Things to Do in Portsmouth

Paintballers sprint, strafe, and army-crawl across Birch Hill Paintball's battlefields, seeking refuge behind overturned barrels or inflated edifices as they seek out opponents. The venue features four distinct battlegrounds, letting players outflank adversaries in an urban setting, skulk stealthily through a sandy junkyard, or obscure themselves behind the trees, fences, and elephantine ant hills of a wooded battlefield. Players without their own paintball guns and other munitions can rent all necessary gear directly from Birch Hill, which hosts simulated warfare on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A former art teach of 30 years, owner Patti Spinelli welcomes students of all ages into her studio to superimpose colorful imagery upon three-dimensional figurines and placards. More than 100 unique pieces beckon to painters, who are encouraged to don aprons, brushes, and paints to festoon pottery pieces with colors they draw from a vivid palette or channel through a past life as a kaleidoscope. The studio's lively instructors roam the workspace doling out encouraging words and helpful techniques. Patti also hosts intimate art classes, opens her studio to group parties, and stocks traditional canvases for those who prefer rendering still lifes or globes from a time when the Earth was flat.

With access to thousands of acres of forests and fields, Carousel Horse Farm's expert equestrians take riders of all skill levels on scenic jaunts through the Maine countryside. Private or group trail rides in Casco explore the local woods, hills, and fields, sometimes including stops to fetch ice cream or to wipe down horses' windshields. Horse-drawn carriage rides, offered from Memorial Day through Labor Day, provide an opportunity to admire Old Orchard Beach in the summer. Guided beach horseback rides are also available from October 15 through April 30.