Seacoast communities offer a number of weekly walking tours, allowing guests and residents to explore the region.

Brick sidewalks pave the way for Connie Reardon as she walks toward North Church in Portsmouth’s Market Square. Abundantly familiar with the area, she speaks in strings of history that explain each landmark like captions, coloring the city’s downtown with tales both past and present.

“The steeple is the highest point in the city,” Reardon said, gesturing toward the church with a nod during a recent walking tour. “It makes it convenient for tourists. If they’re wandering around and are lost, they can spot that steeple and find their way back.”

A port city with a strong nautical background, Portsmouth is full of historic buildings and places enticing to tourists and residents, alike. In an effort to emphasize the city’s historic value, the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce has established several walking tours as part of the Portsmouth Harbour Trail series, allowing visitors and locals to learn about and explore the city. Tours include “Highlights,” the “Portsmouth Peace Treaty Tour,” and the “Literary Lions Tour.”

Portsmouth is not the only Seacoast community trying to inspire guests and residents to browse its offerings by foot. The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce also hosts a walking tour, and the city boasts a new self-guided walking trail.

The Portsmouth Highlights walking tour focuses specifically on historic buildings, houses and locations of early settlers and entrepreneurs. The tour, led by Reardon or one of four other tour guides on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout the summer, is mainly a tourist attraction, but some individuals participate to learn more about the city they call home, said Reardon, who has lived in Portsmouth since she was 12.

“We do have some locals, but they usually have family or friends who are visiting with them, and they show them around as part of their trip,” she said. “Every once in a while you will get some local people that will say, ‘I need to know more about where I live.’”

Portsmouth Harbour Trail coordinator Joan Chawziuk said that while tourists are enticed by the walk’s historical luster, it’s locals who are most surprised by its informational details.

“We find that, generally, when tourists come in, the one that they like is the Highlights tour, because it gives them a sense of the city and where they are,” she said. “At the end of the tour, I’ve heard many locals say, ‘I never knew that.’”

The walking tour provides a frame for the city, Reardon says. 

“A lot of people that travel do a tour first, then go back and see what interests them most,” said Reardon, who participates in tours herself when traveling. “I say to people, ‘I hope you saw something that you’d like to see again.’ Most of them say they did.”

Beginning at the kiosk in Market Square, the Highlights tour embarks along Congress and Market streets before moving up Bow Street and concluding on Daniel Street.

Throughout the stroll, Reardon reveals century-old stories and facts while identifying and describing each landmark to walkers. She references three fires that swept through the city in the early 19th century, destroying the downtown. As a result, city officials altered the area’s architectural requirements.

“Any building two stories or higher must be made of brick,” she said, explaining that the city’s Historic District Commission still enforces the condition today. “That’s why we have the brick façade throughout the city.”

Reardon makes the walk interactive, often stopping to survey participants for answers to historical trivia questions.

“Any idea what caused the fires?” she asked. “They were all caused by candles on Christmas trees.”

As the tour meanders through downtown’s tight city blocks, walkers hear about sea captains, famous merchants and brewers, and businessmen who once resided or worked in the city. Some guests discover seemingly forgotten details about their own backyards.

The tour moves past the Moffatt-Ladd House on Market Street, which opened to the public as a historic site in 1912. The majestic horse chestnut tree standing beside the house was planted as a sapling by William Whipple in 1776 after he returned from signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.

Reardon also points out the Spring Hill Tavern, located beneath the Dolphin Striker on Ceres Street. The site once housed a farmers’ market featuring a natural spring. The tavern piped the spring inside the restaurant, where it can still be seen through a Plexiglas panel at the end of the bar.

Along with historic buildings and locations, walkers on the Highlights tour also encounter artifacts that have become city heirlooms. The most notable item is perhaps “The Vinegar Bible.” Located inside St. John’s Episcopal Church on Chapel Street, the bible got its name after an Englishman composing the book misspelled the word “vineyard” in one of the psalms, displaying it as “vinegar.” The book is one of just three published copies remaining in the United States.

The Highlights tour also documents the ever-changing face of Portsmouth, where businesses and restaurants are always coming and going.

“It’s a big change from when I was a teenager down here,” Reardon said.

Other tours of Portsmouth include Walk with Washington, which leads guests through the places where George Washington went while visiting the city, and The Underbelly Tour, which presents a theatrical history of the city’s seedier side. Neighboring New Castle hosts a Haunted Lighthouse and Fort Tour, where walkers experience an evening journey through Fort Constitution. 

In Dover, against a notable backdrop of mill buildings and wrought-iron bridges, Doug DeDe walks guests through the center of town, offering little-known historical facts about the Garrison City. Like in Portsmouth, the tour begins at the city’s Chamber of Commerce and stops at historical locations and buildings. 

DeDe, who has lived in Dover since 1991, begins each tour with a history debriefing, telling gathered walkers about the city’s establishment in 1623 and describing tales of early skirmishes between Europeans and Native Americans. Emphasizing key individuals like Passaconaway and Kancamagus of the Penacook tribe, DeDe paints a historic picture for walkers to tuck away in their minds during the tour.

“There’s a lot of background,” DeDe said. “It helps people really appreciate (the tour).”

Beside the Cochecho River, whose name is Native American for “swift, foaming water,” the tour strolls along Second Street while moving toward the center of town. Once a Native American settlement, the area began to develop after powerful industry tycoon and military figure Richard Waldron arrived on the land, DeDe said.

“This eventually became the heart,” he said as the river purled calmly beside him. “This became what Dover is today.”

According to DeDe, the Waldron family was responsible for most of Dover’s industry during the 17th century. Waldron launched a sawmill in 1642, which helped shape Dover as a primary manufacturing area throughout the United States.

As part of the tour, DeDe leads walkers down the commercial streets of Dover and makes note of Waldron’s influences in the city, pointing out a spot on Third Street where the family once had a woodlot. Thriving under the family’s industrial prominence, local street signs and mill buildings once bore the Waldron name.

But Dover now displays little recognition for the influential family. DeDe said an unmarked cemetery on Chapel Street, made specifically for the Waldrons, is the only direct evidence of the family’s presence remaining in the city. Many residents are unaware of the cemetery’s existence, he said.

“This is something that relatively no one in Dover knows about,” DeDe said. “To me, it’s really a crying shame.”

Named the Garrison City for the guarding structures that were built into houses for protection during battles with Native Americans, Dover has seen its share of bloodshed. The tour visits the site of the “sham battle,” which took place in 1689 after Major Waldron assisted the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s militia in capturing the Wamponaug Indians, who had infiltrated the Penacook community. The former battleground off Chestnut Street now houses a shopping plaza with a Family Dollar, Goodwill and a state liquor store.

The tour also passes by the Picker Building and through Henry Law Park, which was once home to a prominent print shop.

With groups of six to eight people, DeDe’s tours last around 90 minutes. According to DeDe, the tours attract tourists and locals from Dover, as well as people from other towns in surrounding communities.

“We get a mix of people,” DeDe said.

In addition to the historical tour, people can also enjoy Walk Dover. The self-guided walking tour and exercise campaign features signage at iconic sites around the city, offering information and history about each location.  

DeDe said he has enjoyed volunteering to guide walking tours and has developed a passion for exploring the city.

“I’ve always been interested in history,” DeDe said. “I learn a little bit more all the time.”

Walking the Seacoast

If you’re looking to get outside and stretch your legs, why not learn about local history and see some regional landmarks while you’re at it? A variety of guided walking tours are available.

Dover Walking Tour—A guided walk through historic downtown Dover, presented by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce. Walkers learn about the original Cochecho settlement and visit iconic locations in the Garrison City. The tour starts on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. through September. Tickets are $5 for individuals, or $15 for families of three or more. Reservations are recommended, at 603-742-2218.

New Castle Haunted Lighthouse and Fort Tour—Led by Ron Kolek of the New England Ghost Project and lighthouse historian Jeremy D’Entremont, this nighttime tour moves through Fort Constitution in New Castle and explores the grounds of the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, scanning the premises for paranormal activity. The 90-minute tour starts from Sullivan Lane on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m., 8:45 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org.

Portsmouth Underbelly Tour—Complete with costumed characters, including the spy Silas Deane and tavern wench Olive Cutter, participants in this tour experience an evening journey though the city while learning seldom-revealed details about its history. The adults-only tour begins at the corner of State and Pleasant streets in Portsmouth every Monday and Saturday evening at 6 p.m. through September. Tickets are $10, available at 978-683-7745.

Walk Dover—A self-guided tour featuring signage at iconic contemporary and historic sites around the city. Each sign displays directions to the next stop on the tour. Visit www.walkdover.org for details about each marked site.

Walk with Washington in Portsmouth—In 1789, George Washington traveled to Portsmouth for a three-day trip. On this walking tour, participants visit historic locations that Washington himself visited during his stay. The 90-minute walk departs from the Governor John Langdon House on Pleasant Street every Friday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. through Oct. 12. Tickets are $12. Visit www.historicnewengland.org or call 603-436-3205.

Portsmouth Harbour Trail tours run every Monday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. through Columbus Day. Presented by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, tours depart from the Market Square info kiosk in Portsmouth and are approximately one hour long. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children ages 8 to 14. Reservations can be made through Joan Chawziuk at 603-610-5522. There are three different tours available:

Portsmouth Highlights Tour—Learn to read the stories of Portsmouth’s historic buildings and houses. The tour guide emphasizes and describes the merchants, sailors and businessmen who once inhabited the area.

Portsmouth Peace Treaty Tour—This historic tour, available upon request during the regular Harbour Trail tours, uncovers details about the peace treaty signed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard more than a century, ending the Russo-Japanese war in 1905. Walkers learn about President Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Prize-winning efforts to maintain peace, as well as other people, places and events pertaining to the treaty.

Portsmouth Literary Lions Tour—Tourists and locals explore the writing and storytelling history of the Portsmouth area. The tour, also available upon request, visits notable literary locations, including the Portsmouth Athenaeum, one of the oldest private libraries in the country.

Portsmouth Gravestones by Dusk—The guilded walking tour will return to Portsmouth’s historic North Burial Ground on Maplewood Avenue on Saturdays, Sept. 8, 22, Oct. 6 and 20. The one-hour tour at 5 p.m. will include visits to the gravesites of William Whipple, signer or the Declaration of Independence, Gov. John Langdon, signer of the U.S. Constitution, Revolutionary-era doctor Hall Jackson, slave Prince Whipple, innkeeper James Stoodly and others. Admission is $10, or $6 for seniors, students and children under 12. More information at the Discover Portsmout Center, 603-436-8433.