Month: April 2026

Posted on

Moving to Nashua This Summer? Five Parks to Explore on Your First Weekend Outdoors

Moving to Nashua or a nearby town? One of the easier ways to start feeling at home in a new city is to spend a Saturday morning in a local park. Nashua has a deep bench of public green space, from riverside trails in the heart of downtown to 100-plus-acre historic parks just minutes from Main Street. Here are five worth adding to your list once the boxes are unloaded.

Mine Falls Park

At 325 acres in the center of the city, Mine Falls is the park most locals mention first. It offers roughly nine miles of trails running along the Nashua River on one side and the historic power canal on the other, with pedestrian bridges, an 1886 gatehouse, a dam, and Oxbow Lake along the way. The park supports walking, trail running, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, and cross-country skiing in winter. Entrances sit at Whipple Street, Stadium Drive, and Lincoln Park at Coliseum Avenue. Park hours run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. More info is on the City of Nashua Mine Falls Park page.

Pro Tip: The Green Trail loop starting from Lincoln Park is flat, well-marked, and stroller-friendly — a good first visit for getting your bearings.

Greeley Park

On Concord Street in the north end, Greeley Park covers 125 acres, reaching from the Merrimack River across to Manchester Street. The grounds include a playground, a wading pool, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, baseball fields, picnic areas with grills, restrooms, and a bandstand that hosts free summer concerts. The park also holds the Fairy Tale Festival, an annual Art Show, and a Halloween Fright Night. Greeley has been a public park since 1908 and remains a gathering spot for much of the north side of the city.

Roby Park and the Jeff Morin Playground

Families with young kids tend to land on Roby Park, on Spit Brook Road in the south end near the Pheasant Lane shopping corridor. The playground is fully fenced with two separate play areas — one sized for toddlers and one for older children — along with a zipline, a roller slide, swings, and climbing walls. Shade canopies cover much of the equipment, and soft artificial turf sits under the structures. A paved loop circles the park, and in winter the hill turns into a sledding spot with a nearby outdoor ice rink.

Benson Park in Hudson

Ten minutes from downtown Nashua across the Merrimack River, Benson Park is a 166-acre park in Hudson with roughly four miles of paved and natural loop trails. The site was originally Benson’s Wild Animal Farm, which operated as a zoo and amusement park from 1924 until 1987. Preserved structures including the Old Woman’s Shoe, the Elephant Barn, and the Gorilla House still stand on site with historical markers, giving the park a character you won’t find anywhere else in the region. It also has a dog park, a playground, and a 9/11 memorial that incorporates a steel beam from the World Trade Center. Trail details are at the Town of Hudson Benson Park page.

Nashua Heritage Rail Trail and Nashua River Rail Trail

For longer walks, bike rides, and inline skating, the paved Heritage Rail Trail runs east-west through downtown Nashua, beginning at City Hall on Main Street. A short on-road connection links it to Mine Falls Park, and a second connector ties into the 12.5-mile Nashua River Rail Trail that continues south through Dunstable, Pepperell, Groton, and Ayer, Massachusetts. Both trails are flat, ADA-accessible, and open year-round to walkers, cyclists, and cross-country skiers.

Pro Tip: Park at Yudicky Park on Gilson Road for the Nashua River Rail Trail’s northern trailhead — a quieter starting point than the downtown end.

Settle In with Movers Who Know the Neighborhood

McLaughlin has been moving families into Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth, Lowell, and Woburn since 1936, so our crews know the side streets, the one-ways, and the parking realities of every neighborhood in the area. Whether you’re relocating across town, across New Hampshire, or from another state, our local knowledge helps your move go smoothly. Contact McLaughlin’s Nashua team for a free estimate, and plan your first weekend at one of these parks instead of a pile of boxes.

Posted on

Moving Timeline: How to Stay Ahead of the Chaos

Here’s a practical guideline approach to prepare for your local or long distance move.

THREE TO FOUR WEEKS OUT BOOK YOUR MOVE 

Houses are selling quickly these days. Book your move with  Mayflower three to four weeks early. During the busy spring and summer months dates fill up to capacity quickly and you could be left not securing your desired date and may have to put your belongings into warehouse storage until a date becomes available.

Mayflower offers ‘complete’ moving services. Our move coordinators explain the move process in detail to avoid customers being surprised as the time draws closer. Listen to your move coordinator because they are experts and will provide excellent advice to ensure a Stress-free move experience.

Schedule a Virtual or in-home estimate months in advance. This will allow you time to sell, donate or trash items you know you won’t need to take to your new home. Our salesperson will prepare a Binding estimate based on weight and mileage. On move day, your items are loaded into the truck  & the truck will be weighed. If your shipment weighs less than the estimate, you will be Paid a Weight Credit based on the estimated weight minus the current weight.  

Be sure to let the sales estimator know if you have any oversized furniture. Movers won’t take items that won’t pass through doorways,  hallways, and staircases without causing damage to property. This applies to both your origin and destination homes. 

Two to three Weeks Out: If you’re packing: Buy your supplies and Start Packing.

Pack one area Completely—then go on to another area. Pack Seasonal items, extra linens, books, décor, & holiday decorations, the basement, garage and attics should all be packed first. Items left unpacked should be discarded or donated.

 We cannot stress enough the importance of packing early.

DO NOT BUY/USE PLASTICE TOTES! Plastic totes are not meant to be stacked inside a truck from floor to ceiling. Plastic totes conform to Climatic conditions: In the winter, they freeze, crack and break. In the summer, they heat up and expand causing lids to collapse upon one another.

At McLaughlin Mayflower, we provide gently ‘used’ boxes for customers who wish to pack themselves for FREE! Ask your move coordinator for boxes and they will be provided to you. Boxes can be picked up as often as needed. McLaughlin Mayflower will  provide paper and tape. Ask our move coordinator to email you a detailed sheet outlining the size boxes needed for each item. For example: Book boxes are sized  to hold 25 lbs. -books are heavy.

HIGH VALUE ITEMS: PUT ALL items of High Value in one location in your home. DO NOT PACK THEM YOURSELF. OUR PACKER WILL INSPECT, INVENTORY AND PACK THEM AT NOT COST TO YOU. Items of high value included but are not limit to electronics, China, crystal, framed artwork & figurines.

If you have oil paintings or valuable statues these may need a third-party to crate them. Explain these to your move coordinator.  McLaughlin Mayflower does offer crate services and your move coordinator will  advise you on the best approach for those pieces.

ANTIQUES, TYPE UP A LIST OF YOUR ANTIQUES. TYPE A LIST OF EACH PIECE OF ART AND INCLUDE THE ARTIST’S NAME, THE NAME OF THE ART PIECE AND HAVE READY THE CERTIFICATE TO PROVE AUTHENTICITY. Antique furniture should have the certified name of the piece (usually given to homeowner’s insurance co.).

 Grandfather clocks and pianos that have ‘inners’ must be disassembled by a third-party service. The parts must be wrapped and labeled and given to the packer so they can be inventoried and placed inside a Parts Box.  If  you pack parts yourself, we have no knowledge of their existence and they won’t be inventoried. Label the box with the name of the parts you put inside to make it easy to locate at destination.

As soon as you secure a move date; Manage the Logistics

File a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service online.

 Contact your utility providers — gas, electric, water, and internet — schedule service stops at your current address and starts at the new one. Schedule utilities to be active at your new place a day or two before you arrive, so you’re not walking into a home without lights, running water, or air conditioning.

Notify your bank, insurance companies, employer, doctors’ offices, pharmacy, and any subscriptions or memberships of the address change

If you have pets, this is also a good time to research veterinarians near your new home and make sure medical records and prescriptions are transferred.

One week before your move:

90-95% of your household belongings should be packed. Day-to-Day & necessary items should be the only items unpacked.

Defrost your freezer 48 Hrs. before you move. In winter months, unplug your TV 24 hrs. before you move.

Take photos of your electronics setup to make set up at destination easy.

NOTE:

PARTICLE BOARD furniture: known as  ‘RTA” (ready to assemble), SHOULD NOT BE DISASSEMBLED per manufacturer’s instructions. we will take them assembled, however, we will not be held liable if the screws become loose or if the item warps due to the inherent nature of RTA furniture.  . We suggest that these items be given away, sold or donated. Taking the risk that ‘RTA” furniture arrives in good condition is up to you.

DAY BEFORE  Preparation

Pack a bag or a clearly marked “open first” box with everything you’ll need for the first night: phone chargers, medications, a change of clothes, pajamas, toiletries, a few snacks, toilet paper, basic cleaning supplies, and anything else that needs to be immediately accessible before the rest of the boxes are unpacked. If you have kids or pets, pack a separate bag for them with their own essentials and comfort items. This one step saves a lot of frantic searching at the end of a long day.

Do a thorough walkthrough of every room, closet, cabinet, shelf, and outdoor space before the truck leaves. Check the attic, the garage, the shed, the back porch, and the top shelves you don’t usually look at. It’s much easier to catch something you’ve missed while the movers are still there than to realize it two days later.

Start Strong, Finish Smooth

The earlier you get moving on the plan, the easier moving day itself becomes. A little structure in the weeks leading up to your move means you get to spend the actual day watching the plan come together rather than scrambling to hold things together. When you’re ready to schedule your move, contact McLaughlin for a free estimate — and let’s build a timeline that works for you.