Deciding on a summer vacation...

[sorourke]

Hello folks-

My family and I are deciding on where to take our family vacation this summer and Lake Winnipesaukee is one of our top three choices. However, I've never been there before and I hope that some Lake Winnipesaukee regulars could help us make our decision.

We are possibly coming for a week in mid-August. We are a family of four (Mom, Dad, our 4 1/2 year old daughter and our 3 year old son). Can you tell me what kinds of things we should know about the area to clinch the deal and decide to book a vacation in Lake Winnipesaukee over going to Cape Cod or Cape May, NJ?

Thanks in advance.

[Cal]

If you're a boater , there's a bunch of places to go such as different towns all with free docking. Lots of places to eat (by boat). You have fresh water as apposed to nasty salt water :)
Cape May and the rest of the Jersey shore is pricing itself out of the market for vacations recently. Most accomodations (not all) are over priced when compared to other parts of the country. Trust me , I'm an hour and fifteen minutes from Cape May and I'll drive the 8 hours to the lake ;) . Except my wife is taking me to the Lobster House in Cape May for dinner next weekend for my birthday :liplick:

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Welcome to the forum Sorourke.
I was too young to really remember Cape Cod and I definitely adore the lake. It has a lot to offer. It is a great home base for many things to do in NH too. Lots within an hours drive. There are amusement type places for youngsters as well as nature type places that a family would like.
Would you rent a camp/house or go the hotel route?
Are you flying or driving? If it is a long way, which place is closer?
Do you have a boat?
Do you like to do things like hiking or do you like to veg out? Though I don't think you can with those ages! :laugh:
If you need some good links to things in New Hampshire, let me know. I have many favorite sites.
Good luck in your decision

[sorourke]

Thank you both for your kind welcomes, Cal and Rattlesnake Gal.

The distance from our place to Cape Cod, Cape May, or the Lakes region isn't likely to be a problem. We're about 5 hours from Cape Cod, 4 to 4.5 from the Lakes region, and 3.5 to Cape May. For kids the age of ours, all of them will be longish drives. But they have done trips of this length before with no trouble. Cal, your advice as a Jersey local is helpful. It's good to know that someone near Cape may recommends the Lake instead.

The kids love a beach vacation, but one concern I'd have about Lake Winni is finding a good sandy beach for sand play. The kids really enjoy playing on the beach as much as playing in the water. But the Lake does have the advantage of having no questionable surf. The kids are still small and tend to like smooth waters. For that reason, the Jersey shore is probably 3rd on the list. On Cape Cod, we'd have ocean, bay, and a nice lake in a nearby state park. We've stayed on Cape Cod before and really liked it, but we're wondering about trying someplace different (don't want to get in a vacation rut so early in their young lives).

We do enjoy outdoorsy stuff, like hitting nature trails and all. But hiking with a steeper gradient may be tough for the kids (and Mom and me, too). I can foresee them pooping out and me carrying everyone down up and down hills. As for boating, I'm game, but I'm by no means an old salt. I'd love to take the family rowing on the lake, but probably short jaunts rather than day long expeditions. We'd have to rent, as we don't own a boat, though.

We'd probably go the route of renting a house if we choose the Lake. I've started researching some rentals on line and they seem fine. We're not looking for four-star accommodations... just a nice home base to explore from, a place to breakfast to start the day and perhaps to dinner at night. Access to NESN would be good too, as I can't get Red Sox games here. :-)

I'm open to any and all recommendations. Family-friendly casual dining, which towns you'd recommend for our stay as central to most locations, good daytrip ideas within an hour or so, rental companies, etc. Feel free to send them to me via private message. I think this board has private message options, right? I don't want to clog the board with sites or chat about our vacation, if that would be inapproriate.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and kind assistance.

[luna]

I've been vacationing in Wolfeboro on Lake Winni since 1975 when I was a teenager. The last 5 years I have taken my children there. There is a wonderful beach called the Carry Beach on Forest road where the water is warm and shallow and it has a great beach for kids. I highly recommend Wolfeboro to you as a great, family -friendly town. The Cape has much to recommend it as well - great beaches on both "ponds" and the ocean, but it's very congested in the summer. I was in both places last summer and will go back to the lake before the cape again. It's been ages since I've been to Cape May, but I hear that it has a lot of quaint Victorian places to stay. My guess is it's crowded as well. The town of Wolfeboro gets crowded, but it's a polite crowd and when you are out of the town, you can certainly feel relaxed and enjoy the incredible scenery. Try any of the town realtors for rentals - the wolfeboro chamber of commerce has a website that will link you to them. Now is the time to reserve though - things get snatched up quickly! Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide.

[Frdxplorer]

I won't bother restating what people have already mentioned, but I just wanted to touch on your concern about the steep gradient trails. There are plenty of very leisurely natrure walks available in the White Mountains (about a 45 minute drive from the Lake). These walks actually have a great payoff as well. Many take you a short distance back to waterfalls or other neat natural creations. I will admit my bias, but I think the lake is the hands down best choice. I hope if you decide on the lake, you will become a regular here on the forum.

[trfour]

Just over the Long Island Bridge from the mainland at Trexler's Marina, Moultonboro Neck Road, there is a wonderful sandy beach on the right.
The prevailing Lake Winnipesaukee winds in summer keep the warm surface waters onshore there, just one of the very many great Beaches around this Awesome Lake!
Come on over, after spending your vacation here, you won't want to leave!

:) :) :) :)

[sorourke]

Thanks to all! You certainly do advocate well for your beloved Lake. Please feel free to continue posting names of places to visit, sights to see, places to eat, things to do, etc. We newbies appreciate the advice.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post a question about a particular location. Century 21 has advertised a nice house for rent in Moultonboro. It lists the community as Suissevale (the road is "Cannes"). The property has all the amenities we'd need, but I just wanted to see what you all might think about the location as a good spot for access to all areas. From what I can see on maps, it seems that this would leave us driving to both the eastern shore (Wolfeboro) and the western side (Weirs Beach, Meredith, etc.).

Is there a particular town you'd all recommend making a center of operations for our family of four, or is the area compact enough that we'd be able to easily get to wherever from wherever? Thanks again for all your help.

[Old Hubbard Rd]

I happen to think Meredith is centrally located!! It's quiet yet a quick ride to Weirs, restaurants, movies, hiking at Raddlesnake Mt & more!! Moultonboro(Suisvale) and Wolfboro are great although there very far from alot of activities. I happen to think that the Cape is way too crowded!! Good Luck.

[jeffk]

My lake property borders Suissevale. I like the area but there are very few activity centers right there. It's about 1/2 hour drive to either Meredith or Wolfeboro which are probably the 2 busiest towns on the lake. If you want to go to the mountains it's about an hour drive to North Conway which borders the National Forest and has a lot of shopping centers as well as restaurants. There are many good restaurants within 20 minutes of Suissevale, some pricey some more reasonable. During the summer it can be hard to get into restaurants on the weekends. Some take reservations, others don't. There's an airport with sightseeing flights about 5 minutes from Suissevalle if you like that kind of thing.
Suissevale is also a heavily developed community. There are lots of woods and the lots are spacious so you're not crowded but there are lots of people around. They have a beautiful common beach area (actually an island) with play areas for the kids. I don't know if renters have access to the beach. They just implemented a car registration for parking there because they were getting too many cars. However, you could walk down.
One negative for boating. Moultonboro is at the north end of the lake and navigation to the main part of the lake takes about 25 minutes. It's a absolutely beautiful area because the moutains are a backdrop to the lake but it does take a bit longer to get to other places from that part of the lake. One thing to be very sure of no matter where you are. Get a good map of the lake before you put your boat in and pay close attention to it. There are rocks in the most amazing places.
In general, if you want a go-go-go vacation it takes a bit longer to get started from Suissevale (although no place on the lake is more than about 50 minutes away). If you like a mix of activites and soaking up the scenery, Suissevale is a great area.

[phoenix]

see if you can rent in Far Echo Harbor. great beach and faces the broads and Gunstock. It is in Moultonboro down the neck road

[luna]

As I mentioned before, try to make Wolfeboro your base of your vacation. Houses along Winter Harbor and on Sewall Road are the best. The town has lots of places to eat and shop and the boating is great.

[ghfromaltonbay]

There is a book still available thru Amazon entitled "25 Walks in the Lakes Reg on" by Paul Blaisdell which gives some great hikes ranging from easy to moderate. The book is great because it tell you the degree of difficulty for each walk as well as directions, parking instructions and a great description of the trails and the vistas provided by each walk. If you visit www.visitnh.gov you can order a neat vacation guide with pictures of each of the regions in NH as well as guides to restaurants, lodging, and places of interest.

I you and the kids are interested in trains there are several scenic railroads in the area as well as a model train exhibit with hands on activities for children at the Klickety Klack Railroad in Wolfeboro Falls. There are usually 5 or 6 trains in a great set up and there are controls for the children to run them. This place was always a favorite with my nephews when they were elementary school age.

The Science Center in Holderness is also a great spot for nature study and animal exhibits. There are also several miniature golf and go-kart places as well as great places to go just for an ice cream such as the Kellerhaus in Weirs (an ice cream buffet). If you would like a list of good, kid friendly and casual dining spots, let us know. There are lots of great spots around the lake. A ride on the Mt. Washington (an approx. 3.5 hour tour) on a 230 foot boat gives you a good tour of the lake and its islands with a very informative commentary along the way. There is also a really neat general store that has been in business over 200 years in Moultonborough. It has penny candy, pickle barrels, and all kinds of neat stuff.

Most of these places can be viewed via the links in this website.

I think you'll enjoy the area no matter what your family's interests are. I've been at the lake each summer since 1959 and always find something new and fun to do.

[sorourke]

Thanks again. We've requested the vacation guide from visitnh.com and we're looking forward to gettting it. The hikes books sounds interesting as well.

All your suggestions sound good. As for the kid friendly place websites, those would be great! Please send them along or post them here.

Much appreciated, all!

[glennsteely]

My family has been Lake bound for generations, and we are an hour from the Jersey shore also. There is no comparison of the two different places.....first and foremost, the people. Next is the scenery. And last is the water quality. Your kids will love it, they all do, and people on the forum are correct, after you go, you wont want to leave. I think out of your choices, you are making the right one........

[camp guy]

I won't rehash the earlier threads, but I do agree with the point that Carry Beach on Forest Road in Wolfeboro is a great spot. It has life guards, bathrooms, ample parking, and is very family friendly. With children at the ages of yours, you will have to make your own fun. They are still a couple of years shy of being able to have fun climbing or touring. So, to this point, you might consider renting a pontoon boat, maybe 22', with port-a-potty, grill, and cooler space. This gives you the chance to cruise the Lake looking at what you want, while the little ones have space to play and sleep. Also, you can anchor right at Carry Beach with one of these. Just north of the Lakes region there are some attractions, Story Land, etc., which would be of interest to your children. Good Luck to You in your quest, but, as mentioned earlier, act soon, summer isn't that far away in the rental world.

[robjnh]

We have a place on Lake Winnisquam in Meredith. Our communnity is called Waldron Bay and IMO we have one of the nicest beaches around. I know perferred porperties has at least one house in the development the rent by the week (no this is not an add for my place, we don't rent. www.steveweeks.com (http://www.steveweeks.com) also has a lot of rentals in the area.

We have a 6,4, and 3 week old and love the area. Again IMO Winnisquam is a little less crowded if you want to rent a boat. I think you may find the rental prices a little better as well. What ever you choose, I am sure you will be back. Good Luck.

[Mr Port Jefferson]

As you can see from my name I live in Port Jefferson, Long Island - right on the Long Island Sound - I have been vacationing on the Lake for over 40 years. We rent a condo (alot of the old resorts have gone condo) in Gilford, near the Weirs and central to alot of resturants and activities. We rent at Yacht Club Vista - which is the old Saunders Bay Motel and Cottages. It is on the main road - Rt 11B - next to Misty Harbor.
I am sure that any Real Estate Agent that deals with rentals would be aware of it. We will be there the end of August.

If you are looking for more info etc. e-mail me at MrPortJeff@aol.com