Hampton Beach: Here are new shops, eateries, shows and more you will see in 2023
HAMPTON — Fresh after being named one of America's top "classic beach boardwalks" by Country Living Magazine, Hampton Beach's famed boardwalk was bustling with activity last week in anticipation of the upcoming summer season.
"There is a ton of new stuff going on at Hampton Beach," said Tom McGuirk, owner of McGuirk's Restaurant. "It gets better and better every year. I have been here a long time. I've seen the ups and downs, and I think we have been on a constant up in the last few years."
Work crews could be seen at McGuirk's transforming the downstairs bar into an expanded kitchen with new bathrooms. It's one of several businesses on the boulevard getting a facelift this spring with Aces & Eights advertising it will soon unveil its new "expanded 14,000 square foot casino."
Blink's Fry Doe, the Casino Ballroom, and seasonal restaurants like the Sea Ketch, Boardwalk Inn & Cafe and the Green Room recently opened their doors for the season.
Bernie's Beach Bar will be joining them this week, partnering with L Street Tavern, The Goat, Pier and Wally's to kick off the summer season with a Cinco de Mayo Bar Crawl on May 5.
Hampton Beach Village District co-marketing director Lisa Martineau said the district, which puts on free nightly shows and weekly fireworks, said they have a slate of big events this summer, including the return of the Master Sand Sculpting Classic and Country Music Fest.
Here is a look at what's new at Hampton Beach in 2023:
Sand Sculpting Classic kicks off free events at Hampton Beach
The Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic kicks off the free events at the beach this summer with 10 of the best sand sculptors in the world competing for bragging rights and the first-place prize of $6,000.
Sculptors will have three days — eight hours each day — from June 15-17 to create masterpieces using only sand and water.
"What we are doing here in Hampton is actually creating a museum in the sand for a lot of folks who have never been to a museum in their lives," said Greg Grady, who organizes the event put on by the Hampton Beach Village District. "It's truly museum-quality sculpture that we have out there and it’s all free."
Grady said the 10 sculptors competing this year are familiar faces including last year's winner Mélineige Beauregard.
Joining her are five-time World Champion sand sculptor Karen Fralich from Toronto; Justin Gordon, known for his 50-ton sand sculpture at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts; and Rusty Croft, of California, who is known as one of the “sand guys” on the Travel Channel’s television show “Sand Masters.”
Also back is Carl D. Jara, who has the distinction of competing in all 23 Hampton Beach events, and John Gowdy, who in 2018 created a sand sculpture for Pope Francis depicting the San Jose des Flores Parish, the pontiff's hometown church in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Grady said Gowdy is a sculptor to keep "an eye on."
"He's not always the most intricate sculptor but he does things for the people," Grady said.
This year's theme for the sponsor site is "Sands of Time."
"It's going to be a ‘Jurassic Park’ type theme and we are going to put the Old Man of the Mountain in there," said Grady, who noted it’s the 20th anniversary of the "great stone face" collapse from Cannon Mountain in Franconia.
Other returning events include Country Music Fest (July 11-13), Miss Hampton Beach (July 29-30), Polka Fest (Aug. 13) Children's Festival (Aug. 14-18) Hampton Beach Talent Competition (Aug. 25-27) and the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival (Sept. 8-10).
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The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom has a full slate of concerts this summer with 50 plus shows announced with 10 sell-outs so far, including Dylan Scott, Buddy Guy, Elvis Costello & the Imposters and Styx.
"Our schedule is really coming together to offer something for everyone," said Hampton Beach Casino marketing director Andrew Herrick. "We will be adding a ton of additional shows so it’s important to keep an eye on the website all year long. The one thing you can bet on at the Casino this summer is a hell of a good time."
Some of the highlights this summer include Kool & The Gang (May 11), Collective Soul (May 25), Badfish! A Tribute to Sublime (July 1), The Struts (July 12) and Joss Stone (Aug. 31)
Shows announced last week include Dark Desert Eagles (July 29), The Beach Boys (Aug. 2), Melissa Etheridge (Aug. 9), Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 30) and Jethro Tull (Oct. 27).
All information, show updates and ticket links can be found at CasinoBallroom.com.
The Ballroom isn't the only place bringing top acts to the beach.
Bernie's Beach Bar has already announced a slew of shows including Long Beach Dub Allstars (May 21); Jesse Royal (June 8); Wu-Tang legend GZA (performing all his tracks from Liquid Swords on June 22); Maddie and Tae (July 2); Pop 2000 Tour (featuring O-Town, Ryan Cabrera and hosted by NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick July 16); Ginuwine (Aug. 2); and Vanilla Ice (Aug. 3).
The Hampton Beach Village District will be offering free nightly entertainment on the Seashell Stage from 7 to 9:30 p.m. starting May 27, including July 13 when country star Chris Janson takes the stage to headline Country Fest.
Pay-by-phone parking at Hampton Beach
A new beach parking payment system is now in place, allowing visitors to pay for parking with their phones.
Visitors can use one of two mobile phone apps, ParkMobile and Park Smarter, to pay for parking by entering their license plate and payment information. They will no longer need to display a parking receipt on the dashboard of their vehicle and those using the apps will be allowed to add time to their existing parking spot while sitting on the beach or walking the boulevard.
"This ultimately saves time for our visitors, giving them more time to enjoy our gorgeous Seacoast state parks,” said Brian Wilson, director of the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation.
The parking payment kiosks — located at crosswalks, near beach entrances, or on the east side of the center lots — are still available for those who want to pay that way.
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The pay stations accept paper money as well as credit and debit cards (American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover). Parking costs $3 per hour from May 1 to Sept. 30. The meters are in operation from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
McGuirk's abandons basement bar
The McGuirk's Restaurant basement bar is no more.
"We have abandoned the basement bar," said owner Tom McGuirk. "That style bar unfortunately has gone out of style, and I would say in the last 10 years we have seen a dramatic decrease in people who want to be inside basement bars. Ever since Bernie's opened basically."
Instead, McGuirk said they are using the space to expand the kitchen and add additional bathrooms for both McGurk's and his outside bar next door Post 8.
"In order to keep up with what is necessary today, we need to do the kitchen and the bathrooms over," he said.
McGuirk said they have basically outgrown the kitchen and the bathrooms were undersized.
"We are making them the proper size, making them more modern and spacious," he said. "Contrary to conventional wisdom, we took away a revenue center to make sure the entire operation works a little bit better."
McGuirk's opened the outdoor cabana bar next door known as Post 8, named after the lifeguard post on the sand across Ocean Boulevard, in 2019.
At the time, he promoted it as "Bernie's for old people," saying it will offer a similar outdoor feel for an older crowd.
McGuirk's and Post 8 opens for the season on May 19.
Aces & Eights Casino expanding
Aces & Eights Casino, located inside the Hampton Beach Casino, will soon unveil a 14,000-square-foot expansion, taking over what was formerly BAD BRGR and other stores.
Named after the two-pair poker hand known as the "Dead Man's Hand," Aces & Eights offers New Hampshire Hold-em, Blackjack, Criss Cross Poker, Boston 7, Poker, Keno and more.
The other charitable gaming spot at Hampton Beach is also expanding.
Ocean Gaming Casino, located at 81 Ocean Blvd., recently received approval to take over the last remaining storefront on the first floor. Once completed, the entire building will be dedicated to charitable gaming.
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New owners at Royal Crest Motor Lodge, Windjammer by the Sea
Two well-known hotels at Hampton Beach are under new ownership.
The Royal Crest Motor Lodge at 96 Ashworth Ave. has been undergoing renovations since owner Sam Shaikh and his family bought the hotel in March 2022.
Shaikh said the 2023 season will see more than twice the number of rooms available as last year with improvements like brand new flooring, headboards and furniture.
“Brand new, pretty much, from top to bottom,” Shaikh said of the improvements.
Also under new ownership is the Windjammer by the Sea.
Alex Choquette, who bought the hotel 935 Ocean Blvd. last October, said he is painting and cleaning the Windjammer in hopes of having it ready for the 2023 season.
“The goal is to be open,” Choquette said.
The hotel was last owned by Anne and Richard Pouliot, who sold it to Choquette at an auction for $2.5 million. It was previously known as the Homestead and was built by John Elkins circa 1800, according to the Windjammer’s website.
Anne Pouliot said last fall that she has loved running the Windjammer for the last 28 years but that it was time to retire.
The Little Mermen: The ultimate Disney cover band
A Disney rock cover band? It exists and they are coming to the Seashell Stage on Aug. 20 for a free show.
The Little Mermen play all the Disney hits, from "The Jungle Book" to "The Lion King," and even "Frozen" and "Encanto."
The group was founded by singer-songwriter Alexis Babini and promises to "rock your Disney World."
The New York City-based group reimagines classic Disney songs in the style of rock and roll while in full costume.
Other notable shows on the Seashell Stage this summer include Scott Brown and the Diplomats, led by the former U.S. senator and U.S. ambassador (July 9), LoVeSexy, a tribute to the music of Prince (July 26), and Tru Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute band (Aug. 6).
The Big Bad is coming to Hampton Beach
The Big Bad Food Truck is bringing its brand of cookout-style favorites to Ashworth Avenue this summer as owners Ben and Molly St. Jeanne open its first storefront.
The Big Bad is slated to open at 41 Ashworth Avenue in early June, according to Molly St. Jeanne, offering a menu of burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, jumbo dogs and “Baddie Fries.” The store will be a walkup counter-style eatery with outdoor seating and picnic tables.
The St. Jeannes have been running the Big Bad Food Truck since 2021. Ben St. Jeanne previously served as executive chef job at Mombo.
“We’re excited to expand our business and bring our unique twists on classic cookout favorites to our hometown,” Molly St. Jeanne said.
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Patriot's Corner sold, Ron's Landing property for sale and more
A number of beach properties are on the market or recently sold.
Patriot's Corner, home to Coffee Break Café and Patriot’s Corner Grocery and Gas Station, is currently under the agreement to be sold and will operate as is this summer.
On the market is the now-closed Ron's Landing. While a sale was almost completed last summer, the deal fell through. The 6,098-square-foot property is listed at $2.495 million and includes just under 81 feet of frontage along Ocean Boulevard, as well as unobstructed views of the water.
The former site of the old bridge convenience store and deli at the South entrance of Hampton Beach has been completely renovated "from the studs in" and is now available for lease.
The property is owned by Rick Smith and is listed via Tom McGuirk, of McGuirk Properties.
"The amount of work they put into that building is incredible," McGuirk said.
McGuirk said the space is ideal for a restaurant or retail location.
"We are actively looking for a tenant, McGuirk said. "We are also being aware of putting the right people in."
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach 2023: New shops, eateries, shows and more
