I’ve lived forever in New England, and I knew early on that you don’t escape winter; you just find a way to come to terms with it. There is a rhythm to the cold air here. The Atlantic wind can blow with a sharper edge, the sky is low and gray, and entire days move slower in the very way that will make you crave warm socks, long walks and a place that doesn’t close when it gets cold. I’ve tried every kind of winter getaway over the years — Vermont cabins, Western Mass farm inns, Boston weekenders — but there’s one coastal city that trumps them all for a cozy doorstep winter weekend: Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
If you’ve ever been to Portsmouth, you know it has a specific type of charm, but winter reveals something different. When the summer throngs are gone, the historic downtown feels more peaceful, gentler and easier to hear yourself think about what you may want to see or do in there. Tourism boards around New England regularly name Portsmouth as one of the region’s most winter-friendly destinations, and a large part of that designation has to do with this city staying vibrant all year, unlike many other seasonal coastal towns that go silent until May. The city’s restaurants remain open, the shops warm and welcoming, and the waterfront never loses its charm — even when the wind is howling down the harbor.
The atmosphere is one of the truly specific things that make Portsmouth great during winter. On the other hand, historic districts full of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century brick buildings feel especially real in the cold. Local preservation groups say the city contains one of the densest collections of surviving colonial-era structures in New England, and when the snow dusts across the rooftops, and gas-style street lamps glow coyly against brick walls, you would be hard-pressed to find a more convincing case for setting your winter postcard somewhere that isn’t posed just for visiting amateurs.
In winter, the waterfront is a more tranquil place, but not an empty one. Lobster boats still go out. The riverwalk stays open. And Market Square — the hub, where everybody’s at, where we still have cafés and restaurants and bakeries and bookshops that appear to be meant for people who want to wander in from the cold. Yankee Magazine and Boston travel guides. com frequently feature Portsmouth as a top winter weekend town — in part because it doesn’t require an automobile once you’re here. You can walk anywhere, even in freezing conditions.
My favorite thing is the food scene. It gets better in winter. Comforting dishes, creamy seafood chowders, tavern meals — they all just felt different when you’d walked around in the cold. Local hot spots such as The Oar House, Row 34, Cure and the Portsmouth Brewery remain packed in February. Find Portsmouth’s restaurants on “best of” lists in New Hampshire Magazine and other regional dining publications, not least the ones for winter menus served hot and hearty.
But it is more than just the food or history. Portsmouth is a city that doesn’t hibernate emotionally in winter though. Some coastal towns feel like ghost towns when the season ends, with boarded-up storefronts and closed inns. Portsmouth keeps its energy. You still see live music. You still see local theater. Coffee shops stay busy. Boutique stores stay open. The city leans into winter events — holiday festivals, light displays, outdoor markets. Local tourism numbers don’t lie, and with winter hotel occupancy being still one of the highest among small New England coastal cities, that says a lot about staying power.
An underrated winter attraction is Prescott Park, also along the river. Even in cold weather, the views are unreal. The river is darker in winter, some shade of heavy and metallic, and the bridges to Kittery, Maine frame the entire skyline like a built-in postcard. You may take a walk along the waterfront paths, bundled in layers and barely spotting another person — it seems as though you can claim the shoreline to yourself.
Museums and arts spaces such as the Strawbery Banke Museum remain open well into winter, with many offering seasonal programming in addition to their regular exhibits. Travel writers often note that Portsmouth has one of the most vigorous arts communities, per capita, in New England — and that means even at its yellowest depths in a long winter weekend, it’s hard to want for indoor things to do.
Cozifying in Portsmouth happens at its peak once the night begins. The cold creeps in, the snow glitters orange under the warm amber of the streetlights, and the small streets chime to footsteps rather than summer clamour. Bars fill and fireplaces crackle, locals have returned to both their own favorite spots and their own beds, and you feel like part of something rather than just floating past it.
Perhaps that’s why I frequently find myself suggesting it. Portsmouth doesn’t strike you as a “cold-weather destination.” It’s a Nice City, Just to Reiterate (From Free Agency): This isn’t paradise, but it feels like a real city that just so happens to be beautiful in the cold. It has to do with none of the winter gimmicks or forced seasonal charm. It is simply itself — maritime, historic, vibrant and warmly human in spirit even when the weather isn’t.
If you want a coastal New England winter weekend that’s walkable, atmospheric, food-rich and one actual travel guides and such point people toward consistently, Portsmouth is the one I swear by. And that’s not something I say lightly, having spent my entire life in New England.
