Great exhibits.... loved the quilt project
A great and informative place to get the scoop on Portsmouth. The staff was very friendly and willing to help with any questions.There is a short 10 minute video about the history of Portsmouth that you can watch. Very interesting to learn how the city became what it is today.The center also has various exhibits that change throughout the year. When we went, it was the gingerbread house competition exhibit. So many talented gingerbread builders!! I cant even bake gingerbread let alone build
We stopped in Portsmouth on our way to Bucksport Maine for about half an hour. We stopped in the Discovery Center and I volunteer there gave us a quick 30-minute walking path to take to really take in the city. Everyone there was very helpful I wish more places had centers like this to obtain quick information. Thanks to this quick stop we actually stopped in Portsmouth on our way home for lunch and plan to visit again someday soon.
Simply a must for any visit to Portsmouth. We always make it one of our first stops. If you want want to find out what is going on in town, this is where you want to start. They also have one of the best art exhibits in town.
Great place to find out information about Portsmouth- past, present, and future.
Really enjoyed the short film about the history of Portsmouth. You learn s lot of facts about event which you think you knew. Very helpful staff to help you decide the rest of your time there,.
Wonderful place! They were friendly and full of great suggestions. The folk art exhibit included a photo scavenger hunt that my 6 year old loved, and my 12 year old really got into the masks and other pieces in the African art exhibit. Dont miss it!
I went on a tour led by Jeff and he was fantastic! You can tell how proud he is of the area as he provided us with an incredible amount of information. It wasnt like a tour where the guide memorizes lines, it was very conversational. I loved it!
Excellent exhibits - photographs and pastels. High quality crafts sold in Gift Shop. Worth a visit!
Great Visitor Center full of interesting information: helpful staff; great introduction to the history of Portsmouth with its film, and outstanding art exhibit as well as tasteful gift shop.
This place is amazing!!! There is a lot of historical and cultural displays and a cool video. The staff are very knowledgeable about history and the area as well as extremely friendly. If you are visiting Portsmouth, I would deffinitly consider this as a must for a first stop.
This is a great place to start your visit to Portsmouth. They have lots of ideas for things to see and do. I would recommend the Guided Walking Tour. Our guide was excellent as we made our way around downtown. The gift shop has a lot of nice things and historical books. They also have a short film about the history of the city that is a good introduction to your visit.
Excellent exhibits - photographs and pastels.
Went there for the gingerbread house competition. Great houses, loved it!
We went on the guided tour with Jeff as our guide. Very knowledgeable..(he was a US History teacher) learned a lot from him!
Went on the walking tour,lovely walk,very informative 90 minutes in length .Its worth it to get the flavor of this historic town.
Super friendly and one of the best places to go in Portsmouth. Right on the border of Maine and New Hampshire, the center explains the history of the town. Watch the 7 minute video and say hi to the genuinely nice folks inside... They are almost too welcoming
Great one stop guide to all Portsmouth has to offer
We had a very informative walking tour signed up here. The tour guide Linda is an energetic lady who extended our tour from scheduled 1.15 hours to 1.45 hours. I like the interactive way she encouraged us and gave credits to my husband when he answered her questions right. The tour focuses on history and architecture, and costs $15 per person. I highly recommend it if youre interested in history.
The staff is very knowledgeable about Portsmouth
Great start before e ploring the city.. Supper nice people and very informative. Watch the 12 minute video, pretty cool
The staff here is awesome. I highly recommend that you stop here before exploring this city. They have a video with the story of the port that is free to watch and they sell other items
Small Place but very good friendly people
Very nice and friendly ladies working there, I got welcomed here with a nice talk specifically catering to my interests and a short introduction video of the history of Portsmouth. There is a small art exhibition, and a little gift shop. Will definitely come here again in the time I stay in Portsmouth
Great place to learn about Portsmouth. Nice gift shop too. Recommend the 12 minute video.
This place should be your first stop when visiting Portsmouth. There is information, free brochures, and maps about every where in town. The walls are covered with signs about historic places, and the shop sells wonderful, locally-made items. There is also a free movie about the history of Portsmouth to watch, and dozens of books about Portsmouths history for sale. There are rotating art exhibitions here as well, which are really well-curated!
Very cozy visitor center with great staff and lots of information available. There is also a mini movie theater where you can watch 12 min movie explaining the history of Portsmouth, and importance of it during WW2.
Great community centre
Excellent visitor center. Full of local art. Clean bathrooms. Nice little intro to Portsmouth NH.
I attended a walking tour offered by the Center. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and architecture. Highly recommend this as an introduction to a day in Portsmouth.
Firstly Id like to say that the premisses itself is lovely. An open-concept gift shop with the most creative and Eco-friendly items for sale, specifically for children, and a wide range of childrens books celebrating Successful Women and minorities. Also there is an old theatre, which though nothing was playing at the time I visited is a cool idea nonetheless. Upstairs is an Art Gallery with many spacious rooms, which I adore. The only complaint on my end regarding my visit was that the staff in the Art Gallery were not as kind as they could have been, though I may have simply caught them on a bad day. We all have those. Overall, a must-visit if youre in the area and a place Id certainly visit again.
Very welcoming and knowledgeable staff! Provided great recommendations on where to visit and eat. I would highly recommend making this your first stop when visiting Portsmouth.
Cool informative movie, staff is super polite at helping folks do their tourist thing by marking up maps and calling out ongoing events and activities
They have a nice, short video gives a useful overview about the history of Portsmouth and the volunteers were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. They gave us a great suggestion for a walking tour of the city which was the perfect way to spend the day.
Extremely informative and nice volunteers. The Gertrude summer exhibition was wonderful
Excellent gift shop featuring local artisans. I also enjoyed the What Artists Look Like exhibit.
I was here for the Gingerbread competition at Christmas time,Amazing. The artwork presented was also wonderful. Nice to learn about the history of the City also.
Very helpful staff, knowledgeable of their city and clearly eager to show it off
Great place with good information. Take the walking tour to learn about town then go back and explore what interests you the most. Should be your first stop when visiting!!
There is a beautiful art gallery that you can visit for free. Staff is friendly and helpful.
Wonderful exhibit of Gingerbread Houses. Also art!
The gingerbread houses were a lot of fun.
The staff was so friendly and helpful. The discover center was a great place to visit as someone traveling from out of state.
Lisa of gratuity
Very helpful!
Closed. Ridiculous. I came from SC and literally all the tourist attractions in Portsmouth were also closed. Very disappointing.
Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Definitely stop by if youre spending more than a few hours in town.
Great exhibits & gift shop. African American Cultural Center is in the same building.
Really helpful staff
A wonderful resource for our community!
A must visit in Portsmouth. The free museum has fresh galleries and new events all the time.
Fantastic Gertrude Fiske exhibit.
Great place to learn about Portsmouths history. Nice historical walk.
Nice information center with gift shop. There is a short film about the town and a few other exhibits to look at. Friendly staff.
Polite and awesome staff, great information about how the town came about and the history of it. Also, a nice art exhibit on display.
What a nice, warm welcoming place with friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Excellent source of info, friendly people
Lovely place with good info
Gibes you a general background of the towns history and rich tradition. A must-see if visiting Portsmouth!
Friendly and helpful
Friendly helpful staff with interesting exhibits
Great walking tour
Portsmouth center
Class act!