Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Concord (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, New Hampshire State House, and New Hampshire Historical Society. Also, be sure to include Capitol Center for the Arts in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Concord (New Hampshire).
Table of Contents
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
Museum in Concord, New Hampshire. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center is a science museum located in Concord, New Hampshire, United States, next door to the NHTI campus. The museum is dedicated to Christa McAuliffe, the Concord High School social studies teacher selected by NASA out of over 11,000 applicants to be the first Teacher in Space, and Alan Shepard, the Derry, New Hampshire, native and Navy test pilot who became the first American in space and one of only twelve human beings to walk on the Moon. The Discovery Center's stated mission is to inspire new generations to explore space, through engaging, artful, and entertaining activities focused on astronomy, aviation, Earth and space science.
The 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) museum offers 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of interactive science and engineering exhibits, outdoor exhibits including a full-sized replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket, a full-dome digital planetarium, an observatory, science store, café, portable digital planetarium and a full complement of on- and off-site educational programs.[1]
Address: 2 Institute Dr, 03301 Concord
New Hampshire State House
Building in Concord, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire State House, located in Concord at 107 North Main Street, is the state capitol building of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor, and Executive Council. The building was constructed on a block framed by Park Street to the north, Main Street to the east, Capitol Street to the south, and North State Street to the west.[2]
Address: 107 N Main St, 03301-4951 Concord
New Hampshire Historical Society
Nonprofit. The New Hampshire Historical Society is an independent nonprofit in Concord that saves, preserves, and shares New Hampshire history.[3]
Address: 30 Park St, 03301-6316 Concord
Capitol Center for the Arts
Theatre in Concord, New Hampshire. The Capitol Center for the Arts is an entertainment venue in Concord, New Hampshire, United States, which features a 1,304-seat theatre designed with an Egyptian motif. The center opened in its current form in 1995 after a multiyear renovation of the Capitol Theatre, which had existed in the same location from 1927 to 1989. The theatre is equipped to host major Broadway shows, and has played host to the Billy Joel musical Movin' Out, pianist George Winston, and humorist David Sedaris.
The renovation of the Capitol Center was made possible by $4.2 million in donations received for the then-newly formed center, with Chubb Life providing the majority of the support. The Chubb Theatre was named in honor of the company that made the center possible. Volunteers, some 250 of them, also contributed 3,000 hours of service to repaint the interior and restore the Egyptian motif. Paul Hodes, who subsequently became a congressman from New Hampshire, was also instrumental in the renovation and reopening of the center, heading up the effort at the urging of fellow lawyer and patron of the arts Martin L. Gross of Concord.[4]
Address: Concord, 44 South Main St.
White Park
City park in Concord, New Hampshire. White Park is a 25-acre public park on the west side of central Concord, New Hampshire. It occupies a roughly polygonal parcel of land surrounded by predominantly residential streets, with the University of New Hampshire School of Law located across White Street from the park's eastern corner. Its west side is characterized by a steep, rocky rise of about 40 feet above an otherwise relatively flat landscape. The park's major features include a large man-made pond, and there are active recreational facilities, including basketball and handball courts, and a baseball diamond. The traditional main gate is located at the junction of Washington and Centre streets, with a wall section that includes a built-in structure originally used as a covered shelter for a streetcar stop. The pond is transformed into an outdoor skating rink in winter. The park is also home to the city's largest playground, called the Monkey Around Playground.
The park was established by a donation from Armenia White, a local philanthropist, and designed by Charles Eliot. Most of its basic landscaping, including the construction of two ponds, was completed in the 1890s. A number of the plantings lining the park's Washington Street boundary date to the initial period of development, and include several specimen trees and shrubs. The park's recreational facilities were expanded in the 1930s with funding from the Works Progress Administration, at which time the smaller of the two ponds was filled in, and replaced by a swimming pool. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[5]
Address: 1 White St, Concord
Old North Cemetery
Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire. Old North Cemetery is a historic cemetery on North State Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Established in 1730, it is the city's oldest cemetery. Franklin Pierce, fourteenth president of the United States, is buried in the cemetery, as are his wife Jane and two of his three sons. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 2008. The cemetery continues to accept new burials.[6]
Blossom Hill and Calvary Cemeteries
Cemetery. The Blossom Hill and Calvary Cemeteries are a pair of adjacent municipally-owned cemeteries on North State Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Blossom Hill, a 19th-century cemetery designed in the then-fashionable rural cemetery tradition, was always a municipal cemetery; the Calvary Cemetery was established by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, whose oversight area includes all of New Hampshire. The Calvary Cemetery was taken over by the city in 1995; its earliest marked grave dates to 1857. The cemeteries were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[7]
Pierce Manse
Museum in Concord, New Hampshire. The Pierce Manse is a historic house museum located in Concord, New Hampshire. It was the home of the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, who lived there from 1842 to 1848, not long before his presidency.[8]
Address: 14 Horseshoe Pond Ln, 03301-5028 Concord
NHTI – Concord's Community College
Community college in Concord, New Hampshire. NHTI – Concord's Community College is a public community college in Concord, New Hampshire. It is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The college, which opened in 1965, was known as New Hampshire Technical Institute until 2007, when its current name was adopted to reflect its growth as a community college with broad offerings in both technical and general education.[9]
Address: 31 College Dr, 03301 Concord
White Farm
Building complex in Concord, New Hampshire. White Farm is a historic farm property on Clinton Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Located about two miles west of downtown Concord, the farm is now owned by the state, but includes a number of historically significant buildings, and is one of the largest open space areas in the city near its downtown. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.[10]
New Hampshire State Library
Public library in Concord, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire State Library is a library in Concord, New Hampshire, and also a state agency, overseen since 2017 by the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The physical building is located across the street from the New Hampshire State House.[11]
Concord Antique Gallery
Museum, Antiques, Shopping
Address: 97 Storrs St, 03301-4835 Concord
Leavitt Farm
Building complex in Concord, New Hampshire. Leavitt Farm is a historic farmstead at 103 Old Loudon Road in eastern Concord, New Hampshire. It consists of three 19th century farm buildings, including the c. 1847 Greek Revival farmhouse, a large c. 1888 shop and barn, and a 19th-century privy which has been converted into a well pumphouse. These buildings were built by Jonathan Leavitt, a farmer and blacksmith, and were later owned by his son Almah, a sign painter. In the 1980s the property was used by the Concord Coach Society as a headquarters and museum facility. The shop building in particular is notable for its adaptive reuse, and for its second floor ballroom space, an unusual location for that type of social space. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[12]
Page Belting Company Mills
The Page Belting Company Mills is a historic mechanical belt mill complex at 26 Commercial Street in Concord, New Hampshire, United States. Located north of Concord's central business district near Horseshoe Pond, the complex consists of four brick buildings built between 1892 and 1906 for one of the city's major businesses. The mill complex, now converted to residential and other uses, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[13]
New Hampshire Legislative Office Building
Building. The Legislative Office Building of the New Hampshire State Legislature is a government office building across North State Street from the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire. Built in 1889, it is one of the state's largest buildings built out of locally quarried granite. It was originally used as a post office and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office. It was also included in the Concord Civic District in 1983.[14]