The first hotels opened in Hampton in the middle of the 19th century, but the place didn’t really get hopping until the end of the century, when a trolley and casino opened up to lure new generations of vacationers. Since then, it’s been a nonstop slide to honky-tonk heaven, with loads of sticky seafood shacks and tacky souvenir shops lining the main boardwalk.

Hampton Beach is actually Hampton Beaches, with several separate stretches along the several miles of oceanfront. What people usually mean by the term, however, is the main beach along Route 1A, also known as The Strip.

In the heart of the madness sits the Hampton Seashell (Rte. 1A, 603/926-8717, www.hamptonbeach.org), an open-air amphitheater that plays host to annual events such as the Miss Hampton Pageant and Hampton Idol competition and also has restrooms and first aid for beachgoers.

Across from the bandstand is the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., 603/929-4100, www.casinoballroom.com), a historic building that was opened by a Boston businessman in 1899 in an effort to draw more tourists to the area, and continues to draw pop and rock performers for summer concerts. (The building does not, nor did it ever, contain a gambling casino. At the time it was built, the word was an exotic Italian sobriquet for a “social gathering place.”)

In both directions along the strip, the arcades and souvenir shops beckon with dubious charms. Despite its somewhat seedy appearance, the area is actually quite safe, with parents routinely dropping off their children for hours with a pocketful of quarters while they relax on the beach.