HISTORY, HERITAGE, & CRAFTSMANSHIP
Art & Architecture
New Hampshire is home to a number of architectural gems, as well as internationally renowned art galleries and museums. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Zimmerman House (Concord), the only home in New England designed by the acclaimed American architect open to the public. The Zimmerman House is connected with the Currier Museum of Art which features European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture, including works by Picasso, Monet, O'Keeffe and Wyeth, with exhibitions, tours and performances year-round.
See stunning examples of Shaker design (Canterbury and Enfield), colonial era homes (Portsmouth) and 19th century mills (Manchester and Belknap Mills, Laconia). The Hood Museum at Dartmouth College (Hanover) features American, European, Oceanic, ancient and contemporary art, while next door at the Hopkins Center, world class artists, Dartmouth student ensembles, films and exhibitions are showcased.
See the work of one of this country's finest sculptors at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (Cornish).
NH Made
New Hampshire has a long tradition of craftsmanship. See the work of contemporary artists and artisans at League of New Hampshire Craftsmen stores statewide, the Sharon Arts Center (Sharon and Peterborough), Salmon Falls Pottery (Dover), the NH Store at NH State Liquor Stores (I-95 North and South, Hampton) and at NH Stories member businesses. Annalee dolls (Meredith) are known worldwide, as is Hampshire Pewter (Wolfeboro) and the annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair held at Mt. Sunapee State Park each August (Newbury).
Our Colonial Past and Maritime Heritage
New Hampshire's seacoast may only be 18 miles long, but there's plenty of history to explore. Odiorne Point State Park (Rye) is the site of the state's first settlement. Gracious homes that date back hundreds of years line Portsmouth's streets, including the 1758 John Paul Jones House and the 1760 Wentworth-Gardner House, one of the finest Georgian houses in America. You'll see many of the city's landmarks along the Portsmouth Harbour Trail and Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail walking tours. Other outstanding homes, along with period gardens, are part of Strawbery Banke, a living history museum in the city's oldest seacoast neighborhood.
Exeter was once the state's colonial capital; today that era comes alive at the American Independence Museum. You'll find more recent maritime history at the USS Albacore Park (Portsmouth) where you can see the prototype for today's submarines. Take a harbor cruise or one to the Isles of Shoals, the state's off-shore islands.
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