What to do in Rye Beach, NH this summer?
April 1, 2012 11:28 AM Subscribe
Looking for things to do/ general advice about a vacation in Rye, New Hampshire this summer.
My wife and I plus our 1-year old and some friends from Ireland (a couple and their 5-year old daughter) AND some friends from Massachusetts have a house near the beach in Rye, NH for a week this summer (June 30 -July 7). Tips on places to see, things to do? What beaches are good, and will we actually be able to swim? Favorite clamshack? Best lobster roll? And what fireworks should we check out for the 4th?
My wife and I plus our 1-year old and some friends from Ireland (a couple and their 5-year old daughter) AND some friends from Massachusetts have a house near the beach in Rye, NH for a week this summer (June 30 -July 7). Tips on places to see, things to do? What beaches are good, and will we actually be able to swim? Favorite clamshack? Best lobster roll? And what fireworks should we check out for the 4th?
Ooh! This is one of my favorite places to go. Please excuse the info dump. You may not want to take the children to some of this stuff, I don't know.
Take a tour of Jewell Towne Vineyards, a few miles down the road.
Wander around downtown Portsmouth -- it's a lovely little seaside town. Go to Breaking New Grounds for coffee, and get a beer (or a really pretty good meal) at the Portsmouth Brewery. Catch a show at the Portsmouth Music Hall. (Billy Bragg is playing the day you arrive.) Stay up all hours of the night and then get food at The Friendly Toast (this was a favorite post-concert stop when I was in high school. Warning: the hipster is kind of strong here.) Visit the music festival that will be going on at that time. Check out Art 'Round Town. Go see Dweebil Zappa play his father's music at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom.
There are a few museums. Go to the Seacoast Science Center (they have a Seaside Concert the week you'll be there. As kaszeta mentions, there's also the Strawberry Banke Museum.
Head to the beaches at Rye or Ogunquit, ME. It will be pretty packed that time of year, but my recollection is that you'll have a harder time parking than getting a little spot on the beach. You can usually swim.
Go to Loco Coco's Tacos for lunch, and stop by the Kittery Trading Post.
Have fun!
posted by gauche at 2:23 PM on April 1, 2012 [2 favorites]
Take a tour of Jewell Towne Vineyards, a few miles down the road.
Wander around downtown Portsmouth -- it's a lovely little seaside town. Go to Breaking New Grounds for coffee, and get a beer (or a really pretty good meal) at the Portsmouth Brewery. Catch a show at the Portsmouth Music Hall. (Billy Bragg is playing the day you arrive.) Stay up all hours of the night and then get food at The Friendly Toast (this was a favorite post-concert stop when I was in high school. Warning: the hipster is kind of strong here.) Visit the music festival that will be going on at that time. Check out Art 'Round Town. Go see Dweebil Zappa play his father's music at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom.
There are a few museums. Go to the Seacoast Science Center (they have a Seaside Concert the week you'll be there. As kaszeta mentions, there's also the Strawberry Banke Museum.
Head to the beaches at Rye or Ogunquit, ME. It will be pretty packed that time of year, but my recollection is that you'll have a harder time parking than getting a little spot on the beach. You can usually swim.
Go to Loco Coco's Tacos for lunch, and stop by the Kittery Trading Post.
Have fun!
posted by gauche at 2:23 PM on April 1, 2012 [2 favorites]
I grew up in Hampton and Southern Maine, and some of my fondest memories from the summer is visiting the Goldenrod in York Beach, ME. There's a good beach, and you can watch them make the saltwater taffy from the sidewalk. Nice treat to bring home to people, assuming you're from away.
Enjoy, and plan time to get from place to place, especially along Route 1, as traffic can become heavy and slow.
posted by China Grover at 3:20 PM on April 1, 2012
Enjoy, and plan time to get from place to place, especially along Route 1, as traffic can become heavy and slow.
posted by China Grover at 3:20 PM on April 1, 2012
Response by poster: Great answers everyone! Thanks very much, and please do keep 'em coming.
posted by hwickline at 5:40 PM on April 1, 2012
posted by hwickline at 5:40 PM on April 1, 2012
July 5th there is a reggae concert at the science center at ordione park. 6-8.
There will be fireworks at Hampton on the fourth.
You must go to Hampton. It big and tacky, and has arcades and old candy shops. The beach is beautiful with soft (but very hot) sand. Please eat Blinks friend dough because that's what one has to do there. There's rocks on the North end of Hampton with a few crabs and starfish.
Up at North beach there a good spot for bagel sandwiches and coffee. KBs. I think it's on 7th. Off the main road,1A. They have couches and lines out the door and a surfer vibe. You can watch surfers at that beach and climb rocks.
There is Jenness and Wallis Sands in Rye. Both good beaches.
Bring baby powder like the surfer do to help get some of the sand off little ones bodies. It's salty and sticky for a 1 year old!
The beach may not be swimmable. It can be cold, especially so early in the season. The good news is just wading in will cool you off!
You could whale watch - I do think it's one of the better places to get to whale watch from ut I don't know if it's a good time/season. Also, there is the Star island at the Isle of Shoals. You can take a tour there with a boat cruise.
posted by beccaj at 6:21 PM on April 1, 2012
There will be fireworks at Hampton on the fourth.
You must go to Hampton. It big and tacky, and has arcades and old candy shops. The beach is beautiful with soft (but very hot) sand. Please eat Blinks friend dough because that's what one has to do there. There's rocks on the North end of Hampton with a few crabs and starfish.
Up at North beach there a good spot for bagel sandwiches and coffee. KBs. I think it's on 7th. Off the main road,1A. They have couches and lines out the door and a surfer vibe. You can watch surfers at that beach and climb rocks.
There is Jenness and Wallis Sands in Rye. Both good beaches.
Bring baby powder like the surfer do to help get some of the sand off little ones bodies. It's salty and sticky for a 1 year old!
The beach may not be swimmable. It can be cold, especially so early in the season. The good news is just wading in will cool you off!
You could whale watch - I do think it's one of the better places to get to whale watch from ut I don't know if it's a good time/season. Also, there is the Star island at the Isle of Shoals. You can take a tour there with a boat cruise.
posted by beccaj at 6:21 PM on April 1, 2012
You'll probably have too much to do, not enough. The suggestions here are great, but honestly I'll be surprised if you get much beyond Portsmouth and Hampton Beach and Rye, especially if you want to relax and hang out with friends.
You can spend whole days at the beach, but you're right, the water is pretty chilly in late June/early July. The kids can tolerate it better than adults, but you should be thinking of it more as "hanging out at the beach" than "swimming.' There are some great surf shops nearby of that's of interest, and if you want a wetsuit you can rent one .
There is sooooo much to do in Portsmouth and it's very close to Rye, so I expect you'll want to go there a couple times. They have excellent July fireworks - much better than Hampton beach's without all the skeeve and all the traffic - and it's usually on the day before, so July 3rd or so. Check the city website.
I lived in this area from 2004-2010 and can't recommend Hampton Beach. I come from the Jersey Shore and the beach does not compare well. There's a lot of trash and it's a big drinking/hookup scene in the evening. It's not just tacky, it borders on icky. I can't say I didn't go there once or twice or summer just to hang - I did - but I would say that it's not a true family scene. If you feel like venturing the half hour or so to York that may be much more your speed. The two things I adore Hampton for are the Casino Ballroom - a really unique music venue if you can find something you want to hear - and the arcades which are chock full of vintage cabinet games from the 80s and earlier.
Check the schedule for the Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth. There's a live show of some kind just about every night of the week, from music on Tues and Wed to a summer community theater production Thu-Sat and lots of festivals scattered throughout. Looks like the season calendar isn't up yet, but please keep checking.
Best ice cream in Portsmouth: Annabelle's. Best place for dinner with kids: Flatbread Co. Best bookstore: RiverRun. Best grown-up pub for live music: Press Room. Best greasy spoon local breakfast joint: The Golden Egg. Kayak rental: Portsmouth Kayak Adventures. Park with trails by the beach and a really nice nature center with kids' programming: Odiorne Point State Park. Best margaritas and seafood and deck for watching Red Sox games and/or the sunset: Petey's. Just generally driving back and forth along 1A is nice, and there's a cool little bridge-jumping spot just at the curve next to Rye Harbor State Park. You'll see kids lining up there to jump off the bridge at high tide on hot days.
Bring your bikes. The whole NH Seacoast is fantastic, flat, fast, and scenic cycling.
Have a great time. You've lucked into an awesome sleeper of a place to have a summer vacation.
posted by Miko at 8:04 PM on April 1, 2012
You can spend whole days at the beach, but you're right, the water is pretty chilly in late June/early July. The kids can tolerate it better than adults, but you should be thinking of it more as "hanging out at the beach" than "swimming.' There are some great surf shops nearby of that's of interest, and if you want a wetsuit you can rent one .
There is sooooo much to do in Portsmouth and it's very close to Rye, so I expect you'll want to go there a couple times. They have excellent July fireworks - much better than Hampton beach's without all the skeeve and all the traffic - and it's usually on the day before, so July 3rd or so. Check the city website.
I lived in this area from 2004-2010 and can't recommend Hampton Beach. I come from the Jersey Shore and the beach does not compare well. There's a lot of trash and it's a big drinking/hookup scene in the evening. It's not just tacky, it borders on icky. I can't say I didn't go there once or twice or summer just to hang - I did - but I would say that it's not a true family scene. If you feel like venturing the half hour or so to York that may be much more your speed. The two things I adore Hampton for are the Casino Ballroom - a really unique music venue if you can find something you want to hear - and the arcades which are chock full of vintage cabinet games from the 80s and earlier.
Check the schedule for the Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth. There's a live show of some kind just about every night of the week, from music on Tues and Wed to a summer community theater production Thu-Sat and lots of festivals scattered throughout. Looks like the season calendar isn't up yet, but please keep checking.
Best ice cream in Portsmouth: Annabelle's. Best place for dinner with kids: Flatbread Co. Best bookstore: RiverRun. Best grown-up pub for live music: Press Room. Best greasy spoon local breakfast joint: The Golden Egg. Kayak rental: Portsmouth Kayak Adventures. Park with trails by the beach and a really nice nature center with kids' programming: Odiorne Point State Park. Best margaritas and seafood and deck for watching Red Sox games and/or the sunset: Petey's. Just generally driving back and forth along 1A is nice, and there's a cool little bridge-jumping spot just at the curve next to Rye Harbor State Park. You'll see kids lining up there to jump off the bridge at high tide on hot days.
Bring your bikes. The whole NH Seacoast is fantastic, flat, fast, and scenic cycling.
Have a great time. You've lucked into an awesome sleeper of a place to have a summer vacation.
posted by Miko at 8:04 PM on April 1, 2012
Casino Ballroom
- this schedule will populate a lot more as summer gets closer. They actually get a good variety of acts.
posted by Miko at 8:09 PM on April 1, 2012
- this schedule will populate a lot more as summer gets closer. They actually get a good variety of acts.
posted by Miko at 8:09 PM on April 1, 2012
Oh (sorry for successive posts, I keep remembering things) - early in your visit, swing by the Discover Portsmouth Center for all the latest updated info on things to do across the whole area. Also, pick up a copy of The Wire, the arts & culture paper, and also the Portsmouth Herald newspaper listings or just their arts insert, Spotlight.
posted by Miko at 8:12 PM on April 1, 2012
posted by Miko at 8:12 PM on April 1, 2012
Everyone beat me to all the best recommendations, but! I didn't see anyone mention The Beach Plum. Best lobster roll of your LIFE. Believe it.
posted by araisingirl at 8:49 PM on April 1, 2012
posted by araisingirl at 8:49 PM on April 1, 2012
The 5 year old might enjoy the Seacoast Science Center.
posted by schoolgirl report at 6:34 AM on April 2, 2012
posted by schoolgirl report at 6:34 AM on April 2, 2012
Response by poster: Thank you, everyone! Can't wait to check out all your great suggestions.
posted by hwickline at 8:13 AM on April 2, 2012
posted by hwickline at 8:13 AM on April 2, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Review here: http://offbeateats.org/2010/07/latitudes-restaurant-new-castle-nh/
As far as things to do.... Well, swim. Go to Portsmouth. Consider taking one of the boats out to see the Isle of Shoals. The Strawbery Banke Museum is pretty neat if you like historical stuff. Go see the USS Albacore (old submarine).
posted by kaszeta at 1:05 PM on April 1, 2012