Portsmouth Historical Society has just announced its Walking Tours for 2018 which include three different offerings: a 75-minute Historic Downtown Tour offered daily at 10:30 a.m.; Historic Preservation Tours with local historian Dr. Richard M. Candee, author of Building Portsmouth on select Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.; and Portsmouth Women, the fourth Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. and the fourth Sunday of the month at 11 a.m.
According to Erika Beer, tour manager for Portsmouth Historical Society, “the inspiration for our walking tours began several years ago with Marianne Pernold’s 2010 book Portsmouth Looking Up, which included 30 original photographs of unique, and easily missed, architecture around Portsmouth.”
Pernold donated the book to the Society allowing the organization to jump-start the tours by giving each person who attended the original tour a copy of the book that first year.
Says Kathleen Soldati, executive director of the Society, “To this day, even as we have expanded to include daily and specialty tours, our historic walking tours are based on her book and the sites she photographed. Our walking tours have exploded in popularity and we owe such a debt of gratitude to Marianne for this.”
Updated tour information is as follows:
Historic Downtown Tour: Daily 10:3 0a.m./75-minutes
Experienced and engaging tour guides, long time Portsmouth enthusiasts, cover the streets, stories, and architecture of historic downtown.
Portsmouth Women Tour: Fourth Wednesday, 4:30 p.m., Fourth Sunday, 11 a.m. /75-minutes
Hear the untold stories of navigators, preachers, artists, authors, tavern keepers, and madams who defied stereotypes and shaped Portsmouth.
Historic Preservation Tours: Select Saturdays, 10:30 a.m./75-minutes
Portsmouth Advocates present a series of guided walking tours led by local historian Richard Candee, author of Building Portsmouth. Taking place on select Saturdays from May through September, these tours showcase Portsmouth’s famous neighborhoods and explore the unique architectural landscape of Portsmouth and the stories embedded in bricks and mortar.
May 12
Portsmouth Landmarks
June 2
North End: Lost Neighborhood
June 30
South End Preservation
July 21
Brick Act
August 4
Federal West End
August 18
Victorian West End
Sept. 1
Piscataqua Waterfront
Sept. 15
Industrial Portsmouth
Walking tours kick off Saturday, May 12, with Richard Candee’s Historic Preservation Tour entitled Portsmouth Landmarks. The Historic Downtown Portsmouth tour will be offered daily starting Sunday, May 13. All tours depart from Discover Portsmouth, 10 Middle Street. Tours range from $12-25/person. Online reservations encouraged. Walk-ins welcome.
PortsmouthHistory.org
For more information on tours (including private, group tours) and/or to purchase tickets, visit portsmouthhistory.org or email erika@portsmouthhistory.org or call (603) 436-8433.
For NH Black Heritage Trail Tours, visit blackheritagetrailnh.org/tours; please contact 603-380-1231 for reservations.
Also available through Portsmouth Historical Society
At the John Paul Jones House Carriage House
Port City Bike Tours
Now offering daily guided and self-guided bike tours starting at the John Paul Jones Carriage House, 43 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH. Guided tours (2-6 riders) range from 7 to 25 miles, 90 minutes to 3 1/2 hours, and each offers amazing scenery, history and local insights. Private custom tours for your family, friends or corporate group are also available. Tours include your guide, custom fit 21-speed bike, helmet, water and snack. To reserve call 603-969-1866 or visit portcitybiketours.com.