This week we are highlighting five attractions and areas in New Hampshire. This information was taken from The Travel Institute’s newly updated Destination Specialist North America course.
New Hampshire is home to the highest mountain in the Northeast and to more than 1,300 lakes and ponds. Its southeast corner touches the Atlantic for only 18 miles, but that short coastline is steeped in history.
The state is shaped roughly like a triangle, with its southeast corner slightly indented and just 45 miles from Boston. Its straight-line border with Maine proceeds 190 miles north until it meets Canada.
Here are five points of interest you may want to suggest for your clients or incorporate in a personal trip to explore New Hampshire.
1. Portsmouth is at the northern end of the short coast, three miles inland from the Atlantic and a stone’s throw across the Piscataqua River from Kittery, Maine. The stately mansions of sea captains and merchants grace the fashionable sections of the town, which was once a center of maritime trade. The brick warehouses of the Old Harbor now house the city’s many restaurants and specialty shops.
Strawbery Banke is a highlight of the old waterfront. Named for the wild berries settlers found on the banks of the river in 1630, it was a neighborhood on the brink of being demolished in the 1950’s until residents convinced the local government that restoration made more sense. Today it is a living history museum of buildings depicting Portsmouth life from 1695 to 1950. Craftspeople demonstrate the skills that sustained the early settlers and later residents.
2. Mount Monadnock is often claimed to be the world’s second-most frequently climbed mountain, after Mount Fuji in Japan. 125,000 hikers climb Monadnock yearly. The four-hour round trip to the summit and back via one of the shorter trails is considered moderately challenging for the average hiker.
3. Mount Washington offers extraordinary views in all directions. Although there are no guarantees of such a day, midsummer offers the best odds. At other times, the weather on the mountain is more unpredictable and severe than practically anywhere in the United States. The mountain is a foothill compared to western peaks, but it sits at the convergence of three storm tracks, along which weather systems and winds rush seaward. Winds have been clocked at 231 mph, the highest velocity ever recorded (hurricane winds are 75 mph). There are three ways to ascend the mountain: on foot, by car, or on the cog railway.
4. Concord, the capital, claims the oldest State House in the country in continual use. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is dedicated to Christa McAuliffe – the science teacher who died in the space shuttle Challenger explosion – and to Alan Shepard – the first American to travel to space.
5. Foliage. Fall color usually peaks in mid-October, but timing is always subject to weather. In summer, clients can take their choice of lake recreation or mountain activities, or can combine them both. In winter, skiers will want to try the slopes. Top ski areas abound in the White Mountains, including ski centers at Jackson, Laconia, North Conway, Pinkham Notch, and Sunapee.
For an in-depth look at this popular region, we invite you to take the new Destination Specialist North America online course. For those of you with Premium Access, this course and many more destination and lifestyle specialist courses are included at no charge as part of your benefits. Join by 8/31/20 using code August30 at checkout – to take advantage of $30 off your first year of Premium Membership.
