America's Oldest Summer Resort Town Sits On The Shores Of An Underrated New Hampshire Lake
New Hampshire has plenty of quiet, serene mountain towns with trails, peaks, and wild beauty, but there's nothing quite like the charm of a historic lakeside town. One of New Hampshire's prettiest lakes, Lake Winnipesaukee, also the state's largest, is located in the lush, green foothills of the White Mountain range located further north. Flush with public areas and accessible activities like fishing, boating, hiking, biking, and even nature preserves, there is truly something to appeal to anyone who visits. Small beaches and inlets dot the shores of the 72-square-mile lake, along with quintessential New England towns.
The town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, known as the Jewel of Lake Winnipesaukee, is located in a part of New Hampshire that was once home to the Abenaki tribe until the mid-1700s. Wolfeboro's claim to fame as "The Oldest Summer Resort in America" dates all the way back to 1759, when it was named after British General James Wolfe and his victory against the French army in Quebec. Before the town was incorporated in 1770, New Hampshire's final British Governor, John Wentworth, built New England's first summer country estate called Kingswood (now known as the Wentworth House), which burned down in 1820. In the years that followed, the town became a farming community with apples and lumber being the biggest part of Wolfeboro's industry, and expanding to textiles, dairy, and manufacturing into the mid-1800s.
Hotels and accommodations in Wolfeboro have expanded significantly
After the turmoil of the Civil War, one of Wolfeboro's first major hotels, the Pavilion Hotel, opened in 1850. Soon afterward, railroad travel increased Wolfeboro's access to tourists, which prompted the town to build more resorts and hotels as well as summer cottages and cabins to accommodate the increasing crowds. While tourism and industry both floundered during the two World Wars, the town of Wolfeboro saw growth afterward and has continued to prosper into the modern, yet still charmingly quaint New England lakeside town it is today.
Getting to Wolfeboro is easiest by car, and the town has a charging station for electric vehicles on Railroad Avenue just off Main Street. The nearest major airports to Wolfeboro are Portland International Jetport in Maine, located less than two hours away; Boston Logan International Airport, about a two-hour drive away; and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, which is slightly closer than Logan.
When seeking a place to rest your head at night, Wolfeboro offers an array of accommodations. Hotels include the highly rated Pickering House Inn, an award-winning boutique inn situated in the downtown area, as well as the charming Inn on Main. Stay in one of three guest rooms at the 1810 House Bed & Breakfast, or in one of the many short-term rental listings in the town. For a less traditional getaway, there is the Wolfeboro Campground, as well as smaller, well-appointed cabins like the Grey Shingles Camps.
Wolfeboro is filled with year-round activities
Similar to another unbelievably charming New Hampshire lake town full of activities, summers in Wolfeboro are full of classic lakeside resort town activities like boating, hiking, and golfing. Those interested in a day of fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee can hope to find a wide variety of fish on their poles, like bass, salmon, trout, perch, and many other types of fish. Pontoon and wake boats are available to rent for an afternoon of leisure or sports on the pristine spring-fed waters of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Wolfeboro holds a weekly farmers market on Thursday afternoons from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. from mid-May through early October. Vendors range from farms selling fresh, seasonal produce to bakeries and food trucks, as well as local honey and crafts, and dairy, meat, and seafood purveyors. The town also holds free concerts at the waterfront Cate Park, and throughout the year you can find antique car and boat shows, vintage fairs, a Fourth of July parade, and even pond hockey tournaments in the winter.
Wolfeboro autumns are filled with the brilliant colors of the changing leaves. Fall activities include apple picking, hiking in the cooling temperatures, and visits to local farms for apple cider donuts. Winters in Wolfeboro, in contrast to the verdant green of summer, feel like living in a snow globe. Wintertime life in Wolfeboro is filled with ice-related activities like skiing, both cross-country and downhill, snowshoeing, and even snowmobiling. Once the lake freezes over, usually sometime in January, you can find locals ice skating and ice fishing on the lake.