You may recognize Hanover, NH as home to the Tuck School of Business, but it’s also the heart of the Upper Valley—a beautiful, vibrant region that straddles the Connecticut River between the borders of New Hampshire and Vermont. With its lush outdoors and tight-knit community, the Upper Valley is a prime place for family fun!
We turned to the Tuck community—including staff, faculty, students, and partners (many of whom live in Sachem Village, pictured above)—for advice on their favorite family-friendly activities. Here’s what they had to say:
“This farm is our family’s ‘pick’ (pun intended) for apple picking! In the fall, you can enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride through the orchards, a wonderful corn maze, and fields of pumpkins that you can pick from the vine. You can do it all while sipping on homemade apple cider and eating an apple donut made fresh at the farm.”
—Hunter Beless TP’21
“In the summer, the water is the perfect temperature for floating around with the kids and relaxing. Although it’s a bit of a trek to get uphill, it is a stroller friendly hike with beautiful views at the top and from the bottom.”
—Sherrelle Milligan TP’21
Quechee Gorge
“The Montshire includes floor after floor of interactive science-based activities for children of all ages. From bubble-making stations to telescopes to actual beehives, the Montshire is where you want to be when it’s too cold to play outside.”
—Hunter Beless TP’21
“Storrs pond is very kid-friendly with plenty of sandy beach and a large picnic space. It has a camping area with showers and bathrooms, providing beginners, like us, with a friendly environment. It also has several tennis courts and an outdoor pool available with a reservation. It’s a great place to enjoy your outdoor time with family and friends!”
—Kazuha Cortes T’21
Storrs Pond
“Stop by the King Arthur Baking campus to sample delicious baked goods and get an insider’s look into their kitchen to see how the bread and other tasty treats are made!”
—Valeria Weins, Tuck Staff
“Cedar Circle is one of our favorite places to pick berries in the summer. They also run a series of educational programs where children can learn and practice farming techniques. In the fall, don’t miss the Pumpkin Festival!”
—Felipe Severino, Tuck Faculty
Cedar Circle
"Dartmouth College is always creative with hosting kid-friendly activities. If you ask my kids, they’ll tell you there’s nothing that beats their Saturday mornings. In the winter, they start with sledding and ice skating at the Dartmouth Outdoor Club house, and end with sitting by the fire, while sipping hot chocolate and listening to Dartmouth students read children’s stories. In the fall and spring, they almost always include Hopkins Center for the Arts’ HopStop series—performances designed to introduce young community members to the world of dance, music, theater, and storytelling.”
—Valeria Weins, Tuck Staff
“Just a short hike from Quechee Gorge, VINS is a bird rehab facility with a variety of birds to see and learn about. You can watch a live raptor program, explore the dinosaur exhibits, walk the trails, or enjoy a forest canopy walk.”
—Joanna Lovett, Tuck Staff
VINS Nature Center
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