Lakes

Come join the families who make memories at the Margate on Winnipeaukee, a great home base for your New Hampshire getaway. Just steps from the lake’s calm, scenic Paugus Bay, the resort has a 400-foot private sandy beach and kayak and paddle board rentals. Glide around the bay’s islands, swim out to the raft or just relax in your beach chair. (Kids will love the complimentary popcorn and snow cone carts!) There’s a heated indoor pool and oversized whirlpool, large outdoor pool, fitness center and an arcade game room. Area activities include hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, boat cruises, a scenic railroad, ice arena, Funspot (the largest arcade in the world) and fun shopping. Dine in the Gazebo Beach Bar or in one of many local restaurants.

Inside and outside, there are so many things for families to do at Castle in the Clouds, that one visit will not be enough. Twenty-eight miles of hiking and walking trails (and snowshoeing/skiing trails in winter) go by seven cascading waterfalls. At Shannon Pond, rainbow trout actually jump out of the water for food.(And, there are ducks.) There’s plenty of room to run around in The Meadows, with picnic tables to enjoy lunch or ice cream from the nearby Cafe in the Clouds. The Arts-and-Crafts Lucknow mansion, built in 1914, has a basement tour so you can see how the servants lived as well as the ahead-of-their-time appliances. The mansion also has a scavenger hunt. The current Carriage House exhibit is about the lives of women in the Progressive Era.

Wouldn’t you like to go on a vacation where tons of family activities are all in the same area? That’s on tap in the Lakes Region, where you’ll find everything from entertainment centers with over 600 arcade games to natural science centers with 20 types of rescued animals in natural habitats to Ice Age caves kids can scramble through to horseback riding and mountain biking. Lake activities include dinner and sunset cruises, kayaking, canoeing, fishing and swimming. There’s a speedway with go-karts and mini golf, trolley tours, drive-in movies and family farms where you can meet the animals. In winter, there’s skiing, ice skating, snowboarding and snowshoeing. The region boasts a huge selection of restaurants and a variety of accommodations from camping to resorts.