Exeter Swasey Parkway Picnic Guide

An Exeter Swasey Parkway picnic is a free lunch with a view. The parkway is a long stretch of lawn, trees and benches along the Squamscott River, a few steps from Water Street, and it has been the town's front porch for generations. Buy food on the street, carry it to the river and eat well.

The park is flat, shady in places and easy with strollers.

It is also a place with history, named for a local benefactor who gave the land to the town. The riverbank has been a gathering place since mill days, and the wide lawns are where generations of Exeter families have spread their blankets.

What is the Swasey Parkway?

A riverside strip of green with a footpath, benches and tall trees, running beside the Squamscott River at the edge of the center. It is public and open to everyone. In summer, it hosts a farmers market and concerts, and the schedule changes by year, so check the town's calendar.

Autumn is spectacular here, with red maples over the water.

Spring is the season of mud and blossoms, and the river runs high. Summer is for shade and concerts. Winter, when the lawn is under snow, is quiet, and a hot drink on a bench in the cold is its own reward.

How do you plan an Exeter Swasey Parkway picnic?

Shop first, then walk. Visit Water Street for sandwiches, salads, cheese, bread and pastries. Add a drink and a sweet. Carry it in one bag and bring a blanket for the grass. A picnic of four people can be assembled in fifteen minutes.

Look for a spot near the water but away from the path, and keep your food covered if it is windy.

A small picnic mat that folds into a bag is worth owning. A rubber-backed blanket keeps the damp from the ground away, and a few clothespins hold napkins in a breeze. Ants and wasps arrive with sweet food, so keep jam and cake sealed until you eat.

Where do you find a Squamscott River bench lunch?

Along the length of the parkway, where benches face the water at regular intervals. They fill first at noon on sunny days. If all are taken, a patch of lawn beside the path will do. Some of the best seats face the small falls near the center of town.

Weekday lunches are the quietest, and a thermos of tea goes well with the view. Weekends bring families and dog walkers.

Anglers sometimes fish from the bank. Keep a respectful distance, and enjoy the sight of a line over the water. Children love to watch the ducks, but feeding them bread is discouraged, so bring a book instead.

What about the Exeter bandstand and summer evenings?

The bandstand hosts concerts through the warm months, and evenings by the river fill with people on blankets. A picnic dinner with a view of the stage is a New England summer pleasure. Arrive an hour early for a good spot, bring a layer for the cool air and take your trash home.

Check the town's calendar for the schedule, since dates change.

Where can you buy a carry-out lunch in Exeter?

At cafes, delis and bakeries along Water Street and the nearby blocks. Most sell sandwiches and salads to take away, and some offer picnic boxes in summer. Order ahead if you can, since lunchtime queues can stretch. The Exeter restaurants guide explains the center.

What picnic food travels well?

Sandwiches on sturdy bread, pasta salad, cheese and crackers, fruit, cookies and cold drinks. Skip anything that melts or needs a fork and a plate. A thermos of soup suits cool days. Bring napkins and a bag for trash, and leave the parkway as you found it.

If you have a dog, bring water and a bowl.

Finish with something sweet. A cookie from a Water Street bakery tastes better on a riverbank than anywhere else, and a walk to the falls afterward settles the lunch.

Which tags help with an outdoor meal?

Raters in the Mosey app attach tags to a meal, and diners can filter by them in the Find sheet. For a picnic day, the helpful ones are Quick Service, Bakery, Deli, Dog-Friendly and Close to nature. A tag is a rater's note and not a promise from the place.

How do you rate a picnic?

A picnic is several small meals, so rate each stop. Stars, then the dish: "turkey and cheddar, crusty roll, wrapped well". Add a line about where you ate it. If friends joined, tag them and they can add their own rating of the same meal.

Your own highest-rated places are kept in a list called Top Rated, which you can share with a visitor.

Where next from the river?

The US food guides cover the rest of the country, and the bakery page shows how to choose the pastry.

Heading somewhere else in New Hampshire? The Food in New Hampshire page links the rest.

Before you pack the blanket away, open the Mosey app, rate your picnic by the dish and add the best bench to a list called Exeter outdoors.