America’s colonial past comes alive in this New Hampshire river city from 1623

It’s been a port since 1623

Portsmouth sits where the Piscataqua River meets the Atlantic, and it has been sitting there since 1623. That makes it New Hampshire’s oldest settlement, its first capital, and its only seaport.

The colonists who arrived called it Strawbery Banke after the wild strawberries growing along the riverbank. A deep, well-protected harbor turned the town into one of colonial America’s busiest ports.

Three and a half centuries later, you can walk those same streets, and most of what you want to see is within a few blocks.

Brick sidewalks and seven National Historic Landmarks

The whole downtown fits on the National Register of Historic Places.

You walk on brick sidewalks past colonial, Georgian, and Federal-style buildings packed tight along narrow streets. Seven of those buildings carry National Historic Landmark status.

Market Square, the center of it all, has been the town gathering spot since it was first paved in 1762.

Shops, restaurants, and waterfront sites all sit within easy walking distance, so you can leave the car and cover everything on foot.

Strawbery Banke almost got bulldozed in the 1950s

In the late 1950s, the city planned to demolish the original waterfront neighborhood under urban renewal. A group of citizens led by city librarian Dorothy Vaughn fought back and saved it.

Today, Strawbery Banke Museum covers nearly 10 acres of that same ground, with more than 30 restored buildings dating from the late 1600s to the 1950s.

Costumed roleplayers and craft demonstrations bring centuries of daily life back into the rooms. Over 100,000 people visit each year.

Climb inside a Cold War submarine on dry land

The USS Albacore sits on Market Street, not in the water but on solid ground at Albacore Park. The Navy built it at the nearby Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and launched it on Aug. 1, 1953.

For nearly two decades, it tested experimental hull designs. Its teardrop shape became the standard for every modern U.S. Navy submarine.

You can walk the entire length on a self-guided tour, ducking through hatches and seeing just how tight the crew’s quarters were.

Two sisters turned a run-down waterfront into gardens

Prescott Park stretches 10 acres along the Piscataqua River, right across from Strawbery Banke Museum. In the 1930s, local sisters Josie and Mary Prescott bought the run-down waterfront land and willed it to the city.

Now you walk through formal flower gardens, fountains, and wide green lawns. City staff redesign the Liberty Gardens every year with hundreds of varieties of annuals.

Since 1974, the Prescott Park Arts Festival has filled summer evenings with outdoor concerts and plays.

A tree planted in 1776 still grows in the garden

The John Paul Jones House dates to 1758. The Revolutionary War naval hero lived there in 1781-82 while he oversaw construction of the warship America.

Down the street, the Moffatt-Ladd House, built in 1763, stands as one of the finest Georgian mansions in the country. William Whipple, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, called it home.

He planted a horse chestnut tree in the garden in 1776 with seeds from Philadelphia, and it still stands. Several of these homes open for guided tours from late May through mid-October.

DNA confirmed a forgotten colonial burial ground

In 2003, construction workers on Chestnut Street hit something no one expected: an 18th-century burial ground. They found remains of 13 individuals, and DNA testing confirmed African descent.

It is the only DNA-authenticated African burying ground from the colonial era in all of New England. The city dedicated a memorial park in May 2015, titled “We Stand in Honor of Those Forgotten.”

At the entrance, a sculpture depicts an African woman and an enslaved man reaching to clasp hands.

Follow 35 markers through African American history

The Black Heritage Trail runs across the city with more than 35 marked sites covering African American history in Portsmouth going back to 1645.

You can walk it on your own or join a guided tour led by trained Sankofa Scholars who share stories that traditional history often skips. A self-guided audio tour works right from your phone.

The trail connects to the African Burying Ground Memorial and winds through key historic sites downtown, giving you a side of Portsmouth most visitors never hear about.

Nine rocky islands split between two states

The Isles of Shoals sit about seven miles offshore, nine rocky islands divided between New Hampshire and Maine. Fishermen worked these islands before the New England colonies even existed.

Narrated sightseeing cruises leave from downtown Portsmouth and run about two and a half hours.

On Star Island, you can walk the grounds and see the Victorian-era Oceanic Hotel, a conference center that has been operating since the 1800s. Four islands belong to New Hampshire, five to Maine.

One lighthouse guards 18 miles of coastline

New Hampshire’s coastline runs just 18 miles, and only one mainland lighthouse watches over it.

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse sits on New Castle Island at the site of Fort William and Mary, where a light station was first established in 1771. The current 48-foot cast iron tower went up in 1878.

You can walk the grounds of Fort Constitution around the base of the lighthouse during the day, and from there you look straight out at the harbor where ships have been coming and going for over 250 years.

Harbor seals and a bridge that lifts for boats

Ceres Street and Bow Street run along the working waterfront, lined with seafood spots and open views of the harbor. From the docks, you can spot sailboats, tugboats, fishing boats, and harbor seals.

The Piscataqua River is a tidal estuary with one of the fastest currents on the East Coast. The Memorial Bridge connects Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine, and its center span lifts to let boats pass through.

You can watch the lifts from the waterfront or from Prescott Park.

70 events a year in a city you can cross on foot

Portsmouth packs roughly 70 community events into its compact downtown every year. Market Square Day, running since 1978, draws an estimated 70,000 people to the pedestrian-friendly streets.

Art Round Town, a free gallery walk, happens the first Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. The Music Hall, a 900-seat theater open since 1878, hosts live performances year-round.

The whole city is small enough that you can hit the landmarks, eat fresh seafood, and stroll the waterfront all in one day.

Explore Portsmouth’s Waterfront in New Hampshire

You can reach Portsmouth in about an hour driving north from Boston.

The city sits on the southern coast of New Hampshire along the Piscataqua River, and the downtown is as walkable as it gets. Most attractions cluster within a few blocks of Market Square.

Summer from June through August is the busiest season, when outdoor festivals run, gardens bloom, and boat tours head out daily. If you come in fall, you trade the crowds for colorful foliage and cooler air.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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