see it in Spring and Summer! (SIDE NOTE: There's also the Seacoast Science Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, that provides educational exhibits related to the seacoast area for a separate fee; but, I haven't been able to check that out yet!)

Plenty of walking trails. It used to be better before the lake was drained due to an issue with the…read moredam. Fishing there as a kid was great too, but that was many years ago now

Northwood is the proud home of this 674.5-acre beauty! A wooded park with vast wetlands, access to…read moreSaddleback Mountain trails, and little picnic areas around the pond. *Small and uneven parking area (can get pretty muddy in the spring!) *Great for trail walk/running, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing . I've seen folk on horseback - but their horses often leave smell poo piles (come on, people - if dog owners have to carry little baggies, you should carry a shovel!). There is a main trail which winds its way around the pond (lovely views!). *Docks need some TLC - some are rotted out and I wouldn't consider them super safe. *No over-night strolls (park entrance is patrolled at night hours) There is plenty of space - wish they would install a disc golf course!

We visited the Ponemah Bog Trail in Amherst today, and it was such a peaceful walk through what…read morefelt like an enchanted forest of lush, leafy greenery. The birds were chirping overhead, there were hardly any flying bugs, and it was the perfect day to enjoy nature. The scenery was beautiful and calming from start to finish. If you're looking for a short outdoor adventure, this is definitely a must-visit, especially for families with kids who love exploring the outdoors!

This free site owned by the Audubon Society has interpretive displays, extensive boardwalks, a…read moreraised platform for viewing, benches for resting, wild blueberries, and lots of bog flora. It's close enough to the city that you can hear the cars on 101A but puts you in a whole different habitat. Lovingly maintained, it has areas dedicated to various nature educators. Beware of scraping bottom pulling into the lot. A portable toilet would beneficial.

94 degrees outside today wasn't hot enough for the town to turn on the water at Amesbury Park…read moresplash pad. Ruined our Memorial day weekend plans.

This a seriously amazing park! It has play structures for every age and is made out of materials…read morethat don't get crazy hot in the sun. For the biggest kids there's a mini rock wall and super cool climbing structure. There are a ton of swings and loads of benches. There's a section of benches with a canopy over it for shade and a bunch more under some nice big trees. Best of all they have a splash pad! There's a tube like thing that mists for the little ones and some big jets that shoot up for the older kids. There's also a nice walking path by a small man made pond. Before they renovated there was frisbee golf though I'm not sure if that's still there. And they also have a public restroom. My pictures won't do it justice, this park rocks!

though this park is not very large, it's so beautiful by the water and i'd recommend checking it…read moreout! would be an awesome spot to picnic too