New Hampshire - Open Spaces, Great Places

Only in New Hampshire can you start your day shopping by the beach and end it with a romantic dinner looking out at the highest peak in the Northeast. Named the Most Livable State for the past five years and the Safest State in the nation, New Hampshire is made up of seven very different regions, each as exciting as the next. The Seacoast, Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee, Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, Monadnock Region, White Mountains and Great North Woods are filled with natural beauty, cultural events and classic New England living.

Scenic beauty, fall foliage, outdoor recreation, and tax-free shopping are major draws for travelers to the Granite State as well as to the business owners who parlay their visit to New Hampshire into a company expansion or relocation. Indeed, it isn't at all rare for those who visit the state to become future New Hampshire business owners.

And why not? New Hampshire has it all, including a thriving local music and arts scene. Here you can catch emerging acts in small venues, see a play in a historic theater or browse small shops for inspiring artwork. Thanks to its larger venues and institutions you can also see world class shows and art in New Hampshire.

The Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, Verizon Wireless Arena, the Currier Museum of Art, the Capitol Center and the Palace Theatre all bring music, art and theater from around the world to New Hampshire.

The past few years have been exciting ones for New Hampshire sports fans. The Granite State is home to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the largest sports facility in New England which features a 1.058-mile oval speedway with a total capacity for 105,491 spectators. Each year, NHMS plays host to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The state also features a minor league baseball team (New Hampshire Fisher Cats, an AHL hockey franchise (the Manchester Monarchs) and an af2 squad (the Manchester Wolves).

With hundreds of citizen races, from marathons to 5K footraces, bike races, alpine and nordic ski competitions, plus high school and college sports, there's a lot of year-round activity for local novice and expert competitors as well.

New Hampshire is also home to Laconia Motorcycle Week, an annual tradition that dates back to 1923. Laconia Motorcycle Week is the oldest and one of the longest running motorcycle rallies in the United States.

Attracting over 300,000 participants and spectators a year, this rally joins Sturgis and Daytona in the pantheon of "must see" events for motorcyclists from this nation and beyond.

To many, New Hampshire conjures the image of authentic New England communities and a rural history going back hundreds of years.

This is true of many New Hampshire towns. However, this state which boasts the "First in the Nation" Presidential Primary, has an emerging new persona as well, a persona of a state with one foot steeped in tradition and the other steeped in a realization that this isn't your "grandfather's New Hampshire."

Today's New Hampshire is truly a state that proves that a little bit of heaven resides right outside of your doorstep - with scenic beauty and activities for all types of interests, the Granite State is a solid choice for visitors and businesses.

To learn more about visiting New Hampshire, visit www.visitnh.gov.