Dover (New Hampshire) – Travel guide at Wikivoyage (2024)

Dover is a city in New Hampshire, United States. Settled in 1623, it pre-dates the founding of America and is the 7th oldest city in the country.

Dover is located off of the Spaulding Turnpike (Route 16), and is about 10 minutes from I-95, which connects to Maine and Massachusetts.

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Dover Transportation Center, 33 Chestnut Street (a block west of downtown, at the intersection of Third Street and Chestnut Street, next to St. Mary's church). (updated Oct 2023)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Route stopping at Dover:
    • Downeaster operating five or six trains in each direction daily between Brunswick and Boston with stops Freeport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach (seasonal), Saco, Wells, Dover, Durham, Exeter, Haverhill, and Woburn. During the summer, the Downeaster makes an additional stop at Old Orchard Beach, near to the resorts between Dover and Portland. This comes in handy on summer weekends, when I-95 and US-1 are both bumper to bumper with vacation traffic.

• Wildcat Transit, operated by the University of New Hampshire, runs from many points in Dover to the campus, and connecting buses can be taken to Portsmouth and Newington (New Hampshire).
• COAST bus is the local, non-university bus company. The Dover school district uses four COAST buses in addition to the normal yellow school buses to transport high school students, and several COAST stops are for this purpose only.
• C&J Trailways operates hourly service every day from Boston's South Station or Logan International Airport. They are different bus routes; make sure you purchase a ticket for the correct route. As of Nov 2021, due to COVID, only the South Station buses are running from Dover, and only 5 times a day. All Logan travel is going through Portsmouth or Seabrook. Service to Newburyport has been discontinued for all routes on C&J.

• 1 Woodman Institute Museum, 182 Central Av, ☏ +1 603-742-1038. W-Su 12:30PM-4:30PM; closed Dec-Mar. Dover's only history, science and art museum offers interesting insect and geological specimens as well as local historic memorabilia. Three buildings open for tours including a 1675 colonial garrison house with artifacts. Reservations requested for groups.
• Children's Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St, ☏ +1 603 742-2002. The Children's Museum operates exclusively for charitable purposes and serves as an educational resource for schools, families and communities. The museum strives to support the diverse population of the region, to provide learning opportunities for all children, and to enrich the services of regional schools. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire offers a variety of programs for children from preschool through middle school. From science classes to overnights, museum educators have designed engaging, high-quality programs that feature hands-on opportunities for learning while having fun.

• William Damm Garrison House, 182 Central Ave, ☏ +1 603-742-1038. Built in 1675, creak up the narrow ladder steps to the second floor loft and wonder how someone like you could have lived there and slept in those old rope beds. The Woodman is a true turn of the century natural history,local history and art museum established in 1916. See an entire floor dedicated to taxidermist stuffed animals. This includes an enormous 10-foot polar bear. Visit the Senator John P. Hale home and hear the story about his young daughter Lucy and an actor by the name of Booth. The Woodman is an experience you won't want to miss. Call for special group tours.

• Images of the Past Gallery, 35 Atkinson St, ☏ +1 603-742-7783. Historic framed photographs of Dover and the seacoast areas reproduced from original glass plate negatives. By appointment.

Dover divides its restaurant 'areas' mainly into two distinct locations. In north Dover, off Spaulding Turnpike's exit 9, are a plethora of chain restaurants. Landing in this area you will find Chili's, The 99, Applebee's, Five Guys, McDonalds, and Wendy's. A short drive south on Central Avenue will bring you to the old mill area of the city. This is an area of more the one-of-a-kind custom restaurants. Each has a unique style and atmosphere that covers a very wide variety and one of them is sure to please your taste for the evening. In this area the street addresses range from 286 Central Ave up into the 300's.

• 1 La Festa Brick and Brew, 300 Central Ave, ☏ +1 603 743-4100. Exceptional creative and traditional pizzas. (updated Apr 2017)
• 2 Blue Latitudes, 431 Central Ave (inside the Cocheco Falls Millworks), ☏ +1 603 750-4222. Fantastic dining in the heart of downtown Dover. Excellent menu, staff is polite and attentive. The bar is a perfect spot for couples on a night out or groups looking to get away from the usual spot. The lamb is succulent, the steak tips, always a treat. (updated Apr 2017)

• 1 Cara Irish Pub, 11 4th St, ☏ +1 603-343-4390. (updated Apr 2017)

• Dover Comfort Inn and Suites, 10 Hotel Dr, ☏ +1 603-750-7507. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. In downtown, pet friendly. $115.
• ^{[dead link]} Hampton Inn, 9 Hotel Dr, ☏ +1 603-516-5600. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Free evening appetizers and drinks as well as hot breakfast daily. $115.
• Homewood Suites of Dover, 21 Members Way, ☏ +1 603-516-0929. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. All-suite hotel. Rooms include kitchen with full-size refrigerator, microwave, two-burner stove and dishwasher. Free internet, voice mail, free hot breakfast daily. $125.
• The Silver Fountain Inn, 103 Silver St, toll-free: +1-888-548-6888. An elegant bed & breakfast in a historic Second Empire Victorian mansion. Many of the home's Victorian details have been preserved; the house is quite stunning. (updated Nov 2021)
• 1 The Garrison Hotel, 200 Sterling Way, ☏ +1 (603) 842-6783. (updated Jun 2018)

Routes through Dover