White Mountains region is home to fine art and American history museums

Eastman Lord House

100 Main Street Conway, NH 03818 Phone: 603-447-5551

Open: open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Wednesday, 2-4 p.m.; Thursday, 6-8 p.m.

This is the residence of Conway mill owner, William Kimball Eastman. Built in 1818, the house's 17 rooms are open to the public and are furnished in periods from 1818 through 1945. Eastman Lord House Museum has recently been named to the National Register of Historic Places. Cost: $3 per person; $6 per family

Gorham Historical Society and Rail Museum

25 Railroad Street Gorham, NH Phone: 603-466-5570

This museum is set in a rail station built in 1907. Exhibits feature railroad-related documents and artifacts, including a box car, steam locomotive and model railroad. Open May - November. Donations are requested.

Jefferson Historical Museum

900 Presidential Highway (Route 2) Jefferson, NH 03584 Phone: 603-586-7021

Open: June-Columbus Day, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Located in a church built in 1869, this museum features a look at the history of the town of Jefferson and the surrounding area. Of particular interest is the focus on the Waumbek Hotel, an important structure in Jefferson's history. Admission is free.

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 Valley Children’s Museum

2936 White Mountain Highway North Conway, NH Phone: 603-356-2992

Young visitors to the Mount Washington Valley Children’s Museum may put on a puppet show or get dressed up in costumes in the Drama Center; climb the indoor Tree House or learn from the History Tree; build their own creations in the Lego room or doll house room; play in the Infant Toddler room; explore outer space in the new Glow in the Dark and Outer Space Exhibit. For infant through age 10. Information: www.mwvchildrensmuseum.org

Museum of American Weather

South Common Haverhill, NH 03765 Phone: 603-989-3167

Open seasonally

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.

Sugar Hill Historical Museum

Route 117 Sugar Hill, NH 03586 Phone: 603-823-5336

Open: June 10-Columbus Weekend, Thursday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m.

A set of exhibits on the past two centuries of life in Northern New Hampshire. Includes collections of furniture, tools, clothing, a stage coach and recreated tavern kitchen. Admission is free.

The Frost Place

Ridge Road Franconia, NH 03580 Phone: 603-823-5510

Open: Memorial Day-July 2, Saturdays and Sundays, 1–5 p.m.; July 3-October 8, Daily except Tuesdays, 1–5 p.m.

The former home and farmer of famed poet Robert Frost, this museum offers exhibits about his life and works. Poetry readings are scheduled throughout the season, and there is a nature trail available. Open May - October. There is an admission fee.