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The Dartmouth-Sunapee Region

The Cornish-Windsor Bridge - photo by Lisa Martineau

The western border of the State rests along the edge of the Connecticut River in some places, but more obviously, neighbors with the rich farmland of Vermont. There are hills in these parts. Lush green hills, fragile old barns along curving roadsides and covered bridges spanning rivers for decades. But this country is about more than picturesque perfection. It is about the ideal of the Ivy League, present in the town of Hanover at Dartmouth College. It is about Lake Sunapee too; a lake unharmed by the hustle and bustle of days of old, when affluent visitors were transported by steamship to the grand hotels of yesterday.

The mountains surrounding the lake serve as a backdrop for all whose summer memories include jumping off a quiet dock into the clear dark waters of Lake Sunapee. The beloved Mount Sunapee is a year-round recreation destination offering scenic views of the lake and neighboring mountains. At Mount Cardigan, a winding road takes visitors to a treeless, granite summit that offers a 360 degree view.

History, art and culture dominate the region. The reconstructed Fort at No. 4 sits along the banks of the Connecticut River in Charlestown.

Enfield features an authentic Shaker Village on the edge of Lake Mascoma. Catch a glimpse into Native American culture at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner. Visit the town of Cornish, where sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens' home and studio still stand as a monument to the artist. In Cornish, you'll also find the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States. Plainfield's town hall features a stage set painted by the famous illustrator Maxfield Parrish, who once lived in the small town.

The Dartmouth-Sunapee region is a place where childhood summers are fondly remembered and even memorialized in a harbor-side brick walkway. Rocking chairs sit on wrap-around porches; fishermen can be found fly-casting for trout beneath wooden bridges and road-side farm stands offer mouth-watering sweet corn and fresh-picked berries. Winter creates a playground for skiers and snowmobilers while bob-houses and ice-skaters appear on frozen waters. Fall brings hikers and bikers to the mountains. And spring is the new beginning, where vacationers return to quiet houses and the countryside comes alive again.

Top 10

Explore the top 10 things to do in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region!

News & Happenings

Waterfalls

Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region waterfalls

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Visit Acworth Gorge in Acworth or Cascading Falls in Wentworth Village.

Attractions by Region

Browse By Region: Click on a region of interest on the map or from the dropdown menu below.

Monadnock Merrimack Valley Seacoast Dartmouth - Lake Sunapee Lakes Region White Mountain Region Great North Woods

Beaches

Winslow State Park

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Winslow State Park is located on the northwest slope of Mt. Kearsarge in Wilmot, New Hampshire. The picnic area is on an...

Sculptured Rocks Natural Area

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Sculptured Rocks Natural Area is a unique example of nature's powerful yet delicate artistry. The Cockermouth River carved a...

Rollins State Park

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Located in the town of Warner, Rollins State Park is situated on the south slope of Mt. Kearsarge.

Pillsbury State Park

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Heavily wooded and sprinkled with several ponds and wetlands, Pillsbury State Park is one of the more primitive and lesser known...

Mount Sunapee State Park

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This major recreation area in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region offers year-round activities. In the winter, alpine skiing is...

Gardner Memorial Wayside Park

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Gardner Memorial Wayside Park is part of Gile State Forest, which spans 6,675 acres. The Wayside includes a memorial to Walter C.

State Parks

Winslow State Park

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Winslow State Park is located on the northwest slope of Mt. Kearsarge in Wilmot, New Hampshire. The picnic area is on an...

Sculptured Rocks Natural Area

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Sculptured Rocks Natural Area is a unique example of nature's powerful yet delicate artistry. The Cockermouth River carved a...

Rollins State Park

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Located in the town of Warner, Rollins State Park is situated on the south slope of Mt. Kearsarge.

Pillsbury State Park

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Heavily wooded and sprinkled with several ponds and wetlands, Pillsbury State Park is one of the more primitive and lesser known...

Mount Sunapee State Park

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This major recreation area in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region offers year-round activities. In the winter, alpine skiing is...

Gardner Memorial Wayside Park

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Gardner Memorial Wayside Park is part of Gile State Forest, which spans 6,675 acres. The Wayside includes a memorial to Walter C.

Historic Markers

Cornish-Windsor Bridge - Cornish, New Hampshire

NH Historical Markers - Cornish-Windsor Bridge

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Marker Number: 158

NH Historical Markers - Colonial Grant

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Marker Number: 107

NH Historical Markers - Charlestown, NH Home Town of Carlton E. "Pudge" Fisk

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Marker Number: 177

NH Historical Markers - Center Meeting House

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Marker Number: 81

NH Historical Markers - Captain John W. Gunnison

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Marker Number: 140

Canaan Street - Canaan, New Hampshire

NH Historical Markers - Canaan Street

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Marker Number: 21

Bradford Center - Bradford, New Hampshire

NH Historical Markers - Bradford Center

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Marker Number: 108

NH Historical Markers - Birthplace of the Seventh Day Adventist Church

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Marker Number: 94

NH Historical Markers - The Cornish Colony / Saint Gauden's Historic Site

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Marker Number: 134

NH Historical Markers - First Roman Catholic Church

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Marker Number: 41

NH Historical Markers - Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum

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Marker Number: 2

NH Historical Markers - General John Stark's Expedition to Bennington

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Marker Number: 117

NH Historical Markers - Joel McGregor - Last Surviving Soldier of the Revolution

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Marker Number: 106

NH Historical Markers - John Sargent Pillsbury

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Marker Number: 44

NH Historical Markers - Kimball Union Academy

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Marker Number: 77

NH Historical Markers - Mason's Patent

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Marker Number: 40

NH Historical Markers - Pierce Manse

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Marker Number: 125

NH Historical Markers - Potter Place

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Marker Number: 54

NH Historical Markers - The Ridge

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Marker Number: 33

NH Historical Markers - Salmon Portland Chase

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Marker Number: 76

NH Historical Markers - Sarah Josepha Buell Hale

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Marker Number: 6

NH Historical Markers - Union Church

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Marker Number: 57

NH Historical Markers - Winston Churchill

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Marker Number: 16

Covered Bridges

Covered Bridges - Wright's Bridge #58

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The bridge was built in 1906 by the Bridge and Building Department of the Boston and Maine Railroad. It replaced a wooden bridge...

Covered Bridges - Prentiss Bridge #19

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The Prentiss Bridge, which spans Great Brook, was built by Albert S. Granger. This Town lattice truss, built in 1874, is the...

Covered Bridges - Pier Bridge #57

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The current bridge was built in 1907 by the Boston and Maine Railroad to replace a wood lattice bridge constructed in 1871-1872...

Covered Bridges - Packard Hill Bridge #67

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Between 1780 and 1790 an open timber bridge without railings was constructed at this location for Ichabod Packard. The bridge...

Covered Bridges - Meriden Bridge #24

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The Meriden Bridge, also known as the Mill Bridge, spans the Blood Brook. The current bridge is the third one on this site. The...

Covered Bridges - McDermott Bridge #18

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Three bridges previously stood on the site of the McDermott Bridge, which is also known as the Cold River Bridge. They were...

Covered Bridges - Keniston Bridge #15

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The Keniston Bridge was built by Albert R. Hamilton. The bridge's name came from a prominent family of that name who lived for...

Covered Bridges - Blacksmith Shop Bridge #21

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The Blacksmith Shop Bridge was used by only one family and given its name because of its close proximity to a local blacksmith...

Covered Bridges - Blow Me Down Bridge #23

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Located south of Route 12A, one and one-half miles southwest of Plainfield Village on Mill Road in "Squag City" in Cornish. The...

Covered Bridges - Cilleyville Bridge #16

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The Cilleyville bridge was the last covered, and probably the shortest built in the Town of Andover. Located in the Cilleyville...

Covered Bridges - Corbin Bridge #17

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Destroyed by arson on May 27, 1993, the residents of Newport and surrounding communities donated time and resources to rebild the...

Covered Bridges - Cornish-Windsor Bridge #20

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The Cornish-Windsor Bridge is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in...

Covered Bridges - Dingleton Hill Bridge #22

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The Dingleton Hill bridge was built by James Tasker, who is known to have built at least eleven bridges in the area. It was...

Covered Bridges - Edgell Bridge #25

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The Edgell Bridge was built by Walter Piper when he was just eighteen years old. It was assembled on the town common and moved...

Covered Bridges - Waterloo Bridge - #13

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The structure was completely rebuilt in 1857 by Dutton Woods of Contoocook. It was rebuilt a second time in 1970, at a cost of...

Covered Bridges - Dalton Bridge - #12

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The structure was built in 183 by Joshua Sanborn. George Sawyer and Walter S. Davis built the abutments. It is one of the oldest...

Attractions

NH Attractions - The Fells, John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

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Lake Sunapee summer home of John Hay, private secretary to President Lincoln and Secretary of State under McKinley and Theodore...

NH Attractions - Flying Yankee

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On February 9, 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, a new train arrived in New England to lift people's spirits and take...

NH Attractions - Fort at No. 4 Living History Museum

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Visit the replica of the fortified village of No. 4, which, in 1740, was the most northwestern settlement in New England.

NH Attractions - Enfield Shaker Museum

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The Shakers established their Chosen Vale here in 1793, with majestic buildings and gardens. Walking tours of the historic...

NH Attractions - Charlestown Main Street Historic District

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The Charlestown Historic District contains 62 structures on and around Main Street.

NH Attractions - New London Barn Playhouse

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The Barn Playhouse, founded in 1933, is a prominent summer-stock theater that provides nightly entertainment throughout the...

NH Attractions - Hood Museum of Art

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The Hood Museum of Art is located on the campus of Dartmouth College.

NH Attractions - Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

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The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum Education and Cultural Center is situated on 100 acres of field, wetlands and forest and lies at...

NH Attractions - Muster Field Farm Museum

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The Muster Field Farm Museum was established for educational purposes to promote and encourage the history of New Hampshire...

NH Attractions - M.V. Mount Sunapee II Boat Tours

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Experience the fun of a boat ride on the MT Sunapee II.

NH Attractions - Ruggles Mine

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In 1803 Sam Ruggles discovered Mica in Grafton.

Forests

Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region Forests

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Hikers will find miles of hiking trails, winding through pine and oak forests, abandoned fields, pastures and orchards.

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