Tour the Town : Portsmouth, NH

I have a confession for Y’all….

Even though I’m a Southern gal through and through, and miss the South like no other, there is ONE little thing I’ve really started to love about the North….

The Teeny Tiny Old Towns

They are different then the small towns down south, the buildings are older, the construction is different, and the feeling is just… different.

One of our favorite family activities since moving to New Hampshire has been to drive around and explore all the small towns near us – so I wanted to share our Local Adventures with you too!

PORTSMOUTH – NEW HAMPSHIRE

 a    q u i c k    h i s t o r y :

Portsmouth was incorporated in 1653, though the first European explorer documented in the area visited in 1603. It’s situated along the Piscataqua River and is protected by Fort William and Mary. It was also once one of the United States wealthiest port cities. Today you can see remainders of that wealth in some of the historic buildings that have been preserved, through architecture and artifacts.

 

m o d e r n    d a y : 

Today Portsmouth is a whimsical mix of old and new, the whimsy draws you in and makes you lose track of time. Wondering in and out of the specialty shops, stopping at La Maison Navarre to satisfy your sweet tooth and walking up and down the crooked brick sidewalks put the mind at ease, and the day can slip by quickly.

j u s t    a    q u i c k    b i t e :

With kids sometimes it can be hard to go to a sit down restaurant and really enjoy it. So sometimes, especially with kids, we opt for more casual places to eat. Portsmouth has everything though, from tap houses, to a wine bar, shmancy sit down places and walk in joints like Joe’s New York Pizza. One thing they all have in common though – they’re all top notch and tasty. Joe’s is a great place to stop in and grab a quick slice of pizza while you’re walking around and exploring the historic district, totally casual, amazingly kid friendly, super chill and polite staff and great pizza, which let’s be honest, is the most important thing.

c h a r a c t e r :

I have to say, I just adore all the brick in Portsmouth. It’s like there’s brick everywhere, the side walks, the buildings, everywhere, but each building has it’s own character, even if it is make practically the same as the one next to it. Like different members of the same historic family.

f o r    t h e    k i d s :

G. Willikers!

This toy store is in a league of it’s own. This 40 year old emporium is quant and a dream for not only kids, but parents as well! They ENCOURAGE customers to come in “just to play” and the staff is also incredibly patient and kid with the children. Somehow this place is always organized and clean, I don’t know how they do it, because I can’t even manage to keep my house clean and I only half two kids and about 1/8th of the toys they do. Thomas usually heads straight to the doll house or train table and Harper always starts at the books. Something totally amazing that G. Willikers! offers for it’s customers is a pick up service called Vroom, you just call and say “hey, I need this, at this price, at this time.” They select a gift, wrap it and RUN IT OUT TO YOUR CAR! So you don’t even have to get out! Talk about customer service!

Where are YOU Adventuring to next? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

h

Posted By: platformsandpacifiers@gmail.com · In: Travel