Hampton & Rye beaches
Ocean swimming at Hampton Beach State Park, and quieter sand at Jenness and Wallis Sands.
Seacoast Living
Things to do on the New Hampshire Seacoast
Two counties, one coast: local favorites and seasonal events across Rockingham and Strafford counties.
Photo: Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth by Artaxerxes, CC BY 4.0
The coast
Rockingham County
All of New Hampshire's Atlantic shoreline, historic Portsmouth and New Castle, and colonial Exeter.
Strawbery Banke & Prescott Park
Historic homes and free waterfront gardens in Portsmouth's South End.
Portsmouth Harbor Light
Fort Constitution and the lighthouse in New Castle.
Downtown Exeter
The American Independence Museum and Swasey Parkway on the Squamscott.
The rivers & Great Bay
Strafford County
Historic mill downtowns along the Cocheco, conservation land on Great Bay, and UNH.
Dover's mills & Riverwalk
New Hampshire's oldest settlement, Henry Law Park and the Children's Museum.
Wagon Hill Farm & Great Bay
139 acres of trails on the Oyster River in Durham, plus paddling from Adams Point.
Rochester Opera House
A 1908 theater with a tilting floor, a riverwalk and monthly free events.
Cocheco Falls
Brick mills along the falls, now filled with restaurants, offices and apartments.
Guides & events
Read the full guides
Things to do in Rockingham County: the New Hampshire coast
Beaches, Odiorne Point, Strawbery Banke, Prescott Park and historic Exeter: the best things to do in Seacoast NH's Rockingham County.
Things to do in Strafford County: rivers, mill towns and Great Bay
Riverwalks, historic mills, Wagon Hill Farm, the Rochester Opera House and more of the best things to do in Seacoast NH's Strafford County.
Fall 2026 on the NH Seacoast: what's happening this season
Halloween parade, trick-or-treat hours, Fall Family Fun Fest, Music Hall shows and more Seacoast NH events for late October and November 2026.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Photo: Hampton Beach, New Hampshire by Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0; Photo: Prescott Park gardens, Portsmouth by Bostonian13, CC BY-SA 3.0; Photo: Portsmouth Harbor Light, New Castle by Scott Ray, CC BY 2.0; Photo: Water Street, Exeter by John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0; Photo: Dover mills on the Cocheco River by MoVaughn123, CC BY-SA 4.0; Photo: Oyster River, Durham by AcrossTheAtlantic, CC BY-SA 4.0; Photo: Cocheco River, Rochester by AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0; Photo: Cocheco Mill with falls, Dover by Deb Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0; Photo: Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth by Artaxerxes, CC BY 4.0.
Let's connect
Thinking about moving to the Seacoast?
I'll help you compare towns in both counties, commutes and home styles so you find the right fit.