Virtual Travel – New Hampshire

Welcome to the Granite State – New Hampshire.

Daniel Webster stands guard over the state capitol in Concord.

 

The city of Concord is one of the smaller state capitols, with only 43,000 residents. (photo from Wikipedia)

 

 

New Hampshire has their fair share of unique State Symbols. (photos from Statesymbols.org)

State Amphibian – Red Spotted Newt

 

State Beverage – Apple Cider

 

 

 

Mountains & Seasons

1962     1973     1977     2001     2010

 

 

Most of the small state of New Hampshire is mountainous, as a northern portion of the Appalachians. Being just a few hours drive from Boston, the state has been a tourist attraction for 150 years.

The maps have often celebrated this physical feature of the state.

The highest, and most famous is Mount Washington. At 6288′ (1918m) it is one of the tallest mountains in the east. It is legendary as having the strongest recorded wind in the country, 231 MPH (372 KPH) before the anemometer blew away. (all photos from Wikipedia)

 

The Mount Washington Cog Railway has been a tourist attraction since 1868. This was the world’s first cog railway, and remains to this day as the 2nd steepest railway in the world, having some grades as steep as 37%.

 

 

 

A much smaller mountain in the far southern part of the state is home to the Andres Art Institute. Since 1996 Paul Andres has invited artists from all over the world to come to this former ski area to create their stone and metal sculptures.

It is a workout to see them all, but well worth the effort.

 

 

The most popular tourist season is fall, with the changing of the leaves. The Kancamagus Highway is one of the most scenic routes in the state, having been designated as a National Scenic Byway. (photo from Tripsavvy.com)

 

Among the attractions along this route are the Albany Covered Bridge.

 

The Flume Gorge

 

Sabbaday Falls (photo from NewEnglandWateralls.com)

 

Finally – we visit Rocky Gorge. (photo from Alltrails.com)

 

 

 

Lakes and Rivers

1970     1972     1974     1976      2006

 

 

There are numerous lakes and rivers throughout the state. The largest, and most popular is Lake Winnipesaukee. This lake is 69 square miles, and has over 250 islands scattered throughout it. (photo from Wikipedia)

 

 

There are a number of large rivers throughout the state including the Connecticut River – separating New Hampshire from Vermont. This river travels 406 miles from it’s start at the Quebec border to the Long Island Sound.

There are an amazing 15 dams in the 406 miles, most in the upper areas of the river. The largest of these is the Moore Reservoir Dam, providing electrical power, flood control and recreation. (photo from EcoPhotography.com). Interestingly the dam, and many others, are owned by a Canadian company.

 

New Hampshire has a small, but well developed, Atlantic Coastline. The shore is only 13 miles long, wedged between Massachusetts and Maine.

The largest town along the coast is Portmouth. (photos from Boston Magazine.com)

 

 

Non Natural Attractions

The largest city in the state is Manchester. In the early 1800s a canal was opened around a natural waterfalls that spurred the development of water powered cotton mills, prompting one of the early developers to proclaim it is ‘The Manchester of America’ . The former mills line the waterway to this day. (photos from Wikipedia)

 

The small town of Warner is home to the New England Telephone Museum. This small, but comprehensive museum has a large collection of telephones, and telephone company equipment from the earliest days through the 1990s.