Last weekend Tim and I drove north for our third annual fall overnight in Portsmouth, NH. We started this tradition after I joined the Marriott rewards program and received a free night just for signing up. Now every year I get a free night around this time as a thank you for my loyalty, but it always expires in January. That means we get to do a fun fall getaway, and every year we’ve chosen to go to Portsmouth. We love it there almost as much as we love Portland, Maine. There are a ton of cute shops, restaurants, bars, and more.

We got a late start to our morning, which might have had something to do with those cucumber drinks the night before. By the time we arrived and checked into our hotel, we were STARVING. We headed straight for the Portsmouth Brewery where clearly the first thing that would make me feel better was a pumpkin ale.

Portsmouth 2013: Brewery

We then housed a flatbread of eggplant, basil, and cheesy deliciousness.

Portsmouth 2013: Brewery Pizza

And THEN ordered more food. Vegetarian chili and salad for me, a burger for tim.

Portsmouth 2013: Brewery Lunch

Seriously it was so much food that I was in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon. It’s okay though. We walked off our ginormous lunch while browsing all the shops and strolling through the little park area by the water.

Portsmouth 2013

Portsmouth 2013

Portsmouth 2013

Portsmouth 2013

By the time dinner rolled around, neither one of us felt hungry because we were still so full from lunch. We decided to go to Radici to get a drink and cash in the free appetizer coupon we scored while in Portsmouth last year (the plus side to Tim schmoozing with everyone he meets).

This white wine apple cider sangria was amazing…

Portsmouth 2013: Apple Sangria

…and we split mussels for our app/meal. It hit the spot and wasn’t too heavy.

Portsmouth 2013: Mussels

We bar hopped after that for the rest of the night. On Sunday after we slept in and got breakfast, we decided to do a little hike/nature walk through some nearby trails. It was a little cloudy, but still a pretty day.

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

Portsmouth 2013: Hike

I hate to admit it, but fall won’t be around for much longer! I’m glad we got to spend some time outside enjoying the foliage. And as always, it was great to get away from our daily grind.

Have you ever been to Portsmouth, NH? Do you have any kind of getaway tradition like ours?

For past Portsmouth posts, check out my recaps from 2011 and 2012!