Best Hotels Near Lincoln, NH Museums

Scenery and outdoor recreation may dominate the spotlight here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but there’s an awful lot of fascinating history and culture to explore as well. (And, of course, that history and culture are bound up in the glorious landscape.)

As a guest of ours here at The Mountain Club on Loon, you’ll find yourself within easy day-tripping reach of a number of fine museums covering some impressively diverse thematic territory: from regional geology to the historical development of charming, postcard-perfect White Mountain hamlets.

Here are a few of the museums closest to our amazing slopeside accommodations on Loon Mountain. Make sure to check the schedule of operations before visiting these amazing museums!

The New England Ski Museum

Situated in Franconia Notch State Park, this long-running museum celebrates one of the linchpins of New England outdoor sports—and a topic pretty darn close to our hearts here at The Mountain Club, given our perch close to one of the Northeast’s top ski resorts. The Ski Museum harbors a fascinating permanent exhibit: From the First Tracks to the Fall Line: Eight Thousand Years of Skiing.

Old Man of the Mountain Museum

Not far away you’ll find the Old Man of the Mountain monument, which memorializes New Hampshire’s most famous rock formation and the best-known landmark of Franconia Notch. The Old Man himself was a granitic outcrop resembling a side view of a human visage on the flanks of Cannon Mountain. In 2003, the Old Man collapsed—succumbing to the same forces of gravity and weathering that gnaw at even the most enduring of peaks and crags.

Walk the shores of Profile Lake below where the Old Man of the Mountain glowered, and pay your respects at the nicely arranged Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza, where sighting along a sculpture brings the Old Man back to life up on Cannon Mountain.

Clark’s Bears Museums

The long-running Lincoln roadside attraction of Clark’s Bears offers a host of family-friendly delights, among which are several museums. Explore an especially eclectic collection—including such curiosities as a two-headed calf—in the Florence Murray Museum, and study mementos and memorabilia of the Clark family in the Clark History Museum.

Meanwhile, Avery’s Garage at Clark’s Bears evokes an old-school gas station complete with antique cars and motorcycles, while the 1881 Pemigewasset Hook & Ladder Fire Station shows off vintage firefighting vehicles and equipment, including horse-drawn fire engines. Finally, the Americana Museum comes chockablock with artifacts and interpretive displays on American history.

Sugar Hill Historical Museum

Set along the lovely Village Green of Sugar Hill, this museum delves into this small, dramatically mountain-backdropped New Hampshire town’s history stretching back to 1780. Its campus includes the main museum building as well as the Sleigh Shed, Carriage Barn, and Reid-Burpee House, with exhibits and artifacts strung throughout.

Go Museum Hopping on Your Next Mountain Club at Loon Getaway in Lincoln, NH

From Sugar Hill to the Old Man of the Mountain, explore regional White Mountain museums while enjoying the utmost in slopeside hospitality here at The Mountain Club on Loon!