You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.
Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End
Stay in a beautifully rejuvenated 18th century, light-filled, Georgian home with views of the Piscataqua River, just minutes on foot from Strawbery Banke and Portsmouth's downtown dining and shopping. Staying at the stunningly refurbished Tobias Lear House, where President Washington took tea in November of 1789, will immerse you in Portsmouth's rich history. It's like living in a museum house but with all the comforts of the 21st century. The house’s sleeping arrangements include a family suite with two bedrooms as well as Madam Lear’s Chamber, which features an en suite bathroom. All our bedrooms, most comfortable beds and beautiful views. In May 2023 the Tobias Lear House’s rejuvenation was honored by the NH Preservation Alliance. Due to the house's historic nature and close proximity to neighbors, our maximum is four adults and two children and we do not allow parties or events on site.
Property manager
Anthony Conti
Languages
English
Property amenities
Pool/Spa
Hot tub
Internet
Free WiFi
Parking and transportation
Onsite parking
Kitchen
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Microwave
Oven
Dishwasher
Ice maker
Electric kettle
Toaster
Lobster/crab pot
Dining
Dining table
Bedrooms
2 bedrooms
Bed sheets provided
Bathrooms
3 bathrooms
Shower
Toilet paper
Towels provided
Shampoo
Hair dryer
Soap
Living spaces
Fireplace
Living room
Entertainment
Books
Outdoor areas
Patio
Fenced yard
Garden
Outdoor furniture
Laundry
Washing machine and dryer
Near laundromat
Work spaces
Desk
Desk chair
Comfort
Air conditioning
Heating
Pets
No pets allowed
Suitability/Accessibility
Smoke-free property
Services and conveniences
Iron/ironing board
Location highlights
Near the sea
Near a hospital
Near outlet shopping
Near the bay
In a village
Things to do
Fitness facilities nearby
Kayak on site
Ecotours nearby
Hiking/biking trails nearby
Hiking nearby
Ice skating nearby
Sailing nearby
Kayaking nearby
Power boating nearby
Birdwatching nearby
Whale watching nearby
Safety features
Carbon monoxide detector installed (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
Smoke detector installed (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions
Pets
Pets not allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
About the neighborhood
Portsmouth, NH
What's nearby
Strawbery Banke Museum - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
Market Square - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
Portsmouth Brewery - 11 min walk - 1.0 km
The Music Hall - 13 min walk - 1.1 km
Water Country - 10 min drive - 6.6 km
Getting around
Dover Transportation Center - 19 min drive
Portsmouth, NH (PSM-Portsmouth Intl.) - 17 min drive
Restaurants
Hearth Food Garden - 10 min walk
Thirsty Moose Taphouse - 12 min walk
The Works Bakery Cafe - 12 min walk
River House - 12 min walk
Starbucks - 12 min walk
Frequently asked questions
Is Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
What time is check-in at Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End?
Check-out is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End located?
Located in South End, this vacation home is within a 10-minute walk of Wentworth Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses and Market Square. Children's Museum of Portsmouth and Prescott Park are also within 5 minutes.
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Award Winning House in Portmouth's South End Reviews
Reviews
10
Exceptional
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
We loved our stay. The fascinating home, the gorgeous surroundings, and the relaxed feel and beauty of Portsmouth made for a perfect trip. Thank you for a memorable experience.
Our stay at the exquisite Tobias Lear House was absolutely perfect. It was such a special stay for my daughter’s wedding. We could walk to all wedding events and everything else to offer in beautiful Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The home is well represented on the VRBO site-
This home has been perfectly renovated to retain the historic details while adding all the modern amenities you want to be comfortable! It was a great place to experience with friends for a destination wedding weekend. My only wish was that we’d stayed a few more nights! I hope to be back one day with family to really relax and enjoy this beautiful house for a longer stay!
We really enjoyed our stay in Portsmouth. Communication with Anthony was excellent. The house is in amazing shape. It is really cool to have the opportunity to stay in a home with so much historical significance. Thank you for opening your home to us!
This stunning, spectacular home is in the perfect location near the water and within walking distance to wherever you want to be, from nearby gardens, charming, chic shops, and delectable dining.
This historic home is impressive with its restoration and opulence. Very comfortable, well-appointed. Thoughtful, communicative hosts. We look forward to coming back soon!
I was so excited to stay in this historical home and it did not disappoint. This home is beautiful; I felt like I was transported back in time, but we had a beautifully updated kitchen and bathrooms. We enjoyed our morning coffee in the beautiful garden; it was so peaceful. We can’t wait to return and stay longer.
Anthony made everything so easy and we appreciated the supplies. Best VRBO experience we’ve ever had!!
The Tobias Lear House met all of our expectations and more. The home is immaculate and filled with beautiful 18th and 19th century furniture. We enjoyed just sitting in the front parlor ( where George Washington stopped for tea), reading some of the many books on local history that were provided throughout the home.The kitchen has top of the line appliances, and the owner was gracious to leave goodies for us upon our arrival! The home is a nestled in a quiet neighborhood just a 10 minute walk to town and Strawberry Banke.
We look forward to returning again !
The Tobias Lear House was incredible and if we could give it 10/10 stars we would. It was more than we could have dreamed and we were absolutely delighted with our stay. Surrounded and immersed in history, the house is honorably maintained and full of character. We loved the decor, beautiful rugs, books, and artwork. The kitchen and bathrooms were exceptional and had everything and more than we could have asked for. The fridge had been supplied with water, OJ, eggs, butter, jam, as well as bread and bananas, which was a sweet surprise and nice touch. The location was perfect and we enjoyed walking into town. Parking was close and plentiful. The host was very responsive with any questions we had. We truly would recommend this house 100%. We are looking forward to visiting again. Thank you for the opportunity to stay in such a remarkable home. We were grateful and honored to enjoy our time together in this stunning part of history.
Beautifully restored historic home with modern amenities
We came from California to meet up with our adult children living on the east coast for a New England Christmas experience, and we couldn't have been more pleased. The house has so much history and is beautifully furnished with quality antiques and art, not to mention books galore. Modern kitchen and bathrooms are well-appointed, and the location is ideal, being one block from the river and a short walk to town. When we arrived after a long day of travel we were pleasantly surprised to find the house with provisions in the kitchen and decorated for the holidays in authentic Colonial style, with poinsettias, pine boughs, holly and fruit all around and even a small Christmas tree in the front parlor - such a gracious and unexpected touch! Ice skating a few blocks away was a treat, and we enjoyed several excellent meals in town and prepared a home-cooked dinner on Christmas. Anthony was very helpful, easy to work with and responsive. We would return in a heartbeat!
We took our British family to New England to introduce them to American history and scenery different from their usual trip to us in Florida. We could not have imagined a more perfect house to set the stage. My spouse and I usually select beautiful restored homes (B&B's) when we travel, but this was far superior to any place we've ever stayed. We felt welcomed, even embraced, by the welcoming feeling the house provides - in addition to the amazing restoration and beautiful antiques. In our experience, we've been willing to sacrifice some of the modern conveniences in order to enjoy the ambience of the old homes. Not so in this case. Bathrooms and kitchen are top of the line. I'll close by saying that my husband immediately claimed a spot in the study, with a comfortable chair and amazing reading light and declared that he simply was not leaving! Thank you so much. We will always remember this home.
My fiancé and I stayed here in early spring and loved every second! We chose Portsmouth for the nightlife but found ourselves more interested in exploring and enjoying all this beautiful home has to offer.
Entering the front door was like stepping back in time - with all the comforts of modern living. It was clear from every detail that great care was placed on rehabilitating this home in a way that preserves all of its glory, while elevating it to the fully imagined dream of the family that worked so hard to build it.
We spent our entire first evening roaming from room to room; exploring, reading about its history, and enjoying each other's company in a way this world has forgotten. We highly recommend gathering your closest friends and enjoying this incredible experience together. We saved the first night for ourselves and had our friends join us for the second night.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for an experience unlike any other is this lifetime. We greatly appreciate the care that was taken in the home itself and in making us feel at home. We will be back! 💗
The Tobias Lear home is a jewel of a property located a short walk from the fantastic restaurants and shops of downtown Portsmouth. My family and I spent a long weekend in this meticulously restored property, enjoying the local shops and restaurants, as well as preparing meals in the homes’ well appointed kitchen. I would definitely recommend this home and hope to stay there again down the road. Host was highly responsive and a delight to work with
Everything was perfect. They have done a wonderful job maintaining the historic charm while updating beautiful bathrooms and modern kitchen. We spent the days with coffee over looking the water, walking
We had the BEST stay in this historical beauty! We drooled over the floors….not to mention all of the attention to detail! Did I mention that I am moving in!!?? Hah. Anyway, fantastic location, easy to walk to town, walking paths, close to the waterfront, historic cemetery close by, great restaurants and shops. What else can I say!?? It’s a Beaute Clark!!!
We rented this house over Thanksgiving and it was an incredible experience and a genuine privilege. The house is beautifully rehabilitated but still amazingly has the same floorboards on which George Washington once walked. The history is there and the house has all the modern conveniences - luxurious showers and a wonderful kitchen equipped within everything one needs to cook a feast. And Anthony was incredibly helpful throughout the booking process and our stay.
We highly recommend this property.
Amazing location! Very well appointed with period furniture throughout! Beautiful gardens and outdoor amenities. Convenient nearby parking. Surrounded by period homes.
Our group had a wonderful experience in this home. Anthony was a great host. Knowing that George Washington actually had tea in one of the parlors created such an atmosphere!! I would come back in a minute!! Thank you for your hospitality
We feel fortunate to have stayed in this home. It's a piece of history, with beautiful views, and tasteful modern upgrades of the highest quality. We do ask one thing: if anyone reading this stays in the home, please treat this property respectfully! We want to stay there again and hope the owners continue
to allow guests. The home is the perfect combination of ideal location, luxurious accommodations, and class. Thank you for sharing home!
It is difficult to provide a summary for this wonderful property.
The level of attention to detail and care provided to this home - and it’s rehabilitation - is simply stunning.
It served as a perfect spot for our family to enjoy one another and some of America‘s history at the same time.
The property manager and the owner are to be commended for their high level of attention to every detail.
Our family is filled with wonderful memories from our stay at the Tobias Lear House.
The property grounds were filled with plants and flowers, so inviting. The house was just amazing, the kitchen was beautiful, had everything we needed, the bathrooms were so nice, and there was plenty of room for the 4 of us. The kitchen and all 3 bathrooms are modern while the rest of the house will take you way back in time. I was so happy I chose to stay here, what an experience!
We had a wonderful stay at the Tobias Lear house. It is definitely one of the best VRBOs we've ever found, and we have stayed in many, many of them over the years. It was impeccably clean and offered all sorts of extra thoughtful touches like grocery staples waiting for us upon our arrival; Anthony reaching out to us prior to our stay to see if we would like any restaurant or activity recommendations; flexibility with our arrival time; very responsive and easy communication with the property manager; and seamless/easy check-in and check-out instructions. This house is extremely well-maintained and has amazing antique furniture and fixtures (but has been completely redone very recently and so feels very modern and comfortable). It has every amenity and supply we could have needed, including luxurious towels and bedding, etc. We would love to come back again and would give this property 10 stars if we could! The neighborhood is amazing and walkable to all sorts of shops and restaurants (and right by the water). The house has 3 included parking spots, so that was an added convenience. We stayed with our three children, but would highly recommend this property to anyone!
It's hard to overstate how much we enjoyed staying in the Tobias Lear house. From the period furnishings to the fantastic location, it was more than we had hoped for. The house itself it a true gem, a mix of old and new – most of the house is period furnished but has been updated with modern bathrooms and a fantastic kitchen. We were able to leave the car parked and walk to many nearby attractions and wonderful shopping and dining. We regretted that we had only booked it for two nights. It was an experience we won't soon forget.
We had the loveliest weekend with family in this gorgeous home. The bedrooms, space, and kitchen served us well and provided exactly what we needed for a weekend stay. My children (6 and 9) loved the selection of history books and learning about the property. Our children are respectful and cautious and we were out of the home with family events for much of the weekend but it might be a tough place for kids that are more rambunctious.
Check in and out was easy, very responsive and helpful. Our only note is that we mistakenly used the gate leading to the adjacent property's large lawn area and were graciously told by the neighbors (the museum staff) that the area was not for use. Helpful to make that explicit.
We hope to return! Such a lovely piece of history.
Ageless homestead in historic neighborhood. An amazing and unique experience. Early 1730 residence completely restored to comfortable living in a sea coast town. This overnight tops anything I have ever resided in.