Sand and Seagulls at Wallis Sands State Park in Rye, NH
Our kiddos LOVE the beach. They love playing in the waves and digging in the sand; they love being out in the sun and searching for shells. Because of this, we have made an effort to get them to the beach more often this year. However, their dad isn’t a huge fan of crowded beaches, so we have been looking for smaller, but still nice, beaches. After doing a little research, we decided to try out Wallis Sands State Park in Rye.
Covid Update – August 2020
New Hampshire State Parks now requires that you make a reservation before visiting a state park. It is super easy to do by visiting the website and really helps to make sure that park experiences are safe and fun!
It was mostly cloudy the day we went, and actually raining in most of the state, so we did get to experience the beach on a less crowded day.
This was helpful, as the beach is pretty narrow at high tide, however it definitely gets big as the tide goes out.
There was a bit of seaweed around the beach, but we’re not sure whether it generally isn’t raked, or whether it just didn’t get raked that day due to the questionable weather. However, it was great as lava in the volcano we built!
I do have to say that the seagulls there are CRAZY. They are super bold and have no fear of people. L actually ate her lunch under her towel because the birds were getting so close; they kept circling and trying to steal our food…
This may in part have been due to the fact that we packed tuna sandwiches for lunch… probably not our best idea to bring tuna to the beach… ha! So don’t do that. 🙂 Dad ended up being on seagull duty while we ate to keep them away…
Side note: See those buckets in the picture above? They are collapsable and amazing. We bring them everywhere; they even went on our trip to Grand Cayman! You can read more about them (and our other must-have beach gear) here!
The Wallis Sands State Park has a building with restrooms, showers, and a changing area, as well as a little shop. There is also ample parking and many picnic tables scattered around the grassy parts.
On our way home, we decided to stop and get the “kiddos” some ice cream. We found a great little place called The Beach Hut which had a bazillion flavors of ice cream; the food smelled pretty yummy, as well!
Wallis Sands State Park was a great place to visit and the kids had a blast! They loved the big waves and room to run; we loved the easy parking and changing area. 🙂 We definitely will go back to this beach and enjoy another fun day at the ocean…but we won’t bring tuna!
If you’re curious about other NH beaches, check out our post on Hampton Beach!
I hope that our adventure inspires you to have your own adventure!
40 Comments
Pam
What a great park! I so miss the beach right now.
Melissa
I miss it, too! We didn’t go at all this year.
Jordan
I love the beach, and especially when it’s not that crowded. Sounds like you picked the perfect day to visit. And good tip about no tuna at the beach!
Melissa
We lucked out for sure with our day and were happy to miss the rain at home!
Taquia
What a beautiful state park! It looks so peaceful! My family would love to visit.
Melissa
It is a nice park and the ocean definitely helps to make it peaceful.
Missy
I love a good beach to built sand art. We have not visited here before. Looking forward to checking it out.
Melissa
It’s a great park!
Donna Garrison
Oh I love a good day at the beach, followed by some ice cream. With a bazillion flavours, how do you choose? And with the name Beach Hit, you can’t go wrong.
Melissa
Choosing is always the hardest part!! Too many yummy choices!
Tricia Snow
I feel for you with the seagulls. In FL it is a rule not to feed them and people will say something to the out of staters not to feed them. Wallis Sands looks like a great beach though!
Melissa
That’s a great rule! We definitely need that up here!
Laura
We love finding beaches not so crowded too. Yes, tuna probably didn’t help trying to keep the birds away. LOL.
Melissa
Yes – I definitely learned my lesson! ha!
Lori
I have never been to NH. This looks fun. My kiddos love the beach, too!
Melissa
I hope you make it up here some time!
Lisa Manderino
I love that the state parks are beaches, It is kind of a mind blowing concept not living near the ocean.
Melissa
Ha! Too funny… it’s really the only way to visit the beach around here, unless you own in a beach town or have ocean front property!
Michele
We haven’t visited any of the New England states yet. Always making a list of things to do in the area. The beaches look beautiful! Thanks!
Melissa
I hope you get a chance to visit New England… it’s pretty awesome up here 🙂
Leeanne
Even though New Hampshire has only a little bit of coastline, they certainly make the most of it. This is a beautiful area. I love that your kids used seaweed to decorate the top of the sand castle. Mine do the same thing.
Melissa
Yes! There certainly is a lot to do in our 18.5 miles!! So cool that your kids use seaweed, too!
Vessy Smith
Looks wonderful. We have to make our way up there soon. Maaan, those seagulls really wanted some tuna! LOL Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to visit!
Melissa
I hope you make it up here! Yes, definitely not my best choice to pack tuna.. hahaha..
Chantelle
Fun day! Seagulls are so brave and super annoying. Lol.
Melissa
Yes!! I was shocked at their audacity!
Lina Thao
Ah.. that looks like an amazing time. We haven’t been out that way yet.
Melissa
I hope you get the chance to come out here!
Lori Nielsen
We love the beach too! Our favorite is building castles in the sand and floating in the water. Ice cream is a big plus!
Melissa
We love to build sandcastles, as well!! I haven’t mastered floating in the ocean… I think I need more practice!
Carey
We enjoy beach trips and visiting different beaches in our travels. They are all unique and have fun places hidden around the beach town.
Melissa
Yes! So true!
Barbara
Beautiful area! Anywhere with an ocean is a treasure to me!
Melissa
The ocean is always a wonderful place to visit!
heather J Jandrue
We have been to Hampton Beach, but not this one. It is funny, I live in Mass, but never think of the beach when I think of NH. I think of the mountains.
Melissa
I am originally from MA, as well, and I thought the same way! It wasn’t until we moved here that I realized there were more beaches than just Hampton!
kmf
This looks like my kind of beach…much prefer the smaller and less popular beaches. Great place to recharge!
Melissa
Absolutely! We prefer quieter beaches, as well.
Cindy Moore
What a pretty state park, with that beach! And gulls can be CRAZY! Your hubby was nice to stand guard. 🙂
Melissa
I think he secretly had fun protecting us from the seagulls… 🙂