Portsmouth’s Best: Late Summer Lights, Early Fall Enjoyments
The first few weeks September are so often the sweetest of summer. While it may go by too fast, things on the whole slows down; everyone wants these few moments to last before the hectic beast that is autumn sets in. The end of summer is time for a breath, when most people understand that work can take a back seat, schedules can slacken, and those softly hazy days can truly be enjoyed. This is the time to truly relish time, summer, and especially our community. Enjoy these last summer favorites of events in Portsmouth before those lustrous fall days set in, to bring even more beauty with its cool winds and shifting colors.
Between that crystal clear air and this vibrant variety of produce and vendors, enjoy the freshest that Portsmouth has to offer when the Farmers Market returns to brighten City Hall on September 10th. Supporting local businesses and craftsmen has never been easier, and enjoying our town with a simple stroll has never been more fun. Celebrate the best of summer, and begin to build that excitement for the fall harvest soon to come with the green oasis that transforms downtown into a Saturday dream.
Whether you’re ‘from away’ or a lifelong New England veteran, most would say that our summers are best spent outdoors in nature, be it a hike along the coastline in the morning or a drink on the porch in the evening. When kids are in the picture, summer in New England further proves that learning can truly come from exploration and imagination, not just homework and extracurriculars. With the Center for Wildlife, connecting these pieces isn’t just simple – it’s an experience for the entire family, and fun for any age. Early September brings the last of their summer tours and their “Wild Like Me,” Open House on September 11th, and this chance to connect knowledge with nature and summer with sunshine is not one to be missed.
Prescott Park is always magical, at any time of the year. But in full bloom, with sparkling stars overhead, beautiful music on the breeze and art laced throughout, this town fixture becomes a gorgeous enclave hidden amongst daily life. This year’s River House Restaurant Concert Series returns two-time Grammy Award-winner Taj Mahal to Portsmouth on September 9th. A blues maestro of many decades, born in Harlem and raised in Massachusetts, Taj Mahal has collaborated with everyone from Eric Clapton to Bonnie Raitt, inspiring countless others along the way. The chance to see the performing arts under an open night sky and in such a setting is a wonderfully unique opportunity, but this music legend brings timeless masterworks of beauty and soul to the perfect place.
Celebrating the end of summer may be hard for some, but so much of the summer’s best takes on another shade come fall. The Portsmouth Lighthouse offers many opportunities throughout the warmest season, but takes care to remind us all that far more is to come as we begin considering autumn – and most excitingly, the future of the Whaleback Lighthouse across the border in Kittery, Maine. A longstanding twin to our lighthouse, Whaleback has fallen into disrepair since her glory days, but the Portsmouth Lighthouse aims to change that. Easily viewed from Portsmouth’s lighthouse, an open house will be held September 10th, giving tours and detailing the work towards renovation on this coastal landmark, while also enjoying our own.
Summer may be the favorite season of many – especially our tourist friends from away – but true New Englanders know only too well the beauty that early fall quickly brings. But moreover is beauty found in the transition, and in taking the time to seek out what next to find and love best. With its unique place in history, natural beauty, cultural offerings, and gracious community, Portsmouth may be the best example and best loved of this magical New England quality.
