Maine - New Hampshire Trip
October 2018 Trip Report 

Day two: tour Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, take a Piscataqua River cruise and dinner at Warren's Lobster House in Kittery.

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Cocheco River Bridge - Dover, New Hampshire
Cocheco River Bridge - Dover (prints of this photo)
Sherburne House at Strawbery Banke
Sherburne House (museum displays, constructed between 1695 and 1703)
It was cold and rained off and on the next day, but we didn't let it keep us inside. The four of us started the day at Strawbery Banke Museum, an outdoor living history museum of 32 houses and 10 gardens in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We were there as it opened and explored the preserved and restored buildings. One of the unusual things about these museum houses is that they haven't restored back to just one time period, but have buildings devoted to various time periods from the late 1600s through the 1950s. 

Not all of the buildings were open. Flags hung outside those which were open, with the flag representing the period that home's furnishings represented. Some of the structures offered exhibits, while others were fully furnished and sometimes had costumed docents in character as a resident of the home. The lady in the Marden-Abbott House was the first role player we encountered and did a nice job of greeting us like we were seeking employment and housing in Portsmouth during World War II.

All but one of the buildings are in their original location. 

Marden-Abbott House and Store - Strawbery Banke
Marden-Abbott House and Store (set for 1943)

We left Strawbery Banke in time to catch a noon cruise with Portsmouth Harbor Cruises. Many attractions in the region were already closed for the winter and this cruise was PHC's final cruise of the season. We took the Inland River & Foliage Cruise, about 8 miles up the Piscataqua and Cocheco Rivers. Although it was far past peak for fall colors, there were still some beautiful stretches and gorgeous individual trees. We had a good time, but it was cold sitting at the bow of the boat and there was no place to really get warm.



Portsmouth Harbor from the tour dock
These three Moran Towing tug boats move all the large ships up and down the Piscataqua River

Dependable docked in the Piscataqua River
Dependable - a 456' long cable laying vessel

Lobster fishing boat Laura Beth
Lobster boat "Laura Beth"
Little Bay Lobster Company's fleet of 11 boats fish 100-200 miles offshore, 7-10 days at a time.

Dover, New Hampshire marina
George's Marina on the Cocheco River in Dover, New Hampshire

Bald Eagle on the Cocheco River
Immature bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)


Along the Eliot, Maine side of the Piscataqua River (prints of this photo)

Sarah Mildred Long Bridge -  lift bridge between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine
Sarah Mildred Long Bridge and Memorial Bridge (distance) between Kittery and Portsmouth
The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge just opened in March. The roadway is raised to allow large boats to pass
or lowered to allow trains to cross the river.

We returned to Strawbery Banke following the cruise, and visited several other buildings before closing time at 5 PM. There was still a handful of buildings we had not visited and we could have returned the following day on the same ticket, but we spent Monday doing other things.

weaving in Cotton Tenant, the Traditional Craft Center
Demonstrating weaving in the Traditional Craft Center


Portsmouth and the Piscataqua River from our house (prints of this photo)

In the evening, we had supper at Warren's Lobster House in Kittery, Maine where Linda and I had our only whole lobsters of the trip. They were small lobsters and I also had seafood casserole of scallops, haddock and shrimp.

seafood casserole - Warren's Lobster House in Kittery, Maine
seafood casserole

Maine Lobster - Warren's Lobster House in Kittery, Maine
1 pound Maine Lobster

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