Unearth The Voyage
A unique park in southern New Hampshire invites visitors to explore the remnants of a former zoo and amusement park, including a preserved gorilla enclosure and whimsical storybook structures hidden along wooded trails. Once home to the famous gorilla Colossus, the site now combines local history, outdoor recreation, and quirky attractions with a moving 9/11 memorial built from World Trade Center steel.
Free to visit and full of surprises, it offers one of the state’s most unusual outdoor experiences.
Where History and Fresh Air Meet: Finding the Park
The address most people use to find this place is 19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, New Hampshire 03051, and once you pull into the parking lot, it becomes immediately clear why this park earns a 4.8-star rating from over two thousand visitors.
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, tucked in the southern part of the state near the Massachusetts border, and Benson Park sits on 166 acres of land that once held one of New England’s most popular private zoos.
The park is open every day from 5 AM to 9 PM, and admission is completely free, which makes it accessible for families, solo hikers, dog owners, and everyone in between.
There is ample parking, clean seasonal restrooms, and a friendly atmosphere that greets you the moment you arrive. The transition from busy roadside to peaceful green canopy happens faster than you would expect, and that contrast alone is worth the visit.
The Wild Origins: John T. Benson and His Animal Farm
Back in 1922, a man named John T. Benson, an experienced animal trainer and dealer, purchased over 200 acres of land in Hudson with a very specific vision in mind.
He wanted to build a private facility to house the many exotic animals he worked with throughout his career, and by 1926 that vision had grown large enough to open to the paying public.
Benson’s Wild Animal Farm quickly became a regional attraction, drawing curious crowds who wanted to see lions, elephants, bears, llamas, monkeys, and dozens of birds up close.
By the early 1930s, the park had expanded to include a permanent Wild Animal Circus and even offered a special Jungle Train that brought visitors directly from Boston.
It was a full-scale entertainment experience for its era, and its founder’s passion for animals gave it a personality that pure amusement parks could never quite replicate. The roots of today’s beloved green space run surprisingly deep.
The Most Famous Resident: Colossus the Gorilla
Of all the animals that ever called this farm home, one stood above the rest in every possible way, and that was a 500-pound silverback gorilla named Tony, better known by his stage name Colossus.
Colossus was widely regarded as the largest gorilla ever held in captivity during his time, and his size alone made him a headline attraction that brought visitors from across the region.
The park leaned fully into his celebrity status, and at one point the farm ran a playful campaign in which Colossus officially ran for President of the United States, a publicity stunt that earned national attention and gave the park an irresistible quirky charm.
His enclosure, now known as the Gorilla House, still stands in the park today and has been restored so that visitors can actually walk inside and get a feel for just how substantial this structure had to be to contain such a remarkable animal.
Standing in that cage is one of those quietly unforgettable moments.
From Zoo to Ghost Town: The Long Quiet Years
The 1960s brought a gradual but noticeable shift in the farm’s fortunes, as attendance began to drop and the cost of maintaining a full animal collection became harder to justify.
Later owner Arthur Provencher made genuine efforts to revitalize the attraction, but the momentum was difficult to rebuild in an era when larger theme parks and televised wildlife programming had changed what people expected from a day out.
In its final year of operation, the park was rebranded as New England Playworld in one last attempt to draw visitors, but the name change could not reverse the trend, and the gates closed for good in 1987.
For two years the property sat unused until the State of New Hampshire acquired it in 1989, and then it remained largely dormant for two more decades before the town of Hudson took ownership in 2009.
Those quiet years left the old structures weathered and overgrown, giving the site an eerie, time-capsule quality that visitors still find fascinating today when they encounter the remaining buildings along the trails.
The Comeback: How Benson Park Was Born
After more than two decades of uncertainty, the town of Hudson officially took ownership of the old farm property in 2009, and a genuine community effort began to shape what the land could become.
Benson Park opened to the public in May 2010, and the transformation was driven not just by the town’s Department of Public Works but also by a dedicated group of volunteers known as the Friends of Benson Park.
These volunteers have played a central role in maintaining trails, restoring historic structures, and keeping the grounds in the kind of condition that earns consistent five-star reviews from thousands of visitors each year.
The park’s revival is one of those stories that reminds you what a community can accomplish when it decides a place is worth fighting for.
From a neglected former zoo to one of the most warmly reviewed parks in the region, the turnaround took patience and real effort, and the results speak for themselves every single morning when the gates open at 5 AM.
More Than Four Miles of Trail: A Walker’s Honest Review
The trail system here covers more than four miles and includes both paved paths and natural dirt trails, which means there is genuinely something for every fitness level and every kind of outdoor visitor.
The paved routes are smooth enough for strollers and easy on the knees, while the wooded trails offer more of a challenge with tree roots, rocks, and some pleasant inclines that will get your heart rate up without overwhelming beginners.
Merrill Brook runs alongside parts of the path, and the sound of moving water makes the whole experience feel more immersive than a typical neighborhood park walk.
Wildlife sightings are common here, with owls, great blue herons, wild rabbits, and various songbirds making regular appearances throughout the year.
The trails are well marked and easy to navigate, and informational plaques placed at key points along the route explain the history of the animal farm, turning what could be a simple walk into something closer to an outdoor history lesson. Bring a camera, because you will want it.
The Old Woman’s Shoe and Other Storybook Surprises
One of the most delightful things about exploring this park is turning a corner on the trail and suddenly encountering a structure that looks like it belongs in a children’s storybook rather than a New Hampshire forest.
The Old Woman’s Shoe is exactly what it sounds like: a building constructed in the shape of the oversized shoe from the classic nursery rhyme, and it was one of the original themed attractions from the Benson’s Wild Animal Farm era.
It has been preserved and is accessible to visitors today, and watching children discover it for the first time is genuinely entertaining, because their reactions range from pure delight to complete confusion, which is honestly the correct response.
The Elephant Barn is another surviving structure, and plans are in place to convert it into the Benson’s Museum and Discovery Center, which will give visitors an even deeper look at the park’s layered history.
These remnants of the old farm are what make Benson Park feel unlike any other green space in the region.
A Pond, a Brook, and the Kind of Scenery That Stops You Mid-Stride
Swan Pond sits at the heart of the park and is one of those natural features that draws people back again and again, regardless of the season.
A paved path circles the pond, dotted with benches where you can sit and watch the water without any particular agenda, which turns out to be a surprisingly satisfying way to spend a morning.
Merrill Brook feeds into the pond and runs along flower-lined paths through parts of the park, adding movement and sound to a landscape that already has plenty of visual appeal.
The combination of open meadow, wooded trails, ponds, and streams gives the park a variety that keeps every visit feeling a little different from the last.
Photographers, both professional and casual, regularly use the park as a backdrop for portraits and special occasion photos, and it is easy to understand why once you see the way the light filters through the trees and reflects off the water on a clear afternoon. Nature here genuinely cooperates.
The 9/11 Memorial: A Quiet and Powerful Tribute
Among the many things that make this park feel more significant than a typical recreational space, the 9/11 Memorial stands out as one of the most moving features on the grounds.
The memorial incorporates an actual steel beam recovered from the destroyed World Trade Center, and seeing it in the middle of a peaceful New Hampshire park creates a moment of quiet reflection that catches many visitors off guard in the best possible way.
The surrounding landscaping is thoughtfully arranged, giving the memorial its own sense of space and solemnity without feeling disconnected from the rest of the park’s warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Visitors consistently mention the memorial as a must-see, and it is the kind of feature that transforms a simple afternoon walk into something more meaningful.
The contrast between the park’s playful history and this solemn tribute is not jarring; if anything, it gives Benson Park an emotional depth that few outdoor spaces manage to achieve. Plan to spend a quiet moment here.
Dogs, Kids, and Everyone Else: Who This Park Is Really For
The short answer to who this park is for is: basically everyone, and that is not an exaggeration based on a quick glance at the visitor reviews.
The dedicated dog park near the entrance is securely fenced, which means dogs can run freely without leashes, and the rest of the trails welcome leashed dogs as well, so four-legged visitors are genuinely catered to at every turn.
The playground features swings, slides, and climbing structures that hold the attention of children across a wide age range, and the surrounding hillsides are grassy enough for the kind of rolling-down-the-hill play that kids seem to rediscover every time they encounter a good slope.
Picnic tables are scattered throughout the park, and there is a small canteen that offers drinks and ice cream during the warmer months, which makes it easy to spend a full day here without needing to leave for supplies.
The Amphitheater and Community Spirit That Keep It Thriving
Beyond the trails and historic structures, Benson Park also features an amphitheater that serves as a gathering point for community events and seasonal programming throughout the year.
The presence of the amphitheater reflects something important about what this park has become: not just a passive green space where people walk and then leave, but an active community hub where Hudson residents gather, celebrate, and connect.
The Friends of Benson Park volunteer group organizes ongoing maintenance and events, and their energy is visible in the condition of the grounds, the quality of the trail markers, and the general sense that someone genuinely cares about every corner of this place.
That community investment is part of what gives the park such a warm atmosphere, because you can feel the difference between a space that is managed from a distance and one that is tended by people who actually love it.
The amphitheater also makes the park a natural venue for birthday celebrations, school group visits, and local gatherings that bring new visitors to discover the space for the first time.
Planning Your Visit: What to Know Before You Go
A few practical details can make a real difference in how much you enjoy your time here, so it is worth going through them before you head out.
The park is open every day from 5 AM to 9 PM, which means early risers can enjoy the trails in near-total quiet before the crowds arrive, and the morning light over Swan Pond is genuinely worth setting an alarm for.
Parking is free and described by many visitors as plentiful, even on busy summer weekends, though the park does get noticeably more crowded during the warmer months, so a weekday morning visit offers a noticeably calmer experience.
Restrooms are available seasonally, and the small canteen operates during warmer months for snacks and ice cream, but bringing your own water and a snack is always a smart move on longer trail walks.
The phone number for the park is 603-886-6018, and the official website at hudsonnh.gov/bensonpark has current information on events and any seasonal updates. A camera is non-negotiable.
