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.
Subscribe to The #PortsmouthLOVE Letter
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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.