Antrim

Two miles of yellow-blazed trails wind through 189 acres of diverse habitats most visitors never discover. The real magic happens along the meandering Contoocook River, where silver maples arch overhead and massive ostrich ferns carpet the forest floor. Listen for black-throated green warblers in spring and watch for beaver in the quiet oxbows. The trail network can be confusing, but that keeps it peaceful.

Four 8-foot tall murals painted on plywood and mounted on the town hall's clock tower in a 1994 community art project. Created in the depths of winter using the fire station as a makeshift studio, these murals depict local history and are visible from the town center. Most visitors never think to look up at the tower, making this a true local secret hiding in plain sight.

A hidden 1888 stone arch bridge that lies submerged 10 feet underwater in Franklin Pierce Lake off Breezy Point. This dry-laid granite bridge surfaces only when the reservoir is drawn down, and in winter its arch sometimes protrudes through the ice like a stone whale's back. It's part of New Hampshire's largest cluster of historic stone arch bridges, and locals who know when to look can spot this ghost of Antrim's past.

A 200-foot boardwalk leads into New Hampshire's second-largest Atlantic white cedar swamp, where 4,000-year-old cedars grow alongside black spruce in an otherworldly boreal environment. The preserve sits at 1,040 feet elevation, with surrounding hills funneling cold air down to create this pocket of northern habitat. Mill ruins from 1798 dot the trail along the North Branch, and the whole place feels like stepping back in time.