Have you ever wanted to try rowing? Do you have a teenager looking for a different type of sport or activity? Now is the best time of year to give it a try. Each year, on the first Saturday in June, rowing clubs across the country join with U.S. Rowing, a nonprofit membership organization and the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States, to celebrate National Learn to Row Day.
The goal of this initiative is for rowing clubs and teams to offer beginners in their community a fun introduction to rowing, providing basic instruction on equipment, technique, and safety. As a company founded by rowers for rowers, Rowing Pad is committed to championing our sport and its many benefits.
Here are some of the many reasons we love rowing!
- It’s a full-body, low-impact workout
- It’s an excellent activity for pre-teens and teens in search of a challenge and team spirit
- Likewise, rowing clubs are welcoming to new members of all ages
- Rowing is a year-round sport—check out the ergometers we use indoors and during winter training
- And it’s a wonderful connection to nature!
Many different types of rivers, lakes, bays, inlets, and more can be used for rowing. If you do a little research, you will likely find that a rowing club is operating somewhere not too far from your home! Rowing Pad’s home state of New Hampshire has a rich rowing heritage, with excellent high school and collegiate programs and beautiful waterways near the coast and nestled among the mountains.
Join National Learn to Row Day at a local rowing club near you
Many rowing clubs here participate in National Learn to Row Day each year. Below, we’ve compiled this list of regional Learn to Row events taking place June 6, 2026. Looking to row in another location? Use U.S. Rowing’s map (featured toward the bottom of the LTR site) to find a boat club near you and check out the offerings for new rowers.
Don’t miss this opportunity to try something new or to share your love for rowing with someone you think might enjoy it. Happy rowing to all for the 2026 Learn to Row season.
GREAT BAY ROWING CLUB (DOVER, NH)
Join Great Bay Rowing Club at Jackson’s Landing in Durham, New Hampshire, from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on June 6 for some free National Learn to Row Day programming. GBR coaches and athletes will give demonstrations and offer community members a chance to try rowing for themselves!
This wonderful non-profit local club, which rows on the Cocheco River, offers everything from learn-to-row summer camps and sculling classes for juniors (grades 6 through 12) and adults to summer training for college students to competitive racing for all ages and levels. It also has adaptive rowing equipment available. The positive energy at GBR will surely win you over—check out the Instagram account to catch up on their recent accomplishments, including a fourth time claiming the title of Granite State Sculling Championship Team Trophy Winners. [With our headquarters right nearby, Rowing Pad is proud to sponsor Great Bay Rowing.]
AMOSKEAG ROWING CLUB (HOOKSETT, NH)
Those along the northern reaches of the Merrimack River have a great rowing resource in the Amoskeag Rowing Club, which operates out of its boathouse in Hooksett. Its nice mix of rowing programs includes a youth rowing team and development team, college memberships, master’s refresher courses, plus a series of weekend coached technique clinics.
From 9 to 11 a.m. on June 6, you can stop by for an open house, tour of the facilities, and some instruction on rowing technique, then hop into a boat for a free on-water lesson. Who knows? You might want to sign up for one of the adult or junior learn-to-row sculling programs on the spot and find yourself participating in the annual Blue Heron Regatta come August. The club now offers discounts to residents or town employees of Hooksett, Pembroke, or Allenstown!
CONCORD CREW (CONCORD, NH)
To celebrate Learn to Row 2026, this nonprofit, competitive regional rowing team based on the Merrimack will be holding an open house for rowers of all ages. Concord Crew has a long tradition of teaching kids sweep oar and sculling technique, and it continues to evolve to keep up with local interest. The youth programming includes 3-4 week introductory sessions for middle school kids in grades 5-8, as well as offerings for older teens and adults—it keeps rowers busy through every season! Concord Crew Club Rowing is a newer competitive racing program aimed at young adults looking to continue their rowing careers post college or for collegiate athletes to train through their summer season.
Stop by on Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to take a tour of the Whittemore Boathouse (located at 15 Loudon Road), talk to the coaches, try out the rowing machines, and even head out on the water with some of the club’s experienced rowers and coxswains to get a feel for the sport.
GENTLE GIANT ROWING CLUB (SOMERVILLE, MA)
Gentle Giant Rowing Club operates out of the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, set along the Mystic River in Somerville, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. What’s the story behind the club’s name? Its title sponsor is Gentle Giant Moving Club, founded by a lifelong rower to bring the dedication and teamwork of sports to the moving industry.
Visit this not-for-profit organization on June 6 for a view into the community spirit, fun, and camaraderie that come with belonging to a local boat club. The Learn to Row programming runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the boathouse, with land rowing on the club’s rowing machines (“ergs”) and “tanking,” which means sitting in a boat in the water against the dock and practicing the stroke process. After newbies have “tanked,” they can get out on the river in the club’s barge or in one of the hulls with experienced rowers to take their first official strokes on the Mystic.
If you catch the rowing bug, you can sign up for GGRC’s great learn to row sweep and scull classes, among other excellent programming for adults, youth, and partnerships with nearby high schools. Want to be part of the rowing fun, but not sure about the actual…rowing part? Perhaps you could be a coxswain, a rowing team’s “coach in the boat.” GGRC even has a Learn to Cox program!
UPPER VALLEY ROWING FOUNDATION (HANOVER, NH)
Upper Valley Rowing Foundation is a non-profit organization that rows out of Kendal Riverfront Park along the Connecticut River between the towns of Hanover and Lyme in New Hampshire. Its mission is to connect the surrounding community with the sport of rowing through its programming and access to its beautiful home waterway. UVRF offers a range of programs for all ages and abilities including learn to row, competitive sculling, sweep rowing, plus winter training in the Dartmouth Alumni Gym tanks and a special, free rowing community for those living with cancer. The club shares this section of the 410-mile-long Connecticut River with the Dartmouth collegiate rowing team to the south and the Hanover High School rowing team to the north, so on any given day during the season you are sure to see plenty of high-level rowing up close and personal!
On June 6, come experience the uniquely placid waters here, where the Wilder Dam impounds the river just south of the Ledyard Bridge, creating a perfect place for rowing. Sign up for one of three hour-long sessions at Kendal park between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to partake in the official Learn to Row Day activities.
Stop by any of these wonderful clubs this Saturday and give rowing a try!
