Four-hundred-year-old Portsmouth, National Geographic’s sixth most historic place to visit in the United States, is a safe, walkable, maritime destination for families and couples and a unique, imaginative and comparatively affordable venue for meetings and conferences.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, then known as Strawbery Banke, was settled in 1623, and will be observing its quadricentennial in 2023. The City of Portsmouth (together with the Seacoast region which it anchors) is easily accessible via Interstate highway from New York City, Hartford, Providence or Boston, and via Interstate 89 or Interstate 93 from northern and western New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as from Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. Â
Because it is endowed with more than ample tourism infrastructure, including modern, full-service, nationally flagged hotels as well as stunning boutiques and bed and breakfast establishments, and more restaurant seats (many on the waterfront) than its 25,000 residents, as well as a broad spectrum of tourism attractions, Portsmouth is also a particularly interesting and affordable venue for meetings or small conventions.
Portsmouth is the home of a large cluster of well-preserved historic buildings, including many historic homes, one of which was visited in 1789 by President George Washington and another the residence of Revolutionary War naval hero, John Paul Jones, at right, which is is open to the Public.Â
As such, Portsmouth has been designated by National Geographic as the sixth most historic place to visit in the United States, and the twenty-sixth in the world, and it has been included in America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations by The National Trust for Historic Preservation.Â
Portsmouth is a near-perfect destination for families with young children, especially in the summer, with a broad variety of family-friendly hotel accommodations and notably unique and interesting, kid-friendly restaurants and attractions. Â
Most attractions, including Prescott Park, the Prescott Park Arts Festival (pictured at left in the second row, above), daily harbor cruises on the M/V Heritage, and daily cruises to the Isles of Shoals on the M/V Thomas Laighton (pictured at right, below) are within walking range of all the in-town hotels, and the remainder are quickly and easily drivable. Â
Getting to Portsmouth is Easy
Portsmouth is easily accessible via I-95 (Exit 7) from New York, Hartford, Providence or Boston, and via I-89 or I-93 and then NH 101 and I-95 from northern and western New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as from Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Ottawa, and Via NH-101 and I-95 from Manchester.
There is a nearby AMTRAK station with twice daily service from Boston to nearby Dover, New Hampshire (about a 20-minute drive), and hourly C&J Bus service from Boston’s South Station and from Logan Airport