Nashua (New Hampshire) – Travel guide at Wikivoyage (2024)

Nashua is a city in the southern part of New Hampshire. It is the state's second largest city behind Manchester with a population of about 88,000 (2016).

• Manchester - Boston Regional Airport (MHT^IATA) is 30 minutes by car from Nashua.
• Logan International Airport (BOS^IATA) is approximately one hour by car from Nashua

No interstate highway runs through Nashua; though it is easily accessible from both I-93 and I-495. The main expressway through Nashua is the north-south U.S. 3, which connects to I-93 in Manchester to the north (via the F.E. Everett Turnpike/I-293) and I-495 in Lowell, Massachusetts to the south.

• From Manchester, Concord and points north: Take I-93 south to I-293/Everett Turnpike. Stay with the Everett Turnpike through Merrimack. Nashua can be accessed via exits 7-1 along U.S. 3/Everett Turnpike.
• From Boston and points southeast: Take I-93 north to I-495 south (exit 44). Once on I-495, take U.S. 3 North (exit 35). The South Nashua shopping district can be accessed via U.S. 3 exit 36 (Middlesex Road), the last exit in Massachusetts. The rest of Nashua can be accessed via exits 3-7 on U.S. 3/Everett Turnpike.
• From New York City and points southwest: Take I-95 north to I-91 north (exit 48). Take I-91 to Hartford, and get off on CT-15/I-84 east (Exit 29). Take I-84 east to its terminus at I-90/Massachusetts Turnpike. Follow directions as below "From points west".
• From points west: Take I-90 east to I-495 north (exit 11A). Take I-495 north to U.S. 3 North (exit 35). The South Nashua shopping district can be accessed via U.S. 3 exit 36 (Middlesex Road), the last exit in Massachusetts. The rest of Nashua can be accessed via exits 3-7.
• From the New Hampshire Seacoast, Maine and points northeast: Take I-95 south to NH-101 west (exit 2). Outside of Manchester, NH-101 west will merge with I-93 south. Follow signs for NH-101 west/I-293 north. From I-293 north, take exit 3 (Everett Turnpike south). Nashua can be accessed via exits 7-1 along U.S. 3/Everett Turnpike.

• Boston Express, 110 Broad Street, ☏ +1 603 521-6000. Service to Boston and Logan Airport.

The nearest train station is 20-minute drive away in Lowell, the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal at 101 Thorndike Street, Lowell, ☏ +1 978 459-0164. It is part of the MBTA commuter rail network; connections to the MBTA are available from Amtrak at Boston's North Station.

• Nashua Transit System, 30 Elm St, ☏ +1 603 880-0100 ext 203.

• 1 Abbot-Spalding House Museum, 5 Abbot St, ☏ +1 603 883-0015. An historic 18th-century federal-style home just north of downtown, the home also houses a museum featuring artifacts and furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St, ☏ +1 603 589-3370. Historic Holman Stadium is where racially integrated professional baseball was first played (Nashua Dodgers). Until 2010, the stadium was used by a minor league team (Nashua Defenders, and before that Nashua Pride).
• Nashua Cemetery. Opened in 1835, this historic burial ground lies at the foot of French Hill at the corner of Canal Street and Lowell Street.
• 3 Nashua City Hall, 229 Main St, ☏ +1 603 589-3000. A large, federal-style structure that features a white spire adorned by a large golden eagle and occupies a prominent place in the center of Nashua's historic downtown district, at the corner of Main Street and Hollis Street. Nearby is a monument to the 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, who announced his candidacy for the U.S. Presidency on the front steps of the City Hall. (updated Jul 2017)
• 4 Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is an American Civil War memorial located in central Nashua within the triangle formed by Concord, Amherst, and Nashville streets. The cornerstone of the large granite monument was laid on May 30, 1889, and the monument dedicated on October 15, 1889.

• 1 Greeley Park, 100 Concord St. Greeley Park is a public park occupying 125 acres (51ha) extending from the Merrimack River, across Concord Street, to Manchester Street. The property was originally bought in 1801 by Joseph Greeley, and the land was later deeded to the city of Nashua in 1896 by his grandson. In 1908, John E. Cotton donated $5000, an amount that was matched by city funds, to construct a stone rest house, a fountain, a shallow pond, a gravel walk, and flower beds, thus converting the farm into a public park. Today the park offers plays, movies and music festivals at the bandstand, and also features hiking trails, horseshoe pits, ball fields, tennis courts, a community gardening section, and a decrepit boat ramp on the Merrimack River.

• 2 Mine Falls Park. Mine Falls Park is a 325-acre (132ha) park in the heart of the city that contains forest, wetlands and open fields. It was purchased in 1969 from the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation with city and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) money. It is bordered on the north by the Nashua River and on the south by the millpond and power canal system. Activities include walking, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, and biking, as well as organized sports on baseball, soccer and lacrosse fields.

• SkyVenture, New Hampshire, 3 Poisson Av, ☏ +1 603-897-6002. Indoor vertical windtunnel skydiving in Southern Nashua near the big box shopping stores (behind CVS).
• 3 Mine Falls Park, 8 Riverside St (and 6 other access points). This park, commonly called "The Jewel of Nashua", has miles of biking and jogging trails that follow the old canal and the Nashua river. It stretches over 325 acres from the western side of Route 3 to the old mills on the edge of downtown. It is not unlikely you will see beavers, otters or muscrat in the canal or river, as well as ducks and other waterfowl. It is a favorite fishing spot for the locals as well. At the western entrance there is a hydroelectric plant next to an old brick gatehouse from which you can see far down the river. On the other side of the plant is a waterfall that is very dramatic in spring after the snow melts. A boat ramp offers access to the west side of the Nashua river that leads to Hollis.

Nashua is famous for its many shopping outlets, especially in the southern part of the city where you can find every single store chain in New England. Many Massachusetts residents come here to take advantage of the lack of sales tax in New Hampshire. The commercial area spans from exit 36 in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts to exit 3 in Nashua on U.S. Route 3.

• 1 Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Hwy. This 1,000,000-square-foot mall at the Nashua/Tyngsboro border is one of the biggest shopping centers in the state. It has over 100 stores, restaurants and kiosks, including anchor tenants Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, and Target. (updated Aug 2020)

Many restaurants, cafes, and pubs line the picturesque Main Street in northern Nashua. In addition, there are an ever-growing number of ethnic restaurants throughout the city, including Indian, Mediterranean, Columbian, Mexican, and others. The downtown Main Street area has become a minor destination for its restaurants and bars.

• 1 Martha's Exchange, 185 Main St, ☏ +1 603 883-8781. Brewpub serving the usual pub favorites. There is a large bar that primarily serves their own beers and outdoor seating in the summer (updated Jul 2017)

Main Street is a bar-hopping hot spot: Irish pubs, sports bars, dance clubs (though nothing spectacular), and sidewalk cafes.

• 1 Courtyard Nashua (formerly Nashua Marriott), 2200 Southwood Dr, ☏ +1 603 880-9100, fax: +1 603 886-9489. All 245 hotel rooms feature a large work desk & free hi-speed Internet. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2 Somerset Parkway, ☏ +1 603 886-1200. (updated Jul 2017)
• 3 Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Nashua, 9 Northeastern Blvd, ☏ +1 603 888-1551. (updated Jul 2017)
• 4 Motel 6, 2 Progress Ave, ☏ +1 603 889-4151, fax: +1 603 886-4721. (updated Jul 2017)
• 5 Radisson Hotel Nashua, 11 Tara Blvd, ☏ +1 603 888-9970, fax: +1 603 888-4112, chris.tarris@nashuaradisson.com. (updated Jul 2017)

• 1 Hudson
• 2 Pepperell
• 3 Merrimack
• 4 Amherst
• 5 Lowell

Routes through Nashua