Portsmouth + Portland OR Newport + Cape Cod

My two friends and I are trying to decide between a 3 day outing to Portsmouth, NH, Portland, ME, Newport, RI, and Cape Cod for this fall and would love some local opinions!

We’re three women in our late 20s and like a mix of nature/hiking, history, good food/drinks, live music and a fun nightlife.

We were wondering if any of these places pair well together. For ex, Portsmouth + Portland or Newport + Cape Cod. Or if you think one of them has enough to do that it’s better to just focus on one. We’ve never been to any of these places so I figured since we’re making a decent drive maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see two in one weekend.

I’ve found tons of info on each place individually but not much about how they compare/complement each other. Would love to hear what you’d recommend! Or if there are better places we aren’t thinking of!