Lake Winnipesaukee
 

My husband's family vacationed at Lake Winnipesaukee 65 years ago. Things have changed since he was a lad, so we are looking for advice on which area of the lake to spend a few days in late Aug/early Sept. We want a quiet, lake-front location with easy access to pleasant walks and perhaps boat/kayak rentals. In terms of accommodation, we have a slight preference for self-catering, but a quiet, up-scale lodge or resort would also work. Would appreciate any advice from those who have visited the lake more recently than 1950. TIA.

Not the Weirs Beach area although it is fun to visit plus you can watch the parade of boats coming from marinas under the bridge and into the big lake. There's a lot of motorboat and jet skis traffic on the lake. Friends who used to live in Wolfboro which is a much quieter area of the lake, canoed on a smaller lake nearby. Meredith and Wolfboro are also pleasant towns to explore and walk but Meredith is still a busy area on the lake. We chose to rent a cottage on Lake Winnisquam but then we weren't close to many restaurants and shops. When you look for a rental cottage, double-check access to the water. We had a steep set of stairs to a tiny beach. Winnipesaukee is a day trip for us but we prefer to visit during off peak times. For example, we stopped going to the Tamarack take-out restaurant which is north of the Weirs. We went back and thought the food was still good but it's located on a busy corner where cars and motorcycles tend to rev their engines. I told DH I didn't want to go back and this was in May (not last week's motorcycle week).

The really good kayaking seems to be on small, quiet lakes like Hermit Lake in Sanbornton but there isn't any rentals places nearby. The small lakes are where you might see loons and more birds. Years ago we did the pontoon boat trip to see loons on Squam Lake and hope to take the grandkids this year. The boat trips are offered by Squam Lake Science Center in Holderness. Squam is near Lake W but much quieter and if you could find lodging there, I think you would like it better. It's close enough for a late afternoon visit to Meredith shops and restaurants.

Friends' parents used to live year round on Moultonborough Neck (Lake W) which is also a quieter area of the lake but our friend still used to complain about the noise of jet skis. We visited a few times and at least there was less big motorboat traffic. Hope someone can give you recent lodging recommendations. If not, I would vote for Wolfboro. It's also in the area that's an easy drive to North Conway.

Thanks!
 

Dfrost - Many thanks for comprehensive and very useful info.

Hi I am just seeing this. I also vacationed on Lake Winnipesaukee as a child from the late 60s to the late 70s. We stayed at the Piping Rock cottages in Wolfeboro.
Piping Rock Resort | Four Seasons Family Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee
Wolfeboro was a small town which kept all chain restaurants and such out of the town. I think it is still a quaint town although haven't been back since the early 90s. Piping rock were cottages with kitchens and such. I don't remember them being upscale but they were nice and are now privately owned. The Wolfeboro Inn is a beautiful inn with good food.
Lake Winnipesaukee Hotels | Wolfeboro Inn | NH
If you go to Wolfeboro, there used to be an ice cream place called Baileys and it was all home-made ice creams. They were delicious.
Wolfeboro was the best memories of my childhood.