New England's Largest Outdoor Sculpture Park Is A Beautifully Whimsical, Free-To-Visit Artistic Garden

Seeing incredible art can come at the cost of waiting a while in line (unless you know tricks like the Louvre's lesser-known entrance). Sometimes, you'll be able to find amazing art without the price tag, like the Andres Institute of Art's free outdoor sculpture park in Brookline, New Hampshire. It's the largest one in all of New England, with more than 100 sculptures set amidst 140 acres of wooded mountainside. It has 12 miles of trails, and its sprawling size combined with the natural changes of the seasons means you can come back there time after time and have a different experience. Plus, new pieces get added each year with the Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium, a gathering of international artists.

Before it was an artistic walk, though, the sculpture park was the former site of Big Bear Mountain Ski Area. In the 1990s, Paul Andres, a successful engineer and businessman, was looking for a place to live and spotted a house atop Big Bear Mountain that looked promising. In 1994, he bought it and a large portion of the surrounding land. He saw the potential for integrating outdoor art onto his property and teamed up with John Weidman, a local sculptor, to create the Andres Institute of Art. The goal was to create a space that could help support artists, provide them with a place to showcase their works, and offer the public a chance to enjoy thought-provoking fine art in a natural setting.

You can choose your own adventure at the Andres Institute of Art. You can seek out specific pieces of art or decide how far you want to go on the looping and intersecting set of trails. You can also decide the type of hiking you want to embark on, from easy to more strenuous trails. Keep in mind that this was once a ski area, so there isn't much that's entirely flat. The top of the mountain is 613 feet tall, but thankfully, you don't have to go to the top to see a lot of beautiful art. If you do, a fantastic view awaits.

There's an interactive online trail map at Trail Forks if you want to plan out your route before heading out. There are also maps on the Andres Institute of Art website and at kiosks onsite. The art is a mix of metal, wooden, and stone sculptures made by artists from around the world. Many of them are abstract enough to allow every viewer to form their own interpretation.

The trails at the Andres Institute of Art are open from dawn until dusk year-round, and the Welcome Center at the parking area is open based on volunteer availability. Next door to the Welcome Center is Brookline's Finest, where you can get locally made snacks and treats to fuel you up before or after your hike. 

This unique and immersive artistic destination is near the Massachusetts border and another good hiking spot: the Palmer-Bartell Forest. There isn't any art on those trails, but they do provide some fun opportunities for mountain biking and hiking. 

The closest major airport, about 90 minutes away, is Boston Logan International, which features a lounge that serves mouth-watering lobster rolls. The closest hotels are in Nashua, less than 15 miles away. If you stay in Nashua, you're well-placed to explore more of the beauty of southern New Hampshire. Peterborough is a riverfront town with great dining and shopping and is about a 35-minute drive from the institute. Also worth checking out is the serene, picturesque small town of Merrimack, nearly 30 minutes away.