Visit to New Hampshire (Dover, Portsmouth: appointed, amusement park, tax)

[touretteboy65]

Yeah!!! The day has finally come!!! My wife and I will be flying into Boston this Monday for our trip to your state. I really want to impress her and show her how beautiful your state is and try to convince her it's the right place to raise our children (we currently live in Orlando, FL). Can any of you suggest areas to visit and city downtowns, mainly those that are busy and offer a lot to do? I have put together somewhat of an itinerary, but would like to receive some input from you all. We'll be staying in the Conway area, but our interests are more towards the Central and Southeastern portions of the state. Thanks for your help.

[BF66389]

Portsmouth

Walk through town, checkout Strawberry Banke, etc...

[Brave Stranger]

Get here to Meredith. and then to Weirs Beach to get out on the big lake

[Verseau]

Definitely second the recommendations for Portsmouth, Meredith, and Weirs Beach. (Just remember that Bike Week starts on the 13th -- visit Weirs Beach before then!)

You should also check out the Lupine Festival in Sugar Hill towards the end of your trip -- the flowers will be blooming when you arrive. And of course I'm sure you won't miss the other attractions in the White Mountains... Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch, Mt. Washington Auto Road...

Wolfeboro might be worth a stop too, even if everything there is overpriced. Other attractions in the Lakes Region are the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough and the quaint village of Sandwich.

[Ken E]

Enjoy your trip.

[seamusnh]

Kids? If they are between 3 - 12, go to Storyland! Story Land
It is just north of North Conway...

[true.enough]

my kids favorites:
children's museum of nh - dover
great castle commons (beach/park/picnics) - rye
canobie lake amusement park - salem
christa macauliffe planetarium - concord
all of downtown portsmouth!
north beach - hampton

[SanfordR]

All the suggestions are good ones and it makes me long to be back in NH. I lived in the North Conway area for about 7 years before moving to the Southwest. North Conway would be a great place to raise a family- healthy living, safe and friendly. Be sure to drive the loop through picturesque Jackson, and your wife is sure to love the outlet stores! And no tax in NH. Enjoy your trip!

[touretteboy65]

Thank you everyone for your replies. We decided to leave the kids with Grandma because we'll be doing a lot of driving while in NH. Next time we come up for a visit, we'll bring the kids to give them a glimpse of their new stomping grounds. For now, my wife and I want to see first hand everything we have read on the Internet to put things in better perspective. Although we're looking for a better place to live and raise our children, we still have that small degree of suburbia in our blood to require it to be around us, rather than living in the middle of nowhere. This trip will hopefully eliminate some of those areas and narrow down our choices. Thanks again.

[NH2NCMom]

You didn't say how long you'll be in NH but Market square day is the 13th in Portsmouth - as stated by Steve on another thread

Market Square Day Annual Downtown Portsmouth New Hampshire Road Race and Festival

Also while there in Portsmouth and Strawberry Banke, Prescott Park has some activiites (right across the street from SB). Downtown Dover has a concert on Friday nights - as well as some concerts on Wednesday afternoons I believe. Cocheco Arts Festival is the name of those. Trust me you will NOT be disappointed or bored during the summer especially in NH, always something new to do - even if it's finally getting a chance to play some putt-putt golf or lazing at the beach - the list is endless.