10 Amazing New Hampshire Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Drive through New Hampshire, and you can hike among ancient glacial rocks at Pawtuckaway State Park or see the mysterious stone structures of America’s Stonehenge in Salem. If you are willing to go a bit off the beaten path, you can step through mountain passes or even take a ride in Santa's Sleigh at an amusement park where it is always Christmas. If you need ideas for an outing that the whole family will enjoy, check out these amazing day trips in New Hampshire that are worth the drive.

Albacore Park, Portsmouth

Starting your journey in Portsmouth, visitors can go under the surface at Albacore Park, which is entirely contained within a 20th-century submarine called the Albacore. Built in 1953 for nautical research, it was one of the fastest submarines at its time before being decommissioned in 1972. From there, it was given to the city, which turned it into a museum in the 1980s.

This maritime museum lets you get hands-on by looking through the periscope, exploring the inner workings of the submarine, or seeing where crewmates slept. Throughout the submarine, you can also watch video clips from former crewmates who talk about what they did and saw while manning this vessel. The vessel is child-friendly, but no children under the age of 2 are allowed inside.

Hampton Beach State Park

From Portsmouth, you can easily find great Atlantic beaches, such as taking a short 25-minute drive to Hampton Beach State Park. The beast sits on a peninsula of the Hampton River, which runs into the Atlantic Ocean.

The 50-acre park has an RV park, picnic pavilion, and a sandy beach for visitors and residents alike to watch the waves, build a sandcastle, or go swimming. During the summer, lifeguards are on duty to keep visitors safe. You can get all your beach needs, from sunblock to beach towels, from a park store. One of the most striking features of the park is the beautiful sandy blue Seashell Oceanfront Pavilion, which is available for rent for weddings and other events.

Pawtuckaway State Park

If you would rather spend a day at a reservoir surrounded by mountains, then the Pawtuckaway State Park,about 40 minutes from Portsmouth, should be on your travel plans. It is named after Pawtuckaway Lake, a 784-acre reservoir formed by a dam of the Pawtuckaway River. Half of the lake's shoreline is private homes, with the rest belonging to the state park. At the park, one can go out on the 700-foot beach or rent a boat to go out into the lake. The land around the lake is also worth exploring due to several intriguing geological features, such as glacier erratics, which are boulders that were left behind by melting glacier ice from the last Ice Age.

There is also a 908-foot mountain called South Mountain that you can hike 2.4 miles to the summit and climb a fire tower for a picturesque view. Down below the mountain is Burnham's Swamp, accessible from the Fundy Trail. In this swamp, you might see a great blue heron.

America's Stonehenge

Since the early days of settlers staring at ancient Native American mounds, Americans have had a fascination with the mysterious pre-Columbian era and sites associated with it. However, these sites have also inspired intense debate over who actually set them up and for what reason, and America's Stonehenge in Salem, New Hampshire (under an hour from Portsmouth), is no exception.

The site features several stone structures erected for unknown purposes, such as the Oracle Chamber with a speaking tube, through which someone can speak through the ground to a Grooved Table above. Other stone structures include the Summer Solstice Sunrise Monolith, which sits in the astronomical center of America's Stonehenge.

The area has not been without controversy, as some claim the stones were set up by an insurance businessman named William Goodwin in 1937 and that all claims of pre-Columbian origin are pseudoarcheological, while others argue that the stones were made by Native Americans. The site has also drawn the attention of several occult groups.

If anything, all the controversy surrounding this place makes it all the more fascinating to visit and decide for yourself.

Currier Museum of Art

Named after founders Moody and Hannah Currier, this museum (under an hour from Portsmouth) is almost a century old, since it opened in 1929 in Manchester, a few days before the stock market crashed and brought in the Great Depression. Despite that unfortunate beginning, the museum has flourished over the decades, collecting pieces of art from masters ranging from Monet to Picasso and O'Keeffe.

What makes this museum unique is that its property contains two uniquely designed houses: the 1949 Zimmerman House and the 1955 Kalil House. These were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the creator of the Usonian style, a uniquely middle-class style meant to skirt older architectural conventions. For example, the Zimmerman House has narrow passageways with open spaces and gardens, and is made of brick and Georgia cypress. These homes focused on simple materials, low building costs, and access to nature.

SEE Science Center

For families traveling through Manchester, the SEE Science Center is under an hour from Portsmouth, and a great stop to get kids to learn something while they are running and playing. Its exhibits are meant to be interacted with, not just looked at. For example, with the physics roll exhibit, families can use pulleys, spinners, and even generate their own electricity. Children can get inside a bubble and learn how the ocean's delicate ecosystems operate at the Bubbles, the ocean & you exhibit, or they can go on a fossil dig with the Dinosaurs exhibit.

Lego aficionados will have a great time at the SEE Science Center, since it contains a complete recreation of Manchester's mill with 3 million Lego pieces known as the Lego Mill. It's won an award from the Guinness World Records for the largest permanent Lego installation at minifigure scale.

New Hampshire Telephone Museum

With the total dominance of cell phones, it can be easy to forget just how different telephones used to be, from switchboards to rotary phones and Disney princess phones for bedrooms. One place that preserves this quirky history is the New Hampshire Telephone Museum, located in Warner, New Hampshire, just over an hour from Portsmouth.

The museum's collection largely comes from the private donations of the workers in the telephone industry, such as the Violette & Bartlett families, who had 85 years of experience working with telephones, and Garry Mitchell.

The museum also provides information on the evolution of the device, from the dial system to flip phones. The museum gift shop lets you take a quirky telephone-themed souvenir home, such as a candlestick telephone or vintage wall-mount magnet.

Franconia Notch State Park

The mountains are never far in New Hampshire, including beautiful mountain passes. At the Franconia Notch State Park, just under two hours' drive from Portsmouth, you can step right into a mountain pass between the Kinsman and Franconia Ranges of the wider White Mountains. Due to its location, it is an ideal place to climb multiple mountain peaks or kayak on lakes. You can also choose to go hiking up to the Lonesome Lake Trail or get on the vast Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. Another popular natural feature of the park is The Basin, a 20-foot in diameter granite pothole where a waterfall flows into.

White Mountain National Forest

To get the full White Mountain experience, head out to the White Mountain National Forest (about an hour and a half from Portsmouth), a 750,000-acre area mostly contained within New Hampshire. Out of all the national forests in the United States, it is the farthest to the east, and there are many hiking options.

The Albany Mountain Trailhead goes to the summit of Albany Mountain, and during the summer has wild blueberries that you can pick for yourself, as they are safe to eat. Close by is the 1858 Albany Covered Bridge, which has been carefully maintained by park authorities. For flora viewing, the Alpine Garden Trailhead is noteworthy for rare wildflowers such as the purple rhododendron lapponicum.

Santa's Village

Up in northern New Hampshire, about two and a half hours from Portsmouth, is an amusement park, in Jefferson, that celebrates Christmas no matter what the weather or the calendar says. The park combines thrilling rides with child-friendly attractions. Kids 3 and under can enter for free and pay a visit to Santa Claus himself and his reindeer.

Many of its rides are built for small children, such as the fun Midnight Flyer roller coaster, which goes around the track twice. Visitors can get into Santa's sleigh with the Skyway Sleigh, fall down a chimney with The Chimney Drop, or ride Santa's Express Train through a cute Christmas-themed village. Your ticket to the park will get you into Santa's Water Park as well, which stays open through early September. The weather here can get a bit chilly, so be aware that the Water Park does close if the temperature falls below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Quirky Landmarks and Beautiful Vistas in New Hampshire

If you want to see a quirky roadside attraction, your best bet is to browse the old phones at the Telephone Museum or investigate America's Stonehenge to see if it is truly ancient or just a modern invention. If you prefer beautiful landmarks, then the White Mountain National Forest or Franconia Notch State Park should be on your travel plans. It may be difficult to narrow down just one spot, but with so many of these places just a short drive away, you can easily turn a day trip into a long weekend.