Fun in the Sun and Sand at Hampton Beach

Summer is finally (unofficially) here! We celebrated by taking a trip to Hampton Beach – which is now in-season.  We explored Hampton back in April during off-season, and this certainly was a different experience!  My sister, who was visiting from North Carolina, was very excited to visit one of her favorite beaches; she’s a native New Englander and is an expert on all things Hampton, so we got some insider tips during our visit.

When we arrived around 10 am, I tried to park in the same lot we parked in in April.  Ha.  Lesson #1 for on-season: parking is harder!! We ended up parking in the lot for the Hampton Casino Ballroom, which was only 5 dollars.  It was a great location – we were only a half block away from the beach – and we were right behind the boardwalk, playground, and visitor center.  The lot was full when we went back around 12pm, so that parking also quickly fills!

After making our way to the beach, we found a place to settle. The tide was just on it’s way out, so we were able to get a great spot near the water.

Even though it was a Friday at 10:30 am, the beach already had significantly more people on it than when we visited in April – and it continued to fill in as we played in the sand.

After learning how to make drip castles from Auntie,

we ventured down to the FREEZING water.  Seriously, my toes were numb after about 10 seconds! My sister said that even in August the water isn’t super warm, but it’s definitely warmer than the 55 degrees it was on Friday! Little man didn’t seem to mind the cold too much and had a blast playing in the waves. (I was super happy his Auntie was there and designated playing in the water as “Auntie Duty”!)

Once our toes could no longer take the cold, we packed up our stuff and brought it back to the car (one of the benefits of parking so close!).  We then wandered down the boardwalk to check out the shops.  There are many stores with jewelry, shirts, beach gear, and souvenirs, and they range in quality and price.  There are also quite a few places to find food from pizza, to chicken fingers, to subs, to ice cream and slushes! We decided to do lunch elsewhere (more on that in a bit), but made a specific stop in Sanborn’s Candies.  When we were growing up, our grandfather would make a trip to Hampton every year and bring back a box of saltwater taffy from that store; we just had to pay it a visit and get a box of  their yummy taffy.

Also on the boardwalk are some arcades – including Funarama, which has a bunch of little kid rides!

If you’re in the area in the evening, make sure to check out the schedule for the Sea Shell Stage.  It hosts nightly concerts and is right on the water!

After walking the “strip,” we hopped in the car to get some lunch.  My sister recommended that we eat at either The Beach Plum or Brown’s Lobster Pound; we decided on Brown’s as it has easier parking than the Beach Plum in Hampton and we had a hungry little one with us who wasn’t game for any more walking.

Brown’s has a huge menu full of mostly fried seafood, though you can get steamed lobster and steamers, as well.  Be aware, however, that it’s CASH ONLY!  There is an ATM inside, but it wasn’t working when we visited.  My sister and I pooled our cash and luckily had enough to get some delicious food!  You wait in line to place your order and then find a table and wait for your number to be called.  There are a ton of tables inside a huge porch, and a few tables with a nice view of an inlet outside.

I ordered fried haddock nuggets and they were AMAZING.  I have had a lot of fried haddock in my life (it’s one of my favorites) and this may have been the best I’ve ever had.  The french fries were stellar, as well – they have that crunchy coating on the outside that definitely makes a superior fry!  I am so happy that my sister recommended Brown’s – we definitely will be going back the next time we are in the area!

Visiting Hampton in-season is certainly a different experience than exploring it during the off-season.  Be prepared for lots of people and lots of traffic.  However, it definitely is a destination to try at least once!! I hope that your family enjoys this adventure as much as mine did!