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The Best Beaches
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Looking for plenty of surf, sand, sun, parking, entertainment and more? These are the best beaches for you! |
Located just across the line in Massachusetts, Salisbury Beach offers a variety of amusements and shops, sailing, boating and fishing activities, restaurants and accommodations.
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Hampton Beach stretches from the Hampton Harbor Inlet at Hampton Beach State Park northward along Ocean Boulevard (Route 1A). Parking $5 midweek, $8 weekends per carload. Metered parking is also available at a current fee of ten minutes per quarter.
Also at Hampton Beach is the New Hampshire Marine Memorial, erected to remember those who died at sea.
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Quieter Beaches
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Fewer amenities, smaller sandy areas at high tide, limited parking but still these beaches are worth going to. Just be sure to get there early! |
North Beach, Hampton
Route 1A, Hampton Beach. North of Hampton Beach's commercial and resort strip, North Beach offers limited metered parking at a current fee of ten minutes per quarter, bathhouse facilities and lifeguards. It is a popular spot for surfers.
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North Hampton State Beach
Route 1A, North Hampton. Metered parking and bathhouses available, as well as lifeguards for ocean swimming.
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Jenness State Beach
Route 1A, Rye. Bathhouses nearby and metered parking. Lifeguards staff the beach in season.
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Rye Harbor State Park
Route 1A, Rye, (603) 436-5294. Admission $2.50. Offers a picnicking area, a public dock with a boat ramp, saltwater fishing and a commercial wharf with excursion boats. Parking in the summer is limited.
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Wallis Sands State Beach
This 700-foot long sandy beach is 150 feet wide at high tide. Ocean swimming on the open seacoast. Lifeguards, daily parking $5 midweek, $8 weekends per carload. Bathhouses and snackbar near the beach.
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Great Island Common
Located on Route 1B in Newcastle. A small sandy beach provides recreation in the water, with a large adjoining field with scattered groups of picnic tables make the common ideal for large gatherings or picnics. Bathrooms and playground on site, and is within walking distance of historic Fort Constitution and the Fort Point Lighthouse. Entry fee varies.
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Long Sands Beach
Route 1A / Long Beach Ave. .in York, Maine. Offers limited metered parking, bathhouse facilities and lifeguards. Restaurants and accommodations available.
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Short Sands Beach
Located north of Long Sands Beach and Cape Neddick, at the center of York Beach area. Offers metered parking, bathhouse facilities and lifeguards. A bandstand, playground and ball court are next to the beach, along with a variety of amusements, restaurants and accommodations.
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Away From It All
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No phones, no lifeguards, almost no facilities whatsoever, and something of a challenge to get to. |
Plum Island
To the east of Newburyport Mass is Plum Island, and its collection of quiant cottages and the Parker River Wildlife Preserve. Limited parking.
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Seabrook Beach
There are essentially two beaches in Seabrook - one of the Atlantic Ocean, and one on Seabrook Harbor near the fisherman's cooperative. There is little parking available for non-Seabrook residents. The harbor side beaches are best reached by boat, but watch out for the tide going out, or you will quickly be left high and dry.
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Bass Beach
Near the intersection of Central Road and Ocean Blvd/Route 1A in Rye. A small sandy beach with virtually no parking nearby. Best visited by bicycle.
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Foss Beach
A long ribbon of sand just north of Ragged Neck Point on Route 1A in Rye. Very limited parking, and very limited space at high tide.
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Odiorne Point State Park
Route 1A, Rye, (603) 436-7406. Entrance fee: $2.50 per person. Park consists of 137 acres of protected coastline, with miles of biking and walking trails, a visitor center, picnic areas, a boat launch, and scenic views of the rocky coast and the Atlantic. Most of the park is accessible to the handicapped. There are no camping facilities here.
There are two beaches in the park; the southern one is easily accessable from the park's main enterance, and also via a parking area just south of the park. However, it is gravelly, and best for wading. The northern beach is along the shores of Little Harbor and can be accessed either by boat, or by a walk from the northern gate (where a boat launch is located). While it is a sheltered beach, it virtually vanishes at high tide, but at low tide there is a large sandy area to enjoy.
Also on the site is the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point for an additional $1 entrance fee, offering programs 7 days a week. Call 436-8043 for more information.
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Fort Foster
A large recreational area at the end of Pochahontas Road on Gerrish Island in Kittery Maine. Has two beaches, one for surfing, the other for swimming. Rest rooms, a playground, picnic area and fishing pier are available. One of the two best views of Portsmouth Harbor. Entry fee.
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Isles of Shoales - Star Island
About seven miles off the coast lies the Isles of Shoals. Once home to resort hotels, the islands now act as a wildlife preserve, and home to summertime religious conferences. Day trips to Star Island are available. As for the beach, it is small and rocky. If you go to the isles, it is better to go sightseeing than swimming. Other sheltered beaches on Appledore are even less sandy and less accessable.
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