Patios that put out a water bowl without being asked. Trails that don't require leashes when nobody's looking. Breweries with a yard. Beaches off-season.
Family-run seafood house on Back Bay, with an outdoor bar called the Trap where the wait for a table becomes part of the evening instead of a delay. Full lobster dinners and a raw bar with Moscow oysters alongside the fried classics. Dogs are welcome on the umbrella-covered waterfront patio. Closed Mondays; arrive before six on a July Saturday or expect the wait.
Housed in an 1850s barn a few blocks off the lake, with a second taproom up in North Woodstock. The lineup runs from hop-forward IPAs to a blonde built for a dock afternoon, plus a rotating fruited sour and a house cider for anyone skipping beer entirely. The barn's original beams are still overhead — ask which post is original before you order the flight.
The hike most people mean when they say they hiked at the lake — a 3-to-4-mile round trip to a rocky, treeless summit with a close-up, wide-open view down the length of Winnipesaukee. The Route 11 trailhead lot fills by mid-morning on a summer weekend; expect to park on the shoulder if you're not there early. The Boulder Loop climbs steep and rocky; the Brook Trail is gentler but runs wet.
Downtown Wolfeboro's waterfront park, home to a summer concert series at the bandstand running June through August and a front-row seat for watching the boat traffic move in and out of the docks. No admission, no schedule to plan around beyond checking concert nights. The easiest free hour in town.
Five-minute walk from the Route 109 parking area in Tuftonboro to an 80-foot fire tower with an enclosed cab at the top — recent tree clearing has opened up the view of the lake and the Belknap Range considerably. Short enough to do with kids in tow, and quiet compared to the Mount Major crowds a few miles south.
A 1.5-mile trail with a 740-foot vertical rise from the Gilford trailhead, past the high school and up Belknap Mountain Road to the parking area. Shorter and steeper than Mount Major, with a fire tower at the top and views that take in the lake and the ski trails at Gunstock below.
Free public beach on Wolfeboro Bay off Route 28, smaller and more active-feeling than Wentworth since it sits right on the main lake with boat traffic passing close by. No admission fee and no lifeguard chair to speak of most days — check conditions before letting younger kids swim unsupervised.