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New Hampshire Heritage Trail Features Skating and More This Holiday Season

Entering its eighth season, Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond is now open at Strawbery Banke Museum, one of more than 15 museums located on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail.

“After a successful 2020-21 season providing safe outdoor recreation, the Museum is looking forward to another highly anticipated skating season,” said Lawrence J. Yerdon, President and CEO.

In addition to daily public skating, Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond offers skate lessons, adaptive ice time for those with physical challenges, pop-up performances, rink rentals, and more.

Located in Portsmouth, NH, Strawbery Banke Museum is a 10-acre history museum interpreting over 300 years of history—from Indigenous history to the present day—through historical houses on their original foundations, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers who share the stories of the families who lived in the authentic waterfront neighborhood of Puddle Dock. To learn more about Strawbery Banke Museum, or Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond, visit strawberybanke.org. 

On Saturday, December 18 at 12:00 p.m., Albacore Park in Portsmouth will participate in National Wreaths Across America Day, which remembers and honors veterans and their families. Albacore Park is one of more than 2,500 participating cemeteries and sites.

National Wreaths Across America Day at Albacore Park in Portsmouth

“At Albacore Park, 27 wreaths were placed in 2020, and we hope for more this year,” said Executive Director Patricia Violette, who noted this year’s event theme is “Live up to their legacy.” “We urge everyone to look to the people and the families that have made these sacrifices to keep this country free and live up to their legacy.”

Free to everyone, National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 18. For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for a hero, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/NHAPPS.

Albacore Park is the formal site for the USS Albacore Submarine and museum and home of the Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association. To learn more, visit ussalbacore.org.

Formed in 2014 to share resources and better promote their respective collections, programs and events, the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail includes members in Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Loudon, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Tamworth, and Wolfeboro.

Museums on the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail Reopen for 2021 Season

With the summer season just around the corner, many museums along the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail are opening soon for the 2021 season, including the USS Albacore (AGSS 569) Museum and Park in Portsmouth.

“We are opening our site for weekends starting May 8 and then resuming our 7-day a week schedule from 9:30 to 5:00 in June,” said Patricia Violette, Executive Director and Curator of Albacore Park. Tours will run on weekends from 9:30 am to 4 pm, and social distancing and mask use are required within the park. Before the museum opens for in-person tours, Albacore Park will feature remote Zoom lectures throughout the month of April. All lectures are free and can be RSVPed through email for a Zoom code. 

“Albacore Park is one of Portsmouth’s historic gems and all are welcome,” said Violette. “We’re excited to finally open our doors for community engagement and to welcome our eager visitors back to our site.” Albacore Park is the formal site for the USS Albacore Submarine, a research submarine designed by the U.S. Navy that has been preserved as a museum. For more information about the museum and in-person tours, visit ussalbacore.org.

In Wolfeboro, the Wright Museum of World War II will reopen May 1 with the first part of its season to feature special exhibits that focus on women. In WASP, the Untold Story, created by the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas and presented by Service Credit Union with additional support from Pratt & Whitney, visitors will learn about Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. “It’s so important for people to understand the efforts of women throughout the war,” said Mike Culver, Executive Director. “We are pleased to present this exhibit in partnership with our sponsors.”

Women Airforce Service Pilots in flight suits during WWII

The Wright Museum of World War II reopens for the season on May 1 and is open daily 10 am to 4 pm from Monday to Saturday and 12 noon to 4 pm on Sundays. For more details, visit wrightmuseum.org. 

Formed in 2014 as a way to share resources and better promote their respective collections, programs and events, The NH Heritage Museum Trail is divided into the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley and Lakes Regions. Member institutions are located in Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Tamworth and Wolfeboro.