I am supposed to be up there for a few days before Christmas. The title covers it. Good gun stores ? Weather ?

Great fishing that time of year, Get youir non resident fishing license ahead of time

What kind of fish?  That looks cold. Can I be a hooligan driving on the lake ?

What part of the state will you be staying in?  What kind of foods do you like?

I will be in the north side of the state supposed to be 10 minutes from Maine. I am always up for a good local place to eat.

If they get early snow you could also go snowmobiling or skiing or tubing.

Avoid to Common Man restaurant chain as he’s a communist prick who tried to shut down a range.

If you time it right I'll drag an extra sled up.

It is set to be a few days right before Christmas.

Do you mean somewhere around North Conway or further north?

I was told 10 minutes from Maine. I did not pay attention to the city. My GF booked the trip. Her daughter goes to grad school up there.  Also how cold are we talking? 30 or 0

Have you seen the Maine border with NH?

I have not studied this. I got a text telling me about going to NH and I took the days off.

I know it sounds like I am being difficult but I’m actually really interested in helping you out.  Though we are a very small state our border with Maine is about 200 miles long. I live on the river that serves as the boarder here in the southern part of the state.  That your friend is in grad school near Maine tells me that they aren’t actually in the Northern part of NH unless the college is on the Maine side.  If you van narrow it down for us we can make some great reccomendations for you.

I think the University of New Hampshire is where she goes to school.

UNH Durham (the main campus) is about 10 minutes from ME, but it's in the very southern part of the state. We consider that area the seacoast.

I think UNH absorbed Keene State and Plymouth State campuses into the UNH orbit but they're both on the VT side of the state (Keene is south-western, right on the border and Plymouth is kind of central/northern).

So is there good seafood ? Pizza ? local bakeries ? WTF is a lobster roll.

You will want to check out Portsmouth and the night life there, Fun town lots of different Bars

Thats not far from UNH.    Lobster roll around Christmas maybe hard to find those are seasonal   Lets just say during the summah they are bettah

Also to note Portsmouth is a more "liberal" town

Gun Stores if you want to see a decent amount of stuff head to Manchester

Check out Shooters and Rileys

they are about 4 miles from each other on the same road

Seacoast stores I am not familiar with.. sorry

Lobster roll,   has chunks of lobster mayo celery seasonings put on a toasted hot dog roll with a little lettuce..  some recipes differ..

Kittery, Maine is right over the river from Portsmouth. You should definitely go to Kittery Trading Post. The girls can go shopping in the same area too -- there are a bunch of factory outlets if that's their thing. There is a little section of Kittery over by the entrance to the Naval Shipyard (Wallingford Square) that has a handful of restaurants to choose from.

Portsmouth is probably the densest thing close to you in terms of restaurants and bars and such. It's an old town so there is some history there if that interests you (there's a neighborhood called Strawberry Banke that is all colonial homes, they have a skating rink in the winter too). Plenty of choices for food, for upscale seafood you could try Row 34 or Martingale's Wharf. There aren't really any dumps in Portsmouth that I'd say to avoid TBH. Just park at the Hanover Garage and pick any place on Bow St., Market St., State St., or Congress St.

Dover is probably the second choice in that area in terms of restaurants and such. Another old settlement but it's more spread out than Portsmouth and not as charming. I lived in Dover like 8 years ago so most of the places I would recommend aren't there anymore, but there are plenty of options, I just don't know their current names haha.

Exeter is like 20min the other direction, but there is a small downtown area with some local restaurants. There's an American Revolution museum right over there too. Check the hours, might be worth popping that way for that and then grabbing tapas or drinks or an early dinner.

If you venture inland, there's the Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, and in Hooksett (just north of Manchester) there are the aforementioned Shooters' Outpost and Riley's. They used to be about even (and slightly smaller than Kittery) but Shooters' has expanded and probably has the biggest selection of all things firearm related.

Oh as far as weather, who knows. It will probably be cold, like 20s at night and 30s during the day. Maybe a bit warmer, maybe a bit colder. There will probably be snow. But we've had 60deg Christmasses and blizzards on Halloween so just check the 10 day forecast before you get on the plane lol.

Re: the lobster rolls, guys up here lobster year round so you will be able to get one at most restaurants near the water, probably on the lunch menu. There are a lot of seasonal places near the beaches I'd send you to if it was summer but I'm not sure which ones are open year round and which close up. Beach Plum is legit if they're open (they also have a location in Epping if you decide to go to the Sig Pro Shop)..

I am sure it is because the kid picked it and she is liberal

I know my carry permit is good any special rules ?

We're a constitutional carry state

Okay, here goes...  Portsmouth is my home town and I now live in Dover.  I went to school at UNH.  I Have been a hotel/restaurant manager for over 20 years between Boston and seacoast NH so please feel free to reach out to me as a reference if you have questions while you are visiting.

I find that most people who come visit here are very pleasantly surprised.  We have tremendous history, both Dover and Portsmouth were founded in 1623 and Exeter was one of theearly Revolutionary War capitals.  We also have a heavy military presence and astrong firearms culture.  Sig Sauer is based here and has a great pro shop you can visit and shop at.  The Kittery Trading Post across the bridge in Maine has over 3000 guns on display and you can walk around and handle them all!

There are a LOT OF RESTAURANTS!  Portsmouth has the most restaurants per capita and per square mile of anywhere in the US.  Lots of places to get good seafood and “new American” cuisine.  There are also lots of places to hear live music too.   PM me if you want to know where the locals go ;)

Stay out of Courts and Post offices

that includes I believe their parking lots technically

School grounds are a federal thing but just pass by them on the street and you should be ok

Stay concealed and you wont have to worry about it.

No rules for saying you have to tell an officer if you get pulled over.. Some do it for comfort of the officer ( I do usually has turned into a politer stop for some reason )

other than that watch for signs on doors of places some have signage that states they do not allow it.  You can but if they catch you, you must leave other wise your trespassing.

If you have a license or permit that is honored by reciprocity here keep it on you.  Its not needed but I am sure its better to have it than not

Maine laws are similar to my knowledge they have Constitutional Carry however cant go into establishments that serve alcohol and some parks designated by the state.

Maine requires that you notify police on official contact if carrying w/o a Maine firearms license.

You can't go in Acadia National Park and perhaps one or more state parks unless you have a Maine firearms license. Highways run thru Acadia, so I don't know how that works out on the road.

In NH you can't carry on an ATV/snowmobile w/o a NH firearms license.

Ga. has reciprocity. I planned on having something with me. The rules don't sound much different than here

Are you flying in to Boston or MHT?

Probably Boston

You'll have to figure out the whole pistol thing then -- I would think by federal law FOPA protects you in that instance but I'm not sure how police will handle that on a local and state level. Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in.

Flying in/out of Logan Airport with checked firearms is not an issue. Just make sure while driving out/in the state of Mass that you comply with FOPA (transporting ammo in the same case as the gun does NOT comply with FOPA). Mass police respect FOPA and those that have been jammed up in Mass were not in compliance with FOPA.

I still hate Logan Airport for many reasons and would opt to fly in/out of Manchester NH airport instead even if it cost me more money!

I've done it a couple times and never had an issue, then again, never had to deal with MA police either.
The Delta Airline baggage check folks couldn't care less. Just follow FOPA to the letter, just in case.

Mass State Police don't get involved with check-in or pick-up of luggage with guns in them. It's only NY/NJ airports that call in the Port Authority Police to arrest people transporting guns under FOPA!

So that isn't a worry at Mass airports.

They're both actually in Hooksett. Have your friend wait in the car when you go in Riley's, it'll only take 6 minutes to walk through. Sadly, Riley's is in a death spiral.

Definitely go to Kittery Trading Post if you're going to be as close to it as Durham.

Thanks guys

Also is there hockey up here? Would love to see a minor league game

Depends on the dates you're up here. UNH is playing at home on 12/8 then home again 12/30. Manchester has an ECHL team (Monarchs) that play at home 12/21, 12/22, and 12/31.

I highly recommend taking in a UNH hockey game.  They play in Hockey East, the best conference in the country and the arena is always rocking!

Gun stores worth a trip  Shooter's Outpost, and Rileys. Both in Hooksett, NH .

Some of my fav eats within a reasonable driving distance from Durham:

The Riverworks , Newmarket NH
Goody Coles BBQ  Brentwood NH
Holy Grail Epping, NH
Ray's Seafood Rye , NH

You're going to send someone from Georgia to a barbecue place in NH?

I will see what they have.

Goody Cole's is good, I go there myself but why go to a place that is just going to pale in comparison to what you have at home?  Our wheelhouse is fresh seafood and New England comfort food with some New American thrown in.  We have those places in abundance.

Who says Georgia has the "best" BBQ ? How about letting  whiskerz  make that call ? It was just an opinionated suggestion as to some good places for food. Goody's is packed with bikers on the weekends and bikers (myself included) know the good stops...

Re-read my post.  I didn't say Georgia has "the best" barbecue.  I said they have better than NH barbecue.  Not many would argue that.

the Bruins...

Not much to add to the great recommendations in this thread.

Park at the central parking garage in Portsmouth.  It is the least hassle and a great spot to radiate out from.

The downstairs bar area of the Dolphin Striker is interesting, as there is a well located as part of the bar.  It dates from the 1700s and was a source of fresh water for ships that hailed into the harbor.  Nearby the small shops handled the shipping trade- chandlers, rope, etc.

The Press Room is a good watering hole that has fresh Guiness on tap.  If you want a pub crawl then it is a good spot to stop by.  The Irish Nachos are a nice healthy low calorie snack () that go well with a few pints too many.

Adjacent to the parking garage is a small diner called Gilleys that is a Portsmouth icon.  The burgers are good and Gilley's is a great example of outlasting "the man".  Gilley's was a mobile diner that was originally positioned in Market Street (center of town).  It was hauled into place each day and then it became too much of a hassle and basically the tires went flat.  Gilley's got repeated tickets for the stranded diner, but he never paid them and they just added to the decor of the diner.  Town officials and cops frequented Gilley's, so this was pretty much just one of "those things."

When a non-conforming lot attached to the parking garage became available in the 70s the town IIRC just gave it to Gilley's!  The diner was towed there and that was that.

Strawberry Banke is full of Colonial buildings which you would guess were always the homes of a bunch of foo-foo Puritans with sticks up their butts.

That area of Portsmouth, though, was where the best whorehouses were located during Portsmouth's days as a shipping hub.  Sailors and whores go together like peanut butter and jelly.

John Paul Jones himself lived in Portsmouth.  He probably staggered about the city, tankard in hand.  When his fitness was challenged he probably declared:

"Go home??? I have not yet BEGUN to whoremonger!"  The whorehouses are no more and all of Portsmouth was gentrified in the late 70s and 80s.

The tides in Portsmouth are legendary and are NO JOKE.  Don't fall in!

There is a building in Portsmouth harbor that resembles a castle.  It is now vacant, but it was called the "Alcatraz of the East".  It was an infamous Naval Prison.  Humprey Bogart was a guard there back in the day.  IIRC he got his facial scar from an unruly patron of the prison.

There is a neat hands-on museum near the center of town- the USS Albacore.  She was a research submarine that you can explore.  You can hop in the bunks, turn the knobs, try the periscope, poke the diesel engines, and marvel at the galley and the toilets.

Have fun on your trip!

Try the BBQ place in Boscawen if you're looking for good BBQ up here.  It's on par with BBQ I've eaten in the south and OK/TX.

If you're sending him to Kittery then you have to have him get his traditional feels-like-lead-in-your-belly fried seafood at Bob's Clam Hut just past the Trading Post. I don't know if it's open then, but if it is, get your fried clam lunch platter there.

Bob's is open year round.

This sounds like a winner. I like clams