4 Day trip to Portsmouth over Thanksgiving..is there anything to do with kids? (Dover: 2009)

[Obrero]

We have a four night trip booked to Portsmouth over Thanksgiving. Very excited to see this town after all the fab reviews I have read. However...now I am in full planning mode I'm not sure what we will do when there. Are there any kid (4 and 6) friendly activities open then? Everything seems closed for the season. I was hoping to take a harbor cruise but they all seem to end in Oct. I know it will be chilly but we are fairly hardy and were hoping to get in some bundled up outdoor time. Weather doesn't seem too different from inland NJ and I'm OK with that. Did we make a mistake coming at the end of Nov? Thanks all.

[NH2008]

Expect it to be colder than Jersey and to get dark earlier. There are some kid-friendly museums and theaters in the area:

The Childrens Museum of New Hampshire

The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH - An American Treasure for the Arts

If you have room for all your snow gear, you can also spend time outdoors - there may be snow!

[JFRRACING]

not to sure what is there now for kids moved away in 02 but i used to take my kids to jokers which is south of the portsmouth circle on rt 1 & chuckee cheese is north of th circle on rt 16. maybe someone else can give you some other ideas. some of the local christmas parades start up around that time. enjoy ur trip

[buck naked]

this year, the illuminated christmas parade in Portsmouth is scheduled for December 5th.


here is a link with some suggestions for things to do in Portsmouth:
Attractions - Portsmouth, N.H.

[steveusaf]

Originally Posted by JFRRACING

not to sure what is there now for kids moved away in 02 but i used to take my kids to jokers which is south of the portsmouth circle on rt 1 & chuckee cheese is north of th circle on rt 16. maybe someone else can give you some other ideas. some of the local christmas parades start up around that time. enjoy ur trip

Jokers is no longer there. Walmart bought it, I believe, and tore the building down. Much better things to do there anyway. Bundle up and go to the beach - I do that whenever I visit! My son doesn't mind. Children's Museum in Dover might be nice to go to also. If you check the weekend newspapers, there's usually a plethora of things going on that are kid friendly...

[rscalzo]

The Annual Lighting of the Nubble is always held the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, which will be Saturday, November 28, 2009. This is a fun family evening with a variety of entertainment. Dress warm for this one!

The Annual Lighting of the Nubble

We invite you to join us for this spectacular community event as we kick off the holiday season with the Annual Lighting of the Nubble on Saturday, November 28th, 2009. Festivities get underway at 5:00 p.m. at Sohier Park with entertainment including the York High School Chamber Singers. The event includes traditional Christmas Melodies along with Kiddie Carols - something for the whole family. The United Divers of New Hampshire will once again, plan to raise the lighted tree from the ocean, we’ll have the ever popular visit from Santa who arrives by way of a York Beach Fire Dept. ladder truck and we’ll count down, together, the seconds before the Lighthouse is lit and adorned in it’s holiday lights. There’s plenty of hot chocolate and cookies for all, so we hope you’ll mark your calendar and plan to join us for this free community event. A COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. THE SHUTTLE WILL RUN FROM ELLIS PARK IN SHORT SANDS BEACH FROM 3:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.

[CityGirl52]

I'm so glad Rscalzo gave you information on the Annual Lighting of the Nubble, it's SO worth it, GO there if you get the chance, your family will really enjoy it, we try to go every year, it's GREAT!

Emery Farm in Durham is a petting farm, you could go there during the day.

The Fox Run Mall in Newington is going to have a Christmas Dove shop opening up for the Christmas season, you could take a ride there to see if it's opened yet that weekend.

The Seacoast Science Center is open year round:

Seacoast Science Center | Welcome!

As was previously mentioned to you, the Children's Museum of New Hampshire is one place that your children will really enjoy, especially at their ages. This newer Museum is better than it ever was too by the way. It used to be located in Portsmouth but it's in Dover, NH now and quite a good one:

The Childrens Museum of New Hampshire

If it DOES snow, you could head to the Amesbury Sport Park, the kids LOVE it there, so remember this place IF it happens to snow:

Home


Good luck and have a wonderful time on the seacoast!