Regions: Lakes
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With 273 lakes and ponds, this region is aptly named. From the largest (Winnipesaukee, with 283 miles of shoreline and 274 habitable islands) to the smallest (Duncan Lake, 114 acres and once a favorite fishing spot of Grover Cleveland), year-round recreational opportunities abound on these lakes, including boating, swimming, cruises, ice skating, ice fishing and snowmobiling.
Each of the area's numerous villages has its own special flavor. The M/S Mount Washington offers daily cruises around the lake, and local marinas rent out boats of all sizes to those who want to explore the waters by themselves. Every summer, Laconia hosts Motorcycle Week, attracting more than 300,000 bikers from across the country. Laconia itself is an old mill town reborn. The Belknap Mill is the oldest unaltered brick textile mill in the United States. The Winnipesaukee River stretches past the Belknap Mill and joins the Pemigewasset River in Franklin, the birthplace of orator Daniel Webster, to form the Merrimack, a major travel route for natives and early settlers. The town of Meredith hosts an Ice Fishing Derby each winter. Collectible Annalee Dolls are manufactured in Meredith. The Gunstock Ski Area and Campground in Gilford offers trail riding, canoeing and other outdoor activities. Its neighbor, Meadowbrook Musical Arts Center, is the venue for concerts by nationally famous performers. Moultonborough's Old Country Store, built in 1777, stands as one of the oldest stores in the United States. The Castle in the Clouds a 5,200-acre residence that overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee was built in 1913 for shoemaking millionaire Thomas Gustave Plant. Another famous New Hampshire lake is Squam, where the academy award-winning film, On Golden Pond, was filmed in 1980. In Holderness is the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Newfound Lake to the west is known as the cleanest lake in New Hampshire. On the northern edge of the Lakes Region sits Plymouth, home to Plymouth State University, Tenney Mountain Ski Area and Polar Caves Park, a series of glacial caves and passages. Whether climbing the peak of one of the Ossipee Mountains or taking a dip in a local lake, there is always a breathtaking view to appreciate in the Lakes Region. These Points of Interests are entertaining or educational places that are geared toward children or fun for the whole family.
Funspot N.H. Rt. 3 Weirs Beach Ph: 603-366-4377 http://www.funspotnh.com Wright Museum of WWII history 77 Center Street Wolfeboro, NH 03894 Ph: 603-569-1212 http://wrightmuseum.org/ Polar Caves 705 Rumney Rte 25 Rumney, NH Ph: 800-273-1886 http://www.polarcaves.com Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm 58 Cleveland Hill Road Tamworth, NH 03886 Ph: 603-323-7591 http://www.remickmuseum.org/ Squam Lakes Natural Science Center 23 Science Center Road Holderness, NH 03245 Ph: 603-968-7194 http://www.nhnature.org/ Castle Springs N.H. Rt. 171 Moultonborough Ph: 603-476-2352 http://www.castlesprings.com  |
Region > What to Do
Region > Where to Eat / Where to Stay
Don't MissNH State InformationNH Regions: Dartmouth/ Sunapee | Great North Woods | Lakes | Merrimack | Monadnock | Seacoast | White Mountains |
