As a Portsmouth Enthusiast, I present the following resources for those looking to take advantage of some of the city’s greatest assets.
- What’s happening in Portsmouth?
- Events & Culture
- #PortsmouthLOVE notes (visitor guides, etc.)
- Portsmouth Meetups
- Favorite Meeting Spots
- Must-visit Portsmouth joints (Food, drink, etc.)
- A Sampling of Weekly Specials
Every Thursday, get updates on recent and upcoming events in the Portsmouth area, local highlights and ways you can get more involved in the community.
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What’s happening in Portsmouth?
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Events & Culture
Year-Round
- 3S Artspace
- Portsmouth Public Library
- The Music Hall
- Discover Portsmouth
- RiverRun Bookstore
- Art Round Town (1st Friday of the month)
- Strawbery Banke
- Beat Night (3rd Thursday of the month)
Summer!
- Prescott Park Arts Festival (June–Oct)
- Portsmouth Farmers’ Market (May–Oct)
- Old Ferry Landing For when it’s hot
- Gundalow
Winter!
- ShakesBEERience (Sept–Feb)
Seafood with a side of “no tourists”:
- Geno’s Chowder House
- Morrison’s Lobsters (BYOB): this is in Kittery, but now that the bridge is open, it’s walking distance, and it overlooks Portsmouth… (You should probably also visit Lil’s while you’re over there…)
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#PortsmouthLOVE notes:
Photos, videos, etc. of our awesome city:
- #PortsmouthLOVE hashtag on Twitter
- #PortsmouthLOVE photos on Flickr
- Phillip Case Cohen’s Portsmouth photos on Flickr
Great write-up on the literary qualities of Portsmouth, including great places to write:
Fantastic guide to Portsmouth, specifically for visiting musicians:
High praise from reputable sources:
- The Chicago Tribune: The NH Getaway a feel-good stop on any East Coast road trip
- The New York Times: 36 Hours in Portsmouth, NH
- The Boston Globe: Portsmouth, NH, the Country’s Third-Oldest City
- The Boston Globe: Portsmouth, N.H. established itself as a cultural hub
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Portsmouth Meetups:
- Digital Portsmouth
- NH Tweetup
- NHWP’s Writer’s Night Out (Seacoast)
- eBrew
- Portsmouth Foursquare
- Business After Hours
- Catapult Seacoast
- 03801moz
- Seacoast Women’s Network
- Full Stack NH & Hoopla Partys
And get to know your Seacoast friends and neighbors on The Family Room Podcast.
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Favorite Meeting Spots
Coffee:
- Wifi (Passwords on nearly every table)
- Casual atmosphere, stellar coffee & espresso drinks (and adult beverages), breakfast & lunch options
- Wifi (Passwords available at the bar)
- Casual atmosphere, great coffee and tea, breakfast & lunch options
Lunch:
- Cafeteria style, pay for your own
- Wifi (password: bagelworks)
- Order at register, pay for your own
- Wifi
- Wifi (Passwords available at the bar)
- Casual atmosphere, great coffee and tea, breakfast & lunch options
Evening/Happy Hour:
- Great happy hour specials
- Casual, stylish atmosphere
- Wifi (3S Artspace public wifi)
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Must-visit Portsmouth joints
Food:
- Arguably the most unique menu in the area, awesome ambience and staff and killer chefs
- Most popular dishes: Bibimbap (served in a skillet) and Cemita (huge tasty sandwich, chicken or fish options)
- Sunday brunch, for those who don’t believe there’s such a thing as too much food
- Burgers with the craziest and most delicious topping concoctions
- Local sodas, local beer, always great tunes, plus 2 flat-screen TVs
- Very tasty breakfast & brunch food, pancake/omelette specials daily
- Small, cozy, 10 tables inside (sometimes a wait Sat/Sun brunch hour)
- 2-3 tables outside in the summer, coffee while you wait
- Cub-sized sandwiches for under $5 are big enough to call a medium
- Friendly staff, great original sodas
- Faves: tuna salad, cheesesteak, chicken fingers
- BEST fried clams!
- Great view and food
- A Portsmouth tradition!
- Update: they now take credit cards!
- If you just want an affordable and delicious lunch (or early dinner), this is the joint—sandwiches, soup, salads, and locally-sourced where possible.
- Wifi, too!
- Nothing too exciting, but decent and cheap subs, and it’s definitely a long-standing Portsmouth tradition.
Drink:
- The Press Room Great music, dive atmosphere
- The Coat Great food, fantastic beer selection
- Martingale Wharf Definitely more fancy, but great cocktails, and indoor OR outdoor spectacular water views.
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A Sampling of Specials:
All weekdays: Gaslight: 50% off wine, draft beer pints and select appetizers Mondays:
- Dos Amigos: Five dollar Burrito Mondays
Tuesdays:
- Dos Amigos: Two dollar Taco Tuesdays
- The Coat: Community Night- 20% off bill if you live/work in Portsmouth
Wednesdays:
- Portsmouth Brewery: $1 Sloppy Joes/Meatball Sliders
Thursdays:
- The Coat: Pint Night- $3.25 draughts 5-9pm
- (usually every other Thurs.) Free movies & popcorn at Portsmouth Public Library
Read my most recent #PortsmouthLOVE blog posts.