Upscale Lodging Near Strawberry Banke
Tap into some fascinating regional history in a truly interactive away during your next Ogunquit.com stay by paying a visit to the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire!
This outstanding outdoor living-history museum awaits your curiosity less than a half-hour south of your postcard-perfect accommodations with us here in the Beautiful Place by the Sea.
The Strawbery Banke Museum: “Puddle Duck” Through the Ages
Located at 14 Hancock Street in downtown Portsmouth, just south of the New Hampshire-Maine border, the Strawbery Banke Museum’s 10 acres peel back the layers of time to evoke the backstory of the historic waterfront neighborhood called “Puddle Duck.”
“Strawbery Banke,” meanwhile, comes from a label on a mid-17th century map of the site, which shows an English settlement along the tidal Piscataqua River here that, the museum notes, may have been named after an abundance of wild berries in the vicinity.
Centuries of Portsmouth History on Display at Strawbery Banke
More than 300 years of Portsmouth history come to life here at Strawbery Banke, where more than 30 historic buildings—most on their original foundations—present tangible links to the past. The oldest among them is the Shelburne House, which was built by Captain John Sherburne between 1695 and 1703. Other notable heritage houses include the circa-1775 Pitt Tavern, the 1780-built Rider-Wood House, the 19th-century Goodwin Mansion, and the Marden-Abbott House & Store that operated along Jefferson Street in Portsmouth from 1919 to 1950.
Strawbery Banke also hosts eight heritage gardens showing off the horticultural styles of different periods; they include a colonial kitchen garden, the vegetable plots of a Ukrainian immigrant, a 1943 Victory Garden, and heirloom apple orchards. Here you’ll also find a vintage boat shop evoking Portsmouth’s deep maritime heritage.
These historic structures and plantings complement the Strawbery Banke Museum’s vast collection of historical artifacts, some of which are on display in the facility’s rotating exhibits.
Interpretive guides help walk you through the history, while costumed role players scattered throughout represent actual historical characters with whom you can interact.
Visit Strawbery Banke on an Ogunquit.com Getaway
Strawbery Banke Museum opens for its regular season in May. Come take advantage of our accommodations at the Gorges Grant Hotel, the Juniper Hill Inn, the Milestone, and the Cottage at Acorn Lane—saving by booking directly with us as you do! —and take a daytrip to Portsmouth to experience this magical living-history destination.