A Quaint New England Town

Keene, NH is A Quaint New England City in the beautiful southwestern part of New Hampshire. Keene offers a wealth of great restaurants, bars, shops and is full of culture. The town is extremely walkable with a sidewalk on every street. This makes getting around very easy and accessible. Furthermore, the town is home to two colleges offering a collegiate environment as well as a family environment. Keene is a beautiful town full of culture.

The area known as Keene was part of the original colonies and still has significant sights that date back to the formation of the United States and the early colonial history (1). The downtown still resembles a historic look with its 19^th century brick buildings and architecture. These buildings have been repurposed to house small shops and restaurants throughout the historic downtown area (1).

Keene is a great town to stop in for a nice meal, enjoy a nature trail or just spend a few nights. This little town is a wonderful location to explore all the surrounding areas such as Vermont, Maine, and the New Hampshire Lake Region. Each one of the surrounding areas is unique and has its own culture that is worth exploring. My wife and I picked Keene as a launching point for our New England Road trip tour. We selected Keene mainly because it was centrally located, and because the downtown area had a lot of restaurants that were easy to walk to after a long day of driving and exploring.

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Mindful Moments

As a mindful traveler you can enjoy the beautiful sidewalks that line the main street with its abundance of shops and restaurants. Keene offers many nature trails that are especially beautiful during the fall season. So, grab a pumpkin spice latte and have a seat on one of the many park benches throughout the downtown region and just take it all in.

One thing that I love above all else about small towns is the walkability they provide. I find a good walk can be very beneficial to your mood, and health, as it can provide you with a more cultural insight of the area you are visiting. When my wife and I go for our walks, we like to explore parks, unique architecture, local cuisines, and shops.

The Sights and Sounds

Fun Fact

A fun fact worth knowing if you are a fan of the family adventure movie Jumanji (1995) is that parts of the movie were filmed in downtown Keene, NH. If you look at the opening scene and the stampede scene in the movie, both scenes take place in front of their iconic central square.

Keene is a delightful town to explore. They offer many historical sights and parks throughout the downtown region. Some of which have been in existence predating the establishment of the United States as a country. The town is quite the cultural hub with its wide selection of ethnic inspired cuisines and art festivals.

Architecture

As we were exploring the town, we walked by a few churches with unique architecture. The photographed churches give a good representation of not only the colonial and European architecture of Keene, NH but of New England in general.

The United Church of Christ

23 Central Square.

This magnificent church was originally built in 1786 and was consecrated on October 29, 1788 (2). This church had the only church bell in town, which was used as a signal for meetings, celebrations, and the town alarm (2). In 1828, plans for the development of the Central Square were formulated and the church went through its first major reconstruction (2). During this period, it was turned and moved north to its present location (2). The church was brought up to date to mid-19^th century standards with the construction of a new spire that stood 130 feet high (2). The spire had a gilt weathervane installed on top of the spire and it is still present today (2).

What I found amazing is not only how beautiful this church really is but how they were able to move the church from one spot to another. This all happened in the mid 1800’s without the assistance of cranes or other forms of modern technology to aid with this undertaking. The church looks beautiful in front of central square, making it the perfect spot.

St. Bernards Church

185 Main Street

This elegant catholic church had its first mass on Nov. 20^th, 1892, with every seat occupied (3). The church stands tall and is a greeting to all visitors heading towards the downtown district of Keene. St. Bernard’s church is a great representation of the brick architecture that was prevalent in the mid-19^th and 20^th century. This beautiful church has a solid structure that adds to the distinctive and charming appeal of Keene, NH.

St. James Episcopal Church

44 West Street

St. James Episcopal Church had its first service held on August 21, 1864 (4). This gorgeous church is located on West Street, which is just off Main Street. The stunning gothic inspired architectural church is made of stone with its vibrant and distinctive red doors. St. James Episcopal Church is probably one of the most unique looking as it seems to be the only gothic inspired architecture in the area. This church brings a middle age European style to Keene. I found this church to be my favorite as I am a big fan of gothic architecture.

Nature Spots

Central Square Gazebo

1 Central Square

Central Square is the iconic center piece of the downtown district of Keene, NH. This lovely park is situated at the head of the downtown on a roundabout. The park features a beautiful white gazebo, a water fountain, and a Civil War Soldier Monument (1). This square is a great place to relax in as the park is surrounded by large trees that offer shade during the summer months, and a beautiful array of colors during the autumn months.

Asheulot Rail Trail & Cheshire Rail Trail

Asheulot Rail Trail is a 23 mile long four-season trail in Keene, NH. (5). This trail is used for biking, hiking, and Nordic skiing in the winter months (5). Most importantly, the trail has a lot of natural shade from the surrounding trees, which can be a nice reprieve from the warmer days in the summer.

When we walked on the trail it was a nice concrete path that cut through the landscape. we enjoyed the natural elements that the trail provided as we walked along it. At some of the starting points, the trail provides a detailed map of where the path goes and the attractions in the area.

The trail was well maintained, and it is visited frequently. This is a great trail to photograph those perfect fall trees and enjoy a nice hot cup of cider. Moreover, it makes for a terrific place to go for a bike ride, or a nice romantic nature walk with a significant other.

Keene is a great town to visit if you are trying to explore the northern part of New England. My wife and I found this town very enjoyable because of the intimacy of the downtown area. The downtown is host to many great options of food which were near our hotel. Furthermore, we were relatively close to Maine and Vermont. This made it possible to make most of our drives within a few hours.

We found the town to be a little bit livelier at night than a lot of the other New England towns we visited. The livelier nightlife is most likely due to the proximity of colleges in the area. Moreover, Keene has several restaurants that were open late for food, which was helpful for our longer day trips. Overall, Keene, NH is a great place to explore for a reasonable price.

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References

1. Explore Keene (2021) https://explorekeene.org/
2. United Church of Christ in Keene (2014) https://ucckeene.org/about/history-of-the-ucc/
3. Birthday Celebration coming up for St. Bernard’s Church in Keene ( 2017) https://www.sentinelsource.com/hub/news/community_news/birthday-celebration-coming-up-for-st-bernard-church-in-keene/article_d432ec13-d6f4-5c6b-b3c5-44022e77d907.html
4. St. James Episcopal Church of Keene NH (2022) Access Genealogy, https://accessgenealogy.com/new-hampshire/st-james-episcopal-church-of-keene-nh.htm
5. Ashuelot Rail Trail (2022) All Trails, LLC https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-hampshire/ashuelot-rail-trail–2

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