Lake Winnipesaukee has a remarkable name. in line with a legend, Lake Winnipesaukee got its name as “the smile of the Good Spirit” because of two Native Americans’ love. Although many have debated over the particular meaning of Winnipesaukee, one among those is Chandler E. Potter. In his 1856 book, History of Manchester, Winnipesaukee translates meaning as “Beautiful Water in a High Place.” He elucidates that Winnepesaukee comes from “Winne” (beautiful), “Nipe” (water), “Kees” (high), and “Auke” (a place), meaning literally, “the beautiful water of the high place.”
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. out of the Lakes Region’s 273 water bodies in New Hampshire. Having small to large around 258 (habitable) islands, with the water covering 72 square miles. Sitting under the foothills of the White Mountains range, the realm of 186 square kilometers offers beautiful sceneries, towns and lakeside villages, different fun activities. Its beautiful sandy beaches, hotels which serve delicious food and seasonal activities are enjoyable. In spring, you’ll be able to opt for maple sugar tasting; in summers, you’ll be able to enjoy water activities and sports; within winter, you’ll be able to choose ice-fishing and skiing, and in autumn; you’ll see the gorgeous golden fall foliage.
1. Places to See:
- Laconia
- Gilford
- Gunstock
- Weirs beach
- Wolfeboro
- Meredith
- Center Harbor
- Alton Bay
- Moultonborough
Around 40 communities are residing within the region. Highlights include majestic views, fun activities, and more than 40 celebrity concerts, an award-winning venue. In 2020, the concert had Luke Bryan, Dave Matthews Band, The Zac Brown Band, and more.
1. Laconia
Laconia is between two lakes; Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam or Squaw Lake. Laconia encompasses the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each year, within June, starting on the Saturday of the weekend before Father’s Day and ending on Father’s Day, the town hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, mostly referred to as Bike Week. It’s one of the biggest rallies. Every year in the winter, the Laconia World Championship sled dog Derby. Laconia has been the place for the state’s annual Pumpkin Festival since 2015 and is the homeland of Lakes Region college. You may visit the antique center in Laconia, Belknap Mill Society Museum, Gale Memorial Library, Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society Museum, Robbie Mills Field (home of the Laconia Muskrats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League), Weirs Beach, New Hampshire. Moreover, you can go for adventures like a zip line and high rope operations in Laconia and Gilford.
2. Gilford
Gilford is one of the Shaker villages in Canterbury. Gilford could also be a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire. U.S. Gilford is situated on Lake Winnipesaukee and is home to Governors Island, Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap West Virginia Forest, Gunstock Mountain resort, and Bank of the latest Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook, a seasonal outdoor concert venue. The lakeshore village of Glendale lies within Gilford’s borders. The official City Sports of Gilford is Apple Lobbying Teams: also referred to as Abdominal Apples / Golden Mitts. An apple is placed on a wooden spear; the apple is to be flung off the spear’s tip with extreme force. The batter must hit the apple with a bat made out of an apple tree’s branch. The points are awarded by a panel of judges, usually on how accurate Apple’s slicing is. The town champs are the Abdominal Apples.
3. Gunstock
Gunstock is situated to the north of Belknap Mountain (second highest peak within the Belknap Mountains of central New Hampshire) offers off-road Segway tours. Gunstock is New Hampshire’s closest major ski area with magnificent Lake Winnipesaukee views, perfect for a family fun vacation or weekend getaway for a couple. Enjoy the best of the latest Hampshire where you’ll Ski, Snowboard, Tube, race Ski, or Snowshoe on race trails; try Mountain Coaster. And when you’re done, the Lakes Region offers great dining, lodging, and entertainment experience.
4. Weirs Beach
Weirs Beach is on the Southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee and within Laconia’s northern area in Belknap County, proffer boardwalks, and water slide. During the motorcycle season in June, many bikers visit here. It is popular among bikers. The cruise liner, Mount Washington, ends here. This cruise offers glimpses of the encompassing areas of lake Winnipesaukee about Mount Washington. Weirs Beach is additionally home to the biggest games arcade in the world, Funspot. As of 12 January 2016, Funspot had 581 classic and new games on over three floors and was founded by Bob Lawton in 1952.
5. Wolfeboro
A town of Carroll County, Wolfeboro, is a vacation spot situated beside lake Winnipesaukee. It’s America’s oldest summer resort. The stunning homes and croquet clubs add up to the elegance of Wolfeboro. The Black Paper Store and novelty shop in Wolfeboro could be a great choice for food and drinks. They also keep fine gifts to sell there. Some places must see- Clark House (1778), Libby Museum, Monitor Engine Company Firehouse, MS Mount Washington, New Hampshire Boat Museum, and Pleasant Valley Schoolhouse (c. 1805), Wright Museum of WWII History, and Wolfeboro Library Postcard Archive.
6. Meredith
Meredith is in Belknap County, a 45-minute drive north of the capital of Concord. Diners and cafés in Meredith offer simple yet opulent food, paired with freshly caught fish, which is often a decent choice. There are many hotels where you could stay. One of the finest is Mills Falls at the Lake, Tuckernuck Inn, and the Nutmeg Inn. In Meredith, you’ll be able to do plenty of activities, which include Manchester Scavenger Hunt, City Scavenger Hunts by Operation City Quest, Survival Challenge by Zombie Scavengers of the New Hampshire, Wacky Walks Scavenger Hunt Adventure, Concord Scavenger Hunt, Maine- Lighthouses, lobsters and landscapes, Kancamagus Scenic Highway Self-Driving Tour, Winery Tour, so on.
7. Center Harbor
Fireworks at the center harbor
Center Harbor takes place as a town situated in Belknap County, New Hampshire, U.S. Center Harbor is located between the two lakes, Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake. The town name comes from two sources: its geographical place, centered between Meredith and Moultonborough harbors, and the Senter family, who owned a colossal property in the surrounding area. The town was a terminal for lake steamers and stagecoaches, making it a famous summer resort. Center Harbor was a favorite spot of John Greenleaf Whittier and also the home of Dudley Leavitt, author of The First Farmers’ Almanac in 1797. Center Harbor exists as the winter home of the paddle-steamship MS Mount Washington, the hugest boat on Lake Winnipesaukee. Center Harbor witnessed the earliest intercollegiate sporting event of the U.S., as Harvard University defeated Yale University by two lengths in the first Harvard–Yale Regatta on the third of August, 1852 on Lake Winnipesaukee. Center Harbor hosts a 4th of July celebration with a road race (including a children’s race around the library), parade, band concert, and fireworks over the lake. The middle Harbor Town Band, founded in 1878, offers free concerts on Fridays within the summer. Within the winter, the town may be a halt for snowmobile enthusiasts.
8. Alton Bay
Alton Bay is located on the Alton Bay, a 6 km long cove of Lake Winnipesaukee, which forms the lake’s southernmost point. The village is a component of the Lakes Region, a well-liked resort area of New Hampshire. Alton Bay is home to the Alton Bay Christian conference center, a Christian retreat center, and campground organized in 1863 (as the Parousia camp meeting and integrated into the guise of Alton Bay camp meeting Association in 1876). It continues its year-round ministry by arranging retreat groups, summer camps, concerts, speakers, and summer residents (who live there and participate during the services of the Association).
The village features a separate postal code (03810) from the remainder of the town of Alton.
9. Moultonborough
Moultonborough is circumscribed largely by Lake Winnipesaukee to the southwest and, to a lesser extent, by Squam Lake to the northwest. Moultonborough is most famous for the Castle in the Clouds estate.
It is a mansion with sixteen rooms and a 5,500-acre mountain top estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. It’s opened seasonally to the general public by the Castle Preservation Society. Castle in the Clouds glosses over the Lake Winnipesaukee and also the Ossipee Mountains from a rocky outcropping of Lee Mountain formerly called “The Crow’s Nest.”
The Castle was constructed in 1913-1914 in the Craftsman style by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant (1859-1941) for his second wife, Olive Cornelia Dewey. He named the estate Lucknow, probably after the town of Lucknow in India.
The property was sewed up from the private Ossipee Mountain Park; an observation area called the crow’s nest, and a range of other lodges and buildings. He demolished the structures and built the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouses, a greenhouse, farm buildings, and a golf link. The property eventually extended to 6,300 acres.
Apart from Castle in the Clouds, you may enjoy other activities in Moultonborough such as visiting the Loon Center, Angelic Farm, Casual Cape, Riding in the Clouds, Red hills provisions, Trexler’s Marina, Ridgewood country club, The Glass Knob, Holland Hall Studio, Holland Hall Fitness and Yoga Studio, Paradise falls mini golf and many more. The Old Country store of Moultonborough has been standing since 1781.
2. Shopping
Shops and market around Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
The nearby town of Tilton offers the Tanger Outlet center with more than 50 big brand stores. Mill Falls Market offers unique shopping and dining experience. The Mills Falls Marketplace presents 9 prodigious shops, 3 idiosyncratic dining options throughout the hotel, brick walkways, flower gardens, a 40-foot waterfall, and views of Lake Winnipesaukee.
3. Cruise and Boat Rentals:
Boats and cruises, Weirs beach
The 150 kilometers long Lakes region tour scenic drive sails around Lake Winnipesaukee and passes through most towns. You can take a dinner cruise or pick boat rentals and see yourself why this lake is termed as the most majestic in New England, or charter a boat and head to go to one amongst the biggest islands on the lake for hiking or picnicking.
Swimming may also be done in the summer when the water temperature levitates between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius. You’ll find salmon, trout, bass, pickerel, perch, and several other species while fishing. The lake is also a family relaxation spot in winter when ice fishing and ice boating are favored.
4. Nature and the Outdoors
You’ll find different species of birds around the Winnipesaukee
It can be enjoyed at best in cold or warm weather. When it’s a decent weather condition outside, take yourself off to one of the three major nature preserves lying in the area: Loon Preservation Center and Markus Wildlife Sanctuary, Stonedam Island, or Knights Pond. Get informed about flora and fauna of the Lakes Region at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness. Visit the beach of Ellacoya State Park in Gilford. Go on trekking or hiking and witness the excellent view of the Lake Winnipesaukee at Belknap Mountain, Mount Major, West Rattlesnake Mountain, Red Hill, or Abenaki Tower. When the snow starts stockpiling, go snowmobiling, Ice-skating, or cross-country skiing. Several of the best downhill ski areas include Gunstock, Loon, and Attitash mountain resorts.
5. Food and Drinks:
Restaurants nearby the Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
There are tons of restaurants near Lake Winnipesaukee. a number of the famous include Bailey’s Bubble, Downtown Grille Cafe LLC, Patrick’s Pub & Eatery, Seven Suns, Kellerhaus, Nolan’s Brick Oven Bistro, Full Belli Delli, Ellacoya Barn & Grille, La Boca Bakery, Yum Yum Shop, Stillwell’s Ice-cream, Straw Cellar Fudge, and plenty of such. The hotels and dinings offering views next to the lake are Lago and Shibleys. Antony’s bay is over the water on the Winnipesaukee pier, and Castle in The Clouds offers an excellent lake view.
Winter can be enjoyed with snow-sports and other activities.
One of the famous towns rounds the lake Winnipesaukee are Laconia, Meredith, Gilford, Center Harbor, Alton Bay, Wolfeboro, and more.
If you’re planning a visit to Lake Winnipesaukee, you’ve got tons of places to visit and fun things to try. Enjoy the natural beauty, waters and mountains, lakes, islands, towns, and revel in shopping around the Mill Falls Marketplace
. And did I tell you? New Hampshire is just one amongst four states freed from sales tax, which makes buying gifts, getting some random accessories for yourself, or stocking souvenirs to recollect your Lakes Region getaway easier than ever for you. You’ll find gifts made by local artisans, beautiful artworks, craftwork, handmade chocolates, and everything from named brand shops to unique boutiques; the alternatives are countless.
Also read The Story of Dunkin Donuts.
Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma