Referral Guide: Nashua / Amherst Area

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Use this document filled with local referrals from Granite State Ambassadors & State Welcome Center attendants as an informational starting point for guest referrals. For business referrals, please reference your local brochures & guides.

Hidden Gems

Butterfield Rock, Floral Street, Windham – one of NH’s largest single rock.

Nashua Sculpture Walk and Art Murals, downtown Nashua – Sculptures created by students from all over the world, and Art Murals which promote positive urban art. (www.positivestreetart.org and http://www.nashuasculpturesymposium.org/)

Amherst Village Town Center – historic town center and village green (www.amherstnh.gov)

Ponemah Bog Preserve/Sanctuary, Rhodoro Drive, Amherst – an ancient peat bog and fantastic nature site. Hiking guide available. (www.nhaudubon.org or www.wildlife/state/nh.us/merrimack/ponehmahbog.html )

Milford / Amherst Granite Quarries – privately owned Fletcher Kittledge Grey Quarry in Milford on Armory Street, or Patch Ill Conservation Land with trails through quarries park on Lyndeborough Road, Amherst. (www.stonestructures.org/html/nh-amherst-quarries.html)

Covered Bridges

Stowell Road Covered Bridge (aka Merrimack Covered Bridge), Parkhurst and Stowell Road, Merrimack. Two historic covered bridges were destroyed by fire in the late 1960s. In 1990, people still mourned the loss of both covered bridges, moved to build a new covered bridge. Town employees, on their own time, constructed a covered bridge on Stowell Road in the northwest corner of town, crossing Baboosic Brook from Parkhurst Road and going into Bedford at the site of the earlier Stowell Mill. It stands today as a memory to the covered-bridge era in Merrimack.

Swimming Holes

Baboosic Lake Town Beach, 25 Broadway, Amherst – town park with beach, picnic areas, open to residents and guests. (http://www.amherstrec.org/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=20512)

Silver Lake State Park, 138 Silver Lake Road, Hollis – beach, picnic area, kayak and paddle boat rentals, hiking trails. (https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/silver-lake-state-park)

Places to Paddle

Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street (off 111), Nashua – multiple recreational opportunities. (https://www.nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park)

Greeley Park Boat Launch, Hills Ferry Road, Nashua – access to Merrimack River. (https://www.nashuanh.gov/facilities/facility/details/boatlaunch-19)

Hikes and Nature Walks

Ponemah Bog Preserve/Sanctuary, Rhodoro Drive, Amherst – an ancient peat bog and fantastic nature site. Hiking guide available. (www.nhaudubon.org)

Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street (off 111), Nashua – multiple trails throughout park. (https://www.nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park)

Amherst Trails Walking Guide – multiple trails throughout town. (www.amherstnh.gov)

Nashua River Trail, Gilson Road or W. Groton Road entrances, Nashua – great for hiking and biking. (https://www.nashuanh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6595/BIKE_PATH?bidId=)

Heritage Rail Trail, West Hollis Street, Amherst

Southwest Park, Main Dunstable Road, Nashua – See https://www.nashuanh.gov/499/Explore-Nashua-Parks for information on all city parks.

Mayflower Hill Trail, Shady Lane, Milford – through conservation land and old quarries. (http://milfordnh.info/conservation/pdf_docs/trail_maps/map_trail_Mayflower2pgs.pdf

Andres Institute of Art, 98 Route 13, Brookline – sculpture park, multiple trails. (www.andresinstitute.org)

Benson Park, 21 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson – Former wild animal park, now town park open to the public. (www.hudsonnh.gov/boards/bensons)

Greeley Park, 100 Concord Street, Nashua – (https://www.nashuanh.gov/facilities/facility/details/boatlaunch-19)

Beaver Brook Nature Center, 117 Ridge Road, Hollis – environmental center with programs and trails, dog friendly. (www.beaverbrook.org)

Bike Trails

Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street (off 111), Nashua – (https://www.nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park)

Greeley Park, 100 Concord Street, Nashua – (https://www.nashuanh.gov)

Nashua River Trail, Gilson Road or W. Groton Road entrances, Nashua – (https://www.nashuanh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6595/BIKE_PATH?bidId=)

Explore more at the NH Rail Trails Coalition

Brookline Rail Trail (Brookline to Milford) 4.4 miles
Granite Town Rail Trail (Milford to Brookline) 3 miles
Nashua River Rail Trail (Nashua to Ayer, MA) 12 miles
Potanipo Rail Trail (Brookline to Hollis) 6.5 miles
Souhegan Valley Rail Trail (Nashua to Wilton) 16 miles – Still in concept phase.

Picnic Area Favorites

Nashua City Parks – (https://www.nashuanh.gov/499/Explore-Nashua-Parks )

Baboosic Lake, 25 Broadway, Amherst – town park with beach, picnic areas, open to residents and guests. (http://www.amherstrec.org/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=20512)

Historical Sites

President Pierce’s wife’s home, Village Green, Amherst – where they were married.

Amherst Village Green has many historic buildings such as the first Courthouse in NH when Amherst was the shire town, as well as the historic church. Two museums are nearby.

Uncle Sam’s home, Route 123, Mason – childhood home of the meat packer who would become Uncle Sam. (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-uncle-sam-house-mason-new-hampshire

Nashua Historical Society, 5 Abbott Street, Nashua – includes Florence Speare Museum and Abbot Spaulding Home Museum. (https://www.nashuahistoricalsociety.org/)

La Dame de Notre Renaissance Francaise Statue, Water St., Nashua – located in Le Parc de Notre Renaissance Francaise on Nashua’s Heritage Trail near Clocktower Place, the former Nashua Manufacturing Co. on Nashua River. Statue dedicated to Nashua’s French community, past and present, in 2001. The child holds a book written in French and the woman is wearing a cross and has a weaving shuttle in her pocket. (http://www.fawi.net/course/sands.html)

NH Holocaust Memorial, 311-315 Main St., Nashua – at Rotary Common Park, a memorial opened in 2014 dedicated to the lives lost during the Holocaust. The most recent new monument added to the site in 2019 is titled “Stolen Childhood”; it completes a set of now three monuments that memorialize the millions of children who were killed by the Nazis. (https://www.nhpr.org/post/holocaust-memorial-opens-nashua#stream/0)

Visit our GSA Merrimack Valley Museum and Heritage Site List

Other Favorites

Nashua Festivals: Greek Food Festival; Latino-American Festival; Indian Independence Festival; Winter Holiday Stroll; Downtown Arts Festival, Greeley Park Art Festival, Concerts in Greeley Park

Milford Drive-in Theater, 531 Elm Street, Milford NH

Parker’s Maple Sugar Barn, 1316 Brookline Road, Mason – pancakes and live demos of making maple sugar in season. (https://www.parkersmaplebarn.com/)

Amherst Four annual events: The Memorial Day town walk to the major monuments; the annual 4th of July celebration with a large parade; May and October runs at the Joe English Challenge at Freestyle Farm sponsored by the Amherst Land Trust. (https://www.amherstnh.gov/home/pages/community-events-and-activities)

Visit our GSA Merrimack Valley Historical Society and Heritage Site List