Bars/Restaurants near Whortleberry Island?

[DammitKim]

Hi All! A group of us are renting a cabin on Whortleberry Island in the Northeast side of the lake. It is our 1st time renting here and we have come to realize that most of the action takes place around Weirs Beach. Does anyone know of any bars or restaurant spots on this side of the lake? We seemed to underestimate the lakes vastness and are hoping we aren't going to be completely isolated unless we want to take a 45 minute ride. Thanks for your help!!

[Pepper]

Welcome to the Forum! You have definitely found the right place to learn everything you'll need to know, plus you'll meet a lot of really nice people, too. I'm not terribly familiar with much on that side of the lake, but MANY of the forum regulars are, and I'm sure you'll have some answers from them soon.

That being said, it will be very helpful if you give them an idea of the types of places you'd like to find. For instance, does your group prefer fine dining, grab-n-go, or somewhere in between? What kind of entertainment are you hoping to find with regard to nightlife? What age group? Any children, and if so what age groups? Do you prefer to travel by boat? What month will you be visiting? Etc.

The more info you provide, the more helpful the information you'll receive.

[Peter]

Welcome! We have a house on Whortleberry. If you dock at Pier 19 (19 Mile Bay), there is Pine Cone Cafe about 5-10 minutes north on 109. Buckies is also fun farther north on 109 or the Woodshed (both about 20 minutes). Otherwise heading south into Wolfeboro you get tons of restaurants (15-20 minute ride).

Unfortunately, I'm the wrong person to ask since I'm glad to get out to the island and enjoy some grilling!

Have fun!

[DammitKim]

Thank you both for the info! We are all in our late 20's early 30's and are looking for restaurants and bars. We aren't into the whole crazy night-life, but just were looking for a casual place with a nice bar to grab a few or a restaurant with decent pricing. We will be travelling by boat and car, so either way works, though it would be great to find a place accessible by boat!

Peter: Thank you for the recommendations! We are very excited to grill and take it easy ourselves and get away from the bustle of every day life!

[Just Sold]

Did you rent this cottage on Whortleberry island? My friend did 2 years ago and I visited them. It is a quaint (not bad) cottage that is secluded on the N. side of the island. Nice view and not a lot of boat traffic when I was there. If you want to get away from it all this is the one for you. Easy commute to Pier 19.

[MikeF-NH]

Whortleberry is a wonderful island but it is on the quiet side of the lake. We had a bear swim up onto the island behind us as we were fishing from my boat last spring around this time. A few caveats: be very careful around there when boating. Make 100% sure you know where the graveyard is (it's called that for a reason) and how to get back and forth to 19 mile bay. Also watch yourself around the north and west side of the island (the Dow Island side) as there are numeruous rocks and hazards and if you mix those with a few cocktails, you could be in the papers (not in a good way). Note that 19 mile bay has a public dock but the docking there is supposed to be under 1 hour so unless you have dock space assigned to your property, I wouldn't leave my boat there and go out for the evening.

It sounds almost like you would prefer to hit bars/restaraunts by boat in which case Wolfboro is your #1 destination for that side of the lake. I don't think there are limits on how long you can dock at the public docks and there are several good restaraunt/bar type places right on Main street (a minute or two walk from the docks). You can also go under the bridge (pending your boat height) and get into the back bay and hit restaraunt/bars in there that have their own dock space for patrons. Once again, if you cruise to Wolfboro at night, make 100% sure you know where you are going in the dark. Make sure you know EXACTLY where middle ground shoals is, how to get through either the Barber Pole area OR Hole in the Wall or once again, you will be a statistic. Parts of the lake there seem miles from shore and are suddenly waist/ankle deep. I know the area very well and would not be out there after dark without a good GPS (and my Navionics chip really adds to my confidence). I'd also bring a good flood light.

There are been recent alcohol related boating fataliies on the lake so expect Marine patrol to be out aggressively and to possibly be stopped for a "safety check" (while they are really looking for open containers). If it were me (granted I'm not in my 20s anymore and am more risk adverse than I was at that age), I would assign a designated boat driver that enjoys only non-alcholic drinks. I would probably also only hit the bars until about 1/2 hour before sunset then get back home and enjoy the island and drink there.

Finally, if you are not an expert on the area, I would spend the $20 for a Bizer map (google it). That map should be your bible on the area and always at hand. Study it before leaving the dock (each way) and make sure you know what to watch out for. Note that without a good GPS and the map, it is easy to get turned around in that part of the lake.

Final note, it might be fun for your group to pick up the Mt Washington in Center Harbor or Wolfboro and spend some time on that ship. They have bars, dinner and dance floors and someone else is driving. I can't tell you if they pickup and drop off patrons in those locations or just cruise through but I know they are "stops". Call them for more info.

[camp guy]

The post by MikeF-NH is directed as an answer to DammitKim, but let me just say that this post is applicable to anyone boating on the Lake (or anywhere else, for that matter). It is absolutely true, every word, and I can only add to it by saying that if anyone only reads one post, make it be the post by MikeF-NH.

It is the best advice I have seen.

[DammitKim]

Originally Posted by MikeF-NH

Whortleberry is a wonderful island but it is on the quiet side of the lake. We had a bear swim up onto the island behind us as we were fishing from my boat last spring around this time. A few caveats: be very careful around there when boating. Make 100% sure you know where the graveyard is (it's called that for a reason) and how to get back and forth to 19 mile bay. Also watch yourself around the north and west side of the island (the Dow Island side) as there are numeruous rocks and hazards and if you mix those with a few cocktails, you could be in the papers (not in a good way). Note that 19 mile bay has a public dock but the docking there is supposed to be under 1 hour so unless you have dock space assigned to your property, I wouldn't leave my boat there and go out for the evening.

It sounds almost like you would prefer to hit bars/restaraunts by boat in which case Wolfboro is your #1 destination for that side of the lake. I don't think there are limits on how long you can dock at the public docks and there are several good restaraunt/bar type places right on Main street (a minute or two walk from the docks). You can also go under the bridge (pending your boat height) and get into the back bay and hit restaraunt/bars in there that have their own dock space for patrons. Once again, if you cruise to Wolfboro at night, make 100% sure you know where you are going in the dark. Make sure you know EXACTLY where middle ground shoals is, how to get through either the Barber Pole area OR Hole in the Wall or once again, you will be a statistic. Parts of the lake there seem miles from shore and are suddenly waist/ankle deep. I know the area very well and would not be out there after dark without a good GPS (and my Navionics chip really adds to my confidence). I'd also bring a good flood light.

There are been recent alcohol related boating fataliies on the lake so expect Marine patrol to be out aggressively and to possibly be stopped for a "safety check" (while they are really looking for open containers). If it were me (granted I'm not in my 20s anymore and am more risk adverse than I was at that age), I would assign a designated boat driver that enjoys only non-alcholic drinks. I would probably also only hit the bars until about 1/2 hour before sunset then get back home and enjoy the island and drink there.

Finally, if you are not an expert on the area, I would spend the $20 for a Bizer map (google it). That map should be your bible on the area and always at hand. Study it before leaving the dock (each way) and make sure you know what to watch out for. Note that without a good GPS and the map, it is easy to get turned around in that part of the lake.

Final note, it might be fun for your group to pick up the Mt Washington in Center Harbor or Wolfboro and spend some time on that ship. They have bars, dinner and dance floors and someone else is driving. I can't tell you if they pickup and drop off patrons in those locations or just cruise through but I know they are "stops". Call them for more info.

Thank you so much for this info! Although it made me quite anxious reading it, our friend (the boat owner) told me he has a reliable GPS system and maps. He wants to head up there a few more times before our trip to familiarize himself with the area. I am going to print out your post and keep it with us for our trip!

JUST SOLD- That is it! It's nice to hear from someone familiar with the rental. We are looking forward to it and it will not only be our first rental or Winni, but our first rental on an island. Guess we'll have to stock up on supplies and see how it goes!

[WakeboardMom]

Originally Posted by DammitKim

Thank you so much for this info! Although it made me quite anxious reading it, our friend (the boat owner) told me he has a reliable GPS system and maps. He wants to head up there a few more times before our trip to familiarize himself with the area. I am going to print out your post and keep it with us for our trip!

JUST SOLD- That is it! It's nice to hear from someone familiar with the rental. We are looking forward to it and it will not only be our first rental or Winni, but our first rental on an island. Guess we'll have to stock up on supplies and see how it goes!

It's not a great idea to rely on GPS to navigate on the lake; nor is every hazard on the lake marked on the map. (I can't tell you how many boats we've seen hit rocks just off my beach; the rocks aren't marked and they've wreaked havoc on plenty of boats in the 30 years I've been there.) Local knowledge is a necessity; especially getting to and from a house on Whortleberry. You will definitely want to go and familiarize yourself with those waters during the daylight hours.

Enjoy!

[tis]

The lake looks very different at night than it does in the daytime. You can get lost very easily at night. Be very careful.

[Shore Driver]

Originally Posted by DammitKim

Thank you so much for this info! Although it made me quite anxious reading it, our friend (the boat owner) told me he has a reliable GPS system and maps. He wants to head up there a few more times before our trip to familiarize himself with the area. I am going to print out your post and keep it with us for our trip!

JUST SOLD- That is it! It's nice to hear from someone familiar with the rental. We are looking forward to it and it will not only be our first rental or Winni, but our first rental on an island. Guess we'll have to stock up on supplies and see how it goes!

Your username cracks me up Is there a story behind it?

[DammitKim]

Originally Posted by Shore Driver

Your username cracks me up Is there a story behind it?

Ha-ha, Well I tend to ramble on about unrelated subjects quite a bit and get distracted easily. When I get caught by my husband or brother, I get a "dammit Kim"! Not the most flattering screen name, but it fits!

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by DammitKim

Thank you both for the info! We are all in our late 20's early 30's and are looking for restaurants and bars. We aren't into the whole crazy night-life, but just were looking for a casual place with a nice bar to grab a few or a restaurant with decent pricing. We will be travelling by boat and car, so either way works, though it would be great to find a place accessible by boat!

Peter: Thank you for the recommendations! We are very excited to grill and take it easy ourselves and get away from the bustle of every day life!

I have nothing to add to the topic at hand, but wanted to say that I love your screenname. I have a sister Kim. When we were growing up, when my father would get mad at her (usually for talking too fast) he would just say "dammit Kim, would you talk slower so we can understand just what the heck you are saying".
Whatever he was mad at, always started with dammit Kim.

[Grady223]

Originally Posted by DammitKim

Thank you both for the info! We are all in our late 20's early 30's and are looking for restaurants and bars. We aren't into the whole crazy night-life, but just were looking for a casual place with a nice bar to grab a few or a restaurant with decent pricing. We will be travelling by boat and car, so either way works, though it would be great to find a place accessible by boat!

Peter: Thank you for the recommendations! We are very excited to grill and take it easy ourselves and get away from the bustle of every day life!

At your age, I would think you'd enjoy Bucky's.

Wolfeboro by boat or car is fun and several places there: Garwood's, the Restaurant, el Centenario.

Or, shoot straight across the Lake by boat and go to the Lyon's Den in Gilford.