Portsmouth Harbor Cruise

Few things give me such delight as a historic harbor tour. During my annual trip to Portsmouth, NH in 2025, I took the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise offered by aptly named Portsmouth Harbor Cruises. This eighty-five minute tour covers four hundred years of Portsmouth history in a well-researched and approachable format. The perfect weather made the trip a delightful experience.

A 1960s era tour boat painted white with a sign reading Portsmouth Harbor Cruises on top A wood paneled boat cabin with a large wooden steering wheel and many buttons A pair of red tug boats docked near red brick buildings at the edge of the water

The cruise launches from a dock near Ceres Street, not far from the art galleries I had visited during Art ’Round Town back in September 2022. The water flowing past Portsmouth is known as the Piscataqua River, and its end point is the Gulf of Maine. Some of the route was similar to the path taken by the Gundalow Company cruise, which I rode on my first trip of the 2024 season. The boat passed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, technically in Kittery, ME. The shipyard was established in 1800 and has built fighting vessels for the Navy ever since. Nearby was the abandoned Portsmouth Naval Prison, which operated between 1908 and 1974.

Red Brick Buildings near the Portsmouth Harbor Over a dozen really tall cranes building boats on the bank of Portsmouth Harbor A very large garage over the water with slots for three big boats

The boat sped past the construction zone and headed towards a pair of lighthouses. Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a picturesque whitewashed light with a black top. The current building was constructed in 1878 and stands forty-eight feet tall. She replaced the first light station built north of Boston, which was constructed in 1771. Somewhat less pretty but equally important is Whaleback Light. The plain stone lighthouse is six years older than her pretty younger sister, as she was built in 1872. However, historians do not care about appearance alone, so this lighthouse has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988, while Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse was included only since 2009. Both lighthouses are now cared for by Friends of the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, whose logo features illustrations of the two lights standing side-by-side.

A massive concrete building with broken out windows hidden by trees and standing on the shore In the middle is a gundalow, a flatbottom wooden boat with a triangular sail. In the back left is a whitewashed lighthouse with a black top. Weather station equipment set on top of stones on a spit of land surrounded by water

Another site was Wentworth by the Sea, a gorgeous luxury resort in New Castle, NH. Named for the wealthiest colonial family of New Hampshire, entrepreneurial couple Sarah E Porter Campbell and Charles E. Campbell opened the originally 82-room resort in 1874, making the enterprise over 150 years old. The Campbell family sold the property to brewer and hotelier Frank Jones, whose ale making factory has since become luxury apartments and whose Rockingham Hotel is now luxury condos. In 1905, under the ownership of Harry H. Priest, the hotel hosted peace talks for ending the Russo-Japanese War, as detailed at the John Paul Jones House. By 1919, Harry Beckwith owned the hotel and added a boat-shaped building in front. The next power couple of the hotel, Margaret and James Baker Smith, ran the place from 1946 to 1980, after which they unfortunately sold to a Swiss company that gutted the building to auction off its valuables and then abandoned the property. During the 1990s, a local historical group called the Friends of Wentworth found a new owner for the building, Opal Collection, which operates the property to this day.

A sprawling complex of early 20th century style whitewashed buildings with red roofs A cluster of small whitewashed buildings with red roofs set on a sandy island. A plain, brown, stone lighthouse on a pile of rocks in the middle of the water.

While this tour did not stop at Wood Island Life Saving Station, Portsmouth Harbor Cruise offers a tour option with a stop on Wood Island to explore what is now a museum. I will have to get there at some point. On our way back to the dock, we saw Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (a New Hampshire State Park that I visited in September 2023), the Memorial Bridge (described based on my September 2022 visit) and the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge connecting Portsmouth to Kittery (described based on my September 2022 crossing). I loved this opportunity to see this Portsmouth landmarks from a different angle.

In the foreground is the stern of a 1960s era touring boat. In the background on the left is a sprawling yellow Georgian style mansion on the shore somewhat too close to the water. A metal automobile bridge with a central lift, which is in the down position A modern metal bridge with a central lift, which is in the down position.

Portsmouth Harbor Cruises (PHC) is closed for the season but will reopen in the spring. This was one of my pricier adventures, as the tour costs $28 for adults, but the quality of the script and the skill of the boat driver made it well worth the price. PHC will send an email with detailed instructions after your purchase; it is crucial to read these instructions and follow them closely. The boat is small, and the water can be choppy. Those prone to motion sickness should take all necessary precautions before the trip. The boats are not accessible to those using a wheelchair and may be difficult to board for those with mobility issues. Service dogs are permitted on board, but not emotional support animals. While children of any age are permitted on board, I recommend this trip for those ages 10 and up. If you have done all the history on land in Portsmouth, taking to the water is an excellent option.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 9/10

Accessibility: 5/10



Location: 64 Ceres St, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA