Post-millennium All Your Friends party hits Nashua
While Napster and LimeWire were treating the record business like termites attacking a wooden house, some decent music came in the wake of Y2K. Late-’90s artists like Radiohead and Bjork inspired MGMT, Passion Pit, LCD Soundsystem and others to merge dance, melodic pop and rock in pursuit of a new sound.
Indietronica, as the loose subgenre came to be known, energized club New York City denizens throughout the 2000s. An upcoming event in Nashua will celebrate it with DJ music, multimedia and dancing. All Your Friends is the latest themed party to come from Brooklyn-based Burwoodland.
The company launched in 2015 with Emo Night Brooklyn and has added a half dozen more events since, including two that have recently been done in New Hampshire: Gimme Gimme Disco and a musical theater costume party, Broadway Rave. They also offer K-Pop and metal nights, along with one for ex-clubbers with kids that ends before 10 p.m.
Best friends Alex Badanes and Ethan Maccoby didn’t anticipate growing to more than 1,200 shows a year while recruiting close to 100 DJs to host events nationally. Or billionaire Mark Cuban making what Music Business Worldwide described as a “seven-figure investment” in the company in January 2026.
“Honestly, we were just looking to have a good time,” Maccoby said by phone recently. He and Badanes always enjoyed hosting parties before going to shows, but decided, “Instead of a pre-game at our apartment, we wanted to throw it at a bar, so that we didn’t have to clean up. Maybe they’d give us some free alcohol. That was really the main motivation.”
The very first Emo Night Brooklyn was held in early 2015 at the 100-capacity basement of the now-closed Cameo bar in Williamsburg. Hundreds of people showed up, and they were invited back. The next bash happened in the Cameo’s larger upstairs area. What began as a free party just kept growing.
All Your Friends, which debuted in 2025, is a fan’s effort.
“We started it because Alex and I also love this music, but we also saw that there was a big demand for it as well,” Maccoby said. “The first two events we had Passion Pit and Matt & Kim at the show with us. They put on a DJ set that was amazing; that kind of kick-started the series.”
“As millennials, we feel like we grew up with these artists,” Badanes told Paper magazine when the event launched. “I was at Berklee while Passion Pit was coming up in the early 2010s, and I still remember seeing one of their first Boston shows, how electric it felt, how new it all sounded. That era shaped so much of our musical identity.”
It became a quick success.
“We only just started like a little less than a year ago and we’ve had, I think, over a hundred or so All Your Friends events, many sold out, all around the U.S. and Canada,” he said. “It’s been really cool, and we’re now excited to come back to Nashua in May.”
The format is DJ-driven, but the production goes beyond a laptop and a speaker stack. Visuals are projected throughout the evening, synchronized to specific songs, and glow sticks find their way into the crowd. Still, they’re careful not to over-engineer the experience.
“We try to keep things raw and lightweight and just authentic,” he said. “Just come out to an affordable, awesome night, meet a bunch of other people who are into the same music.” Affordability is important; average ticket prices run between $20 and $30.
Attendees routinely rave about the events.
“People meet their best friends, their wives, their husbands,” Maccoby said. “People get engaged and we DJ their weddings. It’s really cool, the community these things create, because obviously music brings people together from all different backgrounds.”
All Your Friends When: Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m. Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua Tickets: $26 and up at etix.com
According to Jamie Pappas, a co-chair of this weekend’s Greek Food Festival put on by St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church in Nashua, the event fills a critical need.
“People in the greater Nashua area absolutely love Greek food,” she said, “and we don’t have many Greek restaurants where they can reliably find it. We have a lot of restaurants that do serve Greek food, a lot of the pizza places, for instance, but not dedicated Greek food restaurants. So people really love our event and we actually have people that come to the event two or three times during the two-day event because they want to get enough to last them a while.”
This year’s Festival will take place Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pappas said one factor in the success of the event is the authenticity of the food.
“Everything that we sell is homemade by our church parishioners in our facility,” she said. “Even the tzatziki sauce for the gyros is homemade. Every pastry we sell is homemade.”
“One of the newer items we’ve had for the last couple of years,” Pappas continued, “are the lamb shanks. We used to do just the lamb kebabs and the chicken kebabs, but a few years ago we started making lamb shanks and those are incredibly delicious.” Because lamb shanks come from a hard-working part of a sheep (the shins), they require long, slow cooking. “That’s why those are started in the week before [the Festival], she said. “You have to start the cooking process earlier and the braising and the marinating and the tomato sauce and cooking. So it’s an added, a little added pressure, but it’s worth it because people enjoy it and they go like hotcakes”
The Greek dishes don’t just attract Greeks to the Festival, Pappas said. “The non-Greeks too, they love it. They really do. We offer the lamb, but we also offer chicken, chicken kebabs and other foods like that. There’s pastitsio, which is kind of like a Greek lasagna. And then the spanakopita, which is the spinach and cheese pie. We have the dolmades, which is your stuffed grape leaves. And meatballs, Greek-style meatballs. So there are other things other than the lamb. Believe it or not there are even a few Greeks who don’t like lamb, but we worry about them.”
For many Greek food enthusiasts the best part of a festival is the baked goods, and in particular the baklava. “We’ve been making that for the past week,” Pappas said, pointing out that volunteers from the St.Philip congregation work in teams to make the dishes for the Festival. “I’m in charge of the baked goods myself,” she said. “We’ve been working every weekend since the end of January. We’ll get anywhere from 10 to 20 people coming to make the doughs and to make the cookies and to cook them and to pack them away and then general cleanup afterward. From soup to nuts, we have to do it all. We have multi-generational families that come. Up until a couple of years ago, when my mom passed, it was something that we did together as a family.” Each batch of baked goods carries a degree of variation, she said.
“We have a standard recipe for everything. If we have 100 pans of spanakopita, there are 100 pans with the exact same ingredients, but especially with the baked goods, they might be put together a little differently. Some people make sesame cookies long and skinny and people make them short and fat, but it’s with the same amount of dough. They’re shaped a little differently or they look a little different, but they taste the same because it’s the same dough and the same amount going into each cookie.”
Saint Philip Greek Food Festival When: Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Where: St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church, 500 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 889-4000, stphilipnashua.com. More: There will be free parking, a shuttle bus, Greek dancing and live music. Visit nashuagreekfestival.com.
Featured photo: Greek Food Festival at St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church. Courtesy photo.
Get new flowers and greenery for the growing season at area garden clubs and garden enthusiasts plant sales. Because the club members are the ones selling the plants, you can get some planting advice along with your new annuals and perennials. Here are a few sales slated for the next few weeks. Know of a plant sale not mentioned here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.
• Garden Club of Deerfield will hold its plant sale on Friday, May 8, from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Deerfield Town Hall on Church Street, according to a post on the club’s Facebook page.
• The Amherst Garden Club will hold its plant sale on Saturday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wilkins School, 80 Boston Post Road in Amherst, according to amherstgardenclub.org/plant_sale.
• The Colonial Garden Club of Hollis will hold its sale Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to noon at Lawrence Barn, 28 Depot Road, according to hollisgardenclub.org.
• The Friends of the Audi and Concord’s General Service Department will hold their Perennial Exchange on Saturday, May 9, at 9a.m. to noon at the Concord City Auditorium, according to theaudi.org.
• The Rye Driftwood Garden Club will hold its sale on Friday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Goss Farm, 251 Harbor Road in Rye, according to ryenhgardenclub.org.
• The Nashua Garden Club will hold its sale on Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nashua Historical Society, 5 Abbott St. in Nashua, according to a post on the Nashua Garden Club’s Facebook page.
• The Bow Garden Club will hold its plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bow Community Center, 2 Bow Center Road, according to the club’s Facebook page.
• The Goffstown Garden Club will hold its plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to noon in the Goffstown Commons, according to their Facebook page.
• The Milford NH Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Community House Lawn, according to milfordnhgardenclub.org.
• The Candia Garden Club will hold its sale on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Masonic Hall, 12 South Road in Candia, according to a post on its Facebook page.
• The Windham Garden Club will hold its sale on Saturday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 61 Kendall Pond Road in Windham, according to a post on the club’s Facebook page.
• The Bedford Garden Club will hold its plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill, according to bgcnh.org/plant-sale-2026.
• The Hooksett Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale on Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to noon (or sellout) at the Hooksett Public Library, 31 Mount Saint Mary Way in Hooksett, according to hooksettnhgardenclub.org.
• The Derry Garden Club will hold its plant sale on Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Robert Frost Farm, according to the club’s Facebook page. See derrygardenclub.org.
• The NH Audubon’s McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road in Concord, will hold a Pollinator Fest & Native Plant Sale on Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to nhaudubon.org.
• The Merrimack Garden Club will hold its annual sale on Saturday, July 18, at the American Legion on Baboosic Lake Road, according to merrimackgardenclub.org.
Every other year the Amoskeag Quilters Guild holds a two-day event to showcase the creative skills of its 160 members. On May 16 and May 17 at Manchester’s Memorial High School, 220 quilts will be on display, ranging from heirloom-quality masterworks to the earnest first efforts of brand-new quilters.
The latter aspect is important. It’s not a juried show — every skill level is welcome, among participants and viewers. This is a celebration of a community and its shared passion, according to the event’s chairperson; a joyous occasion for an organization that formed back in 1988.
“We’ve encouraged every member to put in a quilt,” quilter Kristi Parker said by phone recently. “We’ve got some people who’ve been quilting for 40-plus years and are very skilled, and there are others who’ve only been quilting six months. We’ve welcomed all levels of ability.”
That intentional inclusivity is part of what sets a Guild show apart from prestigious competitions. “When you go to a juried show, it’s like going to a professional basketball game,” Parker said. “You appreciate the players, you love being there, but most people aren’t ever going to attain that level.”
A Guild event, she continued, is an experience grounded in the possible. “You see amazing works and think, ‘I can aspire to that,’ and you also see someone who’s only been quilting six months. They’ve put their heart and soul into something, and it’s encouraging. Because you think, ‘I can do that.’”
Parker came to quilting in a roundabout way. Growing up in a rural town, she kept busy making clothes. In her teens she decided to make a quilt with collected fabric scraps.
“I had no idea there were rules or guidelines,” she said. “Traditional quilts are made from cotton, but my first one has everything from polyester and double knit to velvet.”
The hand-stitching of her childhood has given way to high-tech equipment like a long-arm quilting machine, a computer-guided, large-format device that’s transformed quilt-making in recent years. It was used to make this year’s raffle prize, a quilt that began as paper pieced blocks that individual Guild members worked on prior to assembly.
Speaking of high-end, a big-ticket prize at this year’s show is a $1,800 Bernina 335 sewing machine from Pintuck & Purl in North Hampton, a donation that wowed Parker.
“When they offered us that machine to raffle off, my jaw dropped to the floor,” she said. “If somebody wins it … they’ve hit the jackpot.”
Proceeds from the show benefit the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Mass. However, the raffle for the “Tastefully Tula” collaborative quilt raises funds in support of Kidneys for Kindness. The nonprofit organization advocates for organ donation, supports donors and raises awareness about kidney health.
Other Guild charitable efforts include Cases of Caring, with members making and donating pillowcases to local groups to bring to children, veterans and shut-ins. Every other year, the Guild hosts a workshop to mass produce them, and kits can be picked up at monthly meetings and returned.
There’s also the Quilted Gift program. Members receive pre-batted and backed kits for quilting and bouncing, along with other completed tops and quilts that members have finished and wish to donate. The Committee then distributes them to people in need. More than 850 quilts have been donated to various programs and charities in the past five years.
This cohesiveness is a big part of what draws Parker to the organization, and it has less to do with fabric than with people.
“One of my favorite parts of quilting, besides the creativity, is the community,” she said. “Having the chance to meet people, to develop friendships — that’s really what drives me.”
Amoskeag Quilters Guild Show When: Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: Manchester Memorial High School, 1 Crusader Way, Manchester Tickets: $10 at the door, free for ages 12 and under More: amoskeagqg.org
From semiquincentennial to superheroes, a guide to regional museums
One of the great advantages of living in New Hampshire is a sense of history. Everywhere, there are reminders of the state’s heritage, from colonial days to the first in the nation primary and beyond. Is it any wonder America’s leading documentary filmmaker hails from the Granite State?
As the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary nears, it’s a great time to visit a museum. There are many choices, such as local historical societies, places dedicated to New Hampshire’s rich industrial past like the Millyard Museum and Belknap Mill, and a quirky telephone museum in Warner.
For something off history’s path, Manchester’s Currier Museum of Art’s “Summer of Photography” has works from “Danny Lyon: The Bikeriders,” shown beside a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and “Together, Apart, and Away: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection.”
Together, Currier Director of Marketing and Communications Ali Goldstein noted recently, they tell distinct stories about shared human experiences. “Sweeping and personal, nostalgic and timely,” she said, they “herald the beginning of a season of road trips, family adventures, and the making of new memories.”
With that in mind, here’s a guide to exploring regional museums, with information from the location’s websites and social media pages (call to double check times and other details before setting forth).
America’s Stonehenge
105 Haverhill Road, North Salem (893-8300, stonehengeusa.com)
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (last admission 4 p.m.), open year-round (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Admission: $19
Description: Complex of man-made stone chambers, walls, and standing stones, it’s potentially the oldest constructed site in the United States. Like Stonehenge in England, it appears to have served as an accurate astronomical calendar.
Don’t miss: The Oracle Chamber — a subterranean stone passage with acoustic properties that are still not fully understood — and witnessing the summer solstice sunrise alignment at dawn from the main site.
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., open May-November
Admission: $8 (NH Museum Trail Member)
Description: During the American Revolution, this building served as the state treasury, where the Gilman family stored New Hampshire’s wartime finances. Today the museum’s permanent collection of founding documents includes an original Dunlap Broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence, early drafts of the U.S. Constitution with editorial annotations, and a wealth of Revolutionary-era correspondence and artifacts.
Don’t miss: A rare surviving copy of the first printed announcement of America’s independence, the Dunlap Broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence.
Description: Founded in 1996, the Institute creates a thought-provoking dialogue between art and nature in its 140-acre outdoor sculpture park, with more than 100 large-scale works on wooded trails. Allow two or three hours for exploring, and bring sturdy shoes. The Institute also hosts regular concerts.
Don’t miss: The main sculpture trail at golden hour offers a magical atmosphere, as low, warm light hits the stone and metal works, highlighting their features.
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday 1-4 p.m., open year-round
Admission: $15 for ages 13-64, others $7.50 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Housed in a restored 1937 Art Deco terminal and control tower at the edge of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, the museum preserves and celebrates New Hampshire’s rich aviation heritage, from early barnstormers to World War II aces to modern aerospace pioneers.
Don’t miss: A display honoring the first American in space, New Hampshire’s own Alan Shepard. Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m., try the hands-on Elite Flight Simulator, a realistic, all-ages flight experience.
Belknap Mill Museum
25 Beacon St. East, Laconia (524-8813, belknapmill.org)
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., open year-round
Admission: $10 for adults (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Built in 1823, the country’s oldest unaltered brick textile mill is a designated National Historic Landmark. Originally a weaving mill, it switched to knitting during the Civil War and operated as a hosiery mill until 1969. Along with exhibits, the Mill regularly holds outdoor concerts from early June to Labor Day.
Don’t miss: The Knitting Room, with historic hosiery knitting machines that show how the building functioned as a 19th-century textile factory, and the Powerhouse exhibit, showcasing 200 years of hydro-power history.
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (May-October); weekends only November; grounds open year-round
Admission: $25 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: One of the finest and most intact surviving Shaker community sites in the world. At its peak around 1850, approximately 300 Shakers lived and worked here in 100 buildings. The last Canterbury sister, Ethel Hudson, died in 1992, after which the site transitioned fully into a museum.
Don’t miss: The Dwelling House displays the spare, functional beauty of Shaker furniture and architecture and how it embodies a design philosophy that was nearly 150 years ahead of its time.
Castle in the Clouds (Lucknow Estate)
586 Ossipee Park Road, Moultonborough (476-5900, castleintheclouds.org)
Hours: Entrance closes 3 p.m.; last trolley to mansion 3:45 p.m., Open late May-early October
Admission: $23 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: The 1913-1914 Craftsman mansion sits above Lake Winnipesaukee, a National Historic Landmark with 5,500 acres of trails. Officially the Lucknow Estate, it was built by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant and his wife Olive.
Don’t miss: The behind-the-scenes basement tour, which reveals the mansion’s innovative (for the early 20th century) mechanical systems. Same-day tour tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Children’s Museum of New Hampshire
Little Farmers exhibit at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. Photo courtesy of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in February 2025.
6 Washington St., Dover (742-2002, childrens-museum.org)
Hours: Tuesday 9 a.m.-noon; Wednesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.-noon; closed Monday, open year-round
Admission: $14.50 ($12.50 for seniors)
Description: Two floors of joyful, interactive exhibits for children from newborn through middle school. The museum’s approach is rooted in a conviction that children learn best through play, exploration and hands-on discovery. Timed sessions keep things manageable.
Don’t miss: The STEAM Innovation Lab, where children design, build and test their own inventions. It’s a transformative experience that gives youngsters an early opportunity to think like an engineer.
Clark House Museum Complex
233 S. Main St., Wolfeboro (569-4997, wolfeborohistoricalsociety.org)
Hours: Wednesday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., open July 1 – Labor Day
Admission: $4
Description: Captures the layered colonial and 19th-century heritage of the town billed as America’s Oldest Summer Resort, with the 1778 Clark House, an 1805 schoolhouse, a replica firehouse and an 1820s barn. Another worthwhile attraction is the Wolfeboro Historical Society’s strong genealogy and research library.
Don’t miss: The restored 1875 Amoskeag Steam Fire Engine in the Firehouse Museum, one of the finest surviving examples of 19th-century firefighting technology.
Currier Museum of Art
150 Ash St., Manchester (669-6144, www.currier.org)
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Monday-Tuesday, open year-round
Admission: $15
Description: One of New England’s finest art museums and a jewel of Manchester’s cultural life, with a permanent collection of more than 11,000 objects spanning European and American art from the 12th century to the present. Beyond that, the Currier owns and maintains two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed houses.
Don’t miss: The intimate tour of Wright’s Zimmerman House and its beautifully preserved Usonian interior. Reserve well in advance, as this deeply personal encounter with the architectural genius sells out quickly.
Exeter Historical Society
47 Front St., Exeter (778-2335, exeterhistory.org)
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2-4:30 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m.-noon, open year-round
Admission: Free (donation suggested)
Description: Founded in 1964, the Society has an impressive collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, documents and research materials spanning nearly four centuries of Exeter history, from its founding in 1638 and its pivotal role in the Revolution (it was briefly the state capital) to the growth of Phillips Exeter Academy.
Don’t miss: Check out the many Native American artifacts along with pieces from President Lincoln’s visit to the town as part of his Cooper Union speech tour in 1860.
John Hay Estate at The Fells
456 Route 103A, Newbury (763-4789, thefells.org)
Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays June 17-Sept. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., opens May 23
Admission: $15 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: The lakeside retreat of American statesman John Milton Hay and his wife Clara was built in 1891 and refined in the early 20th century under the direction of prominent New York architect and landscape designer Prentice Sanger. Docent-led guided tours are conducted at 1 p.m., when the Main House is open.
Don’t miss: “Gardening in Granite,” an exhibit that draws on the reflections of John Hay’s son Clarence Hay regarding the ingenuity and perseverance required to garden in the rocky terrain of The Fells.
Hours: Thursday-Monday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., open Memorial Day-October
Admission: $6 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Run by the Portsmouth Historical Society, which also runs the Discover Portsmouth Center at 10 Middle St., this is a 1758 Georgian boarding house where John Paul Jones stayed.
Don’t miss: The museum’s collection of 18th- and 19th-century Portsmouth silverware, paintings, and household objects that illuminate the refined domestic life of a prosperous colonial seaport.
L. L. Lee Scouting Museum
395 Blondin Road, Manchester (867-2501, scoutingmuseum.nhscouting.org)
Admission: Free (donation suggested) (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Contains colorful and historic exhibits on the history of scouting, including original paintings of Boy’s Life covers, a flag taken to the moon by astronaut and Scout Alan Shepard, plus a display of sketches, letters, and Boer War memorabilia belonging to Scouting’s founder, Robert Baden-Powell.
Don’t miss: The large collection of “sealed samples” — one-of-a-kind prototypes of new uniforms, patches, awards and gear, some going back to the beginnings of Scouting In America, with items like a uniform dating back to 1920 signed by the first National Scout Executive, James E. West.
Laconia Historical & Museum Society
695 N. Main St. (Laconia Public Library), Laconia (527-1278, laconiahistory.com)
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., open year-round
Admission: Free
Description: Set inside the Laconia Public Library, it has regular programs on Lakes Region history. Exhibits highlight its heritage in boatbuilding and knitting mills, along with a focus on Scott & Williams Machinery, a company that was once the world’s leading supplier of circular knitting machinery.
Don’t miss: “Then & Now: The Weirs,” a collection of historical photographs tracing the property’s evolution from an Indigenous gathering place to a 19th-century resort and the NH Veterans Association encampment.
Lake Winnipesaukee Museum
503 Endicott St. North (Route 3), Laconia (366-5950, lwhs.us)
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., open mid-June-Columbus Day
Admission: Free (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: The volunteer-run museum’s property is a historic landmark, purchased in 1923 by lifelong resident and long-time state legislator David O’Shan. First run as a poultry farm, it was developed by O’Shan into a cabin colony in the 1930s. The Museum building is his original residence, and the yellow cottages nearby are part of the original cabin colony.
Don’t miss: “The Steamboat Era” includes photographs and artifacts from a variety of old vessels, a working model of the old Mount, and a collection of photographs showing the launching of the new Mount in 1940.
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
2 Institute Dr., Concord (271-7827, starhop.com)
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (fall/winter/spring); daily summer; open all NH school vacation weeks, open year-round
Admission: $13
Description: New England’s leading air and space museum honors two New Hampshire heroes of the Space Age: Christa McAuliffe, the Concord High School social studies teacher was was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to be NASA’s first Teacher in Space and perished in the Challenger disaster of 1986; and Alan Shepard, who became the first American in space in 1961 and walked on the moon in 1971.
Don’t miss: A planetarium show in the Center’s 10K full-dome theater. It’s one of only three such systems in North America, offering an immersion in space that no home theater or cinema house can replicate.
Meredith Historical Society
45 Main St. and 61 Winona Road, Meredith (279-1190, meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org)
Hours: Main Street, Saturday 12:30-3 p.m.; Farm Museum, contact for hours, open Saturdays
Admission: Free
Description: The compact and charming Main Street Museum is open on Saturdays only and offers visitors a view into the rich history of the region, initially settled in 1748. The Farm Museum, focused on the annual life cycle of a New Hampshire farm, is only open for special events (check website for those).
Don’t miss: The Society’s Farm Museum, displaying the tools and implements used by 19th-century farmers, laid out in sections highlighting the activities during each of the four seasons.
Millyard Museum
200 Bedford St., Suite 103, Manchester (622-7531, manchesterhistoric.org)
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., open year-round
Admission: $12 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Operated by the Manchester Historic Association, the museum sits in a space that was once home to the world’s largest textile manufacturing complex. Its collection contains more than 600,000 documents and artifacts, from neon shoe store signs and Victorian household objects to massive textile looms.
Don’t miss: “Reflections of the Revolution: The Derryfield Perspective,” celebrating the U.S. semiquincentennial with portraits, artifacts and stories from Manchester residents involved in the fight for independence.
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
A beaded vest from the new “Quills & Beads: Adornment that Adapts” exhibit at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. Courtesy photo.
18 Highwatch Road, Warner (456-2600, indianmuseum.org)
Description: New Hampshire’s only Native American museum preserves and interprets cultures from across the North American continent, from the prehistoric past through the modern age. Its main gallery contains thousands of Native-made objects, including clothing, baskets, beadwork, ceramics, carvings and tools, all contextualized within the living traditions of the tribal nations who created them.
Don’t miss: The Medicine Woods Trail is an educational walk through plants used by Native Americans for medicine, food and shelter. It reflects a philosophy that understanding Native culture begins with recognizing its deep relationship with the land.
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (office); house museum tours by appointment, open year-round
Admission: $10
Description: The museum’s galleries present both permanent and rotating exhibitions covering Nashua’s industrial history, its role in the Civil War, the immigrant communities that transformed the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the lives of notable Nashua residents.
Don’t miss:Declaring Independence: Then & Now, a live performance happening on June 4, utilizing primary source material to reveal how local colonists engaged with the independence movement in 1776, followed by an annotated reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday noon-4 p.m., open seasonally
Admission: $5 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Founded in 1992 by boating enthusiasts, the sprawling facility has more than 2,500 objects, including vintage motorboats, canoes, race boats, engines, ephemera. The museum is now in the midst of transforming 6,500 square feet of its main floor into a hub for education, exhibits and more.
Don’t miss: A rare 1929 Chris-Craft Closed-Cabin Limousine Sedan, one of only five in existence. Designed to ferry commuters or party guests, it was last used by a doctor and his family at their Lake Sunapee retreat.
New Hampshire Historical Society
30 Park St., Concord (228-6688, nhhistory.org)
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., open year-round
Admission: $10 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Founded 1823, it’s the oldest and most comprehensive repository of Granite State history, with permanent galleries including a 19th-century Concord Coach, a collection of White Mountain art by masters like Benjamin Champney and Frank Shapleigh, Abenaki artifacts, and a rich array of historical objects.
Don’t miss: The Concord Coach, one of the most famous wheeled vehicles in American history. The stagecoach, manufactured in Concord, carried mail, passengers, and gold across the American West.
New Hampshire Telephone Museum
1 Depot St., Warner (456-2234, nhtelephonemuseum.org)
Hours: Tuesday and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (May-October); limited November-December and March-April; closed January-February
Admission: $9
Description: This wonderfully specialized museum traces the evolution of telecommunications from early telephones to the wireless devices of today, with particular attention to the unique history of telephone service in New Hampshire.
Don’t miss: A collection of hand-cranked magneto telephones and early switchboards, along with the story of how the 1938 hurricane hastened the end of the state’s era of local, independent phone companies.
Hours: Thursday-Monday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (last tour 3 p.m.); grounds dawn-dusk year-round, open May 22-Oct. 12
Admission: $5
Description: A National Historic Landmark and State Historic Site preserving the two-story white clapboard farmhouse where the poet and his family lived from 1900 to 1911. They were formative years; the majority of the poems in Frost’s first two books, as well as many poems from his third, were written during that time.
Don’t miss: The kitchen where Frost wrote his early masterpieces by lamplight, as well as the staircase that inspired one of his most wrenching dramatic poems, “Home Burial.”
Sandwich Historical Society
4 Maple St., Center Sandwich (284-6269, sandwichhistorical.org)
Hours: Most Sundays 1-4 p.m., open April-September
Admission: Free
Description: With two facilities, the circa 1850 Eliza Marston House and the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum, the Society’s mission is to “collect and preserve the material culture and historical record … in service to the public through educational experiences and outreach to the community.”
Don’t miss: From June 27 through Sept. 5, celebrate 100 years of the Sandwich Home Industries, a look at the legacy of Mary and J. Randolph Coolidge, how the support of local artisans contributed to the effort, and a display of collected artifacts from a century of retail.
Seacoast Science Center
570 Ocean Blvd. (Odiorne Point State Park), Rye (436-8043, seacoastsciencecenter.org)
Hours: April 16-Oct. 14 open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Oct. 15-April 15 open Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Open year-round.
Admission: $10
Description: Located inside Odiorne Point State Park (separate entry fee), this is the state’s premiere marine science education institution. Its aquariums, indoor touch tanks and interactive exhibits bring the ecology of the Gulf of Maine to life for visitors of all ages.
Don’t miss: The suspended 32-foot humpback whale skeleton that hangs in the main gallery and provides an impressive reminder of the scale of marine life in the nearby waters.
SEE Science Center
200 Bedford St., Manchester (669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org)
Description: Manchester’s hands-on science discovery center is located in the same mill building as the Millyard Museum. Founded in 1986, SEE engages visitors of all ages in the joys of actively exploring science, technology, engineering, art and math, with a wealth of interactive exhibits spread across multiple floors.
Don’t miss: The Lego Millyard Project, a stunning three-million-brick model capturing Manchester’s industrial past at minifigure scale. This feat of civic artistry is the largest such installation in the world.
Description: A wonderfully inspiring outdoor museum and New Hampshire’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, with more than 30 historic buildings, it preserves more than 350 years of history in the Puddle Dock neighborhood of Portsmouth’s South End, where English settlers first established the colony in the 1630s.
Don’t miss: The new Cousins Apartment exhibit, which tells the story of a Black family living in 1930s and 1940s Portsmouth. It’s a moving addition to the museum’s interpretive program.
Hours: Daily 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., open February-mid-December
Admission: $14 (NH Museum Trail member)
Description: Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and launched in 1953, the USS Albacore was a pioneering research submarine. Its revolutionary teardrop hull design became the template for future subs. The 205-foot vessel now sits in a dry basin surrounded by a memorial garden, maritime museum gallery and gift shop.
Don’t miss: The periscope walk-through in the sub’s control room, along with compelling audio narration by veterans who once served aboard the fastest submarine in the world.
Woodman Institute Museum
182 Central Ave., Dover (742-1038, woodmanmuseum.org)
Description: Called “a Victorian cabinet of curiosities” by one writer, this complex encompasses history, natural history, militaria, decorative arts — and sewer-dwelling action heroes. It includes one of the state’s oldest intact garrison houses, a Victorian funeral exhibit with a horse-drawn hearse and a medicinal garden.
Don’t miss: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Collection, added in 2024 in recognition of the made-in-Dover franchise. It includes bronze statues of the comic’s characters, donated by co-creator Kevin Eastman.
Wright Museum of World War II
77 Center St., Wolfeboro (569-1212, wrightmuseum.org)
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday noon-4 p.m., open May 1-Oct. 31
Admission: $16
Description: Founded in 1994, this 20,000-square-foot institution is dedicated to educating, entertaining and inspiring visitors with the story of WWII-era Americans. Its signature Time Tunnel strolls visitors through American home life during the war years. For America’s 250th, it’s highlighting the contributions of the nearby Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Don’t miss: The Military Vehicle Collection, particularly an operational WWII tank that looks to have blasted through an exterior wall. On special Family Day events there’s the chance to ride in one of the vehicles.
21 museums for the price of two : A look at the NH Heritage Museum Trail Passport
A vital tool for diving into the state’s heritage, the NH Heritage Museum Trail Passport provides a year’s worth of access to 21 different museums for just $30. Led by Manchester Historical Association Executive Director Jeff Barraclough, the Museum Trail was created as a collaborative marketing effort.
“It’s an incentive for people to seek out museums that they otherwise might not have visited … we’ve found it’s a great way to help promote one another,” Barraclough said by phone recently. “If someone is going to be visiting two museums in the course of a year, it’s basically worth it.”
From the Aviation Museum in Londonderry, at the fringes of Manchester’s regional airport, to the Millyard Museum (also led by Barraclough) and its rich manufacturing history, along with unique New Hampshire Boat Museum in the Lakes Region and the oddball Woodman Museum in Dover, there’s lots to explore.
“There’s a bunch of different things that folks might not immediately think of, but this is an opportunity for them to consider it,” Barraclough continued, adding that the 250th anniversary of American Independence is another driving force.
“I think there’s a heightened interest in our country’s history,” he said. “At the Millyard Museum, we opened a temporary exhibit on Manchester’s role in the Revolution, talking about John Stark and other key people … and there are watch parties throughout the state relating to Ken Burns’ American Revolution series.”
Starting with a December 2024 event to mark the 1774 raid on Fort William & Mary, NHMT member museums have participated in an ongoing initiative highlighting key people in New Hampshire history, called “25 Stories for 250 Years.” Barraclough noted that it covers a widely diverse field.
“There are stories about the USS Albacore, the fastest submarine in the world; John and Lucy Hale, with John being an important anti-slavery politician in the lead-up to the Civil War and having a really impactful role on public sentiment on slavery at the time; and the Mount Washington cruise ship on Lake Winnipesaukee.”
See the full list at nhmuseumtrail.org/25-stories-for-250-years.
Manchester is slated to get a new mural on Saturday, May 16, at “the embankment along Canal and Pleasant Streets,” a project that is a collaboration between SEE Science Center, Manchester Connects and artist Big Sam Paints, according to a press release from SEE Science Center. The mural will “highlight Manchester’s industrial history and natural landscape” and “will span about 130 feet long by 8 feet high and run along both sides of the stairway, tapering at each end to follow the shape of the embankment. Installation will take place throughout the day,” the release said. “The design pulls from Manchester’s past as a textile mill city, using abstract patterns inspired by fabric production. It also includes flowing elements that reference the Merrimack River. … Residents and visitors are encouraged to stop by Canal and Pleasant Streets on May 16 to see the mural come together.”
New mural in Nashua
A mural celebrating Nashua’s history and French Canadian heritage will be unveiled on the Water Street bridge wall in Nashua on Saturday, May 23, at 3:30 p.m. during a weekend-long celebration at Nashua’s Renaissance Park and Riverwalk, according to a press release from Nashua’s Offices of the Mayor and Economic Development. The mural fills the wall that is 70 feet long and ranges from 5 to 20 feet high and is the work of artist Graham Carraway of Denver, Colorado, the release said. According to the mayor’s office Facebook page Enjoy Nashua, there will be “four days of music, food, events and fun for the whole family” at the newly renovated Le Parc de Notre Renaissance from Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25.
New nurses
New Hampshire community colleges will graduate 347 nursing students over the next few days, the largest class since 2013, according to a press release from Community College System of New Hampshire on May 11. “Of those, 290 will graduate prepared to become Registered Nurses (RN) and 57 as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), ready to enter a healthcare workforce stretched thin across the state,” the release said. Pinning ceremonies, which date to 1855 “when Queen Victoria honored Florence Nightingale for her service during the Crimean War,” will take place at colleges May 14 through May 18, with 22 RN graduates from Nashua Community College, 79 RN graduates from NHTI Concord’s Community College and 61 RN graduates from Manchester Community College among them, the release said. See ccsnh.edu for information on the community college system.
Grants for the outdoors
The New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation has opened the latest round of grant applications for Land and Water Conservation Fund grants and will accept applications through April 30, 2029, according to a press release. Applicants can submit project proposals at any time during the three-year period with projects “reviewed annually for eligibility and readiness, including site inspections,” the press release said. “Funding requests must range from $150,000 to $1,000,000 and require a minimum 1:1 match. Eligible projects include park and recreation facility development, land acquisition, or a combination of both,” the release said. “The LWCF is a federal program, administered in partnership with the National Park Service, that provides matching grants to states and local communities for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas. Since its inception, LWCF funding has supported parks, trails, and recreational facilities in communities from every corner of New Hampshire, expanding access and enhancing quality of life for residents and visitors alike,” the release said. Contact the LWCF Program at 271-3556 or lwcf@dncr.nh.gov for more information or see nhstateparks.org/about-us/community-recreation/land-water-conservation-fund-grant.
Wesley United Methodist Church, 79 Clinton St. in Concord, will hold a church plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to an email from the church.
The In Our Roots Annual Multicultural Fashion Show will take place at Manchester West High School auditorium on Saturday, May 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring “bold looks” as well as performances by Cozy Throne, Rhythm & Roots Studio and the school’s own Nepali dancers, according to west.mansd.org.
