Carriegee

We're a family of four from London [kids age 14 and 8]. I'm planning our holiday for July with a week in a house with a lake view. I've narrowed my choice down to Moultonborough, Alton or Mirror Lake - does anyone have any advice, please? The first two houses seem to have others very close by while the Mirror Lake house has a private beach but is on the west-facing shore so no spectacular sunsets I'd think and I'd like to know if this is too too quiet. Also, is a week long enough or would we need 10 days for the area?

As we're flying all this way, I'm also thinking about spending a few days in New York, then taking the train to Boston for a few days and then driving to the lakes. Good idea or bad idea - we quite like cities?! All thoughts gratefully received!

Carriegee

Help, anyone?!

xxx30

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-ren...olfeboro/r6475

travelbuff

If you are planning on being in Boston or New York during your stay a week in NH should be fine and there will be lots to keep you busy if you would like or you can spend time just relaxing and there are several beach areas close by.

I've spent alot of time in the Meredith area which is right on the lake and there are some lovely shops and restaurants there, as well as outlet shopping close by. A well known restaurant in the area is Harts Turkey Farm for a nice family night dinner or lunch on the main road through Meredith.

I'd suggest getting a map of the area so you know distances and you have to have a car to get around.

The Weirs is a fun night out for the kids, and some evenings there are fireworks.

Just north of Meredith is Olde Man of the Mountain (although his face fell off recently), Indian Head and The Flume (good day trips). Also in Meredith you might want to stop by the Annalee Doll factory and pick up a treasure to take home. Annalee is really well known in New England (I can even find some here in NYC once in a while). They are also on ebay.

There are lots of books on New Hampshire, Fodors for example has them so pick up a book and pick some things you want to see.

Hope this helps a little.

Carriegee

Many thanks for the tips - have already spent quite a while looking at rentals!! Had read elsewhere that Meredith and Weirs get quite busy and crowded so wondered what Alton was like as there are two available houses there?

dfrostnh

The Weirs Beach area is on the southern part of the lake so it's the first place Rt 3 reaches the lake. There's a bridge over a channel that runs next to the public beach where there is a steady slow parade of boats entering from the marinas. The Weirs has arcades, train stop, dock for the Mt Washington, and other amusements. As you travel Rt 3, passing more amusement places like Fun Spot, you will arrive at Meredith which is more upscale but still a very busy area with large hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. Rt 3 continues around the lake but once past the traffic lights/stores of Meredith, traffic thins out a lot. By the time you get to Moultonborough it is much quieter. There are large neighborhoods of nice cottages, a maze of streets but it's much quieter. Rt 3 isn't close to the lake in this area. Moultonborough, Center Harbor or Wolfboro would be my choice of renting a cottage. Yes, the cottages may be close together. Some are vacation homes, some have been literally replaced by very luxurious year rond homes. Moultonborough isn't that far from the amusement areas and shopping but Wolfboro is on the northern side of the lake, closer to North Conway. Alton is on the east side of the lake and much quieter than the Meredith area. Again, you will find modest cottages and luxurious homes. Many cottages don't have beaches but a dock. The water may be shallow and still great for swimming. Without young children you don't really need a sandy beach/shallow water. We prefer a place with lots of shade, a screened porch (really important), and grass. We have rented on Lake Winnisquam which is south of Lake Winnipesaukee, much quieter with more rustic cottages. We have stayed with friends on Lake Winnipesaukee.
It's really hard to tell about a place until you actually see it. A friend with a house on the lake absolutely hates jet skis and wants absolute quiet.
If you like cities, a stop in NYC or Boston or both before your lake vacation would be ideal. A week can be long enough. The mountains are very close. There are big events taking place around the lake. The Weirs has a summer theater. There is summer theater also in Meredith at the high school. We have been to the rustic barn theater in Tamworth which would be an easy drive from Moultonborough. If you wanted outlet shopping Tilton Tanger Outlets is at exit 20/Rt 93. The exit for Meredith is Exit 23 (and then you would take Rt 3 to Moultonborough). I think the only disadvantage of the Moultonborough area would be small selection of restaurants. There are some but you would have more of a selection in the Meredith area. I don't mind cooking meals when we rent a cottage. The Red Hill Dairy has great fried seafood and lobster rolls. You also wouldn't be far from the Corner House in Center Sandwich. There's quite a lot to do in summer. I know there are free Sunday evening outdoor concerts in Tilton but there might be something much closer to Moultonborough.
If you hit a rainy spell and needed more to do, the small city of Concord NH is about an hour south via Rt 93. Nice downtown area with small shops. Interesting films at Red River Theater. Tour Canterbury Shaker Village (exit 18).

Carriegee

That's great advice - thank you so much. Apologies for appearing ignorant but why exactly is a screened porch so important? Is it because the weather can be unpredictable?

I've narrowed down my choice to a house on Mirror Lake in a private setting with grass and its own beach [and screened porch!] but it loses the sun at 2pm - shame as I do like the sound of those amazing sunsets. Or, a house in Moultonborough which does have western exposure, porch and shade of trees but is right on a small private beach with just that and a patio. Quite a few places I looked at were very shaded by trees but seemed very dark and dingy inside. Decisions, decisions!

Are there jet skis just on Winnipesaukee?

Many thanks in advance!

Jaya

The Lake Winnepesaukee area is beautiful, clean, and scenic. You will enjoy it very much. It is an active lake for boating, jet skiing, and swimming.

Be sure to take either a day or evening cruise on the M/S Mt. Washington. It will give you a terrific view of the area from the water vantage point. The evening cruises have dinner and music.

I also concur that a visit to the Canterbury Shaker Village is very worthwhile.

The reason for the screened porch is mosquitoes and black flies. If you want to sit out in the evening, they will attack you hence the need for the screens.

For more info go to www.nhmagazine.com.

Reply with questions.

dfrostnh

Carriegee, Jaya has already broken the bad news to you about bugs in NH. Black flies should be done with by late June but mosquitoes can be a problem. My niece and sister used to be 4-H camp counselors and many of the counselors came over from England. Some of the foreign counselors were very sensitive to bug bites. (4-H camp did not have screened porches!) During the day shouldn't be a problem but in the evening they can be bothersome even to a local. Any view at the lakes is usually nice. Winnipesaukee has some islands, there are mountains to the north. Well, you'll see when you get here!

Carriegee

Ah, hadn't realised at all about the mosquitos. Taking vitamin B several weeks before is meant to help. Hmm. hope this doesn't make my husband change his mind as he hates them! Thanks for the warning!

Jaya

They're mostly a nuisance if you are in or near wooded areas. Any spray repellant will help. I live in NH and just avoid being out in the evening or early morning without repellant. Obviously, a screened in porch makes enjoying the summer evenings delightful.

Certainly don't alter your trip here because of mosquitoes. They're not everywhere all the time.

Back to your original question, Boston is a really great city. The Brits settled there and if you take a tour you will recognize all the buildings built by the settlers with their British architecture.

New York City is much bigger than Boston and you could easily spend 4 to 5 days there.

If you focus on Boston, you can see Boston and some of the historical places near Boston.

A week in the Lake Winnipesaukee area is sufficient. Use the other days for Boston. On your way to or from NH to Boston, you can travel through the town of Portsmouth, NH. It's really pretty and has a lot of New England history to it. It's right on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

You'll get a kick out of all the English names of towns we have!!! They are either American Indian names (like Winnipesaukee) or English.

Carriegee

Thank you Jaya - what's your preference in terms of where to stay: Wolfeboro? Alton?Moultonborough? Lake Winnisquam? I'd be interested to know.

Jaya

I actually like the town of Meredith a lot - both its charm and location. It's a good location to get to other areas easily and has good access to route 93 which is the main highway in NH that you would use to get either north or south.

Wolfeboro is also nice, although I am less familiar with it. Alton is too out of the way. Moultonborough I don't know much about.

Lake Winnisquam is a small lake, but very pretty. I'd opt for Lake Winnipesaukee for location, size, and overall scenery though. I think if you're vising from overseas, Lake Winnisquam is too small. The action is in and around Lake Winnepesaukee.

Have you planned out your itinerary for NH? What you want to see and do each day? What kind of things do you all enjoy?

djkbooks

The closer you are to Wolfeboro or Meredith, the better, because there are many more dining opportunities and things to see/do in general.

Though it's not that far to "civilization", most towns around the lake are undeveloped retaining the "quiet vacation" atmosphere rather than turning all into tourist destinations.

All of you, especially the kids, may get bored silly after a couple of days, unless what you have in mind is a week of peace and quiet and family togetherness.

dfrostnh

If you want easy access and more activities/restaurants, Wolfeboro or Meredith. Moultonborough might be about 15 minutes away from Meredith. From Wolfboro, you can also travel to Portland Maine in about an hour 15 minutes. If you like speedboats and jetskis, choose the big lake. If you'd like to do kayaking, choose a quieter area with a lot of coves to explore. There are some smaller lakes around Wolfeboro. The kids would probably prefer Meredith and being closer to Funspot and the Weirs. If you want to do some day trips to the mountains, Meredith is close to Rt 93. Moultonboro is close to the Center Sandwich area, Wolfeboro is closer to the east side of the White Mountains (and North Conway outlet shopping). We have friends who live year round in Wolfeboro. It's quieter but still has a busy downtown area and shopping. They love to bicycle and kayak.
Mosquitoes won't be a problem during the day nor in shopping areas or when you go to a restaurant. They're not a problem when you are out on the water.
Keep in mind we're the jigsaw puzzle/no tv type of vacationers so we prefer quiet, rustic areas.

Carriegee

Wolfeboro has always been my preferred destination but I'm not finding it easy to find a place available that ticks the boxes of facing sunsets and having kayaks/canoes available! I think you need a New Hampshire license for boats and jetskis, so that's out of the question for us. Yes, it would be nice to go kayaking and be able to swim without risk of being mowed down by a speedboat - presumably the water is clean enough to swim in the bigger lake?

Many thanks everyone for all the useful advice - just need to find a place to stay!

Jaya

Boats and jetskis can be rented from several places around the lakes, therefore, you personally don't have any responsibility in the license. These craft are licensed by the owners who rent them.

The areas for swimming are off limits to the boats as the boats are not allowed so close to the beach areas.

Luckily, NH is very clean and you can swim in all of the lakes. The only time it's restricted is sometimes by late August some of the lakes have a high bacterial count, but there are signs posted. The State's Health Department monitors the quality of lake water during the summer.

Carriegee

Great, thanks.

We've now found somewhere we like in Alton Bay so have decided to fly to Boston the Saturday of the week before, stay there for a few days then find somewhere else to visit en route. That's my next task - gosh, this does take time!!!! Again, any tips of a place/places to stay for a few days gladly welcome - maybe on the coast?

djkbooks

Alton Bay is our favorite place on the lake to stay, especially for the scenery. There's little in the way of good dining - so you do have to travel for that.

No matter where you stay around/on the lake, be sure to find out the location and hours of grocery stores in advance - they're not as prevalent as you would presume.

It's only an hour and 45 minutes from Boston to Alton Bay. Do you have an extra week? Most rentals are Saturday-Saturday.

Any of the seaside destinations north of Boston and into New Hampshire and Maine are excellent spots to spend a few days or a week.

Carriegee

djkbooks, we will arrive in Boston a whole week before [probably fly from London on the Friday evening] so am thinking of staying in Boston until maybe Tuesday and then one or two places in between. A seaside destination would be be great [is the water is too cold for swimming?] Is there anywhere you'd recommend in particular? Someone has also suggested the White Mountains which sounds lovely but we're not hiking types, so maybe it's not for us! Also, as we spent two weeks driving from SF to LA last year, I think we'd prefer not to do too much driving this time.