Things to do in/near Dartmouth College

July 18, 2006 12:10 PM

Things to do in Hanover, NH and on the Dartmouth College Campus?

I'm going to be on the Dartmouth College campus for five days next week (Sunday -> Thursday afternoon) at a conference on educational fundraising.

Do any of you Ivy-leaguer/New Englander mefites have any suggestions of things to check out while I am there?

In particular, I am looking to see if there are any particularly good but casual-dress-friendly restaurants in Hanover for dinner each night as well as any nice beaches/swimming areas on the Connecticut river (that won't involve me breaking any laws to use!)

Really... I have very little idea of what to expect - so if you know of something cool in that area please let me know about it! :)

posted by elkerette to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Lebanon, NH is one town over, and that's where the shopping and restaurants are, strip-mall-style. Convenient, but not classy.

The Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT is only 30 min away, and is having a BBQ festival you can catch on Sunday of your trip.

I don't suggest swimming in the Connecticut river, but my experiences with it were all in CT.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 12:26 PM on July 18, 2006

Whenever I visit friends in Hanover I like to eat at Canoe Club and the Flying Goose Brew Pub in nearby New London, NH.

I second the Harpoon Brewery event. The ones they host in Boston and Windsor are always fun and often packed with a happy crowd.

I suggest heading down Rte. 89 to Lake Sunapee (about 20 - 30 minute drive) for beaches and swimming.
posted by ericb at 1:05 PM on July 18, 2006

BTW -- the Dartmouth Outing Club is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the country. Anyone is invited to participate in their events: trips, classes, etc. Check out their summer schedule.
posted by ericb at 1:08 PM on July 18, 2006

The Murdough Greenhouses, if you like orchids. Right on campus.

Hanover generally is quite casual and there are a lot of nice places to eat, mostly student-driven. I don't know much about higher end food options there. I've been happy with both Mai Thai and the India Queen there, and Everything But Anchovies serves really good pizza. You can check here for address/phone info. There's a short list of events on this page. The Valley News calendar also has some off the beaten track stuff that might not make it elsewhere, like the chess club meeting and so forth. It will give you an idea of what the area around Dartmouth is like.

I live about 30 minutes in to Vermont from there, so I don't know much about the swimming there, but I know it's excellent here. If you have an urge to flop around in a river and you have a car, send me an email.
posted by jessamyn at 3:10 PM on July 18, 2006