Reputed to have the second strongest current in North America, the tidal Piscataqua River defines a richly beautiful region of coastal waterways in Eastern New Hampshire and Southern Maine. The history of the Piscataqua region is, in many ways, the history of our nation. The first residents of this area were American Indians. Tribes such as the Abenaki lived here for some 12,000 years prior to European settlement. Like so many others who would go on to settle in this spot, the Abenaki relied on the Piscataqua River to survive, fishing in its coves and cultivating plants on its banks. The natural harbor at the mouth of the Piscataqua attracted seafarers, fishermen and traders, who crossed the Atlantic from France, England, and Portugal in search of economic opportunity. In 1623, English explorers sailing up the river chose a cove as a safe place to harbor their vessels. Impressed by the wild strawberries that grew along the shoreline, they called their new home Strawbery Banke. This was the founding of one of America’s earliest cities. In 1653 Strawbery Banke changed its name to Portsmouth. Since that time, Portsmouth has been a bustling maritime hub for pioneers and colonists, sea captains and merchants, privateers and financiers, diplomats, soldiers and, of course, sailors. All have been attracted to the beauty and power of the river, the harbor, the shoals and inlets, and the charming waterfront towns and cities that have given rise to New Hampshire’s vital history and culture. Today, the area remains an unspoiled treasure trove of natural, historical and cultural resources. Whether you’re designing trips for the nature lover, the history buff, the shopper or the sports enthusiast, there’s something for everything on the Seacoast. Need some ideas? Try kayaking in the inner harbors, strolling through seaside gardens and parks, poring over historic sites, whale watching, biking, hiking, fishing, antiquing, shopping and dining in the dozens of first-class restaurants throughout the regions. In towns such as Exeter, New Castle, Portsmouth, and Dover, tour groups will experience the deep satisfaction of connecting with authentic New England culture and beauty. Touring Historic Portsmouth
Some have coined Portsmouth the crown jewel of the New Hampshire seacoast. Located four miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, the city is a busy working port steeped in history and rich with cultural offerings. The Portsmouth Harbour Trail, offered by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, is an ideal way to explore this pedestrian-friendly city. The Trail itself is divided into three distinct loops, which wind their way through the city’s downtown and waterfront areas. As you walk along the trail, you will notice buildings that reflect a rich collection of architectural styles, from early Colonial through Federalist, Victorian, and Neoclassical. Guided tours are available July through mid-October, Thursday through Monday. The “Twilight Tour” features costumed role players who bring life to the colorful tales of the merchants, madams, sailors and immigrants who inhabited Portsmouth in the early 20th century. Step-on guide service and group rates are available year-round. For information call (603) 436-3988, ext. 10, or visit www.portsmouthchamber.org. For those who prefer to see the town by trolley, the Seacoast Trolley Company offers group and guided tours and charters. The trolleys run mid-June through Labor Day, 10am-4pm. For information, call (603) 431-6975 or visit www.locallink.com/seacoasttrolley.
The number of important historic houses in this small city speaks to the preeminence of its past and to its citizens’ passion for preservation. The Warner House (1716) is perhaps the finest example in New England of a brick urban mansion from the early 18th century. Among the many interesting features are mural paintings of American Indian chieftains and a lightning rod on the west wall, said to have been installed under the supervision of Benjamin Franklin in 1762. Open June through October, Mon.-Sat. 11am-4pm and Sunday noon-4pm. Group tours are available. Call (603) 436-5909 or visit http://www.warnerhouse.org/.
The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (c. 1753), a National Historic Landmark, was the 18th-century residence of New Hampshire’s first Royal Governor, Benning Wentworth, who lived in the enormous yellow house overlooking Little Harbor from 1753 to1770. The 42-room structure is surrounded by one of the nation’s earliest plantings of purple lilacs, planted around the 1750s. The House is open May through October for visits, lectures, exhibits and concerts. Open Wed.-Sat. 10am-3pm; Sunday noon-4pm. Call (603) 436-6607 for information.
Historic New England (formerly, SPNEA) owns several spectacular historic homes in Portsmouth, including the Jackson House (c. 1664), one of the oldest examples of plank-frame building construction in New England; the Governor John Langdon House (1784), one of New England’s finest 18th-century houses, built for John Langdon, prosperous merchant and ardent supporter of the Revolutionary War who later became governor of the State; and the Rundlet-May House (1807), built in the grand Federal style for James Rundlet, a wealthy Portsmouth merchant. All Historic New England houses are open June through October. Group rates are available. Call (603) 436-3205 for information.
For those who long to walk in the footsteps of greatness, Portsmouth boasts The John Paul Jones House, where the “Father of the American Navy” lived while supervising the outfitting of the Ranger and the America. A National Historic Landmark, the building now houses the Portsmouth Historical Society Museum. The museum is open mid-May to mid-October, six days a week (closed Wed.) and welcomes group tours. For information, call (603) 436-8420.
Portsmouth has been home to African-Americans for more than 350 years. The Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail takes visitors on a self-guided tour of 24 sites where Portsmouth's black residents lived, worked, prayed, and celebrated. Brochures containing maps and an overview of the Trail are available for $2.00 each (plus postage). For more information, call 603-431-2768 or email pbhtrail@aol.com.
The Historic Surrounding Towns of New Castle, Dover, Exeter, Kittery and York
The towns surrounding Portsmouth offer tour groups a wonderful opportunity to explore the Piscataqua Region (both New Hampshire and Southern Maine) more fully. New Castle is the smallest town in New Hampshire, composed of one large island and several smaller islands. A short drive through New Castle offers some of the area’s most beautiful coastal vistas. On your short loop through New Castle, you may want to plan a stop at the historic Wentworth By-The-Sea Hotel and Spa, New Hampshire’s only Grand Hotel by the Sea. A favorite destination for socialites, film stars, and presidents—including delegates to the historic 1905 peace talks that ended the Russo-Japanese War—the 161-room property blends the best of the past with contemporary elegance and amenities. Most of the rooms and suites have ocean and harbor views. The property features elegant dining facilities for groups with advanced notice. For information, visit www.wentworth.com or call 866.240.6313. New Castle also houses Fort Constitution and Fort Stark, which are historic sites under the direction of the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. Both sites are free and open to the public. Fort Constitution is located On Route 1B at U.S. Coast Guard Station, New Castle. The important historic location offers a self-guided walking trail for visitors. For information, call 603-436-1552 or visit www.nhstateparks.com. Exeter, settled in 1638, was one of the first four townships of New Hampshire and the state’s Colonial capital. The town sits on the tidal Squamscott River, which provided access for seagoing vessels to and from Exeter. The same river was a good site for shipbuilding, and Exeter was a busy port during the 18th century. The town of Exeter retains much of its 18th-century charm. Visitors will find it still replete with historic structures hailing from the 17th and 18th centuries. It is the home of Phillips Exeter Academy, arguably one of the finest private secondary schools in the country. Dr. John Phillips, a graduate of Harvard and resident of Exeter, founded the Academy in 1781. The in-town campus is divided by the three principal streets of the community, with Georgian-style classroom buildings placed prominently at the center. A drive through the campus gives tourists a sense of the history and heritage of this illustrious New England school. The American Independence Museum in Exeter presents the American Revolution and of the role that New Hampshire, Exeter, and the Gilman family played in the founding of the new republic. Located in historic downtown Exeter, AIM includes the Ladd-Gilman House (a registered National Landmark property, built c. 1721), the Folsom Tavern (built c. 1775), and over an acre of landscaped property. The Folsom Tavern, scheduled to reopen in 2007, was the site of many passionate political debates during the American Revolution. The Tavern is being restored to create exhibition and visitor services space. In 1985, a Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence was found in the Ladd-Gilman House. This amazing discovery is now a major focus of the museum's collections and programming. The site has restrooms in both buildings and a museum shop. Downtown area restaurants are within easy walking distance. Bus parking is available. For information on group tours, call (603) 772-2622 or visit www.independencemuseum.org.
Other historic locations in town include the Gilman Garrison House, a National Historic Landmark owned by Historic New England. The massive, square-sawn log walls of the house, now clapboarded over, may have been a response to the threat of an Indian attack. Private Heritage Tours are available to groups with advanced reservations. For information call (603) 436-3205 or visit www.historicnewengland.org.
Dover is the oldest continuous settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh oldest in the United States. The city is situated between the Bellamy and Cochecho Rivers, which residents have always used to their economic advantage. The first use of the waterpower of the Cocheco River was in 1642, when a sawmill was built. In the 1700s Dover had an extensive shipbuilding industry. By 1830, the city had become a leading manufacturer of cotton goods in the country, using the river to power several mills. Later in the nineteenth century, a brick industry flourished, and shoe manufacturing developed in the 1900s.
Today, the city boasts a revitalized downtown area with charming shops, boutiques, antique stores and restaurants. An ambitious waterfront development project promises increased appeal for visitors to this historic city. The Dover Chamber of Commerce web site offers three themed Heritage Walking Tours for visitors, highlighting the Old Mills & Riverfront; Historic Houses; and the Pine Hill Cemetery. Four more information, visit www.dovernh.org or call 603-742-2218.
Dover’s Woodman Institute Museum is a four-building museum dedicated to the preservation of natural science, art/furniture and local history. A new adventure awaits visitors in each and every room. Climb the narrow ladder stairs in the 1675 colonial garrison and wonder how someone like you could have slept in those old rope beds. See a 10-foot polar bear, a four-legged chicken, and President Lincoln’s saddle all under one roof in the 1818 Woodman House. The collection features minerals, fossils, birds, butterflies, mammals, shells, Indian artifacts, scrimshaw, ship models, musical instruments, pewter, china, glassware, antique dolls, police and firefighting equipment, paintings, mill memorabilia, and even time capsules! Open Wednesday through Sunday, 12:30-4:30. Admission is $5.00 adults; $4.00 students/seniors (65); $2.00 14-16; 13 and under FREE. Bus tours are welcome. Reservations for groups of 12 or more are requested. For information, call (603) 742-1038.
If you venture up into beautiful southern Maine, you’ll want to schedule a visit to the Old York Historical Society. Tour the museums of Old York and see a colonial tavern, an old jail complete with dungeons and cells, a riverside estate filled with antiques, and a warehouse once belonging to patriot John Hancock. Also on site are a nature preserve, museum shop, contemporary art gallery, and restored gardens. When visiting you'll experience over 300 years of New England heritage while listening to tales of sea captains and their families, jailers, prisoners and other characters from the past. The museums of Old York offer a variety of tours and hands-on activities to enhance your visit to the Southern Maine coast. Various walking tours of York or step-on guide service is also available. Open June through mid-October, Mon-Sat, 10am – 5pm & Closed Sunday. Admission is $10 adults/$5 children/$75 per motor coach. Visit www.oldyork.org or call (207) 363-4974. Exploring the Region by Water
The dynamic network of tidal and fresh waterways that defines the Piscataqua region is best viewed, well, by water! Tour groups have many options for setting sail for brief or extended tours. The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company offers a variety of cruises in their Victorian style steamship M/V Thomas Laighton. Routes include historic Portsmouth Harbor and the Isles of Shoals, a group of nine small islands five miles off the Atlantic coast. Enjoy tales pertaining to the ghosts, pirates, buried treasures, lighthouses, and other lore surrounding the Shoals. Services include daily Sightseeing Cruises, Dinner Cruises, Party Ships, and Fall Foliage Cruises to the Great Bay Wilderness Area. The boat offers a full-service bar/snack bar and is handicapped accessible. Private charters are welcomed. The downtown docking area offers easy access for coaches. For information, call 800-441-4620 or visit www.islesofshoals.com. Portsmouth Harbor Cruises offers intimate jaunts through the Seacoast's most picturesque waterways aboard the Heritage. This 49-passenger classic offers up to eight cruises daily, including Portsmouth Harbor, Isles of Shoals, Evening/Sunset Cruises, Great Bay and Cocheco River Inland River Cruises, and Fall Foliage Cruises. For information, call 800-776-0915 or visit www.portsmouthharbor.com. For small groups (limit 6 passengers), Tug Alley Too offers tours of the harbor aboard one of their feisty tugs. Info at (603) 430-9556 or www.tugboatalley.com. The Atlantic Whale Watch Company hosts whale watching tours out of beautiful Rye Harbor, a ten-minute drive from Portsmouth (tel. 800-942-5364). Groups are welcome and coach parking is available. Finally, for the fitness-minded, Portsmouth Kayak Adventures offers guided group kayak tours of Portsmouth’s inner bays. The staff can accommodate up to 40 people. Call for info at (603) 559-1000 or visit them online at www.portsmouthkayak.com. The Gundalow Company offers a fascinating visitor experience aboard the last remaining gundalow in the Piscataqua region. A gundalow is a shallow drafted type of cargo ship, once common in the Gulf of Maine’s rivers and estuaries, which reached its prominence in the Great Bay of New Hampshire and Maine in the late 1800s. Carrying up to 50 tons of cargo and sometimes measuring more than 70 feet long and 19 feet wide, gundalows were the equivalent of today’s tractor-trailer rigs. Gundalows carried bricks from local brickyards to build the giant mill buildings found on the banks of area rivers. Granite for mill building foundations, cordwood, and later coal to power area mills, was also carried on gundalows. Today, visitors can board a reproduction gundalow, the Captain Edward H. Adams, honoring the last of the men who piloted gundalows on the rivers of the basin. The Capt. Adams moves from port to port in the Piscataqua region (including Portsmouth, Exeter, Dover and Durham) over the course of the summer and fall. Groups of up to 25 can board the gundalow for a half-hour visit. Group rates are $3 per person. For information visit www.gundalow.org, call (603) 433-9505, or email gundalow@hotmail.com. Garden and Nature Tours
The Piscataqua area abounds with beautiful gardens and natural vistas. The gardens at Strawbery Banke offer a fascinating, educational glimpse into four centuries of New England garden history (see Strawbery Banke Museum, above). Directly across the street, be sure to visit the public gardens at Prescott Park. Once a bustling wharf for ships from around the world and the region's "red light" district, Prescott Park is today a scenic, multipurpose park. The well-tended gardens are renowned, and the park along the Piscataqua features fountains, benches, open space, and an open-air summer theater June through August. The elegant Fuller Gardens in seaside North Hampton were commissioned by Governor Alvan T. Fuller as an ornament to his summer estate, Runnymede-by-the-Sea. As one of the last remaining working formal estate gardens, it remains a seaside gem and continues to present horticulture at the highest level while providing the public a glimpse into the past. Over two thousand roses of many varieties bloom throughout the summer, unusual eye-catching annuals, English perennial borders, Japanese Garden and Koi pond, hosta display garden and a Tropical and desert conservatory all within the century-old sculpted hedges. The Gardens and gift shop are open seven days a week from 10am until 5:30pm, mid May through October. Coach tours are welcome. For info call (603) 964-5414 or visit www.fullergardens.org. The Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH, is a favorite destination for travelers. Located in 135-acre Odiorne Point State Park, the Center offers a unique experience for nature-lovers, with stunning views of the Gulf of Maine’s rocky coast and the Isles of Shoals. Programs and interactive exhibits for all ages connect guests to the many habitats and rich natural and social history of the park. The site features historic landmarks, WWII fortifications, nature trails, a nature store, and picnic areas. Programs and walking tours are offered for groups; group rates are available. For information, call (603) 436-8043 or visit www.seacoastsciencecenter.org. Culture and Entertainment
The Seacoast area is abuzz with cultural activities throughout the year. From the performing arts and theater to music and independent film, there’s something for every taste and interest. The Music Hall in downtown Portsmouth is the Seacoast area’s premier performing arts center, entertaining more than 70,000 patrons annually with acclaimed film, music, theater, and dance performances. The historic 900-seat theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New Hampshire, the second oldest in New England, and the fourteenth oldest operating in the United States. Designated by the U.S. Senate as “An American Treasure,” the Music Hall also offers 'behind the scenes’ tours of the theater that focus on its colorful history and architectural splendor. Depending upon the group size and their physical condition, tour participants can go up into the rafters for a bird’s eye view of the theater—a very unusual and enjoyable experience! Tours typically last between 1 to 1-1/2 hours and can be designed to accommodate a wide variety of group sizes. For performance schedules, visit www.themusichall.org. For group tour information and rates, call (603) 433-3100, ext. 17. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre, also in downtown Portsmouth, is a year-round center for theater. The “Seacoast Rep” was chosen by Boston Magazine's Travel as the premier entertainment venue on the Seacoast, and won the Spotlight on the Arts Award for Best Year Round Theatre on the Seacoast in 1998, 1999 and 2000. For information and show schedule, call (603) 433-4793 or visit www.seacoastrep.org. The Prescott Park Arts Festival in downtown Portsmouth’s Prescott Park offers wonderful live musical theater, concerts, and dance performances in an outdoor setting from June through August. For schedule and information, visit www.artfest.org. Resource Directory
For more information regarding the sites, attractions and services this wonderful region has to offer—or to learn about the limitless sites and activities that could not be mentioned here—please contact the helpful representatives of the following local organizations. The Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
500 Market Street
PO Box 239
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 436-3988
www.portsmouthchamber.org
email: info@portsmouthchamber.org
Remember to request the comprehensive Guide to the Seacoast. Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce
120 Water Street
Exeter, NH 03833
Tel. (603) 772-2411
www.exeterarea.org Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce
299 Central Avenue
Dover, NH 03820
Phone: 603-742-2218
www.dovernh.org
email: info@dovernh.org Other online resources:
For more about the history, culture, events and activities that go on in the Seacoast region visit this fabulous site: www.seacoastnh.com.
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