Outstanding gardens, a 100-foot perennial border, and a view of Lake Sunapee from the Rose Terrace. A brook trickles to a Japanese water lily pool in the hillside rock garden, which includes a large collection of alpine and native plants. Hidden behind masses of rhododendron, a walled secret garden awaits discovery.
Hours: Late May through October, daily with tours of the estate on weekends.

Meriden Bird Sanctuary
Main Street
Meriden, NH

This nature center is set on 30 acres, and features trails through woodlands and fields. Admission is free, and the sanctuary is open year-round.

GREAT NORTH WOODS top of listings

Great Northwoods Interpretive Center
Route 3
Colebrook, NH
Phone: 413-548-8002 ext 113

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This refuge was established to conserve the abundance and diversity of native plants and animals and their habitats in the 7.2 million acre Connecticut River watershed in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. One of the refuge’s three cooperative education centers is the Great Northwoods Interpretive Center is on U.S. Route 3 just north of Colebrook, New Hampshire. It is run by the NH Department of Transportation. At the front desk, visitors may get tourism information about the local area. The multi-purpose room contains interpretive displays informing visitors about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Wildlife Refuge System; Conte Refuge, and the Nulhegan Basin Division, Pondicherry Division, and Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. Hours: Memorial Day to Columbus Day, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. After September 1, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is free to the public. Information: http://www.fws.gov/r5soc/

Little Nature Museum
656 Gould Hill Road
Contoocook, NH 03229
Phone: 603-746-6121

Open: Late June to late October, weekends and holidays

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A small nature center featuring exhibits, trails, a library, and special programs. The Little Nature Museum is located in a historic 200-year-old barn at Gould Hill Orchards. The collections include, rocks, minerals, fossils, sea life, insects, Indian artifacts, mounted birds and mammals, and plants. There are also interpretive exhibits, hands-on activities, and nature trails. Open weekends for free. Guided tours offered by appointment weekdays and weekends for $1 per person. Open during late spring, summer, and early fall. Information: www.littlenaturemuseum.org/

Northern Forest Heritage Park
961 Main Street
Berlin, NH 03570
Phone: 603-752-7202

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Park includes a three-acre site with waterfront; an outdoor amphitheater; a full-size logging camp museum; interactive exhibits; the Brown Co. House Museum; and the Artisans Gift Shop. The park hosts forest, river and art exhibits, lectures, seminars, concerts, ethnic festivals, Summer Heritage Mill Tours, lumberjack competitions, and special blacksmith demonstrations and events. Information: http://www.northernforestheritage.org/main.htm

LAKES top of listings

Audubon - Paradise Point Nature Center
North Shore Road
Hebron, NH
Phone: 603-744-3516

This nature center on Newfound Lake offers 5 trails, a store and a library. Open Memorial Day - Labor Day. Events are scheduled there during the summer months.

Madison Boulder Natural Area
Off Route 113
Madison, NH
Phone: 603-823-5563

A National Natural Landmark, this boulder was deposited glacially and is over 80 feet long and 35 feet high.

Purity Spring Resort
1251 Eaton Road (Route 153)
East Madison, NH 03849
Phone: 603-367-8896
Toll-Free: 800-FREE-SKI

Over 1000 acres of family fun and outdoor adventure

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With a pristine private lake, full recreation program, family-friendly dining and lodging, and stunning natural surroundings, Purity Spring Resort is the ideal destination for affordable family vacations, theme weekend getaways, weddings and reunions. During the summer months, guests can relax on four sandy beaches around Purity Lake and enjoy full use of resort amenities, such as waterskiing, kayaking, biking, hiking and fishing. In the wintertime, Purity offers alpine skiing and snowtubing at King Pine Ski Area plus an indoor pool/hot tub, XC skiing, ice skating and snowshoeing around Purity Lake. Conveniently located between the Lakes Region and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and just 15 minutes south of North Conway, Purity Spring Resort has everything needed to start your own classic family tradition!

Squam Lake Natural Science Center
Route 113
Holderness, NH
Phone: 603-968-7194

A 200 acre facility offering an exhibit of live animals, interactive bird exhibit, children's center, and nature cruises on Squam Lake. Open May - November. There is an admission fee.

Stonedam Island Natural Area
Across from Weirs
Meredith, NH
Phone: 603-279-7278

Self-guided nature trails are the centerpiece of this nature center, which focuses on conservation programs. Educational events are scheduled at the site throughout the season. Open July - Labor Day.

White Lake State Park
Route 16
Tamworth, NH 03886
Phone: 603-323-7350

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A popular park for campers, this park features three public campsites with room for 200 tents. Visitors will enjoy the beach on White Lake, swimming, boating and canoeing, fishing, and hiking trails. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowmobile trails. Of particular interest is a forest of NH pines spread over 72 acres, a National Natural Landmark.

MERRIMACK VALLEY top of listings

America's Stonehenge
150 Haverhill Road
Salem, NH 03079
Phone: 603-893-8300

Explore the Mysteries...

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What is America’s Stonehenge? Was it built by a Native American culture or a migrant European population? No one knows for sure. A maze of man-made chambers, walls and ceremonial meeting places, America's Stonehenge is most likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States (over 4000 years old). Like Stonehenge in England, it was built by ancient people well versed in astronomy and stone construction. It has been determined that the site is an accurate astronomical calendar. It was, and still can be, used to determine specific solar and lunar events of the year. Come spend a day in our beautiful wooded area, get to know the alpaca’s and be a part of America’s Stonehenge!

Amoskeag Fishways
Amoskeag Dam, Fletcher Street
Manchester, NH
Phone: 603-626-FISH

In May and June, when this site is open, visitors can get a birdseye view of ocean fish, as they move up the Merrimack River to spawn, through the center's underwater viewing window. Exhibits also touch on area history, water power, and fish migration. Guided tours are available. Admission is free.

Canterbury Shaker Village
288 Shaker Road
Canterbury, NH 03224
Phone: 603-783-9511

Take a step back in time...

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Founded in 1792, Canterbury Shaker Village is located twenty minutes north of Concord, New Hampshire. The village, which once was home to over 300 Shakers, has been an outdoor history museum since 1992, when the last Shaker resident passed away. The National Historic Landmark features 25 original Shaker buildings on 694 acres of gardens, fields, ponds and forests. Come experience two hundred years of Shaker life through guided tours with engaging interpreters, craft demonstrations, restored organic vegetables and botanical gardens and special events. Highlights include a Shaker school and hospital, as well as a number of nature trails. Situated on a beautiful site, the Village is ideal for learning, reflection and renewal of spirit. Rich in authenticity, Canterbury Shaker Village is a non-profit, educational institution that features an award-winning restaurant and houses New Hampshire’s premier store for Shaker reproductions and New Hampshire handcrafted products. Open: May 10-October 31, daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; November open Fri., Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Christa McAuliffe Planetarium
3 Institute Drive
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-271-STAR

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Programs and exhibits focus on astronomy for school groups and the general public. Open year-round. There is an admission fee.

See Science Center
200 Bedford Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Phone: 603-669-0400

Open: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

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This hands-on science center has nearly 100 exhibits where children and adults can do actual science experiments. The museum’s Millyard Project is a scale model of the Amoskeag Millyard of Manchester circa 1900, built entirely of Lego blocks – 2 million in all. Other activities include the Science of Ice Hockey; Reptile Mountain, and Moonwalk. Check for seasonal changes in hours and programs. Cost: $5 per person over age 1.

MONADNOCK top of listings

Cathedral of the Pines
10 Hale Hill Road
Rindge, NH 03461
Phone: 603-899-3300

Peace.

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Welcome to a place of spiritual nourishment for people of all faiths. The sense of peace engendered by the tall pines that form its natural surroundings is conducive to prayer and meditation. The peaceful, garden-lined walk ways contain serene, inspirational landscapes as well as quiet spots for prayer and mediation.
Hours: May through October, open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A warm jacket is often necessary. Guided tours are available; groups are required to make reservations. Fee charged for group tours.

Harris Center for Conservation Education
King's Highway
Hancock, NH
Phone: 603-532-2400

Nature center offering nature programs kayaking, hikes,and walks. Open year-round.

Rhododendron State Park
Route 119 West
Fitzwilliam, NH 03447
Phone: 603-532-8862

Visitors exploring the trails are often serenaded by song birds which live in the grove

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Rhododendron State Park is named after the 16-acre grove of Rhododendron Maximum. A 0.6-mile long universally accessible trail encircles the grove allowing visitors to observe the fragrant blossoms in mid-July. A wildflower trail winds through the forest adjacent to the grove.
Hours: Early May to mid-June, weekends only, daylight hours; mid-June to Labor Day, daily, daylight hours.

Shieling State Forest
Old Street Road
Peterborough, NH
Phone: 603-431-6774

This small forest (45 acres) has been dedicated to the advancement of nature and conservation education. There are self-guided nature trails, a learning center, and a demonstration of woodlot management. Events are scheduled there throughout the year.

Wapack National Wildlife Refuge
Route 101
Peterborough, NH

This preserve offers ample opportunity for wildlife observation, particularly of migrating hawks. Hiking trails lead past forested land, a bog, a swamp and a rock cliff. These trails are available in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing as well. Camping and open fires are not permitted.

SEACOAST top of listings

Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Accessible from many places
Durham/Dover, NH
Phone: 603-868-1095

Set on 48 miles of coastline, this preserve protects saltmarshes, woodlands, tidal creeks and open fields. It is managed by the NH Fish and Game department. Visitors can enter at Adams Point, and also access the area via the water. Great spot for bird and animal observation.

Sandy Point Discovery Center
89 Depot Road
Stratham, NH
Phone: 603-778-0015

This nature center features a self-guided walking trail through a saltmarsh. Exhibits focus on the Great Bay, history and wildlife. Events are scheduled there during the season. Open June - October.

Seacoast Science Center
Odiorne State Park, 570 Ocean Boulevard
Rye, NH
Phone: 603-436-8043

Located in Odiorne State Park, the Science Center offers an aquarium, and focuses on marine and area wildlife. Events are scheduled on a daily basis, year-round. There is a small admission charge.

Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603-431-6774

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The center consists of 182 acres of field, forest, and salt marsh, several buildings, and the annual interest income from a trust fund. It is used as a tree farm to demonstrate proper forest management, a bird and wildlife sanctuary, a garden and landscape demonstration site, and as a learning center in forestry planning, forest management, ecology, tree and plant identification, and wildlife stewardship.

WHITE MOUNTAINS top of listings

Bretzfelder Memorial Park
Prospect Street
Bethlehem, NH
Phone: 603-444-6228

This small park is open year-round, offering visitors picnic areas, hiking trails, a pond, and programs about conservation and wildlife in the area.

Crawford Notch State Park
Route 302
Harts Location, NH
Phone: 603-374-2272

This park is a fount of natural beauty: A mountain pass, the Presidential Mountain Range, and waterfalls. The falls are the Flume Cascades, the Silver Cascades, and the Arethusa Falls. There is a visitor's center, hiking trails, a scenic drive, fishing spots, and picnic areas. The park is also the site the Willey House, an 18th century way-station for travelers through the mountains. A campground is available to the public. Pets are permitted in campground area and other designated places only.

Franconia Notch State Park
Route 93
Franconia, NH 03580
Phone: 603-823-8800

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Perhaps the most interesting of New Hampshire's state parks, Franconia Notch offers some incredible natural experiences. Visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain climbing up Cannon Mountain and Mount Liberty, fishing, canoeing, boating, and picnicking. Winter activities offered include cross-country ski trails, alpine skiing and snowmobile trails. Trails include a portion of the Appalachian Trail, and lead to spectacular sites. Historic site of The Old Man of the Mountain, a natural phenomenon created by a series of granite ledges jutting from a cliff face 1,200 feet in the air, which collapsed in 2003. The Flume is a 800 foot gorge with high granite walls, which support a variety of mountain flora in the warmer months. The Basin is a glacial pothole over 20 feet wide, formed at the base of a waterfall by the onslaught of the rushing water. Sightseers will enjoy a ride on the park's Aerial Tramway to the top of Cannon Mountain, where the view is spectacular. A public campground is also available.

Mount Washington Museum
At the Summit of Mount Washington
North Conway, NH
Phone: 603-356-2137

Open: May to mid-October, daily, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., weather permitting

The visitor will find displays about the weather on the mountain - which ranks with the worst in the world - and the reasons for the severity of Mount Washington's meteorological conditions. A special feature of the Museum is the new Weather Discovery Room, which helps visitors explore the weather phenomena of Mount Washington and how they are observed and recorded. There are exhibits on the geological history of the Presidential Range, with rock strata which date back 400,000,000 million years, and, more visible, the effects of continental ice sheets which scoured the landscape several times over the last million years. Cost: Adults, $2.00; children age 6 to 12, $1.

Mount Washington Observatory Resource Center
2936 White Mountain Highway
North Conway, NH
Phone: 603-356-2137

Learn about Mount Washington and the weather observatory at its summit. Open year-round. Admission is free.

Mount Washington State Park
Route 302
Sargent's Purchase, NH
Phone: 603-466-3347

Mount Washington is the highest mountain in the Northeast U.S. and this park the opportunity to get to the summit and enjoy the incredibly scenic view. The summit building, along with the historic Tip Top House stand at the top of this 6,288 foot peak. This can be reached by hiking or climbing to the top, taking the scenic, winding road, or the Cog Railway. There are fees charged for both the railway and the drive.

Museum of American Weather
South Common
Haverhill, NH 03765
Phone: 603-989-3167

Open seasonally

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A museum dedicated to American weather. Of particular interest are exhibits devoted to four severe New England weather events: The blizzard of 1888, the 1938 hurricane, the Vermont flood in 1927 and a tornado that hit Worcester, Massachusetts. Open seasonally. Admission is free.

Purity Spring Resort
1251 Eaton Road (Route 153)
East Madison, NH 03849
Phone: 603-367-8896
Toll-Free: 800-FREE-SKI

Over 1000 acres of family fun and outdoor adventure

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Rocks Estate
4 Christmas Lane
Bethlehem, NH
Phone: 603-444-6228

A natural preserve, this area features hiking trails, picnic areas and educational programs. Other events are offered throughout the year. Open year-round.

Tin Mountain Conservation Center
Jackson, NH
Phone: 603-447-6991

An activity-oriented nature center, scheduling lectures, trips and childrens programs in various locations throughout the Jackson area. Some programs will have a fee for participation.

Twin Mountain Fish and Wildlife Center
Route 3
Whitefield, NH
Phone: 603-846-5108

Visitors will find information on New Hampshire wildlife and fish. Exhibits feature videos, a hatchery, nature trails and a fish tank. Open May-October. Admission is free.

Warren Fish Hatchery and Education Center
Old Route 25
Warren, NH
Phone: 603-764-8593

Visitors may tour the hatchery. Interactive exhibits focus on local wildlife management and habitats, as well as the life cycle of the Atlantic Salmon. Open May - October. Admission is free.