New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail Celebrates Halloween with Historic Seacoast Programming

Sep 17, 2026

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Ghosts on the Banke at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth

From trick-or-treating through a 350-year-old waterfront neighborhood to walking among centuries-old gravestones, the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail invites visitors to experience Halloween through the lens of history this October on the Seacoast.

At Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, families can step into Ghosts on the Banke: A Family-Friendly Halloween on October 16–17 and 23–24. Guests will trick-or-treat through the historic Puddle Dock neighborhood, where costumed roleplayers, decorated historic houses, and Halloween activities bring the past to life after dark. New this year, ghostly projections will also appear on select historic buildings.

For those seeking a more historical Halloween experience, the Portsmouth Historical Society offers 90-minute guided Cemetery Tours every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in October from 4:00–5:30 p.m. Tours of North Cemetery and Point of Graves explore the people who shaped Portsmouth and the changing ways the community has understood death, mourning, and remembrance. Visitors will also learn how to “read” a gravestone—from symbols and inscriptions to imagery reflecting evolving attitudes toward the afterlife.

“Portsmouth’s cemeteries hold over 300 years of history, stretching back to before this nation’s founding,” said Karen Bailey, Visitor Services Manager at Portsmouth Historical Society. “Our tours help people discover the stories hiding in plain sight among the gravestones.”

Portsmouth Historical Society Cemetery Tour

Portsmouth Historical Society Cemetery Tour

According to Jeff Barraclough, Trail President, Halloween is one of the “busiest and most creative” times of year on the Trail. “Our museums continue to find innovative ways to connect history, education, and seasonal fun in ways that surprise and delight visitors of all ages,” he said.

The New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail connects the public with culturally rich heritage institutions across the Seacoast, Lakes Region, White Mountains, Dartmouth-Sunapee Region, and Merrimack Valley.