Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Prescott Park is a ten-acre urban green space posed on the edge of the Piscataqua River just blocks from downtown Portsmouth. The Park is composed of manicured gardens, wide lawns, three boardwalk piers, and two public boat docks with 26 public slips. Paved walkways weave their way throughout the space, and picnic tables, grills, and shelters are dotted throughout the grounds.

The park is open year round, and in warmer months, Prescott Park is home to the Prescott Park Arts Festival. During the warm months of summer and spring, this expansive space is host to various music performances, theatre shows, big screen movies, and other special events.

Prescott Park, 105 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH Phone: 603-431-8748

The DoMoffatt-Ladd House is a historic mansion-turned-museum located in downtown Portsmouth across from the Old Harbor. The home, originally built in 1763, is now a National Historic Landmark, and it was opened to the public in 2011.

The home showcases period era décor and architecture and elegant gardens, along with original artifacts such as papers, letters, and photographs belonging to several of the home’s original inhabitants.

The Moffatt-Ladd House is one of the best things to do in Portsmouth NH. Interestingly, some of these inhabitants include Revolutionary War figures, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and esteemed members of early East Coast society.

Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, 154 Market St, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Phone: 603-436-8221

The Music Hall is a nearly 1,000-seat venue in Portsmouth considered to be the oldest theater in New Hampshire and the 14th oldest theater in America. For nearly five generations, the Music Hall has been graced with performances by many notable characters, including multiple Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winners.

The Music Hall is known for hosting and featuring a variety of performance mediums, including musical performances, dramatic, interpretive, or author readers, dance recitals, and cinema exhibits. Currently, the venue welcomes nearly 90 thousand visitors a year. The Hall offers a calendar on its website that outlines upcoming performances as well as ticket purchasing options. If you are looking for romantic date night ideas, watch a performance at the Music Hall.

The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Phone: 603-436-2400

The Portsmouth Athenaeum is a locally run and independently managed, non-profit library, gallery, and museum located in the downtown core of the city. The Portsmouth Athenaeum dates back to the early 1800s when the citizens of Portsmouth mutually joined their educational resources in order to elevate other members of the community.

This system of resource distribution, once the norm, now represents a tiny portion of national libraries, and as such, it is a unique representation of the earliest system of libraries. Today, guests can tour the library, museum, and gallery to view authentic Portsmouth artifacts and utilize the facility’s various resources.

Portsmouth Athenaeum, 9 Market Square, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Phone: 603-431-2538

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is a year-round, community-based professional performance company based in Portsmouth. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre puts on multiple performances throughout the year. The company provides an annual scheduled calendar of upcoming events, and they also offer classes, private lessons, workshops, and camps to all age groups.

For a full calendar of Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s upcoming performances, events, camps, and classes, visitors can access the yearly schedule on the theater’s website.

Seacoast Repertory Theatre, 125 Bow St, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Phone: 603-433-4793

Dating back to 1716, the Warner House is the earliest urban brick-built house in northern New England. The house was built for wealthy seafaring Capt. Archibald Macpheadris, an Irish/Scottish immigrant, by a British builder who followed the early Georgian style which was then popular in England. The home has housed six generations of the original Macpheadris family and is today used as a museum, filled with many original furnishings and fittings. These include several original murals and a comprehensive collection of family memorabilia. Warner House is open to the public during the summer months. If you would like to join a guided tour of this grand old home you can check their website for details.

Warner House, 150 Daniel Street, Portsmouth, NH 03802, 603-436-5909