Location: Portsmouth
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10 Things to do in Portsmouth That You Shouldn't Miss
Don your walking shoes, breathe in the ocean air and set out to discover this picturesque maritime town. You can join one of several organized walking tours or explore on your own. Portsmouth is filled with old homes and museums, and you'll have your pick of fascinating historic sites. Climb aboard the USS Albacore, a retired U.S. Navy submarine offering tours and exhibits. View an 18th-century garden, striking stairway and period furniture at the Moffatt Ladd House, the home of William Whipple, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, or follow a costumed guide through the John Paul Jones House, home of the Revolutionary War naval hero. For a broader look at the city's history, visit Strawbery Banke Museum, where over 40 buildings have been assembled to depict Portsmouth life from 1695 to 1950, complete with costumed actors. If you know architecture, Portsmouth's array of Colonial, Federalist and Neo-classical styles will dazzle you. Weary of walking? Sit down for a meal at one of Portsmouth's fine eateries or relax on a narrated harbor or whale-watching cruise.
Restaurants in Portsmouth
1. Portsmouth Historical Society
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 28 reviews
Founded in 1917, the Portsmouth Historical Society is a nonprofit devoted to the history, arts, and culture of the Portsmouth region, through acquisitions, preservation, museum exhibitions, programs, and publications. It operates the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and the 1758 John Paul Jones Historic House Museum and Garden, a national historic landmark. The Society also serves as the home of the Portsmouth Advocates for Historic Preservation, and the Portsmouth Marine Society Press.
Reviewed By Maurene_K - Dover, United States
After visiting the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, I went into the attached Portsmouth Historical Society building to see the 2021 art exhibits. The one on the first floor was titled: Twilight of American Impressionism. The featured artists were Alice Ruggles Sohier and Frederick A. Bosley. Alice Ruggles Sohier was born in Massachusetts. She had an extensive education in art. Among her instructors for advanced studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston were Edmund C. Tarbell and Frank Weston Benson. I liked most of her work shown in the exhibit. The oil painting titled Dahlias was my favorite. The yellow dahlias looked so delicate. I also liked the painting titled Yellow Day Lilies. Frederick A. Bosley was from Lebanon, New Hampshire. He also studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with Edmund C. Tarbell and Frank Weston Benson. Works in this exhibit included portraits and landscapes. Most of his palette was in subdued darker shades, except for the portrait of a woman in a red kimono titled “Elizabeth in Red” which I liked. Bosley's palette was on display in a case. The exhibit upstairs was titled: Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts. He is a contemporary artist. He does woodcuts and then makes colorized prints from them. The waterfronts were mostly Portsmouth and Ogunquit. There was also a video in which Don Gorvett demonstrated how he does the woodcuts and made his prints. He combines the traditional process with a few procedures he created. I found both exhibits worthwhile. I really liked the Impressionist exhibit. I always find every exhibit that the Portsmouth Historical Society displays to be first-rate. I rate the Portsmouth Historical Society, its John Paul Jones House, its tours, its publications, and these exhibits at 5.0. I highly recommend anything the Society does. If you found this review helpful, please click THANK below.
2. USS Albacore Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 594 reviews
The USS Albacore is a research submarine, designed by the U.S. Navy to test experimental features used in modern submarines. The Navy tested top-secret features that led to the high-speed silent operation used on modern U.S. submarines. Today, Albacore has been preserved and is opened to the public Every visitor can go inside and explore this remarkable submarine. You will be able to look through the periscope, explore the control room, engineering spaces, and bunkrooms, and hear crew members tell of things that happened when they were at sea. Tours through Albacore are self-guided. As you walk through the ship, a series of audio stations highlight Albacore's unique features. Recordings by former crew members tell about daily life and some hair-raising incidents aboard the sub. The Visitor Center is your starting point for the tour. The Gift Shop offers souvenirs of your visit. The Memorial Garden preserves the memory of those who have served on Albacore and other U.S. submarines.
Reviewed By PartyTheNightAway - New Jersey, United States
Excellent trip! We arrived at approximately 1 pm and made our way inside to buy our tickets. There were several docents positioned outside that provided useful information about the submarine and its history. There were also several informational plaques located throughout the outside museum and inside the submarine that contained buttons with the actual voices of crew members that worked on the submarine. These voices gave us detailed information about what we were seeing and how life was like on the submarine. We actually got to go inside of the submarine, and we saw the bunks that the crew members slept on, the kitchen, the dining area, the bathrooms and showers, the control room and the engineering aspect. I gained a lot of knowledge doing this tour and thought it was pretty neat that we got to step inside of an actual submarine. The self guided tour was very detailed and I left without having any additional questions. TIP: I recommend spending 1 hour here if you truly want to see everything.
3. Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 91 reviews
Originally built for a wealthy merchant family, and later the residence of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, this splendid home features an elegant 18th-century garden, interesting carvings, and much of the original furniture. Guided tours of the house are available June 1 through mid-October, Monday-Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sundays 1-5pm. Tours last 45-60mins and are $8 for adults, $2.5 for children (6-12) and children under 6 are free. To tour the garden on your own is just $2 per person.
4. Strawbery Banke Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,103 reviews
Museum houses open in December only for Candlelight Stroll: Saturdays Dec 12 and 19, 5-9 pm and Sundays, December 13 and 20, 4-8 pm. Guided Holiday House Tours offered Dec 26-31, 10 am to 2 pm with last tour starting at 2 pm. Labrie Family Skate outdoor ice rink at the museum is open daily 9 am to 9 pm (except for occasional private rentals).
Reviewed By aneczypor - Seattle, United States
This historic park is fabulous. From the first video to all the various houses, it is non stop entertaining and beautiful. The structures range from very old homes, to stores and churches transporting you back to another world and time. The buildings are often staffed by volunteers dressed in vintage clothing who act out the person who lived or worked there. The gardens are beautiful and the garden tour is worth taking if you are a Gardner. Do not go to Portsmouth and miss this magical place.
5. Isles of Shoals
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 207 reviews
Nine isolated, barren islands off the coast of New Hampshire.
Reviewed By PartyTheNightAway - New Jersey, United States
Great trip! We arrived at approximately 10:30 am and made our way towards the front of the boat. We handed our tickets to the employee and headed to the top floor of the boat. We bought the Isles of Shoals & Portsmouth Harbor Tour, and the entire trip lasted roughly 2 and a half hours. The tour guide was very good and told us about the history of the Portsmouth harbor, as well as pointing out important landmarks as we passed them, including an old abandoned prison. The weather was a little rough- as it was cloudy and windy- but we had a nice trip regardless. Tip: I recommend spending 2.5 hours here if you truly want to see everything
6. Market Square
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 728 reviews
The heart of downtown, where several walking tours begin, Market Square is a center of activity with art galleries, bookstores, antique shops, ethnic restaurants and many original 17th-century buildings.
Reviewed By ajayrrs
This is a great place to visit for a quick bite, or take as long as you want with a cup of coffee or drink. The ambiance is great and the location is fantastic.
7. The Music Hall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 191 reviews
Reviewed By AnnieC577 - De Waterkant, South Africa
What a wonderful surprise to see Annie at Portsmouth Music Hall! We loved eye orphans, the costumes and the choreography! We had front row seats which we moved from at intermission because the speakers blocked our view and we didn’t want to miss a step. Great talent! A lot of fun!
8. Prescott Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 687 reviews
Reviewed By 721gretchenw
Last night we went for an evening stroll around Portsmouth NH. This town is lovely in the summer. It is full of restaraunts, breweries, clothing boutiques, art galleries, a book store, funky gift shops, etc. On one side of Portsmouth there is a historical village called Strawberry Banke, which has many restored period houses from Portsmouth's fishing village days. Prescott Park has an outdoor performance event in the evenings where families can bring their children(check for the days of the performances). One of our favorite things to do is to walk through the two big flower gardens. One garden is a sunken brick-paved area complete with three fountains and fabulous old curving trees. The other location is a large flat lawn near the harbor and bridge. The flowers are arranged in creative combinations to highlight their colors and shapes. They are also labelled, in case you want to get some of your own! Portsmouth is a haven in summer! So much to experience in a large but walk-able area, with ample parking.
9. Seacoast Repertory Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 83 reviews
Reviewed By Flyer827748
There are 3 plays currently being performed in rep right now, and I've seen two of them! (The 3rd opens this coming weekend). This is a great way to spend a weekend evening or afternoon! There are so many COVID-related safety measures taken by the theater for staff and guests, that I felt confident in my safety. "Next to Normal" is beautifully performed, resulting in a riveting performance. The actor who plays the mother (Jenny Sue Mallard) takes us to the depths of despair, but also gives us glimpses of hope as she battles depression and bipolar personality. Jason Faria's performance as the dead son who haunts his mother, plaguing her with guilt, is likewise truly exceptional. Faria's talent as an actor seems to know no bounds. Although you won't leave the theater giddy with happiness, if you want to see magnificent performances, don't miss this show! "Stokely & Martin" // "Nevaeh's Brother" are two one-act plays performed back-to-back in one show, with an intermission in between. The performances are available both Live and Livestreamed. These are the truly impressive works of local playwright Najee Brown. Brown writes beautifully, and I would not be in the least surprised if he makes it to the national stage. In the Rep's own words, "Stokely & Martin is an imagined depiction of a real-life discussion between Martin Luther King, [...] and a young Stokely Carmichael, who challenged King with more confrontative call for “Black power” and opposition to the Vietnam War." The actors do a terrific job conveying to the audience both the familial and respectful, as well as the urgent mood of the conversation, in which Martin is pressed to reconsider some of his positions. I felt that I was brought right into MLK Jr's living room as a witness to this conversation. Brown’s second play, Nevaeh’s Brother "depicts the familial love between an African-American woman and her younger brother, who is in trouble and on the run." Despite its being a brutal testament to the reality of race matters in current times, it's nevertheless written with moments of levity as well. That is one of Brown's special talents: to make you at times smile or laugh, when the theme could otherwise cause utter despair. (He achieved this beautifully in his first play, performed this past summer: Bus Stop.) I left his latest play feeling far from being drowned by despair; rather, I left feeling energized, feeling that I too could go out and DO SOMETHING for BLM issues, for my fellow man, for our community. The Fantasticks, by the way, comes out this week, hence I haven't seen it yet.
10. Discover Portsmouth
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
Start you visit at Discover Portsmouth. We offer a 12 minute film on the city's history, a beautiful museum shop, changing exhibitions, walking tours (Memorial Day - Through October), city map, and public rest rooms. We are open April 1-December 23/
Reviewed By CaitlynJW - San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
I have lived in NH my whole life a few towns from Portsmouth. My partner is staying here with me for a bit and is very into history so I decided that we should take a tour of the downtown area. I am so thankful that we did! Randy was a kind and knowledgeable guide and I found myself learning a ton of new info even though I have frequented Portsmouth for years. I would recommend this tour for visitors and locals alike.
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