Events, features and things to do for families in New Hampshire
Rainy day summer fun
Where to go when the weather just won't cooperate
By Jacqueline Tourville
June 1, 2009
Even in the middle of another glorious New England summer, there are going to be days when rain and stormy weather make indoor play a must. If chants of “rain, rain, go away” don’t have much of an effect, dash through the raindrops and create your own break in the clouds at one of these weather-proof (and super fun) destinations for families.
Seacoast
Children’s Museum of NH
6 Washington St.
Dover
742-2002
www.childrens-museum.org
For hours of creative and educational fun on one of those nothing-to-do, rainy summer days, the Children’s Museum of NH in Dover is hard to beat. To bring a little of the outdoors inside, check out the Cochecosystem exhibit and explore the plants, animals and constantly changing environment of the Cocheco River (visible right outside the exhibit’s floor-to-ceiling windows). A plus for budget-conscious families, many public libraries offer free or reduced rate museum admissions passes.
Hilltop Fun Center
145 Route 108
Somersworth
742-8068
www.hilltopfuncenter.com
You can enjoy this 12-acre can’t-miss family entertainment center on rainy and sunny days. On a rainy day, play games galore in the over-sized arcade or test your family's survival skills in the jungle-themed laser tag course. When the sun finally decides to shine again, come back for the outdoor go-karts, miniature golf, batting cages and driving range. Birthday parties and group rates available.
Rumble Tumble
95 Brewery Lane
Portsmouth
427-5437
www.rumbletumblegym.com
Trampolines, tumble mats, ball court, bars and rings and multi-level climbing structure… For families on the Seacoast, Rumble Tumble is where to go to jump, roll and slide away the rainy day blahs. Geared toward children age 8 and younger (with accompanying adult), stop by for daily public play sessions or drop-in on a movement class. A Friday night “date night” option allows kids to enjoy a structured, supervised good time at Rumble Tumble while parents slip out for an evening alone in Portsmouth.
Seacoast Science Center
(Located within Odiorne State Park)
570 Ocean Boulevard
Rye
436-8043
www.seacoastsciencecenter.org
When a day of sun and fun at the beach doesn’t turn out quite as planned, the Seacoast Science Center provides shelter from stormy weather – and lots of excitement exploring live aquatic exhibits and hands on sea life learning activities. Climb aboard a dory, try your hand tracking ships with R.A.D.A.R. and take part in the Center’s scavenger hunt. Kids will love getting their hands wet in the touch tank, home to starfish, sea urchins and other safe-to-touch ocean creatures.
The Rinks at Exeter
40 Industrial Drive
Exeter
775-7423
www.therinksatexeter.com
Escape the muggy weather and really cool off with a spin around the ice at The Rinks at Exeter. All summer long, two arena-sized rinks offer daily public skating hours, figure skating and hockey camps, birthday party skating parties and learn-to-skate individual and group lessons (even for adults). Winter sports gear packed away until next December? Skate rentals for all sizes are available.
Merrimack Valley
Free Family Film Festival
Hooksett 8
100 Technology Drive
Hooksett
626-7177
Fox Run Stadium 15
45 Gosling Road
Newington
431-6116
Settle back and enjoy the show – for free! On select Tuesday and Wednesday mornings throughout the summer, Regal Cinemas in Hooksett and Newington show second-run G and family-friendly PG movies free of charge. First-come, first-serve seating is limited to theater capacity. Showtimes start at 10 a.m.
Kaleidoscope Museum
8 South Main St.
Concord
229-4526
www.kaleidoscopechildrensmuseum.net
With its colorful array of creative hands on play exhibits (everything from a pretend pirate ship to an indoor tree house stocked with musical instruments), Kaleidoscope Museum makes for a cheery destination on an otherwise soggy day. Perfect for the six and younger crowd! The museum will be relocating to a larger location some time this summer, so call before you go.
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
2 Institute Drive
Concord
271-STAR (7827)
www.starhop.com
It's been 400 years since Galileo first turned his telescope toward the heavens, and star gazers around the world are celebrating 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. Stop by the newly renovated McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center for daily planetarium shows and stay to explore the center's cutting-edge astronomy and space science exhibits. There's nothing like a voyage into deep space to make you forget the less than stellar weather outside.
Palace Theatre
80 Hanover St.
Manchester
668-5588
www.palacetheatre.org
Escape into the imaginative world of classic children’s stories as the Palace Theatre once again offers families its very budget-friendly Palace Professional Theatre for Children Summer Series, held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout July and August. Planned performances for 2009 include “Charlotte's Web,” “Seussical,” and “Cinderella.”
SEE Science Center
200 Bedford St.
Manchester
669-0400
www.see-sciencecenter.org
It’s two stories of hands on science fun! Feel the forces created by a gyroscope, look through a periscope and even take part in a moonwalk. Kids and adults of all ages can touch and try exhibits on light, electricity, forces, momentum and sound. And, of course, don’t leave SEE without seeing the LEGO Millyard Project, the largest permanent LEGO installation in the world (at minifigure scale). The project, made up of thousands and thousands of tiny LEGO bricks, represents Manchester's Amoskeag Millyard as it might have looked circa 1900.
Vertical Dreams
Waumbec Mill Building
250 Commercial St.
Manchester
625-6919
www.verticaldreams.com
Is your family climbing the walls at home? Then they're ready for Vertical Dreams, an climbing gym where kids and adults scale to heights of up to 70 adrenaline rushing feet. Located in Manchester's historic mill district, climbers of all ages and abilities are guided on the super-sized climbing space, learning such skills as bouldering, top roping and how to negotiate inverts and overhangs. Day passes, birthday party rentals, summer climbing camp and private and group lessons are all available.
Lakes
Meredith Children’s Museum28 Lang St.
Meredith
279-6307
www.thezeeum.com
Lake Winnipesaukee trip a washout? Delve into the always sunny world of the imagination at the Meredith Children's Museum, a local play space popular with the toddler and preschooler set. The museum's creative play structures include a pretend fire truck, log cabin and ball shoot. Call in advance for seasonal hours and rates.
Pauline E. Glidden Toy Museum
49 Main St.
Ashland
968-7289
www.oldashlandnh.org
Finally, a history museum kids can relate to! Ashland's Toy Museum is a restored 19th- century home stocked top to bottom with more than 2,000 antique and vintage toys from the collection of Pauline Glidden, a longtime town resident. OK, so the "no touch" rule still applies here, but seeing the tin and cast iron toys, old porcelain dolls, games, books and childhood trinkets of days gone by is a great way to spark kids' interest in learning about the past. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the summer.
White Mountains
Mount Washington Valley Children's Museum
2936 White Mountain Highway
North Conway
356-2992
www.mwvchildrensmuseum.org
The no-sunshine solution for a rainy day away in the White Mountains? A trip to the Mountain Washington Valley Children's Museum, a creative play and learning locale in the heart of North Conway. Geared for kids ages 8 and younger, families will have fun putting on a puppet show, building their own village and exploring an indoor version of the northern woods. Babies and young toddlers can explore at their own pace in a separate age-appropriate play area.
Papermill Theatre
Route 112 (Main Street)
Lincoln
745-6032
www.papermilltheatre.org
Foul weather will soon be forgotten as the curtain rises on the Papermill Theatre's summertime theatre series for children. Every Wednesday and Saturday from the end of June until mid-August, catch original musical adaptations of favorite fairy and folk tales. Shows generally last 40 minutes and are suitable for all ages. Scheduled performances for summer 2009 include “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Hansel and Gretel” and “Aladdin.”
Jacqueline Tourville is a freelance writer from Nashua.
Last updated by Parenting NH Administrator Jun 4, 2009.
© 2013 Created by Parenting NH Administrator.
