College Visit Guides

Drive guide · 2 days, 3 campuses

UNH, UMass Lowell and Merrimack in 2 Days: A Merrimack Valley and New Hampshire Seacoast College Trip

A parent-first plan for seeing UMass Lowell and Merrimack College on day 1 and the University of New Hampshire in Durham on day 2, from one Andover base: student-led tours at all three, where to park, three hotels from budget to upscale, drive times and seasonal weather, every fact sourced.

The red-brick Thompson Hall at the University of New Hampshire rising behind a grassy slope and trees under a clear summer sky
Thompson Hall at UNH (Aug 2013). Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).

The short version

Trip at a glance

Schools
University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA) · Merrimack College (North Andover, MA) · University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)
Days
2 weekdays: UMass Lowell in the morning and Merrimack in the afternoon on day 1, UNH on day 2. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
Boston Logan (BOS), about 40 minutes from our Andover pick with no traffic. Manchester-Boston Regional (MHT) is also about 40 minutes away.
Best base
Courtyard by Marriott Boston Andover, about 18 minutes by car from UMass Lowell's visitor lot, 12 minutes from Merrimack and about 1 hour 9 minutes from UNH.
Car or transit
Rent a car: UMass Lowell to Merrimack is about 21 minutes, and UNH is about 50 miles north of Andover.
Registration
All three schools take visit sign-ups online. UMass Lowell emails your parking pass, and UNH's confirmation email confirms where to park.

1. Who this guide is for

This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare three very different schools north of Boston: UMass Lowell, a Research 1 university in the city of Lowell; Merrimack College, a private college in North Andover; and the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire's Land, Sea, and Space Grant university in Durham.

UMass Lowell and Merrimack are about 21 minutes apart, so they fit in one day. UNH is about 1 hour 9 minutes north of Andover, so give it day 2 and fly home from Manchester (about an hour away) or Boston (about 1 hour 29 minutes).

Why this order

  • Morning: UMass Lowell's student-led campus tours run about an hour to an hour and a half and highlight academic and student life, with general North, East and South Campus tours and focus tours for engineering, sciences, business, fine arts and health sciences.
  • Afternoon: Merrimack's visit pairs a 20-minute information session with a walking tour led by a Student Ambassador through academic buildings, a residence hall and the campus center.
  • Day 2: UNH's Information Session and Campus Tour includes an admissions overview, a 90-minute guided campus tour with a UNH student and a complimentary dining-hall meal for prospective students.
Register first: parking instructions come with your sign-up
  • UMass Lowell is an urban campus spread across the city, so each tour has its own parking and starting location. Your parking pass and check-in pass are emailed to the address you registered with.
  • UNH: admissions visitors park in the Edgewood Road Visitor Lot (5 Edgewood Road, Durham), a short walk from the Admissions Office in Smith Hall. Check your confirmation email for parking instructions; weekend programs use different lots.
  • Merrimack: set your GPS for Flaherty Road, North Andover, and follow signs to the Arcidi Center/Welcome Center Parking (Lot A).
Tour availability varies by season.
  • UMass Lowell tours run rain or shine with a lot of outdoor walking, and they're cancelled if the university closes, so check the forecast in winter.
  • Boston-area winters bring about 14 inches of snow in both January and February on average, so leave extra time for the drive to Durham.

2. The suggested 2-day plan

  • Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Add a cushion for Boston-area rush-hour traffic on I-93 and I-495.

Arrival evening: fly into Boston and drive to Andover

  1. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) → Courtyard by Marriott Boston Andover (10 Campanelli Dr.)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~40 min, 28.4 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Rent a car at BOS

  2. Or: Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) → Courtyard by Marriott Boston Andover

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~40 min, 26.1 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Rent a car at MHT
  • Merrimack's directions list Boston Logan at about 27 miles from campus and Manchester-Boston Regional at about 35 miles.

Day 1: UMass Lowell in the morning, Merrimack College in the afternoon

  1. Courtyard Andover → UMass Lowell, Salem Street/Admissions Visitors Lot (294 Salem St., Lowell)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~18 min, 8.3 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  2. UMass Lowell → Merrimack College, Arcidi Center/Welcome Center Parking (Lot A), North Andover

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~21 min, 12.5 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  3. Merrimack College → Courtyard Andover

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~12 min, 5.1 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required
  • North and East Campus tours start at UMass Lowell's Meehan Student Center; South Campus tours start at the McGauvran Student Center. Check which one your tour uses before you leave the hotel.
  • Book a Merrimack afternoon slot that leaves room for UMass Lowell's tour of up to an hour and a half, lunch and the 21-minute drive.

Day 2: the University of New Hampshire in Durham, then home

  1. Courtyard Andover → UNH Edgewood Road Visitor Lot (5 Edgewood Rd., Durham, NH)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~1 hr 9 min, 50.8 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  2. Edgewood Road Visitor Lot → Admissions Office, Smith Hall (3 Garrison Ave.)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~6 min walk, 0.3 mi
    Driving
    On foot

  3. UNH → Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~1 hr, 39.7 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  4. Or: UNH → Boston Logan (BOS)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~1 hr 29 min, 64.8 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required
  • From the Edgewood Road lot, UNH's directions are: turn right onto Edgewood Road, left onto Main Street, then left onto Garrison Avenue; Smith Hall is on the left.
  • Non-service animals aren't allowed on UNH's information session and campus tour.

3. Campus by campus

The glass and stone University Crossing building at UMass Lowell, with UMass Lowell banners and the River Hawk Shop, seen across a Lowell intersection on a sunny day
University Crossing at UMass Lowell (Sep 2019). Photo: AntiCompositeNumber · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA)

Where visits start
  • Pick a date and tour on UMass Lowell's tour calendar: general campus tours, college focus tours and admissions information sessions. Note which campus your tour starts on.
  • Prefer to explore on your own? UMass Lowell asks self-guided visitors to register as campus visitors first.
Visitor parking
  • North and East Campus tours park in the Salem Street/Admissions Visitors Lot (294 Salem St.) and start at the Meehan Student Center, 100 Meehan Way (220 Pawtucket St.). South Campus tours park in the South Campus Parking Garage (910 Broadway St.) and start at the McGauvran Student Center, Room 318, 71 Wilder St.
  • Your parking pass and check-in pass arrive by email before your tour.
Getting there
  • Plan on a car: UMass Lowell's visitor lot is about 18 minutes from our Andover pick and about 21 minutes from Merrimack.
What to know
  • The UMass Lowell photo in this guide shows the Pawtucket Street side of the building that now houses the Meehan Student Center, where Admissions is. UMass Lowell is a Research 1 university with a 17:1 student/faculty ratio and 14 Division I athletic teams.
  • Many residence halls, classrooms, labs and studios are access-only, so tours show set areas. For a deeper look at a major's facilities, contact that department after your tour.
Contact
UMass Lowell Undergraduate Admissions, Meehan Student Center, 100 Meehan Way (220 Pawtucket St.), Suite 420, Lowell, MA 01854-2874; 978-934-3931, admissions@uml.edu. ADA accommodations for tours: umltours@uml.edu.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: UMass Lowell: Visit · UMass Lowell: Campus Tours · UMass Lowell: Are You Ready? (parking and check-in)

The brick and glass Sakowich Campus Center at Merrimack College framed by trees, with a lamppost and walkway leading to its entrance
Sakowich Campus Center at Merrimack (Sep 2025). Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

Merrimack College (North Andover, MA)

Where visits start
  • Book Merrimack 101: a 20-minute information session followed by a walking tour of campus.
  • High school seniors who have already toured and know their intended major can request an MC All Access visit, a personalized one-on-one visit.
Visitor parking
  • Set your GPS for Flaherty Road, North Andover, MA 01845, and follow signs to the Arcidi Center/Welcome Center Parking (Lot A). Visits start at the Arcidi Welcome Center.
Getting there
  • Merrimack is reachable from Routes 93 and 495. From Boston's North Station, the Haverhill commuter rail line stops at Andover (about 2 miles from campus) and Lawrence (about 3 miles).
What to know
  • The Merrimack photo in this guide shows the Sakowich Campus Center. The campus center, a residence hall and academic buildings are all regular stops on the tour.
  • Merrimack describes itself as a private college in New England that draws tens of thousands of applications each year.
Contact
Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA 01845. Visit questions: 978-837-5241, welcomecenter@merrimack.edu; Admission Office: admission@merrimack.edu.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: Merrimack: Campus Visits · Merrimack: Map, Directions & Parking · Merrimack: Hotel Partners

The red-brick Thompson Hall at the University of New Hampshire rising behind a grassy slope and trees under a clear summer sky
Thompson Hall at UNH (Aug 2013). Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)

Where visits start
  • Book the Information Session and Campus Tour: a 15- to 30-minute admissions overview, a 90-minute guided campus tour with a UNH student, a complimentary dining-hall meal for prospective students and a chance to connect with an admissions counselor.
  • UNH also offers academic sessions, a self-guided walking tour and a driving tour of campus.
Visitor parking
  • Admissions visitors park in the Edgewood Road Visitor Lot at the corner of Edgewood Road and Main Street (set your GPS for 5 Edgewood Road). Pay with ParkMobile; start your session before you leave the car. The lot has a 4-hour limit, and payment is required 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
  • Visiting for anything other than an admissions program? Go to the Parking and Transit Services Center first for parking instructions.
Getting there
  • Durham is served by the Amtrak Downeaster (Brunswick, Maine, to Boston), C&J Bus to Boston and Logan, and COAST Seacoast public transit, but a car is simplest for this trip.
What to know
  • The UNH photo in this guide shows Thompson Hall above its sloping lawn. UNH is New Hampshire's Land, Sea, and Space Grant institution and an R1 research university.
  • Ask your student to try the dining hall on the visit; the meal is included for prospective students on the information session and tour.
Contact
UNH Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Smith Hall, 3 Garrison Ave., Durham, NH 03824; (603) 862-1360, admissions@unh.edu.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: UNH: Plan a Visit · UNH: Visit Options · UNH: Traveling to Campus

4. Where to stay: Andover, about 18 minutes from UMass Lowell, 12 from Merrimack and 69 from UNH

Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Hotel · Our pickMid-range

Courtyard by Marriott Boston Andover

10 Campanelli Dr., Andover, MA

Why here

  • It's about 18 minutes by car from UMass Lowell's visitor lot, 12 minutes from Merrimack and about 1 hour 9 minutes from UNH, so two nights here cover the whole trip. It's on Merrimack's hotel partner list.
  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Good to know

  • Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

Holiday Inn Express Andover North-Lawrence

224 Winthrop Ave., Lawrence, MA

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's on Merrimack's hotel partner list, about 5 minutes by car from Merrimack, 19 minutes from UMass Lowell and about 1 hour 4 minutes from UNH.

Good to know

  • Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateUpscale

DoubleTree by Hilton Boston - Andover

123 Old River Rd., Andover, MA

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's on Merrimack's hotel partner list, about 19 minutes by car from UMass Lowell, 13 minutes from Merrimack and about 1 hour 10 minutes from UNH.

Good to know

  • Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Stay in Andover for the shortest drives to UMass Lowell and Merrimack. If UNH is your student's top choice, UNH's Traveling to Campus page also links to Durham and Portsmouth lodging listings for a night closer to campus.

5. Meals between tours

Hours change, so check before you go.

UNH dining hall (Durham)

UNH's Information Session and Campus Tour includes a complimentary dining-hall meal for prospective students, so plan lunch on campus on day 2.

Durham and the Seacoast

UNH's Traveling to Campus page links to Seacoast restaurant listings if you'd like to eat in town after your visit.

6. Things for siblings along the route

With siblings

Boott Cotton Mills Museum (Lowell National Historical Park)

115 John St., Lowell, MA

About 3 minutes by car from UMass Lowell's visitor lot. The national park tells Lowell's mill history; it's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and the closest paid parking is the city garage at 75 John St.

Official page →

With siblings

Addison Gallery of American Art

Main St. at Chapel Ave., Andover, MA

A free art museum on the Phillips Academy campus, about 4 minutes by car from Merrimack. It's closed Mondays, and children under 12 must be with an adult.

Official page →

With siblings

A Wildcats, River Hawks or Warriors game

Durham, NH, Lowell or North Andover, MA

Check the UNH Wildcats, UMass Lowell River Hawks and Merrimack Warriors athletics calendars for a home game on your dates.

Official page →

7. Practical tips

Driving and parking

  • UMass Lowell emails your parking pass; UNH admissions visitors use the Edgewood Road Visitor Lot with ParkMobile; Merrimack visitors follow signs to Lot A at the Welcome Center.
  • Andover to UMass Lowell is about 8 miles and 18 minutes, to Merrimack about 5 miles and 12 minutes, and to UNH about 51 miles and 1 hour 9 minutes, with no traffic.

Flying in and out

  • Boston Logan and Manchester-Boston Regional are both about 40 minutes from Andover. After UNH, Manchester is the shorter drive (about an hour) versus about 1 hour 29 minutes to Logan.

Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Boston Logan International Airport)

  • Spring: April averages about 56°F highs and 41°F lows, with about 3.6 inches of rain.
  • Summer: July averages about 82°F/66°F, with about 3.3 inches of rain.
  • Fall: October averages about 62°F/48°F, with about 4 inches of rain.
  • Winter: January averages about 37°F/23°F, with about 14 inches of snow; February is just as snowy.

Parent checklist

  • Register for a UMass Lowell morning tour, a Merrimack afternoon visit and a UNH information session and tour for day 2.
  • Book two nights in Andover, plus a rental car from Boston Logan or Manchester-Boston Regional.
  • Watch your email for UMass Lowell's parking pass and UNH's parking confirmation, and install the ParkMobile app for UNH.
  • Pack comfortable shoes and rain-ready layers: UMass Lowell's tours run rain or shine with lots of walking outdoors.
  • After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.

8. Student-athlete recruiting visits

For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.

Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.

Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.

3 Division I

NCAA basics for parents

  • Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
  • Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
  • Division I (University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College and University of New Hampshire): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
  • Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.

Planning around the season

  • Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
  • Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.

Student-athlete sources

All checked Oct 26, 2026.

  1. NCAA, 2026-27 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (pp. 3, 21–25)
  2. NCAA.org: NCAA Recruiting
  3. NCAA: Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides
  4. NCAA Directory: University of Massachusetts Lowell
  5. University of Massachusetts Lowell Athletics (official site)
  6. University of Massachusetts Lowell Athletics: Prospective Student-Athletes
  7. University of Massachusetts Lowell Athletics: Staff Directory
  8. University of Massachusetts Lowell Athletics: schedule of events
  9. NCAA Directory: Merrimack College
  10. Merrimack College Athletics (official site)
  11. Merrimack College Athletics: Compliance
  12. Merrimack College Athletics: Staff Directory
  13. Merrimack College Athletics: schedule of events
  14. NCAA Directory: University of New Hampshire
  15. University of New Hampshire Athletics (official site)
  16. University of New Hampshire Athletics: Prospective Student-Athlete Questionnaires
  17. University of New Hampshire Athletics: Staff Directory
  18. University of New Hampshire Athletics: schedule of events

Trip planner

Plan this trip

Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.

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Sources

All checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.

  1. University of New Hampshire Admissions: Plan a Visit
  2. University of New Hampshire Admissions: Visit Options
  3. University of New Hampshire: Durham Visit Options (official sign-up)
  4. University of New Hampshire Admissions: Traveling to Campus
  5. University of New Hampshire Transportation: Visitor & Metered Parking
  6. University of New Hampshire Transportation: Regional Transportation
  7. University of New Hampshire: About
  8. UMass Lowell Undergraduate Admissions: Visit
  9. UMass Lowell Undergraduate Admissions: Campus Tours
  10. UMass Lowell: Take a Tour of UMass Lowell's Campuses (official sign-up)
  11. UMass Lowell Undergraduate Admissions: Are You Ready? (what to expect, parking and check-in)
  12. UMass Lowell: About UMass Lowell
  13. Merrimack College Admission: Campus Visits
  14. Merrimack College: Information Sessions and Campus Tours (official sign-up)
  15. Merrimack College: Visit Merrimack
  16. Merrimack College: Map, Directions & Parking
  17. Merrimack College: Hotel Partners of Merrimack College
  18. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), driving profile
  19. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), foot profile
  20. OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoder
  21. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, Boston Logan International Airport (USW00014739)
  22. Expedia listing: Courtyard by Marriott Boston Andover (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Andover-Hotels-Courtyard-By-Marriott-Boston-Andover.h11883.Hotel-Information)
  23. Expedia listing: Holiday Inn Express Andover North-Lawrence (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Lawrence-Hotels-Holiday-Inn-Express-Andover-North-Lawrence.h10120.Hotel-Information)
  24. Expedia listing: DoubleTree by Hilton Boston - Andover (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Andover-Hotels-DoubleTree-By-Hilton-Hotel-Boston-Andover.h21505.Hotel-Information)
  25. National Park Service: Lowell National Historical Park, Basic Information
  26. National Park Service: Lowell National Historical Park, Operating Hours & Seasons
  27. Addison Gallery of American Art: Plan Your Visit
  28. UNH Wildcats Athletics: Calendar
  29. UMass Lowell River Hawks Athletics: Calendar
  30. Merrimack College Warriors Athletics: Calendar