Our Town

Peterborough, NH is a quintessential New England town situated in the heart of the Monadnock Region in southern New Hampshire. Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town during his frequent stays at the MacDowell Colony. The fictitious town of Grover's Corners, NH that he brought to life onstage wasn't all that fictitious.

Settled in 1749, Peterborough became a prosperous mill town by the 1800s with cotton factories, wool mills, paper mills and seven saw mills, creating the town’s first industry. Today, Peterborough is home to one of the oldest basket manufacturers in the country, Peterboro Basket Company, which has been in business since 1854. The town is also home to the headquarters of Eastern Mountain Sports, an outdoor apparel and equipment retailer.

It became my home nearly 21 years ago and its natural beauty still remains in the face of change. Small town living may not be for everyone, but we have many things that a lot of small towns don't—the ability to provide enough industry, entertainment, and culture while still maintaining that sleepy bedroom town appeal. Students have returned again and again after they visit for the first time often repeating the same phrase, "I didn't know this place even existed". Today, I'd like to share some of my favorite places with you. 

This is just one of the many parks we have here in town. Located alongside the Nubanusit River, we'll often come here to rest after a bike ride to Ava Marie's for some ice cream. (Ava's makes their own chocolates daily and the ice cream is delicious, too. My studio was located in the same building for three years. It's tough to go to work with the smells of homemade candies wafting through the air.)

Peterborough is located 36 miles from Manchester, NH (Boston Regional Airport) and 73 miles from Boston, MA (Logan International), so you could easily fly to either airport and then travel by car. RelayRides offers budget-friendly car rentals right from the airport that will help you get to your destination. Keep reading to find out more.

Hey, we're #2 on the BuzzFeed list of towns to run away to this fall!

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