Location: Portsmouth
Top Things to do in Portsmouth
Countries
What to do and see in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (NH): The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day
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. Granite State Growler Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 278 reviews
Granite State Growler Tours, the first craft brewery tour bus in New Hampshire and a Best of NH 2013 winner chosen by NH magazine, is roaming for foam! Hop on our bus, affectionately named 'Greta the Growler Getta', and visit the best craft breweries on the NH seacoast. Your four-hour adventure includes exclusive personal tours given by the brewers themselves so you can talk to them one on one. Tastings are included in the ticket price. If you like what you tried, grab a growler and we'll keep it iced down for you. As we roam from tap to tap, our knowledgeable guide will entertain and intrigue you with unique facts and little-known stories about the rich and foamy history of brewing in NH. With great hops at every stop, meet us for beer every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Are you looking for a private or group tour a custom itinerary for your special event? We can visit over 27 different breweries and distilleries.
2. Diversions Puzzles & Games
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 16 reviews
Diversions Puzzles & Games strives to bring the local community together through quality product, excellent service, and engaging game events, encouraging us all to unplug and play a little more! Our flagship location can be found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire - a charming, historical, and creative city on the seacoast! Stop by and check out our famed array of game nights which play host to users from the beginner level on up through the pros. Whether you’re just in an exploratory phase, or you’re looking to connect with your peers that are seasoned players, these game nights will bring the Portsmouth community together in a real, live social setting.
3. G. Willikers Toy Shop
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Maurene_K - Dover, United States
In Portsmouth for an afternoon, I got a parking space near G. Willikers! Books & Toys. I decided to go in. The store had lots of games, puzzles, regular and creative toys, coloring books, and children's books as well as onesies for babies, footed pajamas for toddlers, and some costumes. In books, I liked the catchy title “Dragons Like Tacos 2 – The Sequel.” The illustration on the cover showed two dragons, with an arm hooked around the other’s, tossing down tacos. There were many more books for youngsters of all ages. I guessed that there were at least 250 books there. The store carried the Name Train Wooden Railway System which was letters on wheels to make a train. With the former activity area closed for so long, the owners are making plans for a pop-up specialty shop in that space in the back. The owners were very nice and also very helpful. I rate G. Willikers! Books & Toys at 5.0. If you found this review helpful, please click THANK below.
4. The Salt Cellar
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 31 reviews
The Salt Cellar Store is the only store totally focused and dedicated to salt for people, located at 7 Commercial Alley in Portsmouth, NH. Carrying a full line of gourmet flavored and infused sea salts to enhance recipes, bath and spa products including bath soaks, body butters, salt scrubs, shave creams, aftershaves, and soaps made from materials derived from the Dead Sea, Himalayan Salt Lamps, blocks, home products, and gift sets.
Reviewed By MonicaH1464 - Covington, United States
Love salt, so this was a must see for me. I was pleasantly surprised. There is a wonderful selection por flavored salts, plus gifts and salt related products. They also have a spa where one can schedule time (for a fee) to get a special "salt massage."
5. Monkey Mind Escape Rooms
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 29 reviews
Monkey Mind Escape Room located in downtown Portsmouth NH. We are Portsmouth’s premier escape room and team building center. Our themed rooms require critical thinking, strong team work, and the ability to work quickly in order solve the puzzles and escape the room. Great for team building, birthday parties, and gatherings. Located in downtown Portsmouth New Hampshire. Come visit us.
Reviewed By kelleycoull - Norwich, United States
Monkey Mind was a lot of fun. My husband I have done 15-20 escape rooms over the last few years. I was impressed by the knowledge of the staff here on the evolution of escape rooms. We did both the Antidote and Mummy rooms because we were offered a discount for doing a second room and it was a blast. The two rooms were quite different, but totally enjoyable. The special effects were cool- in both rooms, there were moments where I jumped because of something happening that gave a little spook but nothing serious. Regarding COVID, they had plenty of protocols in place to ensure cleanliness and safety. Highly recommend!
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. The Players' Ring
9. Blitz Air Park
10. Warner House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
The governor's mansion when Portsmouth was state capital in the 1700s, this historic 1718 house was the site of many important decisions about New Hampshires future.
Reviewed By proudrose - Ottawa, Canada
We had a fantastic tour, We had arranged to meet the director at the house as it was closed for the season for regular tours. He was amazing and so knowledgeable. We found out about the family who had built the house and everything in it. Just great for history buffs
TAGS
