discover portsmouth

What a beautiful town/city. Lots of history. Love the shops. There was nothing about exploring downtown that we didn't enjob.

We love Portsmouth, just love it. Moderate in size, Portsmouth is a very walkable small city, fairly compact, with a nice assortment of little shops, and tons restaurants of every imaginable type.The city borders on the river and entrance to Portsmouth harbor. Now, this is not the quaint little harbor you might envision at say Boothbay Maine, Portsmouth is a working river and harbor. The Navel shipyard is huge and located across the river in Kittery Maine. There is a large commercial dock area on the Portsmouth side of the river that appears to be a metal recycling point. So I would not say any of this is "attractive", and for the most part I did not see any pretty parks, overlooks, or walkways on the river side.However, venture just a little to the eastern side of the city area - still walkable - and you are in the Strawberry banks area where there are small parks and gardens along the edge of water with pretty views of the outer harbor area. The gardens are beautiful, even in late October when the leaf colors are a little past peak and the fall flowers having seen their better day.Venture a bit south on route 1B, into New Castle - a picturesque tiny New England town situated on an island, and you will come to a lovely huge public park with picnic facilities on waters edge (Fort Stark State Park). Beautiful vistas. And if the weather and winds cooperate you could easily stretch out on a blanket and enjoy the sights and sounds.To the north is Kittery and the southern Maine coast - a must-do car trip, and just hug the coast, be sure to stop along the way at the various parks and look-outs along the way.For a weekend or better yet long weekend, Portsmouth is the perfect place to stay as you experience the city and surrounding areas! Be prepared however that crowds and parking will be challenging on the best weekends in summer and early fall.

This is a perfect place to stay if you want to travel up the Maine coast or south along the NH coast .....and you could stay days in Portsmouth itself.....Try the Irish pub Ri Ra on Pleasant St for dinner .....so good!!!!

My wife and I took a day trip here from Manchester where we were attending a wedding. We really enjoyed all the little shops and restaurants on Market Street and the surrounding area. Very quaint and what we expected in a town by the ocean to be like. The USS Albacore submarine was also cool to walk through as well. A great place to spend a day walking the streets and finding new adventures around every corner.

We stopped in Portsmouth on are way to Acadia and liked it so much we stopped on are way home vs other option. Great downtown area, shops (where I spent lots of money) great restaurants, all within walking distance from downtown area. WE stayed at the Hilton, which was wondersul.

We called in for some tourist information, and to see the 12 minutes historical video about Portsmouth, that provided a very good introduction to the town and its history.There was also a museum exhibition on "Bold & Brash: The Art of John Haley Bellamy" that we found interesting

If you're new to Portsmouth -- or even if you're familiar with the city and want to discover new shops, restaurants, museums, or events -- start at Discover Portsmouth. Helpful staff and lots of flyers and brochures will get you started. Displays related to Portsmouth's history will make your visit extra rich and interesting. Stay for their film and interactive media, when available.The location -- between Portsmouth's downtown and a residential area -- may not seem very convenient, unless you park at the large parking lot across the street. However, Portsmouth is a cozy city, and even if you park at the central garage (best for low prices and convenience), you're only a few blocks from Discover Portsmouth. It's worth the walk, and you'll see many great restaurants and unique shops along the way.As a visitors' center, Discover Portsmouth is one of the best I've seen. Don't let the small size fool you... there's lots to see and do at Discover Portsmouth.

Over quite soon, the Bellamy display was an unexpected bonus of this year's Portsmouth visit.Lots of objects you rarely see and enhanced by the fakes also on display, which point out Bellamy's great skill.The cupboard was also fascinating

Discover Portsmouth is the the Portsmouth, NH visitor center and it is a great place to start your visit. Make sure to see the film they show there as it provides an overview of the city and you can sense the pride the residents have in their city. I wish our city had sure a film. The staff is very helpful and they have a bulletin board with the day's activities.

Portsmouth has a huge selection of places to go, see and in which to eat. Choose a spot overlooking the hustle and bustle of the Piscataqua River or Market Square. Whether nautical activity or that of happy humans, you won't be disappointed. Wander around until an historic attraction lures you inside, merchandise beckons to be discovered, or the sights of yummy food get your taste buds hopping. There's something for everyone in Portsmouth.

First time in ever in town and we were grateful we stopped here first. We saw a really nice video of the history of the city and it gave us ideas of what we wanted to do next. Boat tour? Walking tour? The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Plenty of fliers and brochures to take along which made our trip our trip to town enjoyable.

We visited the current Bellamy eagle exhibit. Very helpful staff and lovely museum. We enjoyed the visit immensely.

The Strawberry Banke Museum is an obvious stop in Portsmouth but we needed a little help in finding our way around this great walking city. Discover Portsmouth is an excellent place to begin your visit. It's located right across from the John Paul Jones House in the historic part of town. In fact admission to the John Paul Jones House is included in your fee to see the exhibit here. There was a helpful video which gave you an introduction to Portsmouth past and an exhibit of carved eagles when we visited. Most importantly the volunteers were very knowledgeable and willing to share their suggestions as to what to see. When we mentioned that we were heading into Maine after Portsmouth, the lady at the desk suggest a beautiful drive along Route 103 to a fort where we could look back at Portsmouth.

begin by seeing a short 12 minute video on history of portsmouth......nice displays and we paid to see the current display on 2 floors....very patriotic and beautiful wood carvings....nice little gift shop and a board displaying activities available in town....staff very professional and helpful........you get a good orientation on things to see and do in area

Get oriented to Portsmouth, see short video on its history, learn of all the attractions here so you can decide which things you want to do.