Swasey Parkway — Attraction in North Hampton

Before it was prudently closed to automobile traffic to open its full width for pedestrians to socially distance during COVID, this was one of the best examples of a mixed use thoroughfare I’ve ever seen. Unlike your average American street where cars own the road and drivers act like it, or some European cities where cyclists rule supreme and pedestrians walk in peril, this wide strip of paved, unlined road that winds a short distance from downtown out along the river in Exeter is utilized with a sort of quiet regard and care for others. This despite no clear traffic calming measures (the park is devoid of speed bumps, signage, etc.)

My theory is that the respect users show has mostly to do with a lack of entitlement, because besides the Thursday Farmer’s Market, it’s unclear who this beautiful boulevard is for: there’s no real reason to drive your car down Swasey Parkway besides the view of the river, you can just as easily take Water St which runs parallel until the two merge and become Newfields Rd. There’s not a ton of reason to bike down the mere half mile stretch either, except as a scenic alternative to turning directly onto Water Street. Pedestrians have a paved path between the road and the river, and often a nice wide tree lawn dotted with benches, broken up by a gazebo at the midpoint. The occasional car comes through cautiously, the regular bicycle has plenty of roadway and can leave the footpath to the feet. It’s a perfect spot to linger with an ice cream cone from Stillwell’s, to take toddlers for a tiny tricycle outing, or to skateboard or scooter if you’re so inclined.

The parkway is closed to cars currently, and I think it’s worth clarifying that pedestrians may enter the park on the right along the water, and return counterclockwise along the opposite side of the roadway. Cyclists should leave the path to pedestrians and use the paved roadway for their counterclockwise loop, keeping to the right side while traveling and allowing the center to remain open as a passing lane so that folks can respect social distancing guidelines if they need to...

I've been here before for events and have driven through countless times. A friend of mine said he got caught in a flood here during the winter ❄️ years ago. Now closed to automobile 🚘 traffic ⛔, you can still walk the parkway. If the weather ☁️ stays cold 🥶 enough, maybe the ice fishing 🎣 shacks will return? Who knows with the Covid-19 restrictions? You can see and hear the ice crack as people walk their dogs, jog and stroll. Still popular in the winter ❄️. Parking lot next to parkway. Boat launch available but closed. Update: Friday evening 🌄, May 2021; Nice walk for a sunset 🌇 stroll. The types of birds I saw interested me. Besides 🦆 ducks and seagulls, I saw a blue heron and another type of bird that was large and white like a seagull, but had a different type of head and flew like a Harrier jet. It...

We were so looking for a walk through Swasey Park. Several people at or near our hotel said it was a must visit. We drove into town, found a place to park....and off we went. We walked along the shops downtown (very cute and very pet friendly)...but we got to the start of the park, and NO DOGS ALLOWED $100 fine to bring our pet. We don't have two legged children, so our dog goes everywhere we go, or we just don't go. We stay in pet friendly hotels, we take out for meals ( we would never leave our dog alone in the hotel). So, while we though Exeter was a pet friendly town, I don't know that we would go...