Portsmouth Favorites

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Favorite thing: Portsmouth has some great bars and restaurants throughout the town. Since the town is very walkable it is a great spot to bar hop. Liz and I enjoy hopping from place to place sampling some drinks and appetizers while enjoying the town.

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Favorite thing: I have been lucky to grab a parking spot on the street and I have parked in one of the many municipal garages. Finding a spot on the street is not always easy and requires you to feed the meter to avoid a ticket. The municipal garage provides a guaranteed space and a relatively hassle free visit without worrying about feeding a meter.

The High-Hanover Parking Garage is located close to Market Square so the location is good. The aprking rate is 75 cents an hour which is not bad. The Garage is located right on Hanover street and has several levels of parking.

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Favorite thing: The CHASE HOUSE at the corner of Court and Wahington is one of the grandest Georgian structures at Strawberry Banke. The Chase family, Portsmouth merchants, lived in the house for over a century. The house was built about 1762 and purchased in 1799 by Stephen Chase.
The Chase house's most unusual features are its gambrel roof and beautiful doorways.

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Favorite thing: A group of nine small islands, the ISLES OF SHOALS is situated approximately 16 k.m. from the east coast, between New Hampshire and Maine.
Some of the islands were used for fishing camps by native Americans and first settled by Europeans in the early 1600's.
The islands include - Appledore Island (the largest island at 95 acres), Star Island (46 acres), Smuttynose (25 acres), Malaga Island, White Island, Duck Island and Cedar Island.
The narrator on our Isles of Shoals cruise, told us of many stories about these Islands,

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Favorite thing: Part of the Fort Constitution historic site, the PORTSMOUTH HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE is adjacent to the Coast Guard Station. The lighthouse could be seen from our Isles of Shoals cruise and is one of only two lighthouses in New Hampshire.
The station was established in 1771. The present lighthouse was built in 1878 of cast-iron and reaching a height of 48 feet. It was automated in 1960.

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Favorite thing: A former U.S. Navy and marine prison, PORTSMOUTH NAVAL PRISON is on Seavey's Island, in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Compound.
The building's appearance earned it the nickname "the Castle". Others called it the "Alcatraz of the East" because no inmate ever successfully escaped. Erected near the site of the former Fort Sullivan, the reinforced concrete naval prison was in use from 1908 until 1974.

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Favorite thing: Standing at the southeast corner of Court and Atkinson Streets, (420 Court) is the REUBEN SHAPLEY HOUSE. Captain Shapley, a successful merchant and sea captain, bought this corner property in 1790. It began its existence as a workshop or store. The building's simple Federal styling indicated that its conversion to living quarters took place while Reuben Shapley owned it. The change to a dwelling house with its chimneys. attractive mantelpieces and other domestic trims, was completed by 1813. The house remained part of the Shapley estate until 1831.
It is presently used as the administrative office by the Strawberry Banke Museum.

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Favorite thing: The history of the WILLIAM PITT TAVERN is one of the more interesting stories in New England. It was erected by a Porstmouth freemason named John Stavers. In 1766, he purchased the land on the corner of Atkinson and Court streets and erected a three and a half story building out of native pine, hemlock and various hard woods. In order to provide for a large open meeting room on the third floor, he substituted the traditional center chimney for chimneys at each end of the building. Here were held meetings of the Masons. Stavers operated the tavern until his death at the age of 83 in 1797.
By the latter half of the 20th century, the building was acquired by the directors of Strawberry Banke and was looked upon as a valuable relic of the past and it was decided to restore the old Tavern to its earlier state. It is still in use today as a Lodge.