Which lake community is right for is?

[Cynm]

Hello I'm looking for a year round lakehouse for a large family. We have grown kids married just starting their own families. Looking for a community where kids can walk to town for ice cream, etc. not interested in nightlife unless listening to loons counts. Any tips?

[Heading4thelake]

Lake Wentworth or Crescent Lake , quiet but a very recreational lake
and easy to walk downtown with a walking trail. Very proud of the water quality and the care of the lake, look into it.

[RLW]

Cynm, I was just browsing through the forum and noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

I am sure you will get a lot of suggestions from the members and if you only look into 1/2 of them I'm sure you will find something that will meet your needs.

[jacka82942]

on meredith bay. you can walk down tracks to town docks or up hill to mcdonalds. have community pool and kid swings along with boat docks. you can swim in lake off docks. several lots and homes for sale

[MeredithMan]

There are many factors to consider. Budget is usually the biggest factor, which tends to drive all of the other ones. Also need to consider commute...if you are coming from south of the lake to get there, Moultonboro is a lot further than Laconia/Gilford, for example. Do you want water access or waterfront? (budget tends to drive this one). Do you want to be on an island or mainland? How is the water clarity....some places have pristine sand; others are rocky; others in small coves have a lot of leaves and sticks on the bottom. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. ONce you get into the process of acquiring a lakehouse, you find that there are many pieces to the puzzle. Good luck househunting!

[CateP]

Wolfeboro is the place. Known for walking to ice cream places
If your wealthy, there are several places for sale on Sewall Rd. that would house a large family.

[TiltonBB]

As you have seen, there are many opinions and everyone tends to look at it from their own perspective to determine what would be perfect for them.

One thing I considered strongly when looking for a full time house was driving distance to stores that I would frequent. In Gilford there are two grocery stores, Lowes, WalMart and a lot of other resources close by. If you need something right away it is no big deal.

The waterfront is important and the amount you use it obviously depends on your lifestyle and family situation. There are many waterfront propery owners that never venture into the water in front of their homes. There are a lot of people living on the water that don't own a boat.

If there are people in your family just starting their own family then a sandy walk-in to the lake is very important. Many, many decisions that all depend on your budget and how you and your family want to use the property.

[CateP]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

As you have seen, there are many opinions and everyone tends to look at it from their own perspective to determine what would be perfect for them.

One thing I considered strongly when looking for a full time house was driving distance to stores that I would frequent. In Gilford there are two grocery stores, Lowes, WalMart and a lot of other resources close by. If you need something right away it is no big deal.

The waterfront is important and the amount you use it obviously depends on your lifestyle and family situation. There are many waterfront propery owners that never venture into the water in front of their homes. There are a lot of people living on the water that don't own a boat.

If there are people in your family just starting their own family then a sandy walk-in to the lake is very important. Many, many decisions that all depend on your budget and how you and your family want to use the property.

All great points, but don't forget about walking to ice cream !! (wink, wink)

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by CateP

All great points, but don't forget about walking to ice cream !! (wink, wink)

They did mention walking to get ice cream. You are right!

But.............I was hoping that with all of those family members, and the potential for more as time goes on, they would get a boat to enjoy the lake. Then you could take the boat to get ice cream at any number of places!

We go out for ice cream quite often. We take the boat to Meredith or the Weirs, and sometimes to liliuokalani's in Laconia. So many choices, so little time!

[thinkxingu]

I think renting places should be the first step--my wife and I purchased a seasonal camp last year, and we love it. BUT, I really would like to be up there this winter, even though we thought we wouldn't mind a little home time. Also, having people around us was important--we learned through another errant family member who moved into the wilderness that people aren't always going to visit, so having the party at the lake is better than bringing the party to the lake. Just a couple thoughts.

[camp guy]

Good question, fasten your seatbelt because you will get a lot of aswers. In all of your thinking, remember, no matter how big a family you have, and how much company you expect, you are the year round resident, so it must be right for you (and spouse).

Each Town has positives and negatives. Wolfeboro has ice cream in many, many places, but the nearest Wal*Mart is 26 miles away!

Rent first, and look around. Don't try to rent a place meeting all your requirements, rent a place and use it as a base of operations to explore the area and see for yourself what is available. If you plan to use the home as a full-time residence, make sure you see the area in all four seasons. Our seasons are: Mud Season, Black Fly Season, Tourist Season, and OMG Where is Everybody Season. I am serious.

Like I started with, you will get a lot of answers.

[jogator1]

Lake Waukewan is a beautiful, pristine lake in Meredith. If you find a place on Water Street you can easily walk into to town to enjoy shopping, restaurants, movies and of course ice cream shops. You still have easy access to Winnipesaukee whether you would like to walk along Hesky Park or gain boat access at the ramp by the inns. Lake Waukewan is a great family lake not over crowded with boats and is the town drinking water. Meredith is also within short driving distance to the Walmarts, Lowes, I-93, etc.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by camp guy

Each Town has positives and negatives. Wolfeboro has ice cream in many, many places, but the nearest Wal*Mart is 26 miles away!

And? What's the negative?

[thinkxingu]

^ I agree to a point. Though it's nice to be in a peaceful, traffic-free area, there's something to be said about not having to drive an hour round trip if you forgot the hamburgers.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by camp guy

Wolfeboro has ice cream in many, many places, but the nearest Wal*Mart is 26 miles away!

A family member saw that our gas grill needed a new burner. I sent him to Wolfeboro's Bradley's Hardware—but he drove to Home Depot instead. The HD shelf for that burner was empty—the price set at $34. He returned, stopped at Bradley's and saved $8!

Bradley's is surprisingly well-stocked, including marine hardware, but will order 'most anything else you might need, and have it the next day. Aside from T-shirts, ball caps, and sweat shirts, clothing items are hard to find in Wolfeboro.

[dickiej]

I thought the five seasons of New England were: winter, more winter, mud, bugs, and summer! Seriously, the trend for real estate purchasing right now is to be close (walking or biking distance) to shops, resaurants, library, etc. the best advise I've read here is to rent first and get a feel for the area. We had friends who moved to North Carolina and bought a house right away. Within a few months, they discovered better houses in areas they liked better, but felt locked in to their impulsive purchase.

[JasonG]

We have family on Newfound Lake that we visit as much as we can. Super quiet compared to Winni. Depending where you are, you might be able to walk to an ice cream stand, etc, but it does not have a lot of commercialism right on the water.

[BroadHopper]

Super quiet compare to Winnipesaukee on weekends. Because of location prices are a lot lower.

Great sandbar although few amenities. Great for fishing and watersports.

I live on the Laconia side. I walk to downtown Laconia where there are nice restaurants and shops. Pitman's Room is nice for night life. The kids loves Burrito Me! The WOW trail allow me to walk to Lakeport where I dock my big lake boat. I have PWCs on Winnisquam.

Have a pontoon? Winnisquam is perfect for cruising, not too rough. Like to kayak? Winnisquam is great as well as Opechee and the Winnipesaukee River. Shoot up Meredith Center Road for points North and drive down 106 for points South!

[Oregonrain]

With all the mentions of renting, can anyone give information on how an out of stater can find a rental? Are there many rental agencies that can help?

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by Oregonrain

With all the mentions of renting, can anyone give information on how an out of stater can find a rental? Are there many rental agencies that can help?

Several rental agencies like Bayside Rentals and Preferred Vacation Rentals advertise on this site. Their ads appear at the top of every page.

Please patronize our advertisers when you can. They make this site possible!

[Barbara]

I also recommend renting for a time before making such a huge decision. I moved to Wolfeboro 14 years ago after renting in the summer over a five year period and visiting in all seasons to be sure thus us what we wanted. Wolfeboro is on the quiet side of the big lake, Winni, 45 minutes to an hour from big box stores and malls, but that's what protects us from traffic congestion and hordes of tourists found on the other side of the lake. There is very little you might need that you can't find in the shops right in the town of Wolfeboro.

[Lakeboater]

You must not venture out on the weekends if you think that there isn't traffic in Wolfeboro......usually backed up on both sides of the center most weekends.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by Lakeboater

You must not venture out on the weekends if you think that there isn't traffic in Wolfeboro......usually backed up on both sides of the center most weekends.

Relative to the other side of Winnipesaukee Wolfeboro is extremely quiet. In the summer any lakeside town is busy on weekends.

[LadyJane]

Originally Posted by Oregonrain

With all the mentions of renting, can anyone give information on how an out of stater can find a rental? Are there many rental agencies that can help?

I have done private rentals over the years in Melvin Village, Center Harbor and Meredith, but last year we tried Preferred Vacation Rentals and had a very good experience. We stayed in Moultonborough and got groceries at Heath in Center Harbor. Traffic in both Meredith and Wolfeboro is pretty heavy....you just deal with it.

[tis]

Is Rentals Plus still in Wolfeboro? I think they did more year round type rentals than the others if that is what you are looking for but they also do summer rentals.