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All United States New Hampshire

The Atlas Obscura Guide To New Hampshire

105 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Hampshire

Updated September 26, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
Cat Alley Murals
Manchester
Museum of Dumb Guy Stuff.
Portsmouth
The Swing Bridge-Pine St. Side
Milford
Concord
Basin from above
Lincoln
Dress that Betty Hill wore the night of the claimed abduction, missing a swatch on the chest that was sent in for scientific analysis
Durham
All Cities
  1. Colebrook
  2. Concord
  3. Durham
  4. Franconia
  5. Hampton
  6. Hanover
  7. Hebron
  8. Jackson
  9. Laconia
  10. Lincoln
  11. Littleton
  12. Manchester
  13. Milford
  14. Moultonborough
  15. Nashua
  16. New Boston
  17. Portsmouth
  18. Rye
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in New Hampshire

Chesterfield, New Hampshire

Madame Sherri's Castle

Ruins of the elaborate house where the enigmatic costume designer threw glamorous parties for New York's theatrical elite.
Sculptured rocks.

Hebron, New Hampshire

Sculptured Rocks

This narrow canyon has been carved by the river over thousands of years into spectacular and curious forms.
Basin from above

Lincoln, New Hampshire

The Basin

Even Henry David Thoreau found this glacial pothole irresistible.
The thick ice takes on a blue color.

Woodstock, New Hampshire

Ice Castles

These towering spires and glowing walls are carefully crafted from hundreds of thousands of icicles.

Salem, New Hampshire

Mystery Hill: America's Stonehenge

America's oldest archaeological site or a muddled case of wishful thinking.
Hotel remains at lower purgatory falls

Lyndeborough, New Hampshire

Purgatory Falls

Beautiful natural falls where Satan once ruined a pot of beans.
Thompson Falls

Jackson, New Hampshire

Thompson Falls

This 150 foot seven-tiered cascading waterfall is one of the hidden gems of the White Mountains.
American Classic Arcade Museum

Laconia, New Hampshire

American Classic Arcade Museum

The largest arcade museum in the world chronicles the golden age of video games which ended promptly in 1987.
See All 105 Things To Do in New Hampshire

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in New Hampshire

Earth Eagle Brewings

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Earth Eagle Brewings

One of the few brewers in the U.S. experimenting with hop-free beers.
The building's exterior

Concord, New Hampshire

Haunted Margaritas

This location of a Mexican chain restaurant has a unique location: an old jail.

Manchester, New Hampshire

Richard McDonald's Niche

This humble resting place belongs to one of history's most celebrated restaurateurs.
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

5 Strange and Satanic Spots in New Hampshire

What is it with New Hampshire and the Devil? Since the time of European settlement, Satan seems to have lurked around every corner of the Granite State. In the era of witch hunts, terrified townspeople accused their elderly neighbors of speaking with the Devil, and local lore has it that the stones around a frothing waterfall in the woods once served as Satan's kitchen, where he cooked a pot of beans with the flames of Hell. Perhaps the Devil got his best turn in “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” a 1936 short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. The story features real-life lawyer and politician Daniel Webster fighting for the soul of a down-on-his-luck New Hampshire farmer who, in a moment of desperation, made a deal with the Devil. In the tale, the Devil uses every legal and supernatural means possible to outwit Webster, who battles to spare New Hampshire from further demonic meddling. “Any Hades we want to raise in this state, we can raise ourselves, without assistance from strangers,” Webster remarks. But for those who still do want to raise a little hell, New Hampshire has plenty of spots for devil-dealing.

View Itinerary

Explore New Hampshire

Memento Mori 11
Geology 11
Monuments 10
Museums And Collections 9
Nature 9
Rocks 8
History 8
Graves 8
Catacombs And Crypts 8
Mountains 7
Houses 7
Animals 7
Unique Restaurants & Bars 2
Places To Stay 2

New Hampshire Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for JWOcker
    JWOcker
    21
  2. Avatar image for bakedinthehole
    bakedinthehole
    16
  3. Avatar image for GregBoggis
    GregBoggis
    10
  4. Avatar image for e1savage
    e1savage
    7
  5. Avatar image for thomasharper
    thomasharper
    4

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    29
  2. Avatar image for e1savage
    e1savage
    26
  3. Avatar image for GregBoggis
    GregBoggis
    14
  4. Avatar image for ickaimp
    ickaimp
    14
  5. Avatar image for bakedinthehole
    bakedinthehole
    10

Places Visited

  1. B
    brownmckinney
    83
  2. H
    howpatchase
    64
  3. Avatar image for thegranitestageofnh
    thegranitestageofnh
    63
  4. Avatar image for JWOcker
    JWOcker
    56
  5. Avatar image for alvarezmahon
    alvarezmahon
    54

Recent New Hampshire Activity

  • R

    rubyslippers1120

    has been to Castle in the Clouds

  • R

    rubyslippers1120

    has been to Mount Washington Hotel

  • M

    mek1994

    has been to Cat Alley

  • M

    mistybroughton

    wants to go to American Classic Arcade Museum

  • A

    agmaharg

    wants to go to Steps to Nowhere

Stories About New Hampshire

A studio portrait of Dan R. Thomas, who lived in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in the 1880s. He would have been 31 years old when this was taken.

How Communities Are Uncovering Untold Black Histories

Historians and citizen archivists in New Hampshire are using old records to tell long-overlooked stories.
by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing
March 3, 2023
A 40-foot column supports the entrance to New Hampshire's Ruggles Mine, a beloved rockhounding site for decades.

Could This Be The End of a Historic New Hampshire Rockhound Paradise?

When Ruggles Mine went up for auction, mineral collectors feared it would never reopen to the public. After a last-minute reprieve, its future is still uncertain.
by Sarah Durn
July 1, 2022
Mount Washington Cog Railway locomotive No. 2 pushes a train up Jacob’s Ladder, the steepest part of the railroad, in June 2009.

New Hampshire’s Mountain-Climbing ‘Railway to the Moon’ Turns 150

The Mount Washington Cog Railway is still chugging.
by Justin Franz
March 14, 2019
Packboards stacked with butter, meat, vegetables, and cheese weigh 40 to 80 pounds.

The 'Croos' That Haul 50-Pound Packs to Feed Hungry Hikers

Re-supplying White Mountains huts requires serious stamina.
by Courtney Hollands
December 21, 2018

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