Merrimack, NH Outdoor Activities

While majestic chestnut stallions, brown and white pinto mares, and blond pony hunters roam Herring Brook Farm’s 28 acres of open ranch land, owner Mary Beth McGee lopes among them on a bronze steed, training juniors and adults hunter and jumper techniques for competitions and show. Spurred by a lifelong love of horses, she took up coaching more than 20 years ago, leading a number of her students to national finals while instilling the fundamentals of proper horse care in everyone she teaches. When not showing horses and their pet humans how to leap fences, brick walls, or Shaquille O'Neal, Mary Beth opens her farm to horse shows, where tenderfoot colts and wizened horses prance and pose in an indoor ring with a heated viewing room. She also raises horses for sale or lease and runs summer youth riding camps and dressage programs with the help of her capable staff.

The Motorsport Lab lets drivers tame and test a fleet of classic American muscle cars and exotic, foreign sportsters. Drivers receive instruction before sampling the speed and handling of vehicles such as the Shelby Cobra, Bentley GT, and Lotus Elise. Instructors can either compress racing experiences into 60-minute agility tests or prolong the rush by guiding drivers on three-day excursions to Vermont, the Berkshires, or the nearest no-contact demolition derby. The Motorsport Lab also offers a Phoenix thrill-ride experience that actualizes adrenaline junkies’ dreams as they pilot an Aston Martin or Ferrari along the 101.

Captain Mike, a Coast Guard–licensed boater, takes singles, pairs, and groups of three onto the water in a boat built in 2011 and checked daily for safety. Parasailers prep for their ascent by strapping into equipment garnered from the world's leading parasail equipment manufacturers. A multicolored parachute then pulls them soaring into the blue firmament for a thrilling ride and views typically only seen while inside a paper airplane.

The six different parasailing experiences cater to varying tastes, with the Wet 'n' Wild option guaranteeing a dunk in the water and the Elevator Gone Mad flight promising patrons a quick shot into the air before falling gently back to earth. For another means of taking in the sights, the crew sets up beach-goers with safe, speedy jet skis that can hold up to three passengers.

Paintballers sprint, strafe, and army-crawl across Birch Hill Paintball's battlefields, seeking refuge behind overturned barrels or inflated edifices as they seek out opponents. The venue features four distinct battlegrounds, letting players outflank adversaries in an urban setting, skulk stealthily through a sandy junkyard, or obscure themselves behind the trees, fences, and elephantine ant hills of a wooded battlefield. Players without their own paintball guns and other munitions can rent all necessary gear directly from Birch Hill, which hosts simulated warfare on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

First established in 1994, Discovery Adventures is devoted to encouraging excitement for and exploration of coastal and ocean environments around Cape Ann. A large roster of experienced instructors and guides flex their years of outdoor-education experience as they provide introductory paddle tours, snorkel tours, and summer children's programs. All the while, they strive to foster a love and respect for the ocean in their customers and spark their interest in marine science and buying underwater vacation homes. The staff are all trained in first aid, CPR, and life-saving techniques to ensure a safe environment for all paddlers. Meanwhile, those seeking to relax on the water can partake in kayak and paddleboard rentals and float aimlessly among beaches, inlets, and estuaries.