9 Unforgettable Small Towns to Visit in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has mastered the art of making oddly specific things unforgettable. A hillside becomes a seasonal event, a railroad becomes a mountain tradition, and a downtown neighborhood preserves centuries in plain view. These unforgettable small towns highlight places where culture, landscape, and history shape daily life in ways that feel purely local. Check out these nine towns, and see why New Hampshire’s most memorable experiences often come in smaller packages.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth carries more history per square mile than almost any town in New Hampshire (and much of it remains visible at street level). Strawbery Banke Museum preserves an entire neighborhood where centuries of daily life unfold across restored homes, gardens, and workshops. It’s one of the most immersive living-history experiences in the United States.
Nearby, Prescott Park frames the Piscataqua River with seasonal gardens and an open-air arts festival that turns the waterfront into a stage each summer. The working harbor, historic Market Square, and colonial-era streets show off Portsmouth’s long relationship with trade, culture, and the sea. Unforgettable is an understatement here!
Exeter
Exeter’s identity is built on ideas, debate, and a deep sense of civic history. Phillips Exeter Academy shapes much of the town’s identity, where the Harkness Method of roundtable discussion changed how students across the country learn and exchange ideas. For a touch of history, visit the American Independence Museum. Here, you’ll find original Revolutionary War documents, including a rare first printing of the Declaration of Independence that once arrived in town by horseback.
Exeter even lays claim to a role in political history. It's often noted as the birthplace of the modern Republican Party at 24 Front Street, where Amos Tuck held his famous meeting in 1853. Along the Squamscott River, Swasey Parkway creates a perfect backdrop for walking, picnicking, and seasonal events that tie the historic downtown together without losing its sense of purpose. Downtown, you’ll find a low-key Main Street where bookstores, cafes, and historic landmarks keep things personal. Unforgettable, charming, and rooted in ideas that helped shape a nation, Exeter leaves a lasting impression on everyone.
Hanover
Hanover revolves around learning, culture, and a strong connection to the outdoors. Dartmouth College defines much of the town’s rhythm, with its historic Green serving as both a campus heart and a true community gathering place. Inside Baker-Berry Library, the Orozco murals stand as one of the most striking public art installations in New England, drawing visitors well beyond academic circles. Just across campus, the Hood Museum of Art houses a nationally respected collection that spans Indigenous, Asian, and American works, and more.
The Appalachian Trail passes directly through town, a rare distinction that allows hikers to step off a long-distance wilderness route and into a walkable downtown lined with bookstores, cafes, and local shops. Few places blend Ivy League culture and trail-town energy this seamlessly.
Milford
Milford’s story is written in granite, and the town still wears that legacy proudly. Milford Oval sits at the center, surrounded by nineteenth-century buildings that grew alongside the town’s once-massive quarry industry. Remnants of that era still shape the landscape, a reminder that the Milford stone helped build infrastructure across New England and beyond.
Along the Souhegan River, walking paths and riverside parks trace the waterway that once powered the town’s mills. Nearby, the Milford Suspension Bridge, built in 1889 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, stands as one of New Hampshire’s few surviving nineteenth-century suspension bridges. It is also one of only two highly ornate suspension footbridges of its kind built by the company that are still standing in the United States. In downtown Milford, the streets remain compact and familiar, with local shops and eateries clustered near the Oval. Rather than fading into the background, Milford’s history continues to shape how the town functions today.
Keene
Keene’s downtown energy centers on Central Square, where brick buildings, public art, and local businesses form one of the most recognizable town greens in the state. Each October, the square becomes the stage for the Keene Pumpkin Festival, a once-record-setting tradition that put the town in the national spotlight with thousands of carved jack-o’-lanterns lighting the streets. The Colonial Theatre, located on Main Street, shines as a restored 1924 performance hall. It continues to host concerts, film screenings, and live theater year-round.
Beyond downtown, the Ashuelot Rail Trail follows a former rail corridor through wooded stretches and wetlands, offering a quieter counterpoint to the busy center. Here, you can enjoy what nature has to offer while staying connected to the heart of the town. Together, the square, the stage, and the trail give Keene a rhythm that balances celebration, culture, and everyday life with ease.
Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill spends most of the year quiet, then briefly takes center stage during a few weeks in June. Each summer, the Sugar Hill Lupine Festival draws visitors to see hillsides filled with purple, pink, and blue blooms that last only a short time. The drive along Route 117 opens wide views of the White Mountains, with Mount Lafayette and Mount Lincoln rising clearly in the distance.
Outside of festival season, the town’s scale becomes more apparent. With a population of just over 600 residents, Sugar Hill moves at a slower pace. Saint Matthew’s Chapel, a little white church, remains one of New Hampshire’s most photographed landmarks. What defines Sugar Hill is not just the festival, but how the town stays true to its size and setting year-round.
Littleton
Littleton’s identity is tied to a single fictional character and a very real sense of place. A bronze Pollyanna statue stands downtown, honoring author Eleanor H. Porter and the novel that introduced the “glad game” to American culture. For literary buffs, seeing the character rooted in an actual town feels like an unforgettable crossover between fiction and real life. Just steps away, the Littleton Grist Mill sits along the Ammonoosuc River, one of New Hampshire's longest rivers. Originally built in the late 1700s, the mill still stands as a visible reminder of Littleton’s early industry.
The Riverwalk Covered Bridge links downtown to riverside paths and viewpoints, keeping the water woven into daily movement rather than pushed to the edges. Main Street stays compact and walkable, with local shops and cafes close together. Literature, landscape, and routine life intersect here in a way that feels specific, intentional, and hard to forget.
Peterborough
Peterborough is a magnet for artists who prefer their inspiration quiet and uninterrupted. The town is home to MacDowell, one of the most influential artist residencies in the United States. Here, writers, composers, and visual artists retreat to create work that has gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes and shape American culture. Unlike galleries or museums, MacDowell’s impact is felt through the work produced there rather than through public exhibitions.
That creative current carries into town. The Peterborough Town House, built in 1833, still hosts performances and community events, while Main Street is home to independent bookstores, cafes, and local events that keep things personal. With Mount Monadnock nearby (one of the most climbed mountains in the world), the setting reinforces why artists have been drawn here for generations. For art lovers or anyone who enjoys seeing how creative work takes shape behind the scenes, Peterborough offers an experience that feels both rare and genuinely unforgettable.
North Conway
North Conway is a town shaped by motion, elevation, and a front row seat to the White Mountains. It's home to the Conway Scenic Railroad, where vintage railcars depart from a historic station and travel through mountain passes and river valleys. It's a rare chance to experience alpine scenery by rail in the eastern United States. The ride feels deliberately slow, trading speed for views that change with every season.
Beyond the tracks, North Conway serves as a gateway to gorgeous land. Nearby access to the Mount Washington Valley puts hiking, skiing, and scenic drives within minutes of downtown, while Schouler Park surrounds the railroad station with open space and mountain backdrops. Few towns balance classic rail travel and high-elevation landscapes so seamlessly. It’s why North Conway leaves such a lasting impression on anyone who visits.
New Hampshire does not rely on big gestures to make a lasting impression. Instead, it leans into details that feel deliberate and deeply local. These unforgettable small towns are defined by moments, seasons, and landmarks that exist nowhere else. From granite-built downtowns to mountain gateways, each place proves the state’s most lasting memories often come from its smallest, tight-knit communities.
