- Peirce Island
Peirce Island is a 27-acre recreational area in Portsmouth, connected to the mainland by a bridge. On the island, you will find a playground, an outdoor swimming pool, and an off-leash area for dogs that includes walking paths, grassy fields, and multiple access points to the shoreline where the dogs can swim in the ocean. Part of the trail does loop around a sewer plant, which can be smelly, but it can also be avoided as there is plenty of space to spread out.
2. Downtown
Downtown Portsmouth is very walkable and there are multiple parking garages and public parking lots, as well as street parking. The downtown area offers restaurants, stores, and art. Many of the stores leave out water bowls for the dogs. One store even left out ice water and dog treats. We passed many other dogs also walking around downtown.
3. Portsmouth Gas Light Co.
Portsmouth Gas Light Co. is the perfect place to have lunch with your dog due to its large outdoor, dog-friendly patio. There were many other dogs on the patio in addition to Max and me. The waitress provided Max with a water bowl and I shared some of my haddock with him. The patio was well shaded and Max was nice and cool during lunch. There is often a live band on the patio as well.
4. Fisherman’s Walk and Wiggly Bridge
This 1.9 mile out and back trail is actually located 15 minutes away from Portsmouth in York, Maine. It is well worth the drive as this was Max and my favorite part of the day. The Fisherman’s Walk is a beautiful, flat easy walk along the harbor. The views are absolutely stunning and there were multiple opportunities for Max to go swimming and cool off. There are some scenic bridge crossings before reaching the Wiggly Bridge, which was indeed very wiggly. After crossing the wiggly bridge, you are rewarded with a scenic forest walk on what feels like a little island. I think this was both of our favorite part of the trip.
5. Barrio
Barrio is a mexican restaurant specializing in tacos, tequila, and whisky. It is the perfect stop for a summer treat because they serve margarita ice cream! The patio offers dog-friendly seating and umbrellas for shade. The food is incredible and the ice cream margarita is just what I needed on a hot summer day.
