RATING: ♦♦♦♦
We left our motorhome at Sturbridge, and drove the car to the New England coast. We arrived in Portsmouth NH at lunchtime, so our first order of business was to find a place to park in the busy downtown, and then look for a restaurant. The city streets and alleys are narrow, with unique shops and stores lining the sidewalks. It didn’t take long for us to come to the River House Restaurant, which turned out to be on the waterfront. We had the best clam chowder you could imagine, along with wonderful fish and chips.
Then we headed out for a walk to the Strawbery Banke Museum. Our walk took us along the harbor, through Prescott Park and Trial Gardens.
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in a historic district of Portsmouth. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the city. It features more than 37 restored buildings built between the 17th and 19th centuries. The neighborhood’s history goes back to 1630, and it is named after the wild berries growing along the bank of Piscataqua River. Spelling had changed a bit since those early days.
While it was interesting to experience how early settlers lived in old Portsmouth, we believe it would be better to visit Strawbery Banke during the summer months when there would be more activities and demonstrations going on. The museum was pretty sleepy during our visit. Next stop – Portland.