Phillips Exeter Academy on Foot

PEA campus in fall/ SeacoastNH.com
SCENIC WALKS

Can you find a more beautiful and historic secondary school in America? The rambling riverside campus of PEA is an uplifting hike in any season and just a block from downtown Exeter. Here are a few photo highlights.

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A friend of ours constantly reminds us that he "Went through Harvard". What he means is that he walked in one gate of the Cambridge campus and out the other. We like to say the same about Phillips Exeter Academy. Even those of us not smart enough, lucky enough or wealthy enough to attend the nation’s top prep school, can wander its ivy-covered campus and pretend.

Established in 1781, PEA is reportedly the best endowed secondary school in the nation with half a billion dollars endowed. But the campus offers a number of resources to Seacoast locals and visitors. Everyone should visit the famous Louis Kahn library. The Lamont Gallery offers excellent ongoing art exhibits. There are concerts and plays, exhibits and lectures open to the public.

Behind the extraordinary athletic facilities – including at least 15 active tennis courts, running track, indoor hockey rink and cavernous gymnasium – is the river walk. Beyond the fields are two small observatories that occasionally offer nighttime tours of the universe. Since this is all private property, the hiking rule is – be good, don’t litter, respect the campus property and mind the signs. – JDR

All photos by J. Dennis Robinson (c) SeacoastNH.com

Official PEA web site

Phillips Exeter Admissions OFfice, Bissell House/ SeacoastNH.com