The Best of What to See, Do, and Eat in Portsmouth, NH
My top recs for the best beaches, shopping, art, fresh seafood, delicious donuts, and more.
It’s been a few weeks since we got back from Portsmouth, NH and I am very excited to report on all my favorite things. It’s a destination I’ve wanted to check out for a long time. It did not disappoint.
We were in Portsmouth for 2.5 days, and I think we could have easily spent a week there, especially with so many beaches nearby. There’s also an amazing food scene, we barely scratched the surface. That said, it’s only 2 hours from Woodstock and 1 hour from Boston. It’s a good day trip option.
I found the destination to be kid-friendly, but it could also be a fun getaway for a girls weekend, couple, or solo trip.
If you haven’t been to Portsmouth, I’d say add it to to your travel list. Here are my top recommendations (if there’s any I missed, share them in the comments!).
What To Do
Market Square (and nearby shopping)
Market Street/Market Square is a cute shopping destination near the waterfront. It was conveniently located close to our hotel so we had a chance to walk around and peruse the shops and boutiques. A few of our favorites were:
Treehouse Toys - Great place to bring your kids, or not 😅. A fun selection of kids toys, games, crafts, puzzles, and more.
Gus & Ruby Letterpress - A cute gift shop with a nice selection of curated goods, stationary and more.
Nahcotta - An art gallery and boutique, Nahcotta has a beautifully curated selection of handmade goods, stationary, gifts, and artwork. I didn’t want to leave this store!
Summer Sessions - A cool surf shop in downtown Portsmouth. Good place to shop for swimsuits, hats, t-shirts, and a cute café attached.
Pickwicks Mercantile - Very fun for window shopping! A whimsical store with lots of unique items.
Strawberry Banke Museum
Strawberry Banke is an outdoor museum with re-enactments, historic homes, heirloom gardens and more. Step back in time and see the preserved neighborhood’s evolution of over 350 years. If you’re familiar with the Point neighborhood in Newport, RI, it has a similar feel.
Prescott Park
Prescott Park was a pretty waterfront park with flower gardens, fountains, and views of the harbor. It’s right next to Strawberry Banke so you can do both in one morning.
Wallis Sands State Park
I asked a friend from the area for a “quiet” beach and she immediately recommended Wallis Sands. I assumed the beaches were in Portsmouth, but they’re actually in Rye, NH which is a short 10 minute drive. Take 1A and Ocean Blvd for the scenic route.
While we were in Portsmouth there was a record breaking heat wave, so everyone was at the beach. We still managed to get a spot at Wallis Sands. Parking is $15 (which seemed reasonable to me compared to RI beaches). There’s bathrooms, showers, and a small snack shop, but I recommend bringing your snacks and lunch and walking a little farther down the beach for room to spread out.
The biggest surprise was the water temperature. It’s WAY colder than the Rhode Island beaches I’m used to.
Fort Foster
Another friend who spends a lot of time in Maine during the summer recommended Fort Foster State Park in Kittery. It’s huge with tons of spots to camp out including rocky and sandy beaches, lots of open grassy areas for picnics, a playground, and more. Dogs are allowed on leash (but prohibited in some areas). The water is crystal clear but also very cold. The nice part is it’s much cooler there (compared to downtown Portsmouth). It’s about a 15 minute drive from downtown Portsmouth.
Parking is $25 for a day pass. There are restrooms on site but you definitely need to bring your own food and drinks. We stopped at Lil’s Café on the way and stocked up on snacks and sandwiches for the day.
A little tip: we got there right around when they open and there was already a line. I imagine it gets very busy on summer weekends so plan accordingly.
Where To Eat
If there’s one thing I’ve heard about Portsmouth, NH, it’s the great food scene. Our trip wasn’t nearly long enough to try all the restaurants on my list, but we didn’t have a bad meal the entire time.
The Green Room
If you’re a fan of juices and smoothies, don’t miss The Green Room in Portsmouth. They serve breakfast and lunch with a delicious selection of smoothies, bowls, bagels, salads and wraps. A great place to grab sandwiches for the beach!
Flatbread Pizza
After a super long and very hot day we were ready to sit inside and cool down. We had a great meal at Flatbread Pizza and the salad was delicious too. Service was quick and it was very kid friendly.
Row 34
Row 34 came highly recommended from several friends. If you’re craving fresh seafood, this is your spot, and they have a kids menu! Very fun cocktail/mocktails too.
Roundabout Diner
Your quintessential retro diner with all the breakfast classics. If you’re an early riser (or your kids are) this is a great place to get breakfast since they open at 6am. We went early mid week so it wasn’t too busy, but the place is huge so I imagine it gets pretty crowded on the weekends. They also have online ordering and takeout.
Lil’s Cafe
On our way to Fort Foster we stopped at Lil’s Cafe. It was hopping but service was quick. They have delicious coffee drinks, pastries, donuts (11/10 recommend) and a yummy selection of sandwiches. Another great place to stop on your way to the beach if you’re in Kittery.
The Ice House
We were craving ice cream after dinner and Annabelle’s (which also came highly recommended) was closed, so we decided to go for a short drive. We found The Ice House in Rye, which had tons of delicious ice cream flavors. They also have a food menu, and it would be a great spot for a casual lunch or dinner with kids. There’s lots of picnic tables behind the restaurant.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the AC Hotel in downtown Portsmouth. It was a very convenient location within walking distance to shops, restaurants and the waterfront. They have valet parking but we parked on the street which was inexpensive during the day and free overnight.
We were able to walk pretty much everywhere from our hotel including Market Square, Strawberry Banke Museum and Prescott Park. Another nice benefit, there was a parking garage right around the corner with EV charging. We drive an EV so we were able to charge overnight.
