New Hampshire Field Trip Guide
Enriching experiences await students in beautiful Old New Hampshire
A state ripe with history and outdoor experiences, New Hampshire provides amazing field trip opportunities across a range of subjects. As one of the original 13 colonies, the Granite State is the perfect place to introduce students to the vast history of New England and all that took place there over the previous centuries. In addition to homes and villages that dot the state and now serve as historic sites, there are science museums, theaters and parks all with exciting student field trip ideas to offer.
A Few New Hampshire Field Trip Ideas
- American Independence Museum
- Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center
- Capitol Center for the Arts
- Aviation Museum of New Hampshire
- Seacoast Science Center
New Hampshire History & Heritage Field Trip Ideas
The American Independence Museum, another great field trip idea, is located in the state’s Revolutionary War Capital of Exeter and offers students a chance to view historic artifacts as they take part in programs that focus on civic duties, engagement and responsibility. The Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center in Peterborough is another hands-on experience not to be missed. With nearly 8,000 artifacts from around the world, the center is designed to introduce students to cultures and communities different from their own. Field trips are customized by grade level, with the most popular program focusing on learning about the life and experiences of children across cultures. The Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury is an internationally known nonprofit museum and historic site with 25 original shaker buildings. It is one of the most intact and authentic surviving Shaker community sites and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993.
Performing Arts Locations to Visit
At Jean’s Playhouse in Lincoln, field trip groups can enjoy Broadway-style musicals in this beautiful theater. The Papermill Theatre Company puts on performances year-round, and students will also enjoy a show by Jean’s Teens, which is a community-based theater company featuring local teens. There are also opportunities for backstage tours so that field trip groups can see how performances come together. At the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, a 1,300+-seat theater with an Egyptian motif, there are numerous student-friendly performances throughout the year. Most performances also have study guides available online to help students get the most out of their experience.
The Music Hall in Portsmouth caters to student groups with affordable productions that are designed to help children gain insight into culture, the arts and live performance. For students studying the works of Shakespeare, Advice to the Players in Sandwich is a truly unique experience. This company of theater professionals performs works of Shakespeare and offers workshops throughout the year, introducing students to some of the best works in the English language.
Educational Field Trips through STEM
Experience the history of flight through an amazing field trip at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Manchester. Interactive exhibits allow students to get up close with planes of past and present as well as take part in special programs designed to introduce topics of forces & motion, physics and careers in aviation. A marvel of engineering, the Mount Washington Cog Railway climbs to the peak of Mount Washington, giving students an incredible view and a fun experience.
At the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, students can get up close with the natural beauty of New Hampshire as they explore seven different natural habitats over 135 acres. Interpretive and live animal exhibits are a great place to reinforce skills learned in the classroom, and there are also group-specific programs covering exciting topics like sharks, whales and shore exploration. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord offers a firsthand look into astronomy, aviation, Earth and space science.
Main photo: Peak autumn foliage in New Hampshire
