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Closed until 31 Mar 2024
Portsmouth Historical Society
Portsmouth Historical Society
5
Temporarily closedClosed until Mar 31, 2024
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About
The Portsmouth Historical Society’s museums and programs connect the community to our past, present, and future through collections, interpretation, education and preservation. Visit our welcome center and galleries to see rotating exhibitions, shop the gift store, explore Portsmouth on our daily walking tours, or pop across the street and visit the John Paul Jones Historic House Museum and Garden (a national historic landmark). The Society also serves as the home of the Portsmouth Advocates for Historic Preservation, and the Portsmouth Marine Society Press.
Portsmouth, United States
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023
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Portsmouth Historical Society
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(135 reviews)
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
477 reviews
Excellent
398
Very good
65
Average
10
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Lauren C
3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Jeff was an excellent tour guide! We really enjoyed the Portsmouth walking tour. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable. He provided lots of information and made sure to answer questions. His passion for history and the Portsmouth area really made our tour experience wonderful!
Written 7 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NHjo
Saco, ME8,609 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
I went to their annual gingerbread house exhibit that had beautiful creations of iconic Portsmouth sights. I especially loved the tugboats, Gilley's Diner, a few lighthouses, and quite a few more. They also had an art exhibit on the upper floor that celebrated Portsmouth's 'Lost Neighborhoods' -- working-class sections of Portsmouth that were lost to urban renewal or real estate purchases. These original paintings and collages were done by four talented Portsmouth artists.
Written 24 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
December is always a magical time of year to come visit with the annual Gingerbread Exhibition (it's so hard to pick a favorite!). We love to support and showcase local arts like we did with "Lost Neighborhoods." Thank you for stopping by and for leaving this review.
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rosanna_Edmondo
Montreal, Canada6 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Excellent walking tour of historic Portsmouth with our guide Jeff Thomson. He gave us the history of Portsmouth, and also information on its famous residents and beautiful Georgian houses. Also took the time to answer our questions. Portsmouth is such a beautiful town, and a stop to discover it is worthwhile.
Written 27 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We are so glad you enjoyed our city and got to learn some of its history with Jeff!
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Barbara P
Watertown3 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
A very informative, interesting hour and a half tour of Portsmouth. Our guide was extremely knowledgable, having grown up in the Portsmouth area. We learned a great deal about the various periods of Portsmouth history, including its people and buildings. Very enjoyable!
Written 15 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us on one of our tours, we are so lucky to have excellent and knowledgeable guides to lead the way. We are glad to hear you had a great time!
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Paula L
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Family
Just moved to Portsmouth. We thought this was a good way to understand more about the city and were not disappointed. We learned so much about the history of Portsmouth from our tour guide Knut and also gained some insight about the restaurant and social scene from Knut. It was a great experience and we would highly recommend. Tour ran a little over the 90 minutes because it was so jam packed.
Written 6 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We couldn't agree with you more, our walking tours are a great way to download a brief overview of over 400 years of Portsmouth's history! Thank you for joining us and we hope you are enjoying living in Portsmouth.
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Richard G
Shelby, OH4 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Great tour of Portsmouth. Saw many historic and interesting buildings. Great way to see the city and learn the history.
Written 4 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us on a walking tour and visiting this wonderful city.
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kmlprospect
Prospect, KY19 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Excellent walking tour of historic Portsmouth. Our guide, Jeff Thomson, illuminated our frequent stops with his expert narratives . So much to view in this 400 year old town . Jeff tied together the rich history with his recollections of famous residents , Georgian architecture and political and maritime history. He also had a collection of historical photos we could glance over at selected stops . Our questions and comments were welcomed enroute . Highly recommend !
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for recommending our walking tours. There's so much history to pack into that 90-minute tour, I'm glad you enjoyed your time with Jeff.
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
EAR
Portsmouth, NH7 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
What a very informative and easy walking tour through historical Portsmouth, NH.
Our guide, Jeff Thompson, led and informed our group on the 90 minute tour, which was so well spoken and was so interesting-we looked at our phones in disbelief when it was over. We learned so much in such a short time-and, since it went from 10:30 to noon-it was perfect timing to pick out a nice place to dine for lunch. It made for a perfect day!
We highly recommend this walking tour.
Our guide, Jeff Thompson, led and informed our group on the 90 minute tour, which was so well spoken and was so interesting-we looked at our phones in disbelief when it was over. We learned so much in such a short time-and, since it went from 10:30 to noon-it was perfect timing to pick out a nice place to dine for lunch. It made for a perfect day!
We highly recommend this walking tour.
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Time can fly when you're having a good time! We are so glad to hear you enjoyed your walking tour and hope that the rest of your time in Portsmouth was just as good.
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KathleenALynn
Jersey City, NJ36 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
We took the walking tour which included a film at the Historical Society followed by a 90 minute walking tour led by Jeff Thomson. His passion for, and pride in, Portsmouth was palpable. Great introduction to Portsmouth. I highly recommend.
Written 18 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us on a walking tour and leaving this lovely review. We take great pride in our knowledge and personable tour guides and appreciate the recommendation to others!
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kmpalmer
Boston, MA23 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
This summer I went on the Women of Portsmouth, the Daily Historical Walking tour and the LGBTQ+ Walking Tour. Tom, Knute & Sabina were completely wonderful! They had a ton of local knowledge and were happy to share! They did a great job covering many years of history (400 to be exact!) and answered everyones questions. We lucked out with the weather and the walking route was easy and manageable. Even as a local, I learned a ton! Highly recommend. The staff at the Historical Society were exteremely helpful and kind.
Written 16 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us on multiple tours, we love seeing friendly faces back again! As we always say these walking tours are perfect for both locals and visitors. We hope to see you stop by the museum again in 2024!
Written 23 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience