We spent last week in Meredith Nh at Mill Falls on Lake Winnipesaukee. Can I just tell you, this is one of my new favorite travel destinations. My mom and dad stopped giving Christmas gifts to the adults and less toys to the kids three years ago and started giving a family trip instead. Every year, my mom and dad take my brother’s family and my family on a trip. The first year we went to Disney Land in Florida, last year they rented a house on Cape Cod and this year, they rented each of us a family suite at Mill Falls on Lake Winnipesaukee.
Pretty darn nice of them don’t you think?
This was the view every morning at Mill Falls.
Just below this area was a beach area where the kids enjoyed swimming to the dock and searching for tiny fish. The water was so clear and the sand was so soft. Perfect for relaxing while the kids played in the water.
I think my mom read two books in this chair during the week. We always knew where she was!
View from the Lake of Church Landing
The indoor/outdoor pool connected by a cave, was the kids favorite spot.
Mill Falls is an Inn/resort located directly on Lake Winnipesaukee. The Inn is spread out over 7 different facilities all within walking distance from each other. The resort area has 5 of their own restaurants ranging from lakeside dining to a casual pizzeria.
There is even a movie cinema within walking distance where we went during a rainy day and watched the Smurfs. What a cute movie!
Town Docks is one of the casual outdoor dining areas that is part of the resort. This is a great place to have lunch. They even have their own boat dock so you can park your boat and dine.
You can rent boats, paddle boats, canoes and jet skies right near Town Docks.
Tooling around the lake and seeing the other islands was a lot of fun. I never realized how big Lake Winnipesaukee is. It’s like the ocean!
Being on the lake in the sun wiped out my little man. He fell asleep cuddled up against my dad.
The Lake House Grill located at Church Landing is another restaurant that is part of Mill Falls. It is Casual but a bit more elegant compared to the Camp or Pizzeria restaurant located in the Inn portion of the resort.
We ate most of our lunches at the Camp, Town Docks and Pizzeria followed with dinner at the Lago and Lake Side Grill. It was so nice to be able to walk everywhere and not have to drive.
My mom and dad enjoying dinner.
My brother and sister in law.
We ate breakfast at the same place every single morning. We are creature of habit I tell ya. The Waterfall cafe located in the Inn portion of Mill Falls is very reasonably priced and the staff is super friendly.
I have never eaten so much ice cream in my life. There is a Ben & Jerry’s and an old fashion ice cream window at the Town Docks.
How about a little fishing? My stepdaughter’s and niece wanted no part of fishing so my mom took them to the pool while my husband and I took our son fishing. Guess who had to put the worm on the hook, me! My husband was freaked out by the worm and my son kept trying but couldn’t get the little o’l worm to stay on the hook. So momma had to hook the worm.
My grandparents didn’t join us on this vacation, they enjoyd staying “home alone” hehe, so it was three generations under one roof plus my brother and his family. I was holding the camera doing a “selfie”of all of us one night after dinner as we were walking to the ice cream shop. There was a young boy beside us giggling as we were taking pictures of ourselves and I said, “we are crazy huh” he said, “I love it! My family does the same thing.”
We were fortunate enough to do two vacations this summer one on Cape Cod and this one on Lake Winnipesaukee. Both were fabulous but offer a completely different atmosphere. Cape Cod is much busier and full of tourists and depending on where you stay, you will need to drive to many areas of the Cape. The Cape is faster paced offering loads of things to do. Lake Winnipesaukee is also busy but for some reason, seems slower paced and less congested. Don’t get me wrong, Lake Winnipesaukee is busy and definitely a summer spot for many people but the overall atmosphere is much more country feeling and it almost forces you to relax, which we need! On another note, thank you for all your sweet comments on my grandparents vow renewal ceremony, I told them they are super stars ;).
Kathleen says
Love these pics! It sure has changed since I was there last. I don’t remember anything there except the sea plane and dock. We had so much fun. I want to go back to New England so bad.
Jessica Bruno says
Thanks Kathleen!
Kim @ Sand & Sisal says
What a beautiful vacation destination! It surely looks like a memorable time away, relaxing! I can see why your mom loved that chair! What a view 😉 Thanks for sharing your family getaway with us!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of doing a nice family trip instead of gifts, though I’m not sure how it would fly in my family! Never been up to Lake Winnipesaukee, but it looks gorgeous. Looks like you had amazing weather for your vacation!
Joyce says
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful vacation, and thank you for sharing your pics! I made a trip to New Hampshire this summer, and Meredith was on my list of places to go because we used to go there when I was a kid. I didn’t get that far though.
Spent an afternoon at Newfound Lake in Bristol and had a wonderful time. It was just as I remembered. I came away determined to go back and spend a week there with my kids. Nothing like NH lakes and mountains. Love them. (I grew up in Lebanon.)
–Joyce
Jessica Bruno says
I agree Joyce, it is super relaxing and very peaceful 🙂
Kristen Duke says
It looks like such a beautiful place!! I love that your parents do a family trip instead of gifts. Family trips are always so much fun and much more memorable than most gifts!
Jessica Bruno says
I agree Kristen 🙂 I love the trips!
Ellen Dodrill says
Loved this post. My mom grew up in this area and I spent all my summers from age 12 – 18 working at a restaurant my grandparents owned in Meredith. I haven’t been to NH in years. A lot of what I knew is gone but it was still cool seeing the pics.
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you Ellen 🙂 It is truly a beautiful place.