I was so excited to see this "abandoned" castle that I read about. I also read that they were doing…read morerenovations and making it into a hotel. On our way home from Lincoln, NH we were gonna stop here and see this magnificent place that was built in the late 1800's. The drive from Lincoln was beautiful and took us through a lake front town. Once we got to the street it was on a dead end, driving all the way down only to find there was a steep icy hill that looked like no one had driven on in a long time. Not wanting to chance it we decided to turn around. I was very disappointed but maybe in the spring or summer we would have better luck. FYI there were a ton of "No Trespassing" signs posted on the trees lining the steep hill/ driveway.

It may take some effort to get to the top, but when you do, you are rewarded for that effort!…read more Stunning views of the Lake Winnipesaukee region!

Forget paying for Castle in the Clouds - come to the Abenaki Tower for free!…read more Easy parking. I can see it getting a bit muddy in some places. 0.1 miles from the lot to the tower. Then about (5) sets of stairs to the top. Yes, a damn shame there is so much graffiti on the tower. However, it's not in your face w/ bright colors. Ignore it and take in the immense view. This is a better vantage point of both lakes Winnipesauke and Wentworth. Higher up too. I came on a cloudy day and it was still breathtaking. Pair this with the Wright WW2 museum and you have a solid day.

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? No. Well marked signs? No. Element of surprise? Yes. I didn't realize until recently that Steep Falls was more than just the name of a town (or bridge) in Maine. I mean, I knew it was named after the falls it surrounds, but I guess I didn't realize you could access those falls for a nature walk! We first came during late autumn. There's a small parking lot, but you want to walk across Main St/Route 11 (before the bridge) to the other side because there's nothing actually adjacent to the parking lot itself. There are pretty obvious trails from here, but nothing is marked. Just follow the water itself (except for one spot, which you'll have to veer away from the water, into the woods, over a much smaller bridge [meant for snowmobiles? ATVs?] over Tucker Brook [I think?] then back down to the water). The fun fact about this spot is that, while it's nearly 75 feet across apparently it's only a six food drop, but still manages to be one of the top volume waterfalls in the entire state (with the water flowing steadily and strongly all year round). From what I've heard from locals, this is a spot to party at during the summer (even when we came we saw remnants of fire pits on the beach before the falls). Just sitting on the rocks so close to the falls was pretty stunning; it's loud, it's splashy, and it feels entirely remote as this part of Saco River is surrounded by tall evergreens!

This is one of several mysterious stone chambers in New England, whose provenance and purpose is…read moreunknown. Usually they are square or rectangular in shape, with stone slabbed roofs and soil floors. Archaeologists usually try to claim that they were built by early colonists as 'root cellars' yet they are ill-suited to that task as the floors are soil, which is hardly conducive to dry storage. There is also some documentary evidence from early colonists saying that the chambers were there when they arrived. Other chambers have had very old trees growing out of their walls, evidence that the chamber must be older than the tree. Another theory is that they were sweat lodges used by native Americans, but there is no evidence to show that any native groups built stone sweat lodges. So who did build these things? The closest equivalent in Britain is the souterrains of Scotland or fogous of Cornwall, but these tend to be larger and have curved layouts. The corbelled roof construction is similar to the beehive cells constructed by early monks like the Culdees, but there the similarity ends. Maybe it was early Viking explorers? An earlier megalithic culture that we don't know about? It's a fascinating enigma. Research by antiquarians and earth mystery researchers has shown that many chambers have precise geometric ratios in their construction, and that they are aligned to significant solar events like midwinter solstice, and this Beehive Hut seems no exception. The proportions are almost exactly 2:1 - it is just short of being twice as long as it is wide, and the width and height are the same. The entrance (by my estimation) seems to be aligned to midwinter sunrise (it's hard to be precise because of the tree cover), and is situated part-way up a hillside, which would allow the rising sun to enter the chamber. There are an interesting couple of white quartz stones, one in the back wall and one in the left-hand side wall, which may mark the extremes of the sunrise positions between equinox and winter solstice. But as I'm not resident here I am unable to do the long-term observations that this theory would require to confirm it. Interested locals should get in touch with the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA), who will know more about these things.

A ten-minute uphill walk to this tower that mental patients were ordered to build for physical…read moreactivity/to alleviate their illnesses. Sadly, when it was done, many started jumping off the top to their deaths, so of course I had to visit and see what this was like. Parked in the ski slope Farm Retreat parking lot and walked to the trailhead across the street. Worth seeing and hiking up to the tower as it's so quick, though you can't enter the tower/climb up it. Visitors put wildflowers at the base of the tower by the sealed door which was so nice. 5 stars!!!!

Since it was a beautiful day out we decided to take a little hike during lunch and thought that the…read moreRetreat Tower would be the best spot to go. This was the first time we have hiked up to the tower and we have to say that we were not disappointed. The walk itself was fairly low impact and didn't take very long. Once we got to the top we enjoyed sitting by the tower while taking in the serenity of the wood. Overall it was a great experience and we would totally hike here again.

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!

I enjoyed the Hancock Shaker Village more, but this one was not bad at all, especially when the…read moretrees display their magnificent colors. The idyllic hills and surrounding trees make this a lovely walk. The tour guide was informative and fairly friendly. The staff kinda led us a little stray from the tour when we arrived, but they figured things out. The museum itself seems a lot more low-key than Hancock Shaker, the latter being a more vast museum and includes more exhibits and things to see, such as farm animals. With this museum, you'll get a good sense of Shaker living and see some of their aspects of their lives. However, the tour guide will give you a richer sense of what they did and why. The Shakers are an intriguing and interesting people and definitely worth a look. The gift shop offers various Shaker crafts and books. Plus there's a video in the back on the village that you can watch for free. You can go into some of the individual buildings, but many of them were closed, which was a little discouraging and felt limiting. So while I do think this was a good visit and still worth it, Hancock Shaker is a better place to go to learn about the people. (I haven't been to Sabbathday Shaker in Maine yet)

This was one of our best stops in New Hampshire. The Canterbury Shaker village is the only Shaker…read moreCommunity that became a museum while residents stilled lived there. The Shakers were not like the Amish in that they embraced technology and were one of the first villages in New Hampshire to use electricity. (The Shakers and the Quakers were also totally different groups.) The buildings are original, as is most of the furnishings. I HIGHLY recommend you take advantage of the free guide, who will take you into many of the buildings and explain how and why the Shakers were so successful. As you may know, the Shakers were celibate and it seems inevitable that they would die out. However, many people joined the group because of their views about peace and harmony. Also, they willingly adopted orphaned children. These children grew up in the village and frequently stayed, so that the number of people actually increased for over 200 years. This village is well worth the stop and I very much highly recommend this excellent experience.

One of my favorite waterfalls and hikes!…read more It's on the Kancamagus highway and White Mountain National Forest. It's a .6 mile round trip hike, easy for the little ones too. There was ample parking and it's a nicely maintained area. The waterfall has multiple levels and a gorge. I really love the wooden bridges, viewing platforms, and railings, it reminded me of the Enders Falls in Granby, CT. My family and I enjoyed the hike and the views. It's a beautiful spot and worth a visit!

What an amazing place to stop, deep into the kancamagus highway drive. This hidden gem is about 1/3…read moreof a mile walk into the woods with about 100 feet of elevation gain. So a slight incline as you walk up to the falls. This waterfall drops through a stone flume that it has carved out of the earth for centuries. It almost bounces from rock wall to rock wall as it makes its way to the emerald pool at the bottom. The pool is strictly off limits to swimmers. There is a wooden staircase that climbs to the top of the falls, you should always stay within the rails of the wooden fences. As you get to the top you're face to face with the water as it plummets through the air and flume to the rocks below. The colors here are so magnificent in spring with the variations of green and in fall with all the beautiful autumn colors. I suggest a stop here in every season. In the winter you will 100% need micro spikes to get through the trail. It's so worth it to see this beautiful place through every season we have here in New England. Sabbaday is a beautiful place and has a soft spot in my heart. It's like stepping into a fairy world of green trees and mossy rocks to its wooden paths, and cascading water fall. If you've never been, you simply must check it out. The path is wide enough for strollers, scooters, or chairs, but again, would have to stop where the staircase begins. The cost is $5 to park in the lot, which isn't much considering all that goes into making these parks so great. There are a few spots with picnic tables to eat lunch, but the bugs will be having lunch as well! You! Still worth every second!