Hanford Mills Museum — Attraction in Town of Meredith

Love this place! Been going here periodically since late 90s, & most recently last wk for their yearly Ice Festival. Wholesome "family" fun that's great for the kiddies & everyone else. Altho the festival is well organized w/tours throughout the yr, you can do "self-guided" tours & just wander around the buildings & property. From the sawmill (in summer we watched the lumber being cut/processed), to its amazing waterwheel & all the complex workings that once powered entire mill - a thrill to see it run! There are several other bldgs to explore and all have helpful plaques to explain history & usages if you're not w/a guide. The staff is always super friendly and helpful as...

I really enjoy supporting local museums like this. This museum had extremely friendly staff who went above what was required to show us a good time.

We started off our tour with a 15 minute video about the history of the museum. Afterwards, we had an employee take us on a guided tour of the museum. During this tour they gave live demonstrations by turned on the huge water wheel, using two different saws to make covers, and lastly a huge saw, which sliced through a log several times.

Definitely...

The weather was perfect, so we decided to drive it for the Ice Harvest Festival! It was a great opportunity to learn about a forgotten industry and connect with a fun community. The only downside? If you didn't dress warm, there weren't many places to warm up. They had fire pits going, but toy could still tell the folks who didn't wear enough clothing.

All in all? A wicked fun February day in...