Portsmouth, New Hampshire
You can land long
GETTING THERE
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM) is one mile west of the downtown. It is a towered airport with 24/7 services. There are no landing and no parking fees; a $15 overnight fee is waived with fuel purchase. Runway 16/34 is 11,322 feet long by 150 feet wide.
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WHY YOU SHOULD GO
Portsmouth International Airport is home to 12 Boeing KC–46A Pegasus refueling tankers that provide aerial refueling support to the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as part of the 157th Air Refueling Wing.
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Sea breezes carry the scent of saltwater, and there’s an ice cream shop on nearly every corner (what is it with New Englanders and ice cream?).
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of the oldest cities in the United States, established in 1623. John Paul Jones lived here, and it was one of the towns Paul Revere rode to on his horse to warn of British invasion in 1774. Portsmouth sits on the Piscataqua River, which divides New Hampshire and Maine. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established across the river in 1800.
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM) is the former home of the Strategic Air Command’s 509th Bomb Wing. It was the 4,255-acre Pease Air Force Base for 35 years. The military announced the closing of Pease in 1988 and it was transferred from military to civilian control in 1991. Today, the airport represents one of the most successful military-to-civilian conversions in the country.
The airport’s runway is big. It is 11,322 feet long (more than two miles), making it one of the longest runways on the East Coast and capable of accommodating the world’s largest aircraft. It is designated as an alternative landing site for all NASA space shuttles. The airport has U.S Customs and Border Protection agents on site. It is named for Capt. Harl Pease Jr., a B–17 pilot who was killed in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
Portsmouth is home to the USS Albacore, once one of the fastest submarines in the world. Tours and information as well as tributes to submarine servicemen are on the site.
Downtown Portsmouth offers waterfront dining, eclectic shopping, and breweries. Market Square is the heart of downtown with many original seventeenth century buildings housing restaurants and shops. At the Press Room, bartenders toss full pint glasses back and forth to one another. Strawbery Bank (one R, please) is a 10-acre open-air living history museum where you can experience life as a colonial resident. There are shops, taverns, and gardens. The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire documents the lives of the Africans and African Americans who lived in Portsmouth for more than 350 years.
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