Top things to do near Wolfeboro, New Hampshire: Castle in the Clouds, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, and downtown

 

Castle in the Clouds, New Hampshire 

My wife and I had prided ourselves on the fact that we had visited just about every New England state, except for Maine and New Hampshire.  All that changed in the summer of 2022, when we were fortunate enough to experience both states during our 2 months long stay in Maine.

When we used to ski up in Vermont while we made our home in New York City, we considered driving over to New Hampshire, just so we can say we visited the state.  That never materialized as winters in Vermont can be brutal, cold, and with lots of snow!  We got lazy, and frankly too comfortable in the comforts of our warm condo in Vermont after a day of skiing.

My wife was the one who brought up the idea to visit New Hampshire, to visit her ex-coworker, who retired in the state.  I was, of course, happy at the thought!  I had never met her and her family, so I was looking forward to making new friends and seeing the state for the very first time.

We planned for 2 night/3 day trip to New Hampshire, and we would be staying at the ex-coworker’s place.  We took off on a beautiful, low humidity, blue sky kind of day on June 20th for New Hampshire.  We had mapped out a course using Google Maps, which told us the drive would take about 4 hours to get to our first destination, Castle in the Clouds.

The drive would take us past the town of Rangeley, which we were very familiar with, after hiking near the area, and enjoying some delicious food served at Sarge’s Sports Bar and Grub.  We turned right to continue on Route 4/16, then turned left to head south on Route 17.  

After driving for about 20 minutes or so, Google Maps directed us to turn right, towards what looked like an unpaved, backcountry road!  The road condition started out ok, with mostly dirt/small pebbles, reminding us of our own roads near where we were staying in Stratton, Maine.

After about a mile in, the road really became almost unnavigable on a normal sedan/car.  Pebbles were no longer small, and dirt road was no more.  It had become a mostly medium sized pebble road, with occasional larger rocks.  The gradient also became fairly steep.  I was sure most low-to-the-ground sedans would get stuck on these roads, if they happen to hit a larger sized rock or two…

We carefully navigated our way up the road, taking our lines so we don’t eat any of the larger rocks strewn across the road.  It was a white knuckle kind of ride, great if you’re into off roaring with a Jeep!  We on the other hand, we’re driving a Chevy SUV, just barely clearing the larger rocks.  

We had driven for about 3 miles, which seemed like 30 miles.  We dared not to go faster than 10 miles per hour, afraid of bottoming out, or scraping larger rocks.  We really didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in northwest Maine with zero cars moving through the road.  

We were both sweating, half fearful, half excited that we were driving on a what seemed like a deserted road.  My paws were getting sweaty, but I told myself to look ahead, and most importantly, to not get stuck!

Towards the end of our 3rd mile on that harrowing road, we came across a small bridge over a creek.  It was kind of a bridge that had two wooden planks to cover the left and the right wheels, but wide open in the center, so we can see the bottom.  

I really took care not to miss the two planks where I placed the tires, so we don’t fall into the creek!  After crossing the bridge very slowly, we saw two workers, presumably with the Maine DOT (Department of Transportation), who were looking at us funny, wondering how in the world did we get to that road!?!

We waved as we passed them, half relieved that we finally saw some remnants of civilization, and half hoping the road would take us somewhere easier to drive.  Our prayers were answered!  

After driving not more than half mile or so, the road finally became a dirt road again.  I can’t remember a time when I rejoiced at seeing a dirt road!  The dirt road gave way to a paved road, which finally took us on a road that crossed into New Hampshire.  Yes!!!

For anyone not used to driving in the rural parts of Maine, there are no major highways which cuts down on travel times.  Our 163 mile trip from Stratton (Maine) to Castle in the Clouds, our first destination, took  close to 4 hours!

We arrived at our destination, then parked near the ticketing booth.  We purchased our tickets ($20) for a self-guided tour of the mansion and the grounds.  We walked up to the visitor center near the ticketing booth to use the restroom and to check out the history of the castle, and of course, the scenery.  

View from the visitor center, Castle in the Clouds, NH

We waited for a trolley service that takes visitors up to the castle every few minutes.  Lucky for us, we were the only ones going up that particular time, so we got the trolley all to ourselves.

Trolley at the Castle in the Clouds, NH

To our surprise, the trolley ride took only 5 minutes!  We were expecting a longer ride, but oh well.  It was still a fun ride, reminding us of that feeling we get when we’re on a vacation…The memories of us riding either a trolley or a duck tour are always fun!

We arrived at the main greeting hall at the front of the castle.  The views took our breath away, with its majestic views for miles out.  We wished we could live in a place like this!

View from visitor hall, Castle in the Clouds, NH

We sat for a quick 10 minute orientation/introduction video of the Castle in the Clouds, that cover topics ranging from the life & death of the proprietors (Tom & Olive Plant), to the castle being built from 1913-1914.  I’m always a sucker for history, and the place had plenty of it.

After completing the viewing of the video, we made our way to the main entrance to the house to start our self-guided tour.  We started on the main floor, checking out the impressive organ, the living room, and period decorations.

Living room

We got a kick out of checking out kitchen related items like Quick Quaker Oats, coffee, salt, etc., on display from about a 100 hundred years ago.  It was really fascinating.

We went outside after checking out the kitchen, and were greeted by incredible views!  The flowers were beautiful as well, while the cute water fountain made us smile.

After several minutes, we headed back inside to check out the second floor of the castle.  We loved the airy bedrooms with great views, even the guest bedrooms.  We both joked why we didn’t know any one who owns castles like these, so we can visit!  All the rooms were nicely sized, and it certainly felt like a castle.

It took us about 10 minutes to finish our tour of the second floor, after which time, we made our way back to the visitor hall.  We didn’t wait for the trolley, but rather walked down, which only took about 5 minutes.  

At the ticketing booth, we asked a friendly ticketing agent about the best place to hike at the castle.  She recommended the Brook Walk, which is 0.8 mile hiking trail near the ice cream stand, past the parking lot.  We started to walk towards the ice cream stand, then found the trail in no time.  

We started our hike descending ever so slightly.  The trail is nicely marked, with easy dirt/root/small pebble type trail.  The waterfalls got more impressive the farther we went.  Be sure not to miss the Bridal Veil Falls at the bottom of the trail.  It was absolutely beautiful.

Bridal Veils Falls 

We may have been somewhat underwhelmed at just touring the castle, but the trail really made our day.  We were glad we got to hike the trail.  Definitely not to be missed!

• Lake Winnipesaukee and the downtown 

After our trip to Castle in the Clouds, we were headed to my wife’s ex-coworker’s place in the town of Wolfeboro.  On our way over to her place, we ran across a black bear, who was running to cross the road.  At first, we thought it was a large black dog, but closer we got, we realized we were looking at a black bear!

It was pretty cool, as we’ve never seen a black bear in the wild (well, wilds of New Hampshire roads).  We slowed down to let him cross, and we got a good look at his cute shape, running on all fours.  Very cool!

The trip from Castle in the Clouds to Wolfeboro took about 30 minutes, passing the famous Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake, and the cute downtown area.  Lake Winnipesaukee is noted for its part time celebrity residents including Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore.  

We arrived at our final destination for the day, and were greeted happily by the host and her family.  We toured their beautiful home and their lake cabin, then decided to stay in the more private downstairs room, which has its own bathroom.  

Once settling in, we tried our hands at a hobie kayak, which is a kayak that is outfitted with a raised seat for fishing, and foot pedals, which provide forward momentum.  We had a blast cutting our way around the Crescent Lake.  

View on the Crescent Lake, NH

On a hobie!

After a delicious salmon dinner, we chatted for few hours over a cold beer and good company.  We all retired to our own rooms at around 10 p.m.  It was a great day in New Hampshire, our first trip there!

The next morning, as we were getting ready to walk over to the downtown area, we saw cute ducklings and their mom, walking on the driveway!  They were so cute.

Ducklings and their mom!

It was another gorgeous blue sky kind of a day, and we were ecstatic to be visiting New Hampshire.  We took the Main Street going south, getting our exercise in, as well as getting new stimuli.  We admired the views of the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee and checked out the Cate Park.

Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

The old railroad station, now the Chamber of Commerce

Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

Downtown has so many places to explore, including the aforementioned lake and shops/restaurants/tour companies.  Streets are really clean, neat, and walkable.  

On our last day at Wolfeboro, we ate at one of the excellent restaurants on Main Street for breakfast, and had awesome vegetable omelette/home fries, with aromatic coffee, of course.  Downtown is not to be missed!

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is located in the town of Holderness, and is an environmental education center/zoo featuring native New Hampshire animals, and native plants.  My wife found this place for us to visit, so we were there on our second day.

We arrived around 11:30 a.m., then parked our car in the huge parking lot, which was already half filled.  We made our way to the ticketing office/gift shop, paid our entrance fee of $22, then proceeded inside.

Note:  There is also a Lake Cruise at $27 per adult, if you’re interested in doing that as well.

Gift shop/ticketing center 

The zoo is not big, but we liked the nicely paved walkways with plenty of learning opportunities about different ecosystems, like the swamp/bog, underground, rivers, etc.  There were plenty of visitors with little ones, giddily running around, excited about the trip.

Underground ecosystem display

We felt like school kids on a trip.  We learned new things and in most cases, relearned things we already knew, but had forgotten, about nature.  I’m all for new stimuli.  New environment never hurts!

A deer resting 

Some of our favorite animal display areas were the bald eagles, coyotes, and bobcats.  We loved it that we could see all of them really close.  

Bald eagle

Coyote sleeping

We took a detour at around the midpoint of our tour to check out the Kirkwood Gardens.  We saw some beautiful flowers native to the state, and manicured plants.  It was a perfect place to relax for few minutes.

Kirkwood Gardens, NH

We got back into the zoo after several minutes to complete our tour.  We saw a great children’s playground, which almost tempted us to play alongside the children, next to the black bear den.  We did, however, did try our hands at the short zip line near the bald eagle display area.

We had a blast going back and forth on the zip line!  It was so much fun.  Afterwards, unbeknownst to us, we found out it was for children only and not for adults!  Oops.  We swear we didn’t break it.

The tour took a good hour and a half or so for us to complete.  It was an awesome trip for anyone who loves nature and animals!  

In conclusion:

Our first trip to the state of New Hampshire was a memorable one.  I got to meet my wife’s friend and her family, and we got to see some of New Hampshire’s best attractions, all in 2 days.  

Lake Winnipesaukee is a majestic lake, full of promises and beauty.  The downtown is super pedestrian friendly, and has lots going for it.  Castle in the Clouds and Squam Lakes Natural Science Center are awesome destinations when visiting New Hampshire, full of new stimuli and experiences.

We loved our trip to the state, and we hope you’ll do the same!  Happy trails.

Thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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