If you love the ocean, you’ll love Portsmouth! Just try to head up I-95 without stopping… something about this city of 26,000 will draw you to it! There’s so much to see and do here, an overnight stay may just turn out to be a week long experience! Great food, excellent shopping, plenty of history and simply a neat place to explore, Portsmouth is one of the east coast’s undiscovered jewels

Most of the area’s lodging, including several national chains are within a mile or two of I-95. Right at exit 6 you’ll find the Anchorage Inn, Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, Susse Chalet and The Port Motor Inn. Just a mile or two east on US Route 1 from exit 6, is the Comfort Inn at Yoken’s. Just off I-95, exit 5 you’ll find a new Courtyard Inn. Downtown Portsmouth has several excellent hotels including The Inn at Strawberry Banke (in the heart of Strawberry Banke Historic District) and the Sheraton Portsmouth Hotel (on Market Street). There are also a number of Bed & Breakfasts too! The Sise Inn (Court Street) and the Martin Hill Inn (Islington Street) are recommended.

For fast food, I-95 exit 6 east about a mile to US Route 1, or west the same distance to Newington are the two commercial “hot spots”. All the national chains are located here. Downtown Portsmouth has some of the best restaurants north of Boston, including Banana’s Bar & Grill, and Cafe Mirabelle (Hanover Street), Coat of Arms, and Cafe Meditterraneo (Fleet Street), Dolphin Striker (Bow Street), Molly Malone’s (State Street), The Oar House (Ceres Street), and Porto Bello (Bow Street) US Route 1 south is a great place to get your seafood fix. Yoken’s “Thar She Blows” is quite popular, with a casual, family atmosphere you won’t soon forget.

No visit to Portsmouth is complete without seeing Strawberry Banke, the city’s historic seaport area. The Portsmouth Trail, is a walking tour of the waterfront, downtown and the “south end”. Portsmouth Harbor Cruises (Ceres Street dock) offers 1.5 and 2.5 hour trips around the 14 islands of Portsmouth Harbor and the Isle of Shoals. If you need something to do a little more daring, check out Water Country, New England’s largest water park (3 miles south of Portsmouth on US Route 1), with inner-tube rides, wave pool, whitewater rapids and 8 waterslides! If shopping is your question, Newington is the answer. From I-95, exit 6, take the Spaulding Turnpike west two miles to Newington, the regions largest commercial shopping area and home of The Fox Run Mall, and dozens of other shopping centers and major stores.

Portsmouth is accessible from I-95, exits 3-7. The Portsmouth Traffic Circle (exit 6) is actually the hub where everything originates. East of the circle is US Route 1 south and the beaches. West of the circle (Spaulding Turnpike) is Newington and plenty of tax-free shopping. I-95, exit 7 (Market Street) takes you right into the city of Portsmouth.

Need more? Try these links for additional information about Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The I-95 Exit Information Guide

“Flat out, the single best website for auto travelers on the Net” — Yahoo’s Internet Life Magazine

Water Country!

Website for Water Country USA, New England’s largest water park!

Port City Online

An excellent online visitor’s guide all about the city of Portsmouth.

Concord is the capital of New Hampshire and the political and financial center of the state. It is located approximately 1 hour north of Boston via I-93. This city of 36,000 is situated on the Merrimack River and centrally located with easy access to most of the state’s attractions. Concord is a great place to base your next New Hampshire vacation!

Many of the national accommodation chains have establishments in the Concord area. The newest, Courtyard by Mariott is located just off I-93, exit 15. You’ll also find the Hampton Inn (I-89, exit 1), Days Inn (I-93, exit 12), Holiday Inn (I-93, exit 14), Best Western, Comfort Inn and the Fairfield Inn (I-93, exit 13), and RedRoof Inn (I-393, exit 3) are all easy to find and offer excellent accommodations There are also a number of smaller, independent, establishments as well as Bed & Breakfasts throughout the area.

You’ll find most of the fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc.) at I-93, exits 13 and 14. You’ll find The Common Man, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Cityside Grill and other restaurants at exit 13. Loudon Road (exit 14) is the cities major commercial strip and you’ll also find a wide variety of not-so-fast foods here (Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Smokey Bones, Ruby Tuesday, Friendly’s, etc.). For a little genuine New England seafood, try “The Weathervane”, a small chain of restaurants that offer fresh cooked seafoods in a casual, family atmosphere!

Concord is sort of a undiscovered gem. There are a number of excellent attractions within the city and several more within short driving distance. The Christa McAuliffe Planatarium (I-93, exit 15E or I-393, exit 1) is a memorial dedicated to America’s first teacher in space, who died in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger explosion. The Museum of New Hampshire History (I-93, exit 14), the Statehouse, and a self-guided walking tour “Concord on Foot” are all excellent family activities right in the city. Less than 15 minutes from Concord on NH Route 106, you’ll find the largest sporting complex in New England… The New Hampshire International Speedway, and Nextel Cup NASCAR racing! If tax-free shopping is what you have in mind downtown (I-93, exit 14) offers a mix of one-of-a-kind stores. Just two miles east on Loudon Road you’ll find The Steeplegate Mall, home to over 80 shops!

Concord is bisected by I-93. The downtown and most of the city’s residential neighborhoods are to the west, with commercial areas to the east. Just south of Concord I-89 begins and heads to Vermont. I-393 begins in downtown Concord (I-93, exit 15) and heads east towards Portsmouth.

Need more? Try these links for additional information about Concord, New Hampshire.

The I-95 Exit Information Guide
Yahoo’s Internet Life Magazine (1/98) calls the guide “flat out, the single best site for auto travel on the Web”. Exit service listing from Maine to Florida, plus RoadNews, GasPrice Updates, Construction reports, forums, contests and more! Everything for the I-95 traveler.

The Concord Monitor
Find out what’s happening around town and the region. Concord’s daily newspaper goes online!

Downtown Concord!
Come visit Downtown Concord, NH! The DCI site will keep you up to date on shopping, dining and events in the Concord area. Stroll our brick streets and enjoy this vital Capital City in the heart of New England.