Where to spend a few hours in New England

[SentToStud]

Going to spend some time this fall in the So. Maine/Portsmouth, NH area. Aside from a trip to Suffolk which of these is a decent place to hang out?
-Scarborough
-Rockingham
-Seabrook
None will be racing live. Been to Rockingham and Scarborough but some years ago.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

the blue oyster..

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

the blue oyster..

If I knew what it was, I'd go.

[Indian Charlie]

What kind of things do you like doing, besides going to the races?

There's a GREAT Thai place in Dover, about ten minutes north of Portsmouth.

If you like hiking, there's abundant trails with great views all around here.

If you like shopping, the Kittery outlet mall is just over the bridge connecting Maine and New Hampshire on the 95.

If live music is your thing, do a search for that. There are plenty of venues for all different sorts of music.

You can go fishing, tour lighthouses, kick back on the beach, etc.

If you like lobster, there is a place that sits on a river near the ocean. Lobstermen bring up fresh lobsters to this place and they allow you to bring your own beer and/or wine. It's got a great view of the river and if you get lucky, you may see some deer or other wildlife.

There's the Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth. It's a living museum that was settled hundreds of years ago. They have tours showing how people lived from then up to about WWII.

Lake Winnipausakee is about 25-30 miles away, north on the Spaulding Turnpike (route 16), which is near where I live.

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

What kind of things do you like doing, besides going to the races?

There's a GREAT Thai place in Dover, about ten minutes north of Portsmouth.

If you like hiking, there's abundant trails with great views all around here.

If you like shopping, the Kittery outlet mall is just over the bridge connecting Maine and New Hampshire on the 95.

If live music is your thing, do a search for that. There are plenty of venues for all different sorts of music.

You can go fishing, tour lighthouses, kick back on the beach, etc.

If you like lobster, there is a place that sits on a river near the ocean. Lobstermen bring up fresh lobsters to this place and they allow you to bring your own beer and/or wine. It's got a great view of the river and if you get lucky, you may see some deer or other wildlife.

There's the Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth. It's a living museum that was settled hundreds of years ago. They have tours showing how people lived from then up to about WWII.

Lake Winnipausakee is about 25-30 miles away, north on the Spaulding Turnpike (route 16), which is near where I live.

Thanks very much...

Thai food in Dover. Yes. Name, please?
Hiking/biking. Sure.
Malls.... no. Not on vacation.
Fishing... have something set up for a day, I'm told.
Lobster on the river... Sure. What river and name, please.
The museum... my wife has that on todo list.

What about golf courses? Portsmouth CC looks nice but non-members can't book until 3 days before. Any other nice courses you may know about?

We are going 9/20-9/29. I assume the heavy tourist season on the Seacost is done by then?

Thank you again.

[Indian Charlie]

Thai in Dover = Kar-Min
Lobster = Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier. http://www.chaunceycreek.com/

No real idea on golf courses. The one's I've seen around here look pretty dinky compared to the ones in California, where I grew up.

Tourist season peaks around here between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and then picks up again when the foliage changes colors. Usually October.

Portland is pretty nice too. There's a nice little eatery there that fries their fries in duck fat!

Actually, Portland ranks second in the United States in restaurants per capita. It also has a neat air about it, much like the city that ranks first in that category, San Francisco.

Originally Posted by SentToStud

Thanks very much...

Thai food in Dover. Yes. Name, please?
Hiking/biking. Sure.
Malls.... no. Not on vacation.
Fishing... have something set up for a day, I'm told.
Lobster on the river... Sure. What river and name, please.
The museum... my wife has that on todo list.

What about golf courses? Portsmouth CC looks nice but non-members can't book until 3 days before. Any other nice courses you may know about?

We are going 9/20-9/29. I assume the heavy tourist season on the Seacost is done by then?

Thank you again.

[Slewbopper]

I am presently working in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It is located on an island between the bridges from Kingston to Newport. Nice quaint little Cape Cod type town without all the yuppishness of Newport. Have a view of Narragansett Bay and the Newport bridge from the front porch.

[saratoga guy]

Downtown Portland, ME is very nice. I spend a lot of time in the area every summer.

The "Old Port" section of the downtown has been revitalized over -- I don't remember now - the past 10 or 20 years I suppose.

Lots of nice shops and restaurants. Crowds of people walking around. Nice little pubs to relax in.

If you're in the area when the Cumberland County Fair takes place -- head up there for some "old-timey" fair sulky racing. I chronicled my visit in Sept 2006.

http://www.equidaily.com/bestbet/ext...ks/cubfair.htm

It's about 15-20 minutes from where I stay, and I'm about 10-15 minutes from Portland -- so the fair should be about a half hour or less from Portland. It's fun -- out in the middle of these cornfields, all of a sudden you come upon a racetrack!

Scarborough Downs is kind of a beat-up harness venue. They have simulcasts available there -- if that's what you're looking for. The live racing product is nothing special -- but it's a chance to add another racetrack to your resume. Again though, the track is kind of beat-up -- so there's no overwhelming reason to go unless you're looking for the simulcast action.

If you like italian food, the "Village Cafe" is a great stop. Long-time family-owned business with good food and reasonable prices. Try the lobster stew there, too. [Note however that for the past couple of years they've talked about moving -- and since I haven't been up yet this summer I don't know what the status is].

The "Lobster Shack" at Two Lights is kind of fun -- if you're into 'clam shack' type cuisine in a scenic venue.

Two Lights is so named because the restaurant sits in the shadow of two lighthouses -- a newer one that replaced an older one. You're right on the rocky shoreline overlooking the ocean. The food is -- as noted -- 'clam shack' level: Lobster and clam rolls, burgers, etc. But the fried clams are excellent and the strawberry shortcake is good too.

http://lobstershacktwolights.com/

The Village Cafe and the Lobster Shack are right on par with my palate -- but if you're into higher-class dining the Old Port district in Portland has a number of 'upscale' restaurants.

Might be worth a drive up to Freeport. Maybe a little more than 30 minutes north of Portland. It's the home of LL Bean [open 24 hours, 365 days!]. Over the past ten years or so the town has grown-up around Beans. It's become kind of an outlet village -- but if you're into that the whole thing is walking distance from one store to another. And there are some nice restaurants there too.

Another good 'clam shack' type place between Portland and Freeport is Harraseeket Lobster.

Oh -- and as I'm writing this Cindy's came to mind. On Route 1 between Portland and Freeport, this is a place that's probably easy to drive right on by. But it's worth a stop! I just found a website with pictures:

http://www.weloveclams.com/cindys.html

...and I'm not sure but what that doesn't make the place look nicer than it is! It's a dumpy looking little stop on the road -- but the food is pretty good [again 'clam shack' quality] and the proprietor is a piece of work. One time we stopped, ordered our food and asked for a couple of Cokes, he says, "Only Pepsi, no choke-a-cola!"

Also on Route 1 between Portland and Freeport: The Muddy Rudder -- a nice restaurant [and a step-up from the others I mentioned] and The Freeport Cafe [good food, inexpensive... good breakfast]. Also, good breakfast at Becky's Diner in downtown Portland.

If the Portland SeaDogs are still playing, they have a nice little Doube-A park and it's a fun night out.

[Slewbopper]

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[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

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Ok. Now what?