hampton beach, nh

**jackstraw** · 05-18-2019, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by Mazderati

Portsmouth may be hipster but it's still pretty rad. Saw my first big mountain ski movie there. Friendly Toast was fun for late night eats.

Yes, I've just soured growing up in Hampton. It's just so damn busy now. I work in the next town.

**bizarrefaith** · 05-18-2019, 04:39 PM

I live just a bit south of here. We usually go once a year because the kids like the boardwalk. Pretty gross overall though as everyone has said. I do enjoy Tripoli pizza though.

**ticketchecker** · 05-18-2019, 04:56 PM

Long sands and ogunquit are nice beaches. I’m up the road in Portland but have been to pretty much every beach from Hampton to Popham. I do love the DSO two fers at Hampton. Nothing like dead heads and skee ball for days

**Ottime** · 05-18-2019, 05:57 PM

Long Sands is fine but it is mostly below mean high tide. So you lose it twice a day. Drakes, Wells,Moody and Ogunquit still have some sand at high tide. It gets crowded, but not non-existent. Although, Moody has the semi private beach bullshit.

Rt 1 traffic from the Ogunquit playhouse to the Maine Diner in Wells can be pretty horrific mid July. Just hit the road early and stay where you are until 7pm, and yer fine. Or look at some maps b4 you go and learn the work arounds.

If I were choosing a beach to stay at and fish, Drakes for sure. You have the jetty, but also the little river and plenty of reefs to surf cast I to at low tide. Being a SUP and you have all the estuary options.

What I love about York Beach is the wild kindhdom. While that zoo is a little depressing I love how the amusement park looks liked it showed up for a carnival week stay and ended up never leaving. My kid was 7 last summer, and he still loved it. I think the best part for him is the cheap games. While we have a decent sized boardwalk amusement park here, I never let him drop $3 to lose at gimmick games. I think you win something every game at YWK. Most of it pure garbage, but he would come home stoked at his winning.

**cinnepa** · 05-18-2019, 06:30 PM

yeah we drove by york last year on our way home from old orchard... which was an "interesting" place. the anchorage inn seems like a decent place; always need a pool for our son too. our 2nd time surfing will also happen, seems like plenty of rentals around. booking diff places and will make the final decision up to the cancellation deadlines. we're doing last week of august, so plenty of time sorting though all your great recommendations.
where ever we end up we will hit portsmouth a few times as well.

**Ottime** · 05-18-2019, 06:32 PM

For what it’s worth, traffic is mellower along rt 1 in ME the last two weeks before Labor Day week end.

**riser4** · 05-18-2019, 07:17 PM

Anchorage in Ogunquit is a sore subject in my family. It ruined a really nice view. I remember picking blueberries in that field before it was built. Oh well. No going back to the past.

**riser4** · 05-18-2019, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Ottime

For what it’s worth, traffic is mellower along rt 1 in ME the last two weeks before Labor Day week end.

Helps if you know the back roads. Don't ask me their names, I just know where they go.

**Ottime** · 05-19-2019, 04:56 PM

Yeah. I spent my teens summering at Sea Vu in Wells. Good friend with the owners. I know my way around. Learned to drive on he back roads. Not so easy for someone getting around their first time.some of the routes take you half way to Sanford.

OP if you are in Wells and enjoy a good donut, sing into Congdons. Best donut pretty much anywhere. Butter crunch for the win.

MTB and hike around Mt Aggie.

**jackstraw** · 05-19-2019, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Ottime

MTB around Mt Agony.

Fify. Rog loves it when I call it that.

**riser4** · 05-19-2019, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Ottime

Yeah. I spent my teens summering at Sea Vu in Wells. Good friend with the owners. I know my way around. Learned to drive on he back roads. Not so easy for someone getting around their first time.some of the routes take you half way to Sanford.

OP if you are in Wells and enjoy a good donut, sing into Congdons. Best donut pretty much anywhere. Butter crunch for the win.

MTB and hike around Mt Aggie.

Careful, you'll end up in Lyman if you don't pay attention.

**Ottime** · 05-20-2019, 10:01 AM

I lost my virginity near Lyman. Really nice girl, too.

Now the girls I knew in Rochester were pretty wild. Fun, but maybe a little too much fun.

**iceman** · 05-20-2019, 10:19 AM

There must be a whole lotta things that I never done, but I never had too much fun.

more good guitar in that 57 seconds than you'll hear the rest of the week

**cinnepa** · 05-20-2019, 12:08 PM

foreigner is playing there 8/25.....so ive got that going for me.

**jackstraw** · 05-20-2019, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by Ottime

Now the girls I knew in Rochester were pretty wild. Fun, but maybe a little too much fun.

They don't call it Rottenchester for nothing. Dirty Dover has come a long way being so close to Portsmouth, but Rochester hasn't. The place went from crackhouses to heroin to meth. It's really unfortunate. Something needs to break the cycle.

**gravitylover** · 05-20-2019, 03:37 PM

Rochester does have one of the best bike shops in the state though.

**Ottime** · 05-21-2019, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by jackstraw

They don't call it Rottenchester for nothing. Dirty Dover has come a long way being so close to Portsmouth, but Rochester hasn't. The place went from crackhouses to heroin to meth. It's really unfortunate. Something needs to break the cycle.

This was the 80s. Think it was coke and weed back then. Good ole days.

**riser4** · 05-28-2019, 01:09 PM

My 14 yo liked the skatepark in Rye.

**riser4** · 05-28-2019, 01:14 PM

Driving in York county was a shitshow yesterday. Accident on I95 and route 1 all backed up between wells and Ogunquit. We went back through the Berwicks and cut over to 202 thought Somerset and Gonic. Rt 4 was fine. Even 9 through the Berwicks was nutty for a stretch.

**Ottime** · 05-29-2019, 07:24 AM

And this the season begins.

**riser4** · 05-29-2019, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Ottime

And this the season begins.

Why do you think I got my fix in over Memorial day? Crowded enough to resemble high season, but not really. And prices were still low(er). Some kids next to us caught a flounder under the Ogunquit beach bridge.

**Ottime** · 05-29-2019, 09:37 AM

Flounder sounds awesome.

We used to fish for crabs off the bridge using hotdogs for bait. Small soft shell types. I don’t think they are good eating. Or at least we always caught and released. I do have found memories digging for clams in the Little River mid flats at low tide, until the red tide started to arrive when I was about 14. We did eat those guys for a while.

**riser4** · 05-29-2019, 10:09 AM

Ya, crabbing. When the kids were little it provided hours of entertainment. Baloney worked better and cheaper than hot dogs. Strictly catch and release. Footbridge beach bridge was our favorite spot for that. Now the youngest one wants to catch real fish. Might have to try for flounder next time.

**cinnepa** · 08-23-2019, 10:41 AM

ok,,,heading there tomorrow with the bride and son,,,,sat/sun/mon - thinking that Portsmouth might be the closest place for great seafood? Any recommendations for there or the Hampton Beach area?