Man, I can’t believe there are only a few weekends left before school starts and summer is over! But there is still time to squeeze in one more road trip with the family, and I recommend going to Hampton Beach, NH.
On a beautiful Saturday morning just recently, my wife and I packed the kids and the beach stuff into the minivan and set off towards Ogunquit, ME. (That’s another great beach with a gorgeous cliff side trail.) But the traffic on 95N started piling up big time, so we took a random exit and accidentally discovered an awesome beach.
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Hampton Beach is like a time warp, with old hotels, arcades and snack bars dotting the boardwalk. The food stands are perfect for the kids, with everything from pizza to lobster rolls to fro-yo. My toddler son sure won’t sit in a restaurant lately, so the to-go situation was perfect. And the hotels are total throwbacks, no corporate names or websites. The arcades are oldschool too, with skee ball for a quarter. The prize counter even sold giant plush ET and Stay-puff Marshmallow Man dolls, for like a thousand tickets of course. There’s also a beachside casino, with Bret Michaels and the Beach Boys playing Thurday and Friday, so check it out!
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And the beach itself is huge! There are new bathroom facilities and even a beachside playground for kids. There’s a ramp for strollers with a boardwalk extending over the sand. The kids can build castles easily since the sand isn’t that hot…. because the water is frigid! But there are a ton of waves so bring your boogie board.
I’m telling you, Hampton Beach is ideal for Arlington families looking for that perfect daytrip getaway. Give the tweens twenty bucks and set them loose. Let the younger ones chase the tide. Set up an umbrella, sip some lemonade, kick back and soak it in. Because before you know it, you’ll be raking leaves and eating dinner in the dark.