Hanover & Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College, founded in 1769 and named for the earl who was colonial secretary to King George III. Its charter gives a hint of why it was located in what was, at the time, such a remote place: It was meant primarily "for the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes," and only secondarily for the education of "English Youth and others."

Today Dartmouth is more than a small undergraduate college. Its graduate schools of medicine, engineering, and business administration are well respected, and the Hopkins Center for the Arts is the cultural focus of the entire region.

In many ways the college is the town and vice versa.

College buildings of exceptional beauty and grace are scattered or clustered throughout Hanover, and most are shaded by trees of a prodigious height and girth.

Anyone out for a drive would enjoy a walk through the campus, perhaps on one of the guided campus tours (free) that leave several times daily from the college information booth during the summer. In winter, tours depart from McNutt Hall. The Dartmouth website also links to video tours and a virtual tour. More...

Where to Stay

Remember that Hanover NH hotels and other lodgings will be fully booked at special times during the college year, such as matriculation, homecoming, special sports events, and graduation. Reserve in advance to get the accommodations you want, using our Hotel Map with Prices, which shows locations, prices and vailability for lodgings in Hanover and nearby towns:

Lebanon NH

City Hall & Opera House, Lebanon NH.

Lebanon (population 14,282), a small city in central New Hampshire just east of White River Junction VT where Intersate highways 89 and 91 meet (map), is known for the Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and a fine New England town square named Colburn Park, easily identified by the dignified Lebanon City Hall, 51 North Park Street, which contains the Lebanon Opera House, the city's prime event and concert venue.

Dartmouth College is nearby to the north in Hanover NH, and Cardigan Mountain State Park, with one of New Hampshire's favorite hiking mountains, is not far to the east.

White River Junction VT

White River Junction VT, just across the Connecticut River to the west from Lebanon NH, is convenient to the Upper Valley as a station stop on Amtrak's Vermonter train from New York City to St Albans VT on the Canadian border, 5 miles (8 km) south of Hanover NH, and 5 miles (8 km) west of Lebanon NH.

Transportation

Car

From Boston MA, follow I-93 to Lebanon NH, then NH Route 10 or 120 north to Hanover; or follow I-91 in Vermont to Norwich, then go east across the Connecticut River to Hanover (map).

Distances from Hanover NH:

Boston MA: 126 miles (203 km) SE

Lebanon NH : 5 miles (8 km) S

Concord NH: 59 miles (95 km) SE

Manchester NH: 75 miles (121 km) SE

White River Junction VT: 5 miles (8 km) SW

Woodstock VT: 20 miles (32 km) SW

Bus

You can reach Hanover from Boston (or vice-versa) on a bus operated by Dartmouth Coach, a subsidiary of Concord Coach Lines. More...

Advance Transit operates buses among the communities of the Upper Connecticut River Valley, including Lebanon, West Lebanon, Hanover, and White River Junction VT. More...

Plane

The nearest airport with many national flights is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) at Manchester NH.

There's also the small Lebanon Municipal Airport served by Cape Air. It's a one-mile (1.6-km, 20-minute) walk from the airport terminal to the Advance Transit bus stop at Beverage King EB.