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We are planning a trip up to New Hampshire between Christmas and New Years. Our main focus is trying out winter there. We plan to retire in the next three years and have decided New Hampshire is the place to be. We are both in good health and in our mid 50's. We have been talking about Wolfeboro and the lakes region in particular. But, have some concerns such as medical care, and distance to shopping, movies, restaurants etc.. We would also like to be able to rent out our home when we aren't using it, especially until we can live there full time. By the way, I grew up in New York and we have lived in Colorado in the mountains so cold and snow are not an issue. Although, I know Colorado is dry and New Hampshire is more humid. Opinions please!!
Last edited by StitchBuddy; 10-21-2016 at 02:30 PM..
We love the outdoors, hiking, hunting (husband), and plan to do some volunteering. We also enjoy eating out some and going to the movies. Right now we are a good 20-30 minutes from those things. I am currently a special education teacher, so I might substitute teach.
If you plan to go hiking in the winter, bring snow shoes.
Have you looked for a Christmas to New Years rental (e.g. AirBnB) in an area you would like to be? Seems like this would be a good way to start, especially given that you're looking for a place you can rent out part time.
New Hampshire has many opportunities for hiking and hunting, even in the winter. Usually this requires extra layers and snowshoes, but I won't even try to make predictions for December 26th this far out.
Most of the nice smaller towns in New Hampshire have limited opportunities for eating out and going to the movies. I have three movie theaters I can go to, each is +20 minutes drive time. Same goes for dining, while I have a few small restaurants nearby, chain restaurants and actual fine dining are all +30 minutes away.
Wolfeboro is a nice town, but you would be 40-70 minutes from everything -- big box stores, movies, restaurants, major hospitals, etc. I would recommend looking a little closer to Concord if you want easy access to "civilization".
My wife and I are considering Wolfeboro as a retirement location as well. It has a community hospital, several year-round restaurants and is only 30 minutes from the big box stores in Rochester, NH.
I've lived and worked in Wolfeboro. In summer it's crowded and congested with tourists. In winter they roll up the sidewalks. "30 mins" to anywhere isn't realistic. You'll get tired of driving 45 mins to a supermarket that has a reasonable selection at reasonable prices and of cancelling dinner-and-a-movie plans because that's a long way if it's snowing. I love the Lakes Region, and Wolfeboro is one of its most picturesque spots, but I wouldn't want to live there again.
I'd look on the other side of the lake. Gilford and Meredith are both nice towns with similar access to outdoor activities and more amenities incl a choice of supermarkets, a few big box stores, a decent movie theatre, and a larger hospital with more services. JMO.
Wolfboro is nice but it is on Winnepsaukee, which has a lot of development around it. For something more rural and less crowded, you may want to check out the Newfound Lake area which is 20 miles or so west of Winnepesaukee or Sunapee which is about 50 miles southwest of Winni. Renting it out is easier if there is skiing nearby and a lake. Other than Gunstock, there is not much skiing near Winni. Sunapee has both. If you want more skiing variety, Lincoln NH or North Conway would be better.
I agree with KCZ.....Gilford or Meredith offer better shopping & medical whilst giving you nice, low-property tax living by the lake. 25 minutes from there to Exit 20 in Tilton to shop. Gilford has a Super-Walmart. Much easier to get around overall.
Wolfeboro is a good starting place for a winter search in New Hampshire. From there you can travel to Meredith and Holdernes. You can travel a little farther north to check out North Conway and Jackson. The Sunapee area is worth looking into as well. We looked there before we decided on Tuftonboro.
Well, we leave tomorrow for NYC, then heading up to Wolfeboro. We will use it as our base and travel from there to many of the places you all have mentioned. Thanks for giving me some ideas of where to look around. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!
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If you plan to go hiking in the winter, bring snow shoes.
