North of Boston Media Group sought out to find the top beach that readers in the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire love to visit.
Two beloved beaches tied in our poll, and here’s what makes them unique.
Hampton Beach
New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach has attracted thousands of vacationers and locals each year seeking entertainment and nostalgia. The Hampton Beach Village District formation in 1907 shaped the beach into what people know today, bringing electricity and waterworks to it for those vacationing along the Atlantic Ocean.
Entertainment and free events for families on every night of the week has made Hampton Beach unique for vacationers looking for an escape — usually one within driving distance, said Hampton Beach Village District Chair and Hampton Select Board member Chuck Rage.
“Whether people are coming for a day, or four days, there is a lot to do in the area,” Rage said. “It’s the place to go and see free concerts and movies on the beach.”
Fireworks, different festivals and children’s activities are some of the free entertainment throughout the summer that makes for an affordable trip along the Hampton coastline.
Kids of all ages love to also spend the day in the arcade playing classic games, while oceanfront destinations like Bernie’s and McGuirk’s have become favorites among younger and older generations.
Rage owns the Pelham Resort Motel on Ocean Boulevard. He recalled people checking in for a night, or a week, and needing to find the perfect fried dough off the bat that they would eat every day for the rest of their stay.
One of his favorite things to do on a summer night is get out on the porch and people-watch.
He said he’s watched as Hampton Beach has become a place where people get together with their “summer family.” He knows of a group that meets at the beach and the members wait all year to see each other. The group sets its vacation for the same week and will do things like air hockey competitions.
Hampton Beach has also maintained a five-star water quality that makes it safe for visitors, Rage said, and its shoreline has some of the softest sand around compared to other rockier locations.
“The sand is just beautiful,” Rage said.
Salisbury Beach
A few miles down the road and over the border in Massachusetts, Salisbury Beach is just as unique, with distinct features that has crowds coming back year after year.
Salisbury Beach was purchased by the state in 1933 and developed to ensure public access to the ocean.
For Paul Descoteaux, operator of the Salisbury Beach Carousel and a Salisbury Beach Partnership member, there’s one sight at the beach setting it apart besides its four miles of pristine shoreline.
“First and foremost, we have a 1909 carousel,” Descoteaux said. He has operated the nonprofit carousel for two-and-a-half years.
Descoteaux is a Nashua, New Hampshire, native, but Salisbury was his family’s summer destination.
The four miles of beach has been something he’s enjoyed for more than five decades. His family purchased property in Salisbury in 1974, which he said gave him the opportunity to enjoy the beach at a young age.
The Salisbury Beach Carousel on Broadway is at the center of all the action, surrounded by the boardwalk and staples like Tripoli Pizza, Cristy’s Pizza, Joe’s Playland, the Salisbury Discount House. The carousel is housed in a pavilion in the center of Salisbury Beach.
Visitors are a few steps away from the ocean when they take a spin on one of the antique, hand-carved horses. The beauty of Salisbury Beach is that everything is within an easy walking distance, Descoteaux said.
There’s something for everyone from beach pizza to upscale dining at Seaglass Restaurant and Lounge, to entertainment with an ocean view backdrop at the Blue Ocean Music Hall or at the Oceanfront Stage.
The Salisbury Beach Partnership stages the beach’s fireworks and outdoor concert series on different nights of the week throughout the summer. Descoteaux said the goal has been to expand offerings each year.
“It’s still evolving and achieving the potential that it certainly has,” he said about Salisbury’s future.
It’s not uncommon for visitors who catch a wedding on the weekend to see the bride and groom escape the reception for a ride on the carousel, or some games at Joe’s Playland, Descoteaux said.
The entertainment complex with the arcade on Broadway has been family-run for more than a century
“Where else can you get that?” he asked.