A family fun weekend in the New Hampshire Lakes Region

This past Memorial Day weekend blessed us with some of the best weather this weekend has seen in years and our family took full advantage of it as we explored some of New Hampshire’s Lakes region.

Just as we have done every year for the past seven years, we have gone to the lakes region for our holiday weekend.  We like doing the same things each year with the children as it builds traditions within the family.  Research shows that families with solid traditions built into their lives help strengthen their family bonds and it helps create an atmosphere that the children will want to participate in and look forward to each year, even when they grow up and have families of their own.

We arrived at Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton on Saturday afternoon and wasted no time hitting the many pools and playgrounds, as well as taking in the sites.

Located at the top of Steele Hill, this resort offers breathtaking views of Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam with the White Mountains all around as far as the eye can see.

The kids always have a great time here with so much to do.  As a parent the best part is that there is never an “I’m bored” statement to be heard!

Besides the several outdoor and indoor pools and playgrounds, there are a variety of hiking trails, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a X-Box Kinect gaming system wall, a massive indoor pool with a twisty rock slide that is always a big hit, and a private fishing pond that is stocked just for the resort and is also full of turtles, big bull frogs and tadpoles…and so much more.

As an amateur photographer, one of the things I like to do whenever we go to a place like this that we know we will come back to again is to try and find a good photographic spot to take pictures with the kids so when we come back the next time, we can always take photos in the same spot, to compare from year to year.  At Steele Hill, we have always taken pictures on this birch tree. It is fun to look back over the years and see how much the kids have changed.

Sunday morning we took a short ride to Ellacoya State Park which is located in Gilford on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, and only about 10 minutes away from the center of Weirs Beach.

If you like the Weirs Beach area, but don’t like the crowds all day, this park offers a nice family atmosphere where you can swim, play Frisbee, toss a ball, cook-out, and more.  The views here were no less than Steele Hill, and it made it easy to relax and enjoy with such beauty all around.

The park had so much to offer, nice big beach area, fantastic views, grassy and shady areas for picnics or getting out of the sun, BBQ pits, a life-guard on duty, bath-houses, etc…   There is even a fully stocked store just in case you forgot anything, or if you are craving an ice-cream, they had just about it all.  They also had a baby changing station in the rest rooms as well as changing stations for the rest of us to get out of our wet suits after a day of swimming and playing on the beach. This is the kind of stuff I appreciate as a mother.

Dylan, our oldest enjoyed playing catch and digging in the sand, while Cody and Mariah spent most of the day in the water.

Mike and I loved just sitting and taking it all in, enjoying the weather, watching the kids all having fun, the beautiful views, watching the plethora of boats, kayaks, and jet-skis go by, even the Mount Washington made a few passes by us while we were there!

After our day of fun in the sun, we ventured off to walk around the shops at Weirs Beach where we always enjoy checking out the sunglasses and neat stuff in all of the stores on the strip.

Then, it was off to Fun-Spot!  We have learned to go online to their website first and download a coupon to get 50 free tokens to save some money; however it is always very affordable with most games only requiring one token to play.  To top it off, most games give tickets for prizes and what kid doesn’t like to get prizes?  This is also a great place to have birthday parties as they offer free party areas for up to 150 guests, another mom’s bonus!

We could not forget the Go-Carts at Daytona Fun Park to drive the Indy-style Go-Karts through the fast twisting turns. We particularly like this place as they offer double seat carts to accommodate the younger children that normally cannot ride so the whole family can enjoy the fun.

Once back at the resort, it was momma time!  I went to my favorite place… the hot tub!

This was a memory filled Memorial weekend for sure!

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About Angela Stebbins, New Hampshire State Parks Intern