Seacoast Living

A New England Retirement

Steeped in rich history and natural beauty, the Seacoast region of New Hampshire offers access to all that New England has to offer. From the charming downtown shops and cafes of historic Exeter to big city adventures in nearby Portland or Boston, RiverWoods is centrally located just minutes from the coast, and a short drive from many wonderful cultural opportunities and scenic vistas — the very best Seacoast Living New Hampshire has to offer!

The location is perfect.

I can visit my family in Boston in just an hour by train or car. Portland and the Maine seacoast is just an hour the other direction. There are so many things to do here.

Seacoast Living in Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a charming New England town in the heart of New Hampshire’s Seacoast region, just 15 minutes from the coast, and about 20 minutes from the bustling, entertainment-rich historic city of Portsmouth. The Exeter River flows right through town, offering beautiful views and walking paths. Stroll the downtown and enjoy charming shops, cafés, and excellent dining, or walk along the river’s edge, a popular spot for kayakers and boating. The downtown area includes a wide range of independent shops from bookstores, coffee shops, and restaurants, to gift, apparel and retail stores.

Summertime in Exeter offers a continuous array of events, from the weekly Farmer’s Market along Swasey Parkway to our Independence Festival and First Fridays, sponsored by Exeter Arts & Music. In July, every Monday evening locals gather around Swasey Pavilion to enjoy performances from one of the longest continuously-performing brass bands in the country.

Exeter is also home to Phillips Exeter Academy (PEA), one of the oldest and most prestigious secondary boarding schools in the nation. With its ivy-covered brick buildings, broad lawns and winding paths, PEA provides both indoor and outdoor diversions including the Lamont Art Gallery, the new Goel Center for Theater and Dance and the Phillips Exeter Trail — a 30-mile loop winding through shady groves, passing through several small towns along the way.

I love being close to the coast.

And yet, still in the woods. One day a week, I like to walk along the shoreline in good weather. The next day, I can go for a hike in the woods.

Minutes from Downtown Exeter

Seacoast Area Activities and Points of Interest

Golf:

  • Abenaqui Country Club
  • Breakfast Hill Golf
  • Exeter Country Club
  • The Golf Club of New England
  • Rockingham Country Club
  • Sagamore-Hampton Golf Club
  • Wentworth by the Sea Country Club

Tennis:

  • Great Bay Club
  • Littlefield Tennis

Points of Interest and Parks:

  • Fort Constitution, Fort Foster, Fort McClary
  • Great Island Common
  • Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge
  • Isles of Shoals
  • Kittery Premium Factory Outlets
  • Odiorne Point State Park
  • Rockingham Railway Trail
  • Stratham Hill Park

Performing Arts:

  • 3S ArtSpace
  • Goel Center for the Theater and Dance
  • Ogunquit Playhouse
  • The Music Hall, Portsmouth
  • Prescott Park Arts Festival
  • Players Ring Theater
  • Seacoast Repertory Theater
  • Various Lectures and Programs at PEA

Museums and Art Studios:

  • The American Independence Museum
  • Button Factory Art Studios
  • Lamont Art Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy
  • Strawbery Banke Museum
  • USS Albacore Museum

Boston: Historic, Vibrant and Culinary

Just an hour down the interstate, Boston is not only easily accessible but affords a rich diversity of cultural opportunities — from theater to concerts to museums and sporting events. Not to mention, the food!

Amtrak’s Downeaster Train departs multiple time daily from the Exeter train station. Boston’s MBTA Railway, with hourly trains in and out of the city, is accessible just 25 minutes away from RiverWoods in Newburyport, MA.

C&J Shuttle Service provides convenient transfers and shuttle service on a large, comfortable bus with free water and Wi-Fi, with departures out of Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA to Boston and New York.

Professional Sports:

  • Boston Red Sox
  • Boston Celtics
  • New England Patriots
  • Boston Bruins

Performing Arts:

  • Boch Center – Wang and Shubert Theatres
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Emerson Colonial Theatre
  • Huntington Theater
  • Palace Theater
  • TD Garden

Museums:

  • Boston Tea Party Ships and Freedom Trail
  • Fogg Art Museum at Harvard
  • Harvard Museum of Natural History
  • Institute of Contemporary Art
  • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
  • Museum of Science
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Peabody Essex Museum
  • Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
  • MIT Museum

Points of Interest:

  • Boston Public Library
  • Cambridge, MIT, and Harvard
    • Mount Auburn Cemetery
    • Longfellow House
  • Fenway Park
  • History Back Bay Neighborhood
  • North End – Italian-American Cuisine
  • Plymouth Plantation and Mayflower

A Superior Healthcare Resource

If critical healthcare is ever required, the town of Exeter boasts an exceptional resource just minutes from RiverWoods. Award-winning Exeter Hospital also has working affiliations with Mass General Hospital Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Center, and New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology Professional Association.

Not to mention, RiverWoods is just an hour by car or train from some of the best specialty health care centers in the world, including Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Mass Eye & Ear, Mass General, Tufts, Brigham and Women’s, and many more.

At the Heart of New England

Nestled in the center of New Hampshire’s Seacoast Region, RiverWoods Exeter offers easy accessibility to the best that New England has to offer. We are just a short drive from many scenic and cultural attractions:

  • Seacoast Beaches and State Parks ~ 15 minutes
  • Manchester, NH ~ 30 minutes
  • Boston, MA ~ One hour
  • Portland, ME ~ One hour
  • Mount Sunapee Ski Resort ~ 80 minutes
  • New Hampshire Lakes Region ~ 90 minutes
  • White Mountains ~ 2 Hours