Granite State Ambassadors
Regional Resource & Referral Guide:
Manchester / Salem Area
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 | Covered Bridges | Swimming Holes | Places to Paddle | Hike or Nature Walks | Bike Trails | Picnic Areas | Historical Sites | Other Favorites | Information Resources
Hidden Gems:
Field of Dreams, 48 Geremonty Drive, Salem – playground for all ages, fitness trails. www.fieldofdreamsnh.org
Hedgehog Park, 55 Lowell Road (Route 38), Salem. www.townofsalemnh.org/recreation/pages/hedgehog-park
Auburn Audubon Society, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn – On Lake Massabesic, 130 acres of fields, forest, streams, nature center with educational programs. www.nhaudubon.org
Bedford Heritage Trail, Moore’s Crossing Road, Bedford – see Bald Eagles nesting along the river, particularly in winter. https://www.bedfordreconline.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=9985
Griffin Park, 101 Range Road, Windham – Greenspace, picnic area, playground. https://windhamnh.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Griffin-Park-5
Joppa Hill, Joppa Hill Road, Bedford/Amherst. Conservation land with trails and educational farm. www.bedfordlandtrust.org/joppa-hill-farm
Beaver Brook Nature Center, 117 Ridge Road, Hollis – Private, non-profit environmental center, open to public. Trails, outdoor classrooms, programs. www.beaverbrook.org/
Pulpit Rock Conservation Land, 596 New Boston Road, Bedford – visit Bedford’s Pulpit Rock for flora and fauna walk; people have been visiting here since the middle 1800’s. www.bedfordlandtrust.org
Muhammed Ali Museum, Merchants Auto Group, 1278 Hooksett Rd., Hooksett – a private collection of all things Ali, including a signed x-ray of his broken jaw; open to the public, but call for information (603) 669-4100. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3140
See Science Center, 200 Bedford St., Manchester – World’s largest mini-figure LEGO model of mill area, circa 1900, when Amoskeag Mills were largest textile manufacturer in the world. 3 million LEGOs on 2200 square feet. https://www.see-sciencecenter.org/
Stowell Road Covered Bridge (aka Merrimack Covered Bridge), Parkhurst and Stowell Road, Merrimack. Two historic covered bridges in Merrimack were destroyed by fire in the late 1960s. In 1990, people still mourned the loss of both covered bridges, and 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 old Stowell Mill. The bridge stands today as a memory to the covered-bridge era in Merrimack.
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Hedgehog Park, , 55 Lowell Road (Route 38), Salem – Pets allowed, free parking. www.townofsalemnh.org/recreation/pages/hedgehog-park
Crystal Lake, off Bodwell and Corning Roads, south end of Manchester – city park, leashed dogs allowed. https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Parks/Crystal-Lake-Park
Bear Brook State Park, 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown – largest state park in southern NH, hiking, picnicking, swimming, winter activities. www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park
Clough State Park, 455 Clough Park Road, Weare – park, picnic area, beach, boating. www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/clough-state-park.aspx
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Pawtuckaway State Park, off route 156, kayak landing is just past park. https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park
Merrimack , Piscatasquog Rivers
Deer Neck on Massabesic Lake, Londonderry Turnpike, Auburn.
NH Boating Access List: https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/access/documents/access-sites.pdf
NH State Parks https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks
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Windham Town Forest, 145 Rockingham Road, Windham – https://windhamnh.gov/287/Windham-Trail-Network
Windham Rail Trail, 6 Depot Road, Windham – 4.1 miles to Derry. www.windhamrailtrail.org
Field of Dreams, 48 Geremonty Drive, Salem – playground for all ages. (See Hidden Gems.)
Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester – across from The Puritan Restaurant, great to walk around Dorr’s Pond or picnic. www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Parks/Livingston-Park
Lake Massabesic Trails, Auburn www.nhaudubon.org
Rock Rimmon Park, 264 Mason Street, Manchester – city park with picnic areas, courts, hiking, rock climbing with great views. https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Parks/Rock-Rimmon-Park
Uncannonic Mountains, Mountain Road, Goffstown – hiking trails, scenic view over region. http://goffstowntrails.com/
Salem Forest Walkway, 48 Shadow Lake Road, Salem – www.townofsalemnh.org
Derry Rail Trail, Downtown Derry facebook.com/DerryRailTrailAlliance
Manchester Recreational Trails, Manchester – city-maintained trails include bike, hike, walk through variety of settings. https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Recreational-Trails
Pulpit Rock Conservation Land, 596 New Boston Road, Bedford – 338 acre parcel with gorge, brook, wetlands, good for birding. (See Curiosity above.)
Purgatory Falls, Dow Road, Mont Vernon/Lyndeborough – Woodland trails to series of cascades. http://www.montvernonnh.us/index.php/boards-a-committees-2/conservation-commission/200-purgatory-brook-watershed-trails
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New Boston Rail Trail, New Boston 1.5 miles
Highlights: Piscataguog River
https://www.nbrailtrail.com/
Goffstown Recreational Trail, Goffstown to Manchester 5.5 miles
Highlights: connects to Piscataquog Trail. Runs parallel to Mast Road and Piscataquog River. Glen Lake, Namask Lake.
https://goffstownrailtrail.org/
Piscataquog Trail, Manchester 2.1 miles
Highlights: West side to downtown, links to recreational amenities such as West Side Ice Arena, football, soccer and softball fields. Connects to Goffstown Recreational Trail.
https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails-and-Facilities/Recreational-Trails/Piscataquog-Trail
Londonderry Rail Trail, Londonderry 6 miles
Highlights: links to Derry & Manchester Rail Trails, part of Granite State Rail Trail
https://londonderrytrails.org/about-the-rail-trail/
Derry Rail Trail, Derry 4 miles
Highlights: paved, wetlands, woods, part of Granite State Rail Trail
http://www.derryrailtrail.org | https://www.traillink.com/trail/derry-rail-trail/
Windham Rail Trail, Windham 4.1 miles
Highlights: paved, part of Granite State Rail Trail, connects to Manchester-Lawrence branch trail, wildlife, shaded ledges, pond marshes, wooded
https://www.windhamrailtrail.org/the-windham-rail-trail.html
Granite State Rail Trail Salem – Manchester 20 miles
Highlights: Parts still under construction. Encompasses Londonderry, Derry & Manchester rail trails.
https://www.facebook.com/GraniteStateRailTrail
Manchester / Lawrence Recreational Rail Trail, Londonderry – Salem – Lawrence, MA 8.7 miles
Highlights: very segmented and much is privately owned, part of Granite State Rail Trail
https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/recreational-rail-trails/manchester-lawrence-recreational-rail-trail
Head’s Pond Rail Trail, Hooksett 2.7 miles
Highlights: Lakins Pond, Head’s Pond, wildlife
https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7091437/heads-pond-trail
Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Portsmouth Branch), Newfields to Manchester 25.3 miles
Highlights: scenic small towns, forest lands, diverse wetlands, Lake Massabesic, Raymond Depot, Rockingham Depot
https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/recreational-rail-trails/rockingham-recreational-rail-trail,-portsmouth-bra
Explore more at the NH Rail Trails Coalition
- Derry Rail Trail (Derry to Windham) 4 miles
- Goffstown Rail Trail (Goffstown to Manchester) 5.5 miles
- Heritage Trail (Manchester) 1 mile
- Londonderry Rail Trail (Londonderry) 4.5 miles
- Salem Bike-Ped Corridor (Salem to Windham) 5.2 miles
- South Manchester Rail Trail (Manchester) 2.4 miles
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Lake Massabesic Park, 16 Londonderry Turnpike, Manchester and Auburn – sites with benches and picnic tables. http://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Water-Works/Lake-Massabesic-Watershed
Griffin Park, 101 Range Road, Windham – (See Hidden Gems above.)
Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester – park, picnic, trails. (See Hike above.)
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Robert Frost Farm, 122 Rockingham Road (Route 28), Derry – home of poet Robert Frost. www.robertfrostfarm.org
Manchester Millyard Museum and general Millyard area, 200 Bedford St., Manchester – history of Manchester’s waterfront from native peoples to textile manufacturing center. www.manchesterhistoric.org
Apple orchards in the Derry area – some of the oldest in NH
America’s Stonehenge, 105 Haverhill Rd., Salem – “A maze of man-made chambers, walls and ceremonial meeting places, at over 4,000 years old America’s Stonehenge is most likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States.” https://www.stonehengeusa.com/index.html
Museum of Family Camping and NH Snowmobile Museum, 157 Deerfield Rd., Allenstown – in Bear Brook State Park. www.nhsnowmobilemuseum.com
Taylor Mill Historic Site, 242 Island Pond Rd., Derry – kayaking, hiking, picnic area.
Merci Train, MSGR Gilbert Park, 124 Reed St., Manchester – the Merci Train was a train of 49 French railroad box cars filled with tens of thousands of gifts of gratitude from individual French citizens who were showing their appreciation for the more than 700 American box cars of relief goods sent to them by (primarily) individual Americans in 1948. The Merci Train arrived in New York harbor on February 3, 1949 and each of the 48 American states at that time received one of the gift laden box cars. The 49th box car was shared by Washington D.C. and the Territory of Hawaii. http://www.mercitrain.org/
Visit our GSA Merrimack Valley Museum and Heritage Site Page
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Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash Street, Manchester – world-renown art museum
Zimmerman House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. www.currier.org
Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, 1 Line Drive, Manchester – Fisher Cats minor league baseball, sporting events, concerts. https://www.milb.com/new-hampshire
SNHU Arena, 555 Elm Street, Manchester – Manchester Monarchs hockey, concerts, sporting events. www.snhuarena.com/
Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester – cultural center for live performances. www.palacetheatre.org
SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St., Manchester – Interactive learning center focused on science, technology, engineering, and math. https://www.see-sciencecenter.org/
NH Aviation Museum, 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry – Museum dedicated to preserving the history of flight in NH. www.nhahs.org/
NH Institute of Politics, St. Anselm Drive, Manchester/Goffstown – On St. Anselm campus; home to many political debates, presentations, and resources. www.anselm.edu/new-hampshire-institute-politics
Hooksett Dog Park, 101 Merrimack Street, Hooksett – great place to bring your dog with separate area for smaller pooches. https://www.hooksett.org/parks-recreation-cemeteries-division/pages/dog-park
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LOCAL INFORMATION RESOURCES AND WELCOME CENTERS
TO SEND GUESTS TO WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN THAT AREA:
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
54 Hanover Street, Manchester
(603) 792-4100 http://www.manchester-chamber.org/
Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce
29 W. Broadway, Derry
(603) 432-8205 http://www.gdlchamber.org/
Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce
81 Main Street, Salem
(603)893-3177 http://www.gschamber.com/
Greater Raymond Chamber of Commerce
58 Main St., Raymond
(603) 895-2254 http://www.raymondareachamberofcommerce.com/
NH State Welcome Center, I-93 Northbound, Salem
NH State Welcome Center, I-93 Northbound, Hooksett
NH State Welcome Center, I-93 Southbound, Hooksett
May 12, 2020
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