Millyard Museum

On the site of Manchester’s historic mill yard, the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., 603/622-7531, www.manchesterhistoric.org, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wed.–Sat., $6 adults, $5 students, $2 children 6–18, free children under 6) takes visitors through 11,000 years of Manchester history, starting with the Native Americans who camped at Amoskeag Falls, and continuing through the heyday of Manchester’s industrial age. A highlight is a life-sized re-creation of Manchester’s main street in the Victorian era.

In the same building, the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford Street, Manchester, 603/669-0400, www.see-sciencecenter.org, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.–Sun., $6) is geared for kids with a simulated moonwalk, electrical Van de Graaf generator, and reptile exhibits.

Manchester City Hall

Among the buildings on display in the model is Manchester City Hall, an impressive Gothic cathedral–like structure built in 1845. You can see the real thing (1 City Hall Plz., 603/624-6500, www.manchesternh.gov, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., free) a few blocks away. Inside is a small museum dedicated to New Hampshire’s traditional status as the nation’s first presidential primary.