Summer Vacation on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire

Back in 2012 my income allowed for me to take a vacation.  It had been many years since I'd had that opportunity.  But I didn't know what to do, or where to go.

In 2012, one of my son's visited us in New Hampshire, and our family took a day trip to Lake Sunapee.  

We ate on the deck at the Anchorage restaurant at Sunapee Harbor (see my photo).  Then we booked a cruise on the MV Mt. Sunapee, and toured around the lake.  As the ship's Captain narrated the history of the area, and we saw the beautiful shoreline, it hit me!  We needed to rent a place here in summer and have a lake vacation.

As soon as I was home from our day at the lake, I pulled up some Lake Sunapee rentals at VRBO and found that many cottages and homes were already rented for the following year!  This place was popular, and no wonder.  For me, the rentals were also VERY expensive.  Fortunately my sister agreed to split the cost.  We quickly put a down-payment on one of the few rentals left open, for a week in the summer of 2013.

Because we spent the majority of our time outside, I would have liked a comfortable place to sit near the water.  The deck contained a nice patio set with four chairs which were plenty for us.

The outdoor grill was old and pretty much useless.  For a house this high rent, I would have expected a decent grill to cook on.  Thumbs down on that one!

The dock was our favorite place to gather.  From the dock we could look northward and had a nice view of the lake.  Because this house was at the southern end, we got the wind from the north which added to the chill in the air.  It also made for some rough water at times when kayaking.

At night we could hear the traffic on the main road just up the hill, behind the house.  Our two bedrooms backed up to the hill, and with the windows open, trucks occasionally woke me up.  My sister stayed in the basement apartment which was partly underground, so no noise.  She slept fine, and she also had a view of the lake.

I don't know if this house is still available to rent, but it was fine for our family vacation.  It was close to my own house, so I could travel back and check on things a couple times during the week.  It is located in the town of Newbury, at the southern end of the lake.

As with most everything in this area of the country, it was expensive.  There is no sales tax in New Hampshire, but property taxes are very high to make up for it.  I have no idea what property tax is on a house by the water, but I imagine it's a lot.  That expense must get passed on to renters.

The beds were comfortable, and the kitchen was small but nice.  We loved the deck and the dock and enjoyed the lake views, swimming and kayaking.  We chose a week in August as that is usually a very hot time of year.  In 2013 it was not!  We spent one day huddled on the deck in our sweatshirts, and my Florida son never got into the 72 degree water.

The house has three stories, with the entire lower level set up as a separate living area.  My sister took that as her space.  Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a bathroom.  Because the house is close to the main road, we could easily hear traffic at night.  (The road is just up that hill, beyond those trees in my photo below.) Since it was summertime, we slept with the windows open and could hear every truck that passed by all night.

I would have loved to go out and spend time at the Sunapee Harbor, or visit the The Fells estate and gardens.  But the kids and my sister were not interested.  So we spent our days sitting on the dock, swimming when it was sunny and warm, kayaking and fishing (caught nothing).

One day a boat parade came by.  The old wooden boats came down to our end of the lake and the boaters waved as they passed by.  We watched one of the guys from a neighboring house take his dog for a ride on his paddleboard.  We took walks and got a lot of photos.

We brought our own food, but one night we got pizza from Bubba's Bar & Grill.  It was good, but the place was super busy, and even though we called it in, we waited 30 minutes to pick it up!  

All in all, It was a relaxing time, in a beautiful spot, which is the main point of a vacation.

 I got a picture of our neighbor taking his dog for a paddleboard ride!  

We did manage to get out in our kayaks and could then get a better view of the area.  We followed the coastline up to a beach area one sunny day, and it was a nice smooth trip.  But another time I tried to kayak across to the bay on the far side, and it was so windy that I had my doubts about getting back home!  

I had considered renting a boat for the week, but we ended up not doing that.  Lots of people came by in their boats, and we saw skiers, paddleboarders, and other kayakers.  Everyone was enjoying the water, no matter what the weather.  The lake temperature in August was around 72 degrees.  The best way to get in, is to jump in from the dock. 

Lake Sunapee has very clean and clear water and one of the reasons for that is it's high elevation.  At over 1,000 feet above sea level, there is not much in the way of contaminated runoff and the lake is fed by many underground springs.

The water temperature is around 72 degrees in summer and we had loads of fun on, and in, the water near the dock.

About the lake:

• It's size is approximately 8 miles by 2 miles, although the coastline is irregular.
• The lake has 3 lighthouses and 8 islands.
• Native Americans called the lake "Soo - Nipi" meaning "wild goose waters".
• It's fed by cold, underground springs and has crystal clear water.
• Land-locked Salmon, who thrive in cold water, can be caught in Lake Sunapee.

Although much of the area closes down for our cold and snowy New Hampshire winters, in summer the Sunapee Harbor is bustling. The Anchorage restaurant (I am dining there in my image at the beginning of this page) is known as the place where Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry met. Steven Tyler has a home on the lake, which you can see if you take the sightseeing cruise.

If only I had a little bit of money, I would take a vacation like this every year.  But this was my first, and probably last, vacation on Lake Sunapee and I cherish the moments I shared with my kids.  I can still drive up (I only live about an hour away) and buy ice cream and eat at the Anchorage.   I am lucky, and grateful, to live in such a beautiful area.