Scenes From Exeter, New Hampshire

Just eight miles from the coast and 20 minutes from Portsmouth, the historic river town of Exeter, New Hampshire, is ideally situated. Here you can enjoy memorable meals, great shopping, and leisurely rambles past centuries-old buildings, all the while soaking up the vibe of a coastal retreat without tourists or traffic.

Among the leading claims to fame of Exeter, founded in 1638, is Phillips Exeter Academy — the venerable prep school (c. 1781) immortalized in John Knowles’s classic novel A Separate Peace and the alma mater of Daniel Webster, John Irving, and Mark Zuckerberg, among others. The school melts 672 beautiful acres into the downtown, with walking trails, colonial-era buildings, and a hefty allotment of academic brick.

On busy Water Street, you’re apt to overhear students talking about their academy activities, possibly over a perfectly brewed chai latte at D²Java, or under a red umbrella at Laney & Lu Café with an Epic Egg Sammie in hand. Follow Water Street down to Swasey Parkway, and you can stroll the half-mile path that hugs a riverbank once lined with docks and wharves — you can almost hear the creaking of wooden ships. 

The following are some of our favorite images by Yankee senior photographer Mark Fleming for the “Exeter, New Hampshire | Could You Live Here?” feature in the March/April 2018 issue.

Scenes From Exeter, New Hampshire

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