As you probably saw, we had a good time planning out our “Staycation” in Concord. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to actually do it all because we have a limited budget (like $0) and had lots of other things to get done over the course of a short week other than having a good time. We know, we don’t think it’s fair either.
But nonetheless that’s the reality we were faced with, but we sure didn’t let that keep us from having fun thinking about all the cool stuff we could do if we had a week off and wanted to spend it entirely in Concord.
We soon also realized that we needed way more than a week to do all the great things we came up with. So why stop with what we wanted to do on our pretend vacation? Why not give you plenty of options to take part in if you decide to spend your vacation in Concord this summer.
For the kids
With school out and the kids running wild, it won’t be long before you start counting down the days until the learning process picks back up.
But what kids really need is to get moving and rid themselves of all that extra energy.
Concord is home to many parks and outdoor play areas (also known as playgrounds) for the kids to run around in. It’s free and will definitely help when it comes to getting them to sleep – especially the little ones.
But what if it’s raining? Good question. There’s always a trip to Steeplegate Mall and the VI Party Rentals Bounce House and Laser Tag Entertainment Center. Like the name says, you can get your bounce on or play laser tag – or crash into someone wearing a sumo suit or those cool knockerballs we tried a few months back.
While at the mall you can also take a five-, 15- or 30-minute ride on one of those motorized animals. The length of your ride is up to you (and your wallet), but the big question is how do you decide between a cow, elephant, dog and zebra?
Family fun
While strawberry season is coming to an end, blueberries and raspberries will soon dominate the conversation when it comes to pick-you-own farms.
And with three in Concord (Rossview Farm, Apple Hill Farm and Carter Hill Orchard), you could easily make a day of it and go home with lots of berries.
With seven city pools to choose from, there’s no shortage of places to take a dip. It’s free for Concord and Penacook residents and a small fee for non residents. Check out the parks and rec website for times.
With the warm weather comes outdoor music and there’s lots to choose from this year – in both Concord and Bow.
The Nevers Band will play the next three Tuesdays (including today) at 7 p.m. at various locations, while Eagle Square on Thursdays at 7 is the place for shows the next two weeks.
Bow Rotary hosts a summer concert series on Sundays that began this past weekend and runs through Aug. 14.
And another option for when a rainy summer day has you down and bored out of your mind, is Boutwell’s Bowling Center. Grab some shoes and roll a couple strings, seven days a week.
Educational fun
Sure, this is summer and for all the students out there, this is the time to take a break from books and homework. But there’s all kinds of great venues that happen to be both a good time and full of information.
You can go to either the Concord Public Library of the Baker Free Library (Bow) for workshops and events, or to just check out some light reading.
If New Hampshire history is what you’re looking for, the New Hampshire Historical Society is the place to brush on some Granite State facts. There’s the Pierce Manse, which was home to New Hampshire’s only president, Franklin Pierce. Take a self-guided tour of the State House to see your decision makers in action or pick up the chamber’s map for a history filled walk through downtown Concord.
There’s the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (which is open every day during the summer) that’s filled with all kinds of spacey stuff for kids and adults.
Learn about nature – or even walk through it – at the N.H. Audubon McLane Center. And don’t forget to check out the birds that call the Audubon home as well.
But if artistic creations are what will best fill your stay-at-home vacation, there’s lots of galleries – like McGowan Fine Art, Mill Brook Gallery, Kimball-Jenkins and the League of N.H. Craftsmen (to name a few) – to choose from.
Now that you’ve got all the info you need, go out there and enjoy your time off. Because it will be over before you know it and people around the office are going to ask what you did with your vacation. And don’t you want a good story to tell?
