Celebrate Childhood Outdoors at Discover Wild NH Day

Hosted by NH Fish & Game, Discover Wild NH Day is an annual, free, springtime event that celebrates all things outdoors. It is big with the hunting & fishing crowd but also features nature and environmentalism. It is family-friendly and very well attended.

The main sections of the event are the large interactive exhibits outside, the outdoor adventure tent, and the presentations inside. Our crew has attended two years in a row so this is a rundown of what we saw and what you might expect at future events.

Jump to Quick Facts.

First, there are many, many governmental departments featured at the event. It is very educational to just learn about all the work that different agencies and departments are doing for the state’s environmental resources. The NH Division of Forests and Lands is usually there giving out tree saplings.

If you are a fan of the TV show North Woods Law, you’ll probably have a really good time!

Interactive Exhibits at Discover Wild NH Day

Hands-on is the name of the game at Discover Wild NH Day! There are lots of organizations featuring what they do and the whole event is very generous with letting you try things out! There is archery, fishing and everything you can think of in between. The NH State Parks has a nice set up with fires for everyone to roast s’mores.

Watching the efficiency, patience and participation in the fishing area warms my heart every year. The planner in me loves how many stations they have set up – a crowd is coming and they are ready for it! This cool game allows kids and grown ups alike to cast off with a special hook and try to catch one of the plastic fish out in the pond. Nothing beats the victorious smile when someone manages to reel one in!

The Outdoor Adventure Tent

Attending with kids, this is a space of high interest and it is also by far the most crowded. This is where you will find some of our great educational centers from around the state.

The Seacoast Science Center and the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve have both had tables in this tent with live animals in touch tanks. Squam Lakes Natural Science Center was also there with some fun displays.

Live Animal Presentations

These presentations are inside the Fish and Game office’s main conference room. If it is important to you to get a good seat, head over a little early. Each presentation I have attended was standing room only by the time it got started. We saw some animals from Wildlife Encounters and learned about a turkey vulture from Tailwinds. The 2024 event schedule has Millstone Wildlife Center and the NH Audubon on the schedule. The NH Audubon has so many cool properties throughout the state, our crew will definitely stop by their table to get the lowdown on which ones we should visit first!

New Hampshire Fish and Game

The New Hampshire Fish & Game crew brings out all their coolest stuff to share at this event. You can see their equipment and tools, learn about safety, search & rescue and see firsthand some of the technology they use. There are many officers around answering questions and sharing what they do in their day to day.

Activities and Education at Discover Wild NH Day

Make sure to stop at the Wildlife Education Tent! One of my favorite activities at the 2023 event was this simple coloring page. Kids were tasked with using the many stamps to create a habitat on their page. They could add fish, mammals and vegetation and there was information around for those that were old enough to take it in regarding what a habitat needs to function. Littles just like stamping things, big kids learn something, win-win-win!

Don’t Miss This Stop at Discover Wild NH Day

I am going to keep my inner environmentalist off her soapbox and simply say that this demonstration is so important, keep an eye out for this tent outside.

Hosted by the NH DOT, this storm water demonstration uses different colored sand to walk through common pollutants that end up on the ground in various locations. Road salt, oil, fertilizers, litter, pet waste, etc are all sprinkled over the landscape. Then it “rains” and all those little learners can watch the sand be washed right into the rivers and pond. It is a perfect visual reminder for how important it is for all of us to do our part to limit those pollutants left on the ground.

Parking

This event is a well-oiled machine. Hat’s off to whoever is running the show, prayers for whoever may try to fill your shoes in the future.

The event is in the Fish & Game building’s parking lot and all of the other surrounding government buildings’ lots are used for parking. They usually have people directing traffic through the lots so that you know where to go. Once you’re parked, it is a bit of a walk over to the event and this makes me opt for the stroller. Both to give a little a lift but also to just bring all our stuff because I don’t want to have to walk back to the car.

Discover Wild NH Day: Quick Facts