Owl's Nest/Wise Owl, Alton, NH

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by joj129

We recently stopped in for a Saturday buffet/brunch at the Owl's Nest, Rte. 11, Alton, NH and it was amazing! The food was delicious with many made to order items. The omelet is huge and enough for 2! The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly. There are also cabins which we checked out and they were updated, cute and also very clean. The buffet and cabins are very reasonably priced. We will go back for the buffet next time we are in town and plan to stay in the cabins on our next get-away! (1736 Mount Major Highway)

Last night a friend and I looked for the Owl's Nest. We couldn't find it. Is it near the traffic circle or down near the lake?

[WinniGirl81]

Originally Posted by Green's Basin Girl

Last night a friend and I looked for the Owl's Nest. We couldn't find it. Is it near the traffic circle or down near the lake?

Hi Green's Basin Girl; we are actually located in West Alton near the Gilford line. If you head down Rt. 11 passed Mt. Major & the West Alton Marina, you'll find us about two miles up on the right-hand side. Our exterior signs are a bit hard to read (we're working on replacing those now) just look for the black awnings with the Wise Owl logo and red faced building. You can't miss us.

We look forward to serving you!

[upthesaukee]

Coming from Laconia, they are about a 1/2 mile or so east of Ames Farm, on the left side of the road heading toward Alton.

Place is looking good and we wish them well in their hassles.

[Lakepilot]

Although we've never been to the Owl's Nest by boat, we have been a couple of times by car and both times it was excellent.

[WinniGirl81]

Thanks for your feedback Lakepilot. I'm happy to hear you had two positive experiences and hope you come back for more!

[Marko]

Believe it or not.........
our extended family had a house at the top of the hill since 1910 and a lot of us have been going to the Wise Owl since it opened....



I have fond summer memories of walking down and back with my siblings to the Wise Owl..........
had to get our daily fix of soda pop, candy, ice cream, donuts, baseball cards, etc in the 60's and 70's........
Grandpa had a daily ritual of driving to the Wise Owl every summer morning and getting the newspaper and his White Owl Cigars.......
and then of course us kids as we started getting older.......started driving down to the Wise Owl too


we never went by boat to the Wise Owl even though a lot of our time was spent on boats during the summer.......
and all the times I went to the Wise Owl and looked down to the water.......
I never saw any boats pulling in to the Wise Owl........don't really think it was the thing to do there.......






so it was certainly a pleasure to stop in and see the Wise Owl last week after 30+ years......
the store itself really hasn't changed that much.........
and I didn't see any soda pop for 5 cents or baseball card packs for 5 cents this time.....lol

said Hi to Mike and saw a fantastic looking Lobster Roll for $9.99......
if we hadn't just ate at Pop's in Alton Bay.......
we would certainly given one or two of those Lobster Rolls a shot........

thanks for the memories Mike and wish you and your family much prosperity and happiness for many years to come........

just love seeing the old Wise Nest sign by the road(last attachment)......pretty cool

Marko
St Petersburg, FL

[Argie's Wife]

Sorry if this is a little off topic but I've always wondered about the wavy-style roof over the carport... Why is it like that? Was it just a cool design or is there some benefit to the style?


BTW - that's one of my favorite houses in Alton.... beautiful place!

[Marko]

Argie......think it was something my great grandfather had the carpenters do........
as I have never seen that on any other Arts and Crafts Bungalow.....
it is certainly unusual and still surprised with that design that it has held up all these years.......
back in the 60's that curly roof porch room was screened in so we had another place to sit and eat......
cause with all of the grandchildren the house was busting at the seams......lol

we were always told this was the first house built on the lake on the West Alton side........

Marko
St Petersburg, FL

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

Sorry if this is a little off topic but I've always wondered about the wavy-style roof over the carport... Why is it like that? Was it just a cool design or is there some benefit to the style?


BTW - that's one of my favorite houses in Alton.... beautiful place!

I saw a for sale sign on it last weekend

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by Steveo

I saw a for sale sign on it last weekend

I know... I saw that too on my way to work today...

I'm sure someone will enjoy it but it won't be me unless I find a sugardaddy...

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

I'm sure someone will enjoy it but it won't be me unless I find a sugardaddy...

Does Argie know about this?

[Just Sold]

Hey - lots of good talk about the Owl's Nest and I am getting hungry.

I would take my son there via boat when he was young and we stayed on Rattlesnake. Yup, I used the Owl's Nest dock back in the early to mid 90's. He loved the food back then and I will be there this weekend with my brother and his wife to have what I know will be a great breakfast again. Mike I will be sure to say hi.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

I know... I saw that too on my way to work today...

I'm sure someone will enjoy it but it won't be me unless I find a sugardaddy...

OR

[Argie's Wife]

Oh man... the candy-related puns that come to mind right now are almost over whelming...

I said, "Almost."

I'm trying to behave.

Really.

But's it's a sticky situation.

Whoops! Just went there.

How about just a Mr. Goodbar at his next Payday?

[Just Sold]

Well, I really have to say that the Owl's Nest is on top with me.
I went there early this AM with my family and the service and food was great. My girlfriend had the blueberry pancakes and they were loaded with em. My brother and I had the tried and tru 2 eggs over easy with hash browns and bacon. We had the raisin toast which I believe may have been home made and cut thick. mmmmm good. My sister in law had the Belgin Waffle with strawberies and she said that was delicious too. We all left with a smile and a full stomach.

I talked with the owner, Mike, for a few minutes and he is a great guy. He runs a nice place and I recommend everyone drop by. I even told a guest at the Inn we satyed at about our breakfast and they were planning on visiting too.
We wish Mike well and we will be back during our vacation later this month.

[WinniGirl81]

Great pics Marko! Hopefully, we'll have new exterior signs up soon. Permits pending. We will, however, be keeping the old sign with an undefined use... hard to part with historic markers.

@JustSold: So glad to hear your visit with us was a pleasant and filling one. We greatly appreciate you stopping by and hope to see you soon!!!

[Mr. V]

We just returned from vacation.

I enjoyed my sausage, eggs and hash browns, and especially the bread: very good, and seemingly home made.

My son felt his omelette didn't have enough stuffing, e.g. cheese and ham, to balance out all the egg, but he's picky anyway.

The young man who works there was attentive and well spoken; too bad he's a rabid Red Sox fan (go Yankees!)

A positive experience, but due to the apparent lack of patronage I fear for their long term success.

Best of luck to the Wise Owl.

[pam.in.ny]

It's been a while since I had time to visit the forum and read the posts. To my surprise, I found this thread. It's funny because I've been thinking about the Wise Owl lately. Of course I'm always thinking of the lake and the mountains. I was wondering if the WO was still in business. My parents and aunt and uncle would stay there when they went to the region and loved it. Well, after working for a few years after college, my best friend and I decided to go to NH and the lake for vacation. We stayed at the Wise Owl and had a great time. Every year, my mother always made sure that I took her "picnic basket" with all the essentials. The last time we went, I left the red and white checkered tablecloth on the table that was my mother's and often wondered how long it lasted. . Mom would say, I wonder if someone is enjoying our tablecloth. My friend moved on to other interests but I still traveled to the lake staying at the WO.. One year, out of the blue, after Labor Day, I decided to take a week off work and head to NH for some hiking. I stopped at the WO and the lady had a cabin to rent but for only 2 nights. She bent over backwards to find me a place nearby before those two nights were over with so I wouldn't be left out in the cold. I ended up staying at a nice place in Bartlett and I have to say, that was one of the best vacations that I ever had. This was in the early 80's so I don't remember the name of the owners but I would love to go there again. I'm glad that I came upon this thread. It really brought back memories. It's been too many years since I was last at the lake but my heart never left there.

Best of luck to the current owners of the ON/WO. I will be back and will stop in for a stay.

[WinniGirl81]

Ut O! Did my father truly skimp on ham & cheese to egg ratio?!?! I'll have to have a talk with him! My dad has NO control on proportions... hence the outrageous size of the omelettes and pancakes. haha Typically, he throws in so many add-ins we have a hard time flipping the omelettes in the pan without all the contents flying out. We'll be sure to monitor this more closely. Glad you enjoyed your breakfast overall.

We, along with many small businesses in the area, have been hit by the recession. We will fight through it... and have definitive plans to continue serving our customers for many years to come. Thanks Mr. V! Hope you and your family enjoyed your vacation on the lake!


Hi Pam.in.ny

I love hearing stories like this. It reminds me of the deep history the Wise Owl has.

My family and I took over the Wise Owl just about 5 years ago and I've been working there since I was in high school. Goodness... just over 10 years ago. Yikes! I have not seen the table cloth you speak of, but I'm sure many guests did enjoy it. The cabins have all been renovated and are looking quite cozy. We hope you can find time to visit us on your next vacation.

Cheers!

[NHBUOY]

...Hey Marko...If your family owned that house, you must be familiar with the women that owned the house across the street that had an Italian restaurant there that my family frequented often, and, was on par with what you could get in the North End...anybody else remember...?