If you like a little nature with your art, then the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
is for you. Situated in Cornish, New Hampshire, this site is 150 acres of studios, gardens, and the former home of one of America's foremost sculptors, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The estate was the artist's summer residence, until his death in 1907. Saint-Gaudens is credited with portraits of American heroes, including presidents, military leaders, and Supreme Court Justices, as well as monuments and tributes such as the grieving figure in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington D.C.
Formerly called the Cornish Art Colony, the estate hosted over
seventy artists and patrons at the turn of the century. Members of the colony included such greats as Maxfield Parrish, Winston Churchill, and served as the "Summer White House" to Woodrow Wilson. Six buildings contain galleries, a resident sculptor, an antique stable, and Saint-Gaudens' home, the "Aspet". There is a video presentation, "Augustus Saint-Gaudens: An American Original" for visitors, scheduled tours of the Aspet and grounds, as well as a self-
guided audio tour.
The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is also the home to beautiful formal gardens 
of Saint-Gaudens' own design. Pine and hemlock hedge in these three terraced perennial gardens, which reflect the Italian and English styles, popular in the earlier decades of this century. The gardens also contain pools, sculptures, and trellised observation areas.
Two hiking trails tour the natural areas of the site. The quarter of a mile long Ravine Trails has interpretive signs for browsing as you stroll. The two-mile long Blow-Me-Down Trail winds through eighty acres of terraced woodlands called the Blow-Me-Down Natural Area. Along the Blow-Me-Down, admire white pine and the Blow-Me-Down Pond, which features an historic gristmill.
The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is open late May through October 31st from 9 am to 4:30pm, and November 1st through late May, 8 am till dusk. Admission is charged.
