Seacoast NH Culture | Southern ME Seacoast Culture

The Seacoast area is abuzz with culture throughout the year. From the performing arts and theater to music and independent film, there’s something for every taste and interest.  All are well represented here with The Music Hall, The Seacoast Repertory Theater, Pontine Theater, The Players’ Ring, Ogunquit Playhouse and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. Numerous art galleries display the area's impressive appreciation for visual pleasures. The Portsmouth Museum of Fine Art is a new addition to the local art scene. And the abundant examples of architectural preservation, showing Portsmouth's heritage of building excellence and craftsmanship, also bear witness to this aesthetic awareness.

Museums

The Children’s Museum in Dover is one of the nation’s most highly-regarded children’s museums and is New Hampshire's most-visited cultural attraction. Serving over 97,000 visitors a year from all over New England (and beyond), the Museum is a leader in the field for its innovative, experiential learning programs.  In July 2008, the museum moved from Portsmouth’s South End to an amazing 20,000 s.f. facility on the banks of the Cocheco River in Dover, surrounded by the Henry Law Park.

Strawbery Banke is about connecting with the past.  Visitors have the opportunity to experience and imagine how people lived and worked in this typical American neighborhood throughout four centuries of history.   Through its restored houses, its featured exhibits, its historic landscapes and gardens, and its interpretive programs, Strawbery Banke tells the stories of the many generations who settled in the Portsmouth, NH community from the late l7th to the mid-20th century.  

Seacoast Science Center is located within Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH and considered a flagship institution in the region's cultural economy. A popular destination for families and students to learn about coastal environmental history, the Center's mission is: to create connections to nature through personal experience. That mission is met by providing engaging and interactive programs and exhibits. Each year, over 60,000 people visit the Center, 15,000 of whom are students from throughout New England.

Albacore Park is a tribute to the USS Albacore, once the fastest sub in the world and now a landed museum open for tours. Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard just across the Piscataqua River, Albacore is the forerunner of the teardrop design that became the standard for Navy subs. Carrying no weapons, this was a research vessel designed solely to conduct experiments from 1966 to 1971. Albacore set a world underwater speed record in 1966 and was almost scrapped, but for the efforts of local maritime history enthusiasts. A visitor center includes a video in a special screening room, gift shop and exhibits. Tickets are available for a self-guided tour of the submarine, an experience children will never forget.

The Warner House (1716) is perhaps the finest example in New England of a brick urban mansion from the early 18th century. Among the many interesting features are mural paintings of American Indian chieftains and a lightning rod on the west wall, said to have been installed under the supervision of Benjamin Franklin in 1762.

The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (c. 1753), a National Historic Landmark, was the 18th-century residence of New Hampshire’s first Royal Governor, Benning Wentworth, who lived in the enormous yellow house overlooking Little Harbor from 1753 to1770. The 42-room structure is surrounded by one of the nation’s earliest plantings of purple lilacs, planted around the 1750s. The House is open May through October for visits, lectures, exhibits and concerts.

Historic New England (HNE; formerly SPNEA) owns several spectacular historic homes in Portsmouth, including the Jackson House (c. 1664), one of the oldest examples of plank-frame building construction in New England; the Governor John Langdon House (1784), one of New England’s finest 18th-century houses, built for John Langdon, prosperous merchant and ardent supporter of the Revolutionary War who later became governor of the State; and the Rundlet-May House (1807), built in the grand Federal style for James Rundlet, a wealthy Portsmouth merchant.  Another of HNE’s National Historic Landmarks is the Gilman Garrison House in Exeter. The massive, square-sawn log walls of the house, now clapboarded over, may have been a response to the threat of an Indian attack.

For those who long to walk in the footsteps of greatness, Portsmouth boasts The John Paul Jones House, where the “Father of the American Navy” lived while supervising the outfitting of the Ranger and the America. This National Historic Landmark is located across the street from the Discover Portsmouth Center, both of which are operated by the Portsmouth Historical Society.

The American Independence Museum in Exeter presents the American Revolution and of the role that New Hampshire, Exeter, and the Gilman family played in the founding of the new republic. Located in historic downtown Exeter, AIM includes the Ladd-Gilman House (built c. 1721), the Folsom Tavern (built c. 1775), and over an acre of landscaped property.  The Folsom Tavern was the site of many passionate political debates during the American Revolution. The Tavern is being restored to create exhibition and visitor services space. In 1985, a Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence was found in the Ladd-Gilman House.  This amazing discovery is now a major focus of the museum's collections and programming.

Woodman Institute Museum is a four-building museum in Dover, dedicated to the preservation of natural science, art/furniture and local history. A new adventure awaits visitors in each and every room. Climb the narrow ladder stairs in the 1675 colonial garrison and wonder how someone like you could have slept in those old rope beds. See a 10-foot polar bear, a four-legged chicken, and President Lincoln’s saddle all under one roof in the 1818 Woodman House. The collection features minerals, fossils, birds, butterflies, mammals, shells, Indian artifacts, scrimshaw, ship models, musical instruments, pewter, china, glassware, antique dolls, police and firefighting equipment, paintings, mill memorabilia, and even time capsules!

Garden, Nature and Walking Tours

The Piscataqua area abounds with beautiful gardens and natural vistas. The gardens at Strawbery Banke offer a fascinating, educational glimpse into four centuries of New England garden history.

Portsmouth’s Prescott Park, is a popular destination for residents and visitors alike. Once a bustling wharf for ships from around the world and the region's "red light" district, Prescott Park is today a scenic, multipurpose park. The well-tended gardens are renowned, and the park along the Piscataqua features fountains, benches, open space, and an open-air summer theater June through August.

The Urban Forestry Center is one of New Hampshire’s most unique resources, located on a quiet road on the outskirts of Portsmouth, just waiting to be discovered by anyone who values natural resources. The Center is used as a Tree Farm to demonstrate proper forest management, a bird and wildlife sanctuary, a garden and landscape demonstration site, and as a learning center.  The Center's 182 acres of field, forest, and saltmarsh include trails for walking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.

The Portsmouth Harbour Trail, offered by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, is an ideal way to explore this pedestrian-friendly city. The Trail itself is divided into three distinct loops, which wind their way through the city’s downtown and waterfront areas. As you walk along the trail, you will notice buildings that reflect a rich collection of architectural styles, from early Colonial through Federalist, Victorian, and Neoclassical. Guided tours are available July through mid-October, Thursday through Monday. The “Twilight Tour” features costumed role players who bring life to the colorful tales of the merchants, madams, sailors and immigrants who inhabited Portsmouth in the early 20th century. Step-on guide service and group rates are available year-round.

The Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail takes visitors on a self-guided tour of 24 sites where Portsmouth's black residents lived, worked, prayed, and celebrated.

The Dover Chamber of Commerce offers three themed Heritage Walking Tours for visitors, highlighting the Old Mills & Riverfront, Historic Houses, and the Pine Hill Cemetery.

The elegant Fuller Gardens in seaside North Hampton were commissioned by Governor Alvan T. Fuller as an ornament to his summer estate, Runnymede-by-the-Sea. As one of the last remaining working formal estate gardens, it remains a seaside gem and continues to present horticulture at the highest level while providing the public a glimpse into the past. Over two thousand roses of many varieties bloom throughout the summer, unusual eye-catching annuals, English perennial borders, Japanese Garden and Koi pond, hosta display garden and a Tropical and desert conservatory all within the century-old sculpted hedges. 

The Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH, is a favorite destination for travelers. Located in 135-acre Odiorne Point State Park, the Center offers a unique experience for nature-lovers, with stunning views of the Gulf of Maine’s rocky coast and the Isles of Shoals. Programs and interactive exhibits for all ages connect guests to the many habitats and rich natural and social history of the park. The site features historic landmarks, WWII fortifications, nature trails, a nature store, and picnic areas.

Fort Foster is an 88-acre park located in Kittery Point, Maine. With the exception of Odiorne Point, this is the region’s largest and most scenic and diverse area to wander. The seaside path is spectacular for its rocky shore.

For those who prefer to see Portsmouth by trolley, the Seacoast Trolley Company offers group and guided tours and charters.

Festivals

Children’s Day is a family-friendly festival in Portsmouth, NH that attracts children of all ages, combining activities, entertainment and, usually, an ice cream sundae - all sponsored, hosted and supported by the Downtown Merchants, area companies, civic organizations and volunteers of the Seacoast. From a cruise aboard the Isles of Shoals M/V Thomas Laighton to a "photo-op" with a favorite friend from Character Island, the day is filled with something for everyone.

Market Square Day was established to celebrate the renovation and beautification of Downtown Portsmouth, NH.  The Festival has grown in size along with the growth and popularity of Portsmouth. It is estimated that between 60,000 - 80,000 people walk through Downtown Portsmouth on that one day enjoying the entertainment, products and food offered by artists, crafters and merchants - many from the Seacoast area.

Prescott Park Arts Festival presents music, art, theater and dance on the banks of the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, NH. The primary objective is to provide quality family entertainment, promote artistic excellence in the community and maintain quality presentations of both entertainment and educational events. Located on 3.5 acres in downtown Portsmouth, the arts festival has a long and rich history of successfully presenting the arts with no fixed admission.

New Hampshire Film Festival celebrates the art of filmmaking and is the state's only event of its kind.  It takes place in historic downtown Portsmouth in the Fall. The festival is one of the largest in New England, screening approximately 60 films in 2007-2008. As many as 3,000 people have attended the films, seminars, ceremonies and parties in the past. NHFF unites highly talented students, professional filmmakers and screenwriters with industry experts, educators, avid movie-goers and film connoisseurs from around the globe for a highly interactive weekend of nationally recognized and undiscovered gems.

Hampton Beach Seafood Festival features the Seacoast's top restaurants serving an abundance of mouthwatering seafood delicacies; Arts & Crafts vendors promoting locally made products; hundreds of Ocean Boulevard merchants offering end-of-the-season Sidewalk Sales; a Kiddie Land with the region's most notable Celebrities in Children's Entertainment; continuous Culinary Chef Demonstrations; and stages of continuous entertainment with several Bands and Orchestras.

Newmarket Heritage Festival is an international block party, an annual celebration of arts, culture, history and community. Standing watch over the festivities are the buildings that first shaped the town of Newmarket, NH. The mills are tangible reminders that, by working and celebrating together, it is possible to achieve a sense of community, a place of belonging.