Find fun and interesting Great Things to Do in Merrimack Valley

There’s a great day (and evening) waiting for you at Chuckster’s in Hooksett, where you can choose one of two challenging and fun 18-hole miniature golf courses to test your skills. The Fire Tower Course features multiple levels and you tee off onto the country’s longest mini-golf hole (tied with the course at Chuckster’s in Chichester) from inside a New Hampshire-style fire tower. The Cave Course is ADA-accessible and includes creative, challenging obstacles. Head over to the ice cream barn for a double-scoop of our 36 different flavors (including the popular Upchuck), or enjoy a nice thick milkshake. Sit outside at a table under a colorful umbrella and ponder how to improve that score.

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But was he really the first European to reach North America? At America's Stonehenge in Salem, New Hampshire, some say there's evidence others got here first, perhaps by a thousand years. The pine woods here are full of stone megaliths like those built throughout Great Britain by Druid priests. Were they the first arrivals? Or maybe some other group with knowledge of astronomy and stone construction? Wander our woodland trails with your family, and let your kids see for themselves. We're near the New Hampshire seacoast, which makes America's Stonehenge a great destination for days when clouds keep you off the beach. We're got a picnic area, a museum, and a herd of friendly alpacas to greet you.

When’s the last time you did something for the first time? You can have that adventure when you book a trip with Scenic RailRiders, the pedal-powered scenic railroad company. Pedal your two- or four-seat, custom-made Rail-Bike along abandoned railroad tracks taken over by the family-owned and operated company. On your 6.4-mile trip, you’ll pedal along the Merrimack River, through woods, past farmlands and over bridges. Guides will pass along historical information and help turn the bikes around when you head back. The trip takes a little under two hours, and there are no age restrictions. Kids as young as 5 can usually reach the pedals, and those who can’t pedal have the fun of a leisurely ride while someone else does the work!

The Shaker religious sect is considered by many historians to be the most successful communitarian society in American history. Throughout the 1800s some 300 members of the Shaker sect lived at the Canterbury Shaker Village site in Canterbury, NH growing their own food and supporting the community through their crafts and trades. Come see how the community thrived. Step inside 25 restored original Shaker buildings. Discover Shaker artifacts and photographs amidst 700 beautiful acres of forest, fields, gardens and mill ponds. The site offers workshops on woodworking, letterpress printing, broom making and more. Enjoy a simple lunch at the Horse Barn Cafe and shop for products made by local artisans at the Museum Store.