Lebanon: Art, History, and Trails

Lebanon combines offerings for culture enthusiasts with a variety of recreational trails. The AVA Gallery and Art Center is an arts campus downtown where you can weld metal, shape clay, and create your own prints. There are also historic buildings, a rail trail open year-round, and a paved multi-use path in the center. This gives you the flexibility to focus your trip on different interests without limiting your stay to just one type of experience.

Art, Buildings, and Performing Arts

At the AVA Gallery and Art Center, creating your own work is the focus: metalworking, clay, and printmaking offer different hands-on ways to engage with art. If you are interested in making art, there is more to explore here than an exhibition visit. The arts campus is located downtown in Lebanon; the three activities mentioned give you a concrete sense of its range.

The Colburn Park Historic District includes 23 buildings. Nineteen are considered contributing properties; the district also includes several features around and beside the large rectangular green space of Colburn Park. To get a sense of local history, it is therefore not just a single building that matters, but also how the buildings and features relate to the park. Dana House adds to this historical perspective as the oldest surviving house in Lebanon.

The Packard Hill Covered Bridge is also a distinct structure with a clearly described design: it is a Howe truss bridge over the Mascoma River. If you are interested in architectural forms, you can consider this bridge type alongside the buildings in the Historic District without treating them as part of the same complex.

The Lebanon Opera House is an active, year-round, fully renovated performing arts venue. It presents live performances that inspire, educate, and entertain. Along with the hands-on arts activities at the AVA Gallery and Art Center, it makes for a cultural offering that includes both creating art and attending performances.

Trails and Trip Planning

The Northern Rail Trail begins in Lebanon in the Upper Valley and is 59 miles long. It follows a historic railroad corridor, is open year-round, and is considered the longest rail trail in New Hampshire. Its length is an important point to consider when planning: you can think of it as a longer recreational trail option rather than equating it with the shorter path in the center.

The Mascoma River Greenway begins in downtown Lebanon and is 2.5 miles long. Its wide, level, paved surface is suitable for walking, biking, and wheelchair use. This gives it a different character from the 59-mile Northern Rail Trail. The Greenway also passes through a long, art-filled tunnel featuring colorful murals by local artists. This combines outdoor activity with a direct connection to art, without requiring you to visit another cultural venue.

The Enfield Shaker Village Scenic Byway can also be included in your own route planning. It runs for 3.2 miles along Route 4A, starting at the intersection with Route 4 in Lebanon and ending at the Enfield Shaker Museum in Enfield. The starting point and destination are in different towns. The route gives you a clear geographic framework if you want to connect Lebanon with a destination in Enfield.

In the nearby town, the Boston Lot Conservation Area covers 436 acres and has seven miles of trails. These figures help you consider the area as a distinct option for a stay focused on trails and nature. Unlike the Greenway and the Northern Rail Trail, both the size of the conservation area and the length of its trails are useful points of reference here.

Market and Local Character

The Lebanon Farmers' Market takes place in Colburn Park. It offers vegetables, fruit, flowers and plants, dairy products, maple products, baked goods, meat, and crafts. The selection ranges from food to handmade goods. The market brings together food and crafts.

Find other places to compare here: Waterville Valley, Hebron, Plymouth, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Lincoln, Woodstock.

For the broader travel overview: Grafton.