Sights in Portsmouth
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John Paul Jones House
The John Paul Jones House was a boardinghouse when America’s first great naval commander resided in Portsmouth. Jones, who uttered, ‘I have not yet begun to fight!’ during a particularly bloody engagement with the British, is believed to have lodged here during the outfitting of the Ranger (1777) and the America (1781). The marvelous Georgian mansion with gambrel roof is now the headquarters of the Portsmouth Historical Society.
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Prescott Park
- Portsmouth, USA
- Sights › Park
Overlooking the Piscataqua River, this small, grassy park makes a pleasant setting for a picnic. More importantly, it’s the leafy backdrop to the Prescott Park Arts Festival, which means free music, dance, theater and food festivals throughout the summer. Separate one-day music festivals showcase jazz, folk and Americana; other highlights include the clam-chowder and chili festivals.
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Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion
The 42-room Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, south of the town center, was home to New Hampshire’s first royal governor and served as the colony’s government center from 1741 to 1766. The lilacs on its grounds are descendants of the first lilacs planted in America, which were brought over from England by Governor Benning Wentworth.
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Market Square
The heart of Portsmouth is this picturesque square, set neatly beneath the soaring white spire of the North Church. Within a few steps of the square are open-air cafés, colorful storefronts and tiny galleries with banjo-playing buskers entertaining the tourists and locals that drift past on warm summer nights.
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Moffatt-Ladd House
Originally owned by an influential ship captain, the Georgian Moffatt-Ladd House was later the home of General William Whipple, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The 18th-century chestnut tree and the old-fashioned gardens behind the house are delightful.
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Wentworth Gardner House
The 1760 Wentworth Gardner House is one of the finest Georgian houses in the USA. Elizabeth and Mark Hunking Wentworth were among Portsmouth’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens, so no expense was spared in building this home, which was a wedding gift for their son.
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Children's Museum of Portsmouth
Ensconced in an old meeting house, this exciting museum has changing exhibits, toys and experiments for children aged between one and 10 years old. As you might expect, many displays elucidate the region’s maritime history in an engaging way.
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Strawbery Banke Museum
For the largest collection of historic sites, go straight to Strawbery Banke Museum, where an entire neighborhood of 40 period buildings comprise a living-history museum depicting the town's multilayered past.
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USS Albacore
Like a fish out of water, the 205ft-long USS Albacore is now a beached museum on a grassy lawn. The decommissioned submarine, once the world's fastest, was launched from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1953.
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Tobias Lear House
The Tobias Lear House, next door to the Wentworth Gardner House, is a hip-roofed colonial residence that was home to the family of George Washington’s private secretary.
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Albacore Park
- Portsmouth, USA
- Sights › War
Just north of the old town center, the Albacore Park serves as maritime museum and host to the USS Albacore, a 205ft-long US Navy submarine.
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Piscataqua Fine Arts
Piscataqua Fine Arts is one of Portsmouth's key galleries, located in the historical center.
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Three Graces Gallery
Three Graces Gallery is one of Portsmouth's key galleries, located in the historical center.
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NW Barrett
NW Barrett is one of Portsmouth's key galleries, located in the historical center.
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Nahcotta
Nahcotta is one of Portsmouth's key galleries, located in the historical center.
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