The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is ripe with activity and adventure all year round. Summertime is the right time for hiking, biking, swimming, and more. Enjoy the thrill of lift-access mountain biking, a refreshing dip in the water at the beach, a summer stock professional musical or play and then wind things down and watch the mail being delivered from the mailboat while enjoying the scenery from the comfort of a guided cruise. Here are some fun and interesting things to do this summer on Lake Winnipesaukee.
Hike Mt. Major: Stretch your legs and enjoy a birds-eye view of Lake Winnipesaukee with a hike to the summit of Mt. Major in Alton. There are several trails that reach the 1,785 foot summit. Main Trail (Mt. Major Trail) is 1.5 miles and the steepest route. You can start on Main Trail and connect to Brook Trail for a 1.8 mile hike to the summit: the route is longer but less steep. Boulder Loop Trail is a 1.6 mile hike to the summit and a very popular route. For a longer day hike you can start on Boulder Loop Trail and pick up Beaver Pond Trail for a 2.6 mile hike to the summit of Mt. Major by way of Straightback Mountain (a beautiful hike complete with blueberries in the summer). The parking lot is plowed during the winter so you can return for a more technical hike when the snow falls (remember your microspikes, snowshoes and the hiker's code). You will be better prepared for your winter hike by familiarizing yourself with the mountain trails in the summer. Hike on!
Castle in the Clouds: Visit the 1914 mansion and country estate of Tom and Olive Plant in Moultonborough. You can tour the mansion, enjoy a delicious lobster casserole in the restaurant, and peruse the shoe making exhibit “The Shoes that Built the Castle” in the exhibit gallery. The exhibit documents how the Plant's fortune was made in the shoe production industry. After you’ve learned the ins and outs of shoe production and filled your belly to your heart’s content with a delicious meal of lobster (baked in butter and sherry) you can enjoy another delightful hike. There are 28 miles of hiking trails accessible from the estate, ranging from casual walks to more challenging trails for the more experienced hiker. The Falls of Song waterfall is just a 0.1 mile hike from the road, and a great way to pique your interest in summertime hiking (especially if you are a waterfall lover).
Weirs Beach: Enjoy a postcard perfect summer boardwalk celebration in Laconia. Swimming is best enjoyed on the lake beach from the end of June to the end of August when water temps are in the 70ºs. After a cool and refreshing dip in the water, you can enjoy the arcades, bumper cars, and shopping with a walk along the boardwalk. Firework displays are scheduled throughout the summer, including a motorcycle week show in June. Laconia has been home to an annual motorcycle rally since 1916, which first started with an unofficial gathering of 150 riders. The AMA Gypsy Tour event has grown considerably and now attracts hundreds of thousands of bikers during the nine day rally. It is the third largest motorcycle rally in the United States.
Daytona Fun Park: If your younger household members are looking for a step up from the bumper cars on the boardwalk at Weirs Beach simply drive down the road (less than a mile) to this family-friendly fun park for a go kart race! There is also a high ropes adventure course, mini-golf, batting cages, and bumper boats.
Winnipesaukee Playhouse: Take in a show at his 200+ seat theater in Meredith. The playhouse features a professional summer stock season and community theater season. The theater opened its doors in 2004 in Weirs Beach and moved to Meredith in 2013. Lionel Bart’s OLIVER! (based on the 1838 novel by Charles Dickens) is a musical currently playing by the professional company Aug 18-Sept 3, 2022. Upcoming shows include The Conference of the Birds Sept 7-17, 2022, and Murder for Two Sept 21-Oct 9, 2022: both by the professional company. The community theater players will retake the stage in November with the tale of spies, murder, and love in a 1940’s style radio broadcast performance of Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play.
Highland Mountain Bike Park: Located a short 30+ mile drive south of Gilford is the perfect lift-access mountain bike adventure for beginners and experts alike. The bike park in Northfield has fifteen miles of trails on 600 vertical feet. The technical and freeride terrain areas are clearly marked with ratings from easier, more difficult, most difficult, to extremely difficult. Lessons and coaching are available, as well as summer camps, adult sessions, and women’s programs. The Highland Mountain Bike Park has been steadily building their dream and fostering a welcoming biking community for over 16 years. Bike on!
Deliver the Mail by Boat: You can slow things down a notch, after racing through the mountain trails at the bike park, by channeling your inner postal worker and watching the mail being delivered by boat on Lake Winnipesaukee. Mailboat cruises are offered on the Sophie C. (the oldest floating post office in the country). The cruise will give you a front row seat to the spectacle of delivering mail by boat to residents on a number of different islands on the lake. You will also be invited to write a postcard and mail it while on board (it will include a unique collectible cancellation stamp).
The team at Maxfield Real Estate looks forward to helping you find your perfect home while you explore the communities we represent. An adventure is waiting for you this summer, and every season of the year, when you choose to live in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Contact us today!
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