New Hampshire has a lot to offer when it comes to attractions. It is rich with scenery, history, and quirky spots that you might not know exist. Summer is the perfect time to pay a visit to some of these attractions and even make a road trip out of it…hop in the car, bring some friends, and hit the open road and discover some of New Hampshire’s most interesting and beautiful destinations!

First Stop: Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park

139 St Gaudens Rd. Cornish, NH 03745

Start off your New Hampshire road trip with a nearby attraction: Saint Gaudens Historic Site in Cornish. The site was once home to a famed sculptor named Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who lived there periodically from 1885 to 1907. The park’s grounds and trails are open year-round, and guided tours are offered daily. Witness some of Gauden’s bronze sculptures on display on the grounds, explore the historic estate, visit the atrium or Little Studio art gallery, and enjoy views of Mt. Ascutney as you stroll through the gardens.

Second stop: Wild Goose Country Store

77 Main St. Sunapee, NH

You’ll need some road trip snacks to keep everyone content on the rest of your journey. Head south until you make it to Sunapee and take a pitstop at the Wild Goose Country Store, a beautiful and quaint small-town country store with penny candies, artisan goods, and other New England-made products.

Third Stop: Concord Granite Quarries

Granite Quarries Concord, NH

New Hampshire is called the “Granite State” for a reason. Though the Concord Quarries are no longer in operation, what’s left of them are now filled with water, making the location a perfect swimming hole. You can even jump off the cliffs into the water.

Fourth Stop: Robert Frost Farm & Museum

122 Rockingham Rd. Derry, NH 03038

Explore your poetic side with a visit to Robert Frost’s family home from 1900-to 1911. Located in Derry, the Frost estate now offers tours to the public, a nature & poetry trail, and literary talks and poetry readings.

Fifth Stop: The Common Man 

304 Daniel Webster Highway Merrimack, NH 03054

Common Man Restaurant offers a quaint and homey New England comfort food dining experience with several locations across New Hampshire. Stop at the Merrimack location for a late lunch and enjoy your food inside the 1794 home of Matthew Thornton, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Sixth Stop: Castle in the Clouds

455 Old Mountain Rd. Moultonborough, NH 03254

Moultonborough is the next destination on your trip, where you’ll get a chance to tour the “Castle in the Clouds,” also known as Lucknow mansion, which was built in 1913 and home to Tom Plant, a retired shoe factory owner. The mansion is built in Arts and Crafts style architecture with materials such as steel beams, concrete, and terra cotta blocks. The public can now hike around, picnic on the grounds, tour the estate, or grab some food or a treat at the Carriage House Restaurant or Café in the Clouds.

Seventh Stop: Polar Caves Park

705 Rumney Rte. 25 Rumney, NH 03266

The Polar Caves in Rumney are a natural wonder formed by the last Ice Age. Formed by a continental glacier that moved over New Hampshire 50 thousand years ago, the polar caves are chunks of granite from Hawk’s cliff that fell as the ice sheets thawed. The fallen granite created a series of caves and passageways that can now be explored by the public. Polar Caves in Rumney is home to the largest glacially deposited granite boulder, which spans 110 feet in length, is 50 feet high, 75 feet thick, and weighs 50 million pounds.   

Eighth Stop: Eli Wallace Horse Cemetery 

25 Eustis Hill Rd. Littleton, NH 03561

To end your road trip on a quirky note, pay your respects to some dearly departed horses at the Eli Wallace Horse Cemetery in Littleton. The private, fenced cemetery holds the graves of three Morgan horses—Maud, Molly, and Maggie—buried there by their owners, the Wallaces, in the early 1900s. When Eli Wallace passed away in 1929, he left land and money to the Littleton Regional Hospital in exchange for the cemetery to always be properly maintained.