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Portsmouth Portsmouth offers much for anyone with an interest in history. The Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce publishes a "Walking Tour of Downtown Portsmouth's Waterfront," which also can be driven (although directions get confusing because of one-way streets). The 2.3-mile tour takes in most of the city's attractions, including some we had passed for years unknowingly. Such is the charm of an area crammed with discoveries at every turn. A fun way to tour is by horse and carriage with Portsmouth Livery. Talkative Ray Parker, in beard and top hat, adds dimension to the city's history as he gives sightseeing tours, leaving from the Market Square carriage stand from noon into the evening, daily May-October. You also can get out on the water and take the boat cruise to the Isles of Shoals, ten miles off the coast. Strawbery Banke, Marcy Street, Portsmouth, (603) 433-1100. Billed as "an American original," this walk-through museum is the careful restoration of one of the nation's oldest neighborhoods. Its more than 40 structures date from 1695 to 1945 and depict four centuries of cultural and architectural change. Some have simply been preserved; some are used by working artisans (independent of the museum, they are earning their living as well as re-enacting history); others are used for educational exhibits including archaeology, architectural styles and construction techniques and, on the outside, historic gardens. Strawbery Banke's collection of local arts and furniture is shown in six historic houses. Significantly, these are not all homes of the rich or famous, but rather of ordinary people. As the museum's 25th anniversary program noted, "This is the real story of history – the dreams and aspirations, the disappointments and frustrations of common people." That is the glory of Strawbery Banke, and of much of Portsmouth. Open daily 10 to 5, April-November. The Portsmouth Trail. Six of Portsmouth's finest house museums are open individually and linked by a walking tour. Considered the one not to miss is the 1763 Moffatt-Ladd House, a replica of an English manor house located just above Ceres Street restaurants and shops. The yellow 1758 John Paul Jones House and the imposing Governor John Langdon House (1784) are others. Shopping. Most of the traditional tourist shopping attractions have passed Portsmouth by, heading for the upscale outlet strip along Route 1 north of Kittery or the shopping malls of Newington. But downtown Portsmouth has plenty of interesting shops concentrated around Market Square. Extra-Special Newcastle. Drive or bicycle out Newcastle Avenue (Route 1B) through the quaint islands of Newcastle, the original settlement in 1623, dotted with prosperous homes. The meandering roads and treed residential properties, many with water views, mix contemporary-style houses with those of days gone by. You can view Fort Constitution with one of several towers built during the War of 1812 and visit the new seacoast park at Great Island Common, where there are a playground, waterfront picnic tables and views of the Isles of Shoals. Take a gander at the old Wentworth-by-the-Sea, a majestic resort hotel if ever there was one; its golf course has been sold to make way for expensive houses, but the hotel is undergoing renovation for reopening. Another rewarding drive is out Maine Route 103 past the Naval Yards in Kittery to Kittery Point, where attractive houses large and small seem to be surrounded by water on all sides. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in New England, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2004. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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