Learn essential water safety tips to ensure a fun and safe summer for the whole family.
Looking for a way to beat the heat with the kids this summer?
Luckily, New Hampshire has plenty of beaches, water attractions and water parks fit for a perfect family summer day. But which of the state’s water parks is the oldest?
Advertisement
While historic New Hampshire theme parks like Santa’s Village, Story Land and Canobie Lake Park – the oldest theme park in the state – have all opened water parks in the last 20 years, the oldest standalone water park in the state dates back to over 40 years ago. Water Country, located right here in Portsmouth, first opened in 1984.
Here’s a brief history of the New Hampshire water park, as well as how to cool off there this summer.
History of Water Country
Water Country was first opened in 1984 by Dick Samuels, just five years after he opened his first water slide at Weirs Beach. The park was owned by the Samuels family for many years before being passed down through various theme park operators.
Today, many of the water park’s original attractions are still open, including the Giant Wave Pool and the Adventure River. However, Water Country has also made various upgrades that have earned it the title of the largest water park in New England, standing today with various waterslides, tube slides, pools and splash areas of all intensity levels.
Advertisement
Water Country news: Story Land among group of New Hampshire attractions sold to new owner. What to know
How to go to Water Country
Daily admission to Water Country typically costs $59.99, but a current Fourth of July sale is offering tickets online for as low as $44.99 for one person or $34.99 for groups of four or more. Parking costs $20 per day in an unpaved lot, and preferred parking in paved lots costs $25 on weekdays and $30 on weekends.
Water Country is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though the park will extend its hours in July and August. A full calendar with hours can be found online.
Advertisement
The water park is located at 2300 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth.
WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
Advertisement
At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox
Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.
A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.
Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.
Advertisement
Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.
In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.
During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.
When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote.
Advertisement
Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.
While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.
As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.
While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.
“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.
Advertisement
Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
