Hampton Beach: TV show puts spotlight on outdoor recreation from surfing to parasailing

HAMPTON — Tom Richardson is discovering there is more to Hampton Beach than sunbathing and bar hopping. You just have to go looking for it.

Richardson, the host of the show “Explore New England,” has been surfing with Cinnamon Rainbows, on a charter boat with Al Gauron’s Deep Sea Fishing and is preparing this month to go on the marsh with Hampton Beach Parasail and Paddleboard. The footage will appear in an episode of the show that will air this October on NESN, showcasing Hampton Beach’s outdoor recreational options.

“There’s a natural side to Hampton Beach,” said Richardson, who is currently finishing the third season of “Explore New England.” New episodes will be on NESN Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. starting Oct. 2.  The Hampton Beach episode is slated for Oct. 30.

The episode was funded by the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hampton Beach Village District, who worked with a state grant program to cover the approximately $15,000 cost, according to chamber President John Nyhan. The chamber and Village District split $7,500, which then was matched by the state grant.

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Richardson, who previously was editor of the outdoor magazine Saltwater Sportsman, launched “Explore New England” in 2017 with a focus on year-round outdoor recreational activity. He said he works with experienced cameramen who use top of the line gear, including drones, to make his episodes the best-looking possible.

Richardson buys time on NESN to play his content for half-hour blocks, and the show also gets repeat air time on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and on NESN+. On YouTube, the show’s episodes have seen as many as 27,000 views.

Richardson reached out to Nyhan at the chamber about showcasing Hampton Beach and was met with great interest.

“A lot of people think about it as just a nightlife place, or a place to hang out at the beach and party,” Richardson said. “They (the chamber and Village District) wanted to make sure that other people were aware that there are natural things to do.”

Showing a different side of Hampton Beach

Nyhan said he hopes the investment will help attract day-trippers. While the beach saw hotels booked solid and a boost from the return of the Canadian tourists, he said families coming down for the day seemed lacking this year.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that, on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you could drive down Ashworth Avenue, turn around, go down Ocean Boulevard (without traffic),” Nyhan said. “That was very noticeable.”

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Nyhan is hopeful the spotlight on recreation will remind people of the number of things to do at Hampton Beach that get overshadowed by attractions like the Casino Ballroom or the many restaurants. He said the plan is for the episode to air in October so tourists can see what the beach offers and get excited for Hampton in 2023.

“We saw it as a great opportunity to sell Hampton and all of the things that we have to offer,” Nyhan said.

The show also will showcase Hampton Beach State Park, which operates a popular RV park at the southern end of the beach. At North Beach, Richardson got up on the surfboard with Cinnamon Rainbows owner Dave Cropper despite the waves being very small. After a trip deep sea fishing with Al Gauron’s, Richardson interviewed Angel and April Gauron Eaton, about running the family business and the challenges they have faced due to federal regulations on fishing.

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Reinventing Hampton Beach?

The beach’s main tourist section saw a renaissance of improvements since the start of the 21st century, as the town, state and business owners have made upgrades to the infrastructure, State Parks facilities and private properties. It has also seen some recreational activities fade away with time.

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The classic Hampton Beach shooting gallery was lost in a fire at the Casino, while the water slide on D Street was taken down last year. The beach still has Buc’s Lagoon mini golf, but Tom McGuirk, who owns McGuirk’s Ocean View, said he recalls when the beach had a bowling alley, two different movie theaters and mini golf in the Casino.

McGuirk said promoting outdoor recreational activities showcases a small pocket of what Hampton offers.

He said Hampton is historically a blue-collar vacation beach known for its carnival atmosphere. He said the beach still needs more family activities, and he believes activities like stand-up paddle boarding may be more for individuals and people in their 20s and 30s.

“We’re putting out two different vibes about ourselves. We’re not the healthiest place on the planet. We are definitely not Santa Monica,” McGuirk said. “Marketing for that type of stuff is great and all, but it really is going against our brand.”

Craig Shreck said that is not what he has seen running his parasailing and paddleboard business at Hampton Beach for the last 10 years. He said grandparents will come prepared to watch their young family members go up for a daring adventure ride in the parasail, only to find the journey is quite gentle and doesn’t require getting wet. He said the chamber’s promotional work is showing tourists they have options if they want a break from frozen drinks or laying in the sun.

“It’s a different way to see the Seacoast,” Shreck said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach NH adventure: TV show NESN spotlights surfing, fishing, more