10 Hidden Gems Things to do in New Hampshire Lakes Region That You Shouldn't Miss

September 18, 2021 Kandra Bartel

Discover the best top things to do in New Hampshire Lakes Region, United States including Franconia Notch State Park, Wright Museum of WWII, New Hampshire Telephone Museum, Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain Loop, Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel - Day Tours, Glen Ellis Falls, Mount Kearsarge, Canterbury AleWorks, Seven Birches Winery, Polar Caves Park.
Restaurants in New Hampshire Lakes Region

1. Franconia Notch State Park

260 Tramway Dr, Franconia, NH 03580-4402 +1 603-823-8800 http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park.aspx
Excellent
82%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 639 reviews

Franconia Notch State Park

Named one of the 12 best state parks in America.

Reviewed By MT1 - Aurora, United States

I lived in NH for many years and have passed through Franconia Notch many times, back when the actual Old Man of the Mountain actually existed. This is a beautiful drive, especially in the Fall, and there are lots of places to stop and things to do - the Old Man of the Mountain "hologram" if you will, the Flume Gorge, the Basin, Profile Lake, hiking trails, etc. If you are visiting NH you should definitely make a visit here, and you can also check out the nice little town of Littleton on the north side of "the Notch".

2. Wright Museum of WWII

77 Center St, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-4368 +1 603-569-1212 [email protected] http://www.wrightmuseum.org/
Excellent
86%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 310 reviews

Wright Museum of WWII

This Museum's purpose is to educate, entertain and inspire visitors with the story of WWII-era Americans often called "the greatest generation". The Wright Museum is open seasonally from May 1st to October 31st.

Reviewed By Maurene_K - Dover, United States

The Wright Museum of WW II always has wonderful exhibits that keep me returning at least once, if not twice, each year. This year’s primary opening exhibit was “Memories of World War II – Photographs from the Associated Press Archives.” There were about 50 black and white photos. Several photos caught my attention. One photo showed German Army soldiers marching into Paris under the Champs-Elysees. Others showed the liberation of German concentration camps and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Copies of two famous photos were in the collection --- raising the American flag at Iwo Jima and a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in NYC. Once again, the museum had more works by Private Charles J. Miller in the exhibit “WW II Paintings from the South Pacific.” Several of his watercolor paintings portrayed combat scenes from the Battle of Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in January 1944. Others showed scenes of American soldiers engaged in activities such as laundry, watching a movie, and playing a sport. This exhibit was scheduled to end on June 17th; but, due to popular demand, it is being held over until August 12th. I also enjoy revisiting the Time Tunnel, the displays of military vehicles and tanks - especially the Sherman tank named Alice, and the vignettes of WW II life on the homefront with an ice cream parlor, a kitchen, a living room, and a gas station, plus many cases of period jewelry, old cameras telephones, plus other objects. This year, the victory garden near the back of the parking lot was more developed. I rate both exhibits and the museum’s permanent exhibits at 5.0. I highly recommend visiting this museum. If you found this review helpful, please click THANK below.

3. New Hampshire Telephone Museum

1 Depot St, Warner, NH 03278-4228 +1 603-456-2234 [email protected] http://www.nhtelephonemuseum.org
Excellent
90%
Good
10%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 72 reviews

New Hampshire Telephone Museum

The New Hampshire Telephone Museum houses a tangible history of telecommunications which can be viewed via guided or self-guided tours. Our knowledgeable staff provides engaging commentary highlighting important moments in telephone history, such as the race to the patent office, the undertaker who invented the dial system, and much more. Our enthusiastic staff and our collection of over 1000 artifacts, have made the New Hampshire Telephone Museum one of the must-see attractions in the state, as well as an important educational resource. Stop by and see why people say “WOW!” when they walk through the door!

Reviewed By patricklC5205HP

When you visit most museums, the experience is exactly that. You enter a building, there are various items on display in keeping with the theme and title of the museum, publications and mementos for sale and, off you go. The New Hampshire Telephone Museum is quite a different experience. It is more like visiting a dear friend or cherished relative who has cared to preserve the fondest memories and artifacts of something that is an intrinsic part of your life and takes great joy in sharing a newly found gem. Go there. It will be a good time.

4. Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain Loop

Thornton, NH http://www.hikenewengland.com/WelchDickey030719.html
Excellent
82%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 93 reviews

Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain Loop

Reviewed By muktwo - East Elmhurst, United States

This is quite a challenging hike especially going up the smooth rocky surfaces uphill. The view at the top however is well worth it. Amazing 360 degree view of other mountaintops and early fall foliage (we went on 9/16). Downhill path is easy but could be a little better marked especially in the rocky areas (look for the cairns). Overall one of the best hikes I have done!

5. Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel - Day Tours

Excellent
97%
Good
2%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 279 reviews

Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel - Day Tours

Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel is the premier dog sled touring operator in New England. We offer year round dog sledding adventures that range from 2 - 15 miles. All of our dog sledding experiences are designed to be hands on to the comfort level of the guests. Participants ages 2 and up are given the opportunity to meet and greet our rescue and second chance sled dogs, help harness and hitch their team and even help drive the sled (at musher discretion for guests and dog safety of course)! As always, the proceeds generated from our kennel based tours go directly to covering the expenses involved in taking in these incredible canine athletes and providing them with a home and job for life.

6. Glen Ellis Falls

Jackson, NH
Excellent
80%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 343 reviews

Glen Ellis Falls

Reviewed By TNKaz

When we visited in October, 64 ft high Glen Ellis Falls was quite impressive with a great amount of water flow. The Falls are reached by just a very short walk (0.3-mile) from the parking lot. There is a pit toilet available near the parking area. You start the walk by going through a tunnel which goes under NH Route 16. Over 100 stone steps will lead you down to the base of the falls for the best viewing of the entire falls. When we visited, these stone steps were still wet from a rain the night before, so we had to use extra caution. The round trip walk took us 20 minutes. The location and description of the walk to this Falls was listed in the book, “AMC's Best Day Hikes in the White Mountain's” which we purchased prior to our trip. The book mentions that this is a very popular walk, so we are glad that we visited early in the morning. At that time of day it was not crowded at all. We were told by the White Mountains Visitor Center to display our Senior National Park Pass so that it could be seen through our car window. Otherwise, in the parking lots, there is usually a box for a fee for day use of White Mountains National Forest areas.

7. Mount Kearsarge

Warner, NH
Excellent
76%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 54 reviews

Mount Kearsarge

Reviewed By Emily01230 - Milford, United States

My cousin and I did the summit and back hike up Kearsarge North. It's about 6 miles round trip and moderate difficulty for us. I hike a few times in summer/fall and am in pretty good shape. The view from the summit is stunning, make sure to a lot some time to take it all in. There is also a fire tower up there which is pretty cool. Parking at the trailhead is minimal, probably will have to park along the road. It is a perfect hike in the North Conway area.

8. Canterbury AleWorks

305 Baptist Hill Rd, Canterbury, NH 03224-2509 +1 603-491-4539 [email protected] http://canterburyaleworks.com
Excellent
86%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 37 reviews

Canterbury AleWorks

The most singularly unique nano brewery in beautiful rural New Hampshire! Visit and taste our ever-changing tap lineup and bring some growlers of your favorites to go!

Reviewed By Lang0 - Boston, United States

This place is fantastic, reminds me of one my local pubs in my native England. Steve is a super nice guy and he knows his stuff, I could drink his Immense Intense Phat Alpha IPA all day it’s delicious. It would be nice if the silly NH laws would just let him sell a friggin pint, if you’re flying solo you can buy a flight of four beers but NH law says you can’t have two beers of the same kind in the same flight, someone got paid a lot of money for making these silly rules. Anyhow now that we’ve found this place we will be back at some point as we just purchased property not too far away.

9. Seven Birches Winery

22 South Mountain Drive RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain, Lincoln, NH 03251-4302 +1 603-745-7550 [email protected] http://www.sevenbirches.com
Excellent
85%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 247 reviews

Seven Birches Winery

Handcrafting classic European grapes and locally sourced fruits into wines of distinction, Seven Birches offers wine tasting daily and "Meet the Winemaker" tours weekly. The fruit may be from around the world, but the wine in our bottles embraces the spirit of NH. Live Free!

Reviewed By T2871TVbobr

Highly recommend the Meet the Winemaker tour. I am not a huge wine lover so just a tasting would not interest me. Really enjoyed learning about the wine making process. Nathan made sure everyone had fin and was very accommodating in answering questions.

10. Polar Caves Park

705 Rumney Route 25, Rumney, NH 03266-3581 +1 603-536-1888 [email protected] http://www.polarcaves.com/
Excellent
63%
Good
27%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 368 reviews

Polar Caves Park

A family adventure since 1922! Polar Caves is located in the scenic Baker River Valley in Rumney, New Hampshire. Come tour our natural scenic attraction featuring 9 glacial boulder caves. While visiting, feed the fallow deer, pheasants, and ducks. Also try the Baking River Mining Sluice; tour our Maple Lodge, and enjoy the truly unique Glacial Rock Garden. Be sure to check out our Polar Climbing walls with different levels of difficulty to provide a challenge for anyone! Bring your own lunch and enjoy our picnic area with charcoal grills, charcoal not provided. Be sure to visit our Gift Shop and try some fudge before you go! Open Daily 9am to 6pm!

Reviewed By sheilamk87 - Providence, United States

This is a great place to explore the caves at your own pace. If you don't want to go in all of them you can bypass the ones that may be too challenging or too small a space. (I passed on some.) Great views at the top! Very good for families.

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