The best arts & culture spots in Hillsborough County

Blue Fern Gallery is a member-supported artists collective showing contemporary work from regional makers, with rotating displays that actually make gift shopping fun and collecting tempting. They also partner with MAXT Makerspace and offer an event space, keeping Peterborough’s creative pulse feeling very alive.

From the Peterborough newsletter, October 6, 2026

Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center turns Peterborough into a passport stop, with arts and multimedia exhibits, school and library programs, and public presentations by visual artists, performers, activists, and thought leaders that explore both the richness and the challenges of a diverse world.

From the Peterborough newsletter, October 2, 2026

Peterborough Art Academy is a quietly excellent spot to browse paintings by local artists, pick up legit supplies, and sign the kids and teens up for year-round classes or summer art camp. It’s the kind of place where creative energy rubs off, even if you only came in for pencils.

From the Peterborough newsletter, September 28, 2026

Fry Fine Art hosts exhibitions and a mix of figure, marine, still life, and New England seascapes, plus a surprising side trip to Venice and contemporary work. It’s the kind of gallery that rewards unhurried browsing and sparks living room conversations.

From the Peterborough newsletter, October 13, 2026

Whether you’re finally tackling that guitar riff or raising a future sax star, North Main Music offers personalized weekly lessons for guitar, piano, drums, voice, violin and more with experienced instructors, band and group options, and twice-a-year concerts. Bonus for teens...

From the Nashua newsletter, October 8, 2026

Been meaning to finally sing, pick up guitar, or dust off that trumpet? NHTunes runs structured, fun lessons for all ages and skill levels in-studio or online, plus a professionally equipped recording studio if you’re ready to lay down tracks. Book a little creative time this week.

From the Manchester newsletter, September 23, 2026

The New Hampshire Holocaust Memorial in Rotary Common Park invites a quiet, reflective walk through history, honoring the millions murdered and spotlighting the six extermination camps of Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Belzec and Chelmno.

From the Nashua newsletter, October 14, 2026

Nashua Center for the Arts is packing the week with legit variety, from Tuba Skinny on August 30 to An Evening with Kenny G in September, plus throwback dance parties and guitar wizardry later on. Grab a ticket, text a friend, and make a night of it.

From the Nashua newsletter, October 4, 2026

Need a midweek pick-me-up? The Rex Theatre is the Palace Theatre Trust’s state-of-the-art, 300-seat spot for live music, theatre, comedy and community events, with a full bar to keep things festive, so you can swap couch time for a proper show and a cold drink.

From the Manchester newsletter, September 29, 2026

Peacock Players has Seussical on stage August 7-9, with local kids and alumni delivering pure, joyful chaos. Expect catchy tunes, big-hearted performances, and the kind of energy that follows you home, and if you’ve got a budding performer, their camps and private lessons keep the magic rolling.

From the Nashua newsletter, October 21, 2026

Abbot-Spalding House Museum lets you wander an early-1800s Nashua home filled with period furnishings and stories from the folks who shaped the city, including Daniel Abbot, The Father of Nashua. It’s a calm, beautifully preserved reset button for your week, and a brag-worthy local history flex.

From the Nashua newsletter, October 3, 2026

Currier Museum of Art keeps things fresh with rotating galleries featuring European and American heavy hitters, think Monet to O’Keeffe, plus design gems and even two Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Swing by when you need a quick brain vacation that still counts as doing something in Manchester.

From the Manchester newsletter, October 6, 2026

Leggs Painting, LLC tackles interior and exterior jobs for homes and businesses, and they even power wash so the new paint actually pops. If your Lowell walls are still rocking contractor beige, their seasoned crew keeps it professional, tidy, and fast so you can get back to living.

From the Nashua newsletter, October 2, 2026

Around since 1915, The Palace Theatre has been Manchester’s home base for professional mainstage productions, touring music and comedy, and seriously impressive youth and teen theatre. It’s where hometown talent meets national acts, so you can cheer the neighbors and still get that big-night-out buzz.

From the Manchester newsletter, October 14, 2026

Built in 1890, the shingle-style Hills House hosts the Hudson Historical Society’s museum, full of artifacts and stories that make Hudson’s past feel personal. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, with window restorations backed by a 2025 LCHIP grant, so take this as your cue to drop in this week.

From the Nashua newsletter, August 23, 2026

Experience the origin story you probably pass every week. America's Credit Union Museum is housed in the birthplace of the nation’s first credit union, with exhibits like Herstory, African American Voices, Unsung Heroes, and A Labor of Love.

From the Manchester newsletter, October 2, 2026

The Merci Train Boxcar in Manchester is a rare postwar thank you from the people of France, a humble French railcar once packed with gifts for New Hampshire. Take a short detour this week, nerd out on real-world history, and leave with a nice little hit of Granite State pride.

From the Manchester newsletter, October 4, 2026

Just a quick hop from Fitchburg, Monson Center preserves a late 1700s village with 3 miles of trails, seven marked home sites, long stone walls, and a beaver wetland where herons hold court. Wander the cellar holes, read the bios, and ponder why this once-thriving settlement vanished.

From the Leominster newsletter, August 15, 2026

Hidden in plain sight, Toufic H. Kalil House is a 1955 Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian Automatic, one of only seven to survive, now part of the Currier Museum of Art. It’s a tidy way to soak up real-deal midcentury design and compare notes with the Zimmerman House on the same street.

From the Manchester newsletter, October 21, 2026

Home of the 14th US President from infancy to marriage, with a ballroom and guided tours.