Last week my husband and I had the opportunity to visit our favorite place on earth (New England!) in celebration of our first wedding anniversary. I thought I’d share a few highlights from our trip – including visits to a handful of amazing Smock dealers! We stayed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the Ale House Inn, an independent, locally owned and operated hotel with a commitment to sustainability and eco hospitality practices. Residing in a renovated old warehouse (kind of like Smock!) the hotel features gorgeous rooms boasting a blend of urban and vintage decor and the best hotel staff I’ve ever encountered.

Portsmouth itself is an appropriately named port town with an active and bustling port. It was settled in 1630 with many of the original homes still intact today. There is great food with plenty of options for a vegetarian like me and streets lined with local, independent shops.

We even stumbled upon a random garden gnome and his rather odd assortment of friends in the gardens that border Portsmouth’s waterfront Prescott Park. At the park we were able to take part in watching a performance of Peter Pan the musical at dusk along the water’s edge. A very cool experience!

Along the way we visited Nachotta, a cool shop and gallery featuring art work, pottery, home wares and table top goods made by independent artists, craftsman and designers.

I was even delighted to eat the tastiest vegetarian quesadilla of my life while in Portsmouth, found at Poco’s Bow Street Cantina. Usually a “vegetarian” quesadilla just means cheese, but this one was loaded with corn, artichokes, spinach, roasted tomatoes and caramelized onions and came served with a side of mango chutney. Delicious!

Of course, no stop in Portsmouth is complete without a visit to Smock dealer Gus & Ruby Letterpress. We previously featured Gus & Ruby in our Smock Store Spotlight feature, but Samantha and Whitney have recently moved their shop to Portsmouth’s Market Square so I made sure to snap a few photos of their new storefront.

While at Gus & Ruby, I fell in love with these charming nautical Sea Bags. They are actually made from recycled sails and they are the perfect summer accessory for an avid boater like myself.

I spy our new patterned Smock boxes! They will be available on our website soon, but they are already in stores nationwide so be sure to check out a Smock dealer near you. They are beautiful, sturdy keepsake boxes made from 100% post consumer recycled materials right here in Upstate NY – they are perfect for gifts, office storage and home organization. And trust me, you’ll love them.

Of course, a big ladder full of our pretty, eco gift wrap and our Smock custom letterpress wedding album on display was a nice touch, too. After that, it was off to dinner with Gus & Ruby co-owner Samantha and her boyfriend, Vance. To make the day complete, a few snuggles with Gus & Ruby namesake, Gus. (He’s just as cute as he looks!)

Stayed tuned for the second part of your trip later in the week! In the meantime, I suggest booking yourself a trip to Portsmouth. You won’t regret it!