Concord, NH weekend -- worth it?

July 21, 2017 4:49 PM

We will be attending a wedding in Concord NH in October. The wedding is on a Sunday night, and we're considering heading up there on Saturday morning to make a weekend of it. Is Concord fun?

We'll be driving up from Boston with our 7-month-old. We aren't interested in going too far out of our way in terms of visiting other towns (definitely not much further north), but are wondering if there's good eating/hiking/meandering in that area?

We would be particularly interested in:
-Farms/local food -- saw a previous recommendation for Beech Hill Farm which is perfect because (1) it's close and (2) it has ice cream.
-Cute towns to walk around (is Concord itself cute?)
-Maybe a museum? or historical site?
-Easy to medium hikes
-Diners

We go to Portland all the time and love it, just wondering what the Concord scene is like!

posted by Bebo to Travel & Transportation around Concord, NH (10 answers total)

I wouldn't call Concord fun but I have always liked Concord. It's the state capitol so there is a neat walk around Capitol Area. I love diners and Concord has many decent qualities but no real diners The Common Man has good food but is chain-ish. The Red Arrow is 24/7 but gets lackluster reviews. I like Tuckers if I am in the area. Bear Brook State Park is on the way up which used to have the Museum of Family Camping (RIP) and is a great place for nature stuff and easy hikes. If you're into space stuff there is a nice Science Museum.
posted by jessamyn at 4:58 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

There is a downtown area and if the weather is cooperating it's fun to walk around. There's a toy store and bookstore and loads of restaurants. Here's a link to the list of stuff.
posted by MadMadam at 5:07 PM on July 21, 2017

I agree with Tuckers. I like the NH Historical Society museum and the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, though they are both small. In October, driving around the Concord/Bow area, and hiking at Bear Brook, will likely be very pretty.
posted by ChuraChura at 6:50 PM on July 21, 2017

Eh....I'd head to Dover, Portsmouth, or Keene with your extra time instead.
posted by Miko at 8:29 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I would rate Concord well below Portland in fun potential.

But if you're going to be there anyways, the Susan N. McLane Audubon Center, the original New Hampshire Audubon Society site open to the public in the state, is five or ten minutes down the road.

They also have a fish ladder, Amoskeag Fishways, on the way in Manchester immediately off the highway (literally almost visible from the end of an off-ramp) but unfortunately the active season for most fish appears to have been in May and June.
posted by XMLicious at 9:55 PM on July 21, 2017

Concord is pretty boring but I heartily recommend Tuckers.
posted by pintapicasso at 11:35 AM on July 22, 2017

A couple of food notes: Aissa Sweets is a cafe and catering business in Concord founded and run by a Syrian refugee. I don't see them on the menu but apart from the baklava, which is awesome, he had these things he called "carrot squares" which were my favorite. (Upon checking their site, never mind unfortunately, looks like they're only open Monday to Friday.)

If you like South Asian food and by any chance leave the wedding early and hungry, on the way back you might stop at Asian Kabab & Grill in Manchester which just opened a few months ago. Their web site says "We Are Open 7 Days a Week, Monday To Sunday 11:00 am To 11:00 pm."
posted by XMLicious at 3:26 PM on July 22, 2017

I'd suggest getting a hotel room for the night, but considering bailing on the trip (not the wedding of course) if it rains. The area will have things to do, leaves to peep and trails to hike in good weather. In bad weather with a small child it'll be hell.
posted by Toddles at 5:16 PM on July 22, 2017

My husband was born and raised in Concord and he says "no, go to Porstmouth instead".
I've walked around Main St and it was interesting enough for 30 minutes but that's it to be honest.
My mother-in-law hikes with her dog at Bear Brook regularly.
posted by shesbenevolent at 7:37 PM on July 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think the Concord main drag can be described as kind of cute. Highlights for me were the entire store dedicated to yo-yos, the shoe store where I bought the most comfortable/stylish red leather boots, (no sales tax either) and the little food co-op.
posted by oxisos at 11:28 AM on July 23, 2017