5 Reasons To Visit New London, New Hampshire

New London is a small town in central New Hampshire in the midst of lakes, mountains, and forests. Though it is in an absolutely beautiful area and deserves attention just for that alone, it is also full of great restaurants, art, places to stay, and shopping!

1. Lakes

Via nhtourguide.com

New London is home to two of New Hampshire's many lakes--Pleasant Lake (pictured above) and Lake Sunapee. Pleasant Lake is 1.8 miles long and 0.7 miles across, and home to a loon sanctuary (baby loons are often spotted in the spring!). Lake Sunapee is the 5th larges lake in the state at 8.1 miles long and 2.5 miles across. It is home to many species of fish such as the Sunapee Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, and more as well as animals such as Black Bear, Red Squirrels, Fishers, and Mink.

2. Hiking

Via en.wikipedia.org

There are many places to hike in New London--just a few are Bunker Loop, Clark Lookout, Clark Pond, and Cocoa's Path. Shown above is Mount Kearsage (which is very close by) lit up by the sunset. The mountain has an elevation of 2920 feet and has beautiful views of nearby lakes, and on a very clear day, the skyscrapers of Boston (which is 80 miles away) can be seen from the fire tower at the summit.

3. Hospitality

©Jumping Rocks / Via innatpleasantlake.com

Above is the Inn at Pleasant Lake--with a five star rating on TripAdvisor (it is actually the #1 New London Inn on TripAdvisor), BedandBreakfast.com, and Yelp, this Inn is definitely what you would call top-notch. It has ten beautiful rooms (five of which are suites), some with a view of the Pleasant Lake. Inn guests have use of a private beach and canoes and kayaks owned by the Inn, as well as access to a hearty country breakfast and an afternoon tea. The Inn also has a restaurant with a five star rating on Yelp!

4. Theatre

Sean Hurley / Via nhpr.org and nlbarn.org

This little Summer-Stock theatre made from a renovated barn may not look like much, but don't be fooled--it is a bustling, wildly popular theatre that puts on incredible shows and who's 2015 season swept the New Hampshire theatre awards--collecting 12 awards in total. The Barn is also where Stephen Shwartz, the creator of Broadway shows Godspell and Wicked, got his start. If you are looking to see some incredible theatre, head to the New London Barn Playhouse! To see their 2016 season, go to www.nlbarn.org.

5. Shopping

Via yelp.com

For all of you thrifters out there, New London is home to an absolutely AGGRESSIVE amount of consignment shops such as Go Lightly Consignment, where the above picture was taken. It is also home to funky book shops, artisan shops, art stores, a Co-op, and more!