The best things to do in Laconia NH are a show at the restored Colonial Theatre, a ride or walk on the paved WOW Trail, a swim at Bartlett Beach or Opechee Park, the boardwalk and cruises at Weirs Beach, and — next door in Gilford — skiing, the mountain coaster and the zip tour at Gunstock. The city's two biggest events are Laconia Motorcycle Week in June and the Laconia Pumpkin Festival, which in 2026 runs Friday, October 23 (4–10 p.m.) and Saturday, October 24 (11 a.m.–10 p.m.) downtown (Laconia Pumpkin Festival).
Laconia calls itself the "City on the Lakes," and it earns it. The city of 16,871 people (2020 census) touches Lake Winnipesaukee, Paugus Bay, Lake Opechee and Lake Winnisquam (Wikipedia), which means you can be on four different lakes in a single afternoon. We sell homes across the Lakes Region and the Plymouth area, under an hour north, so this guide is written the way we'd explain Laconia to a buyer visiting for the first time: what's worth your time, season by season, and what the place is like once you live here.
| Laconia at a glance | Pick | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Night out | Colonial Theatre, 609 Main Street | Ticketed |
| History | Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon Street East | Check with the mill |
| Walk or bike | WOW Trail, Lakeport to Belmont | Free |
| Swim (free) | Bartlett Beach, Opechee Cove, Opechee Point | Free |
| Classic summer | Weirs Beach boardwalk and the M/S Mount Washington | Parking / cruise fare |
| Mountain | Gunstock Mountain Resort, Gilford | Ticketed |
| Big fall event | Laconia Pumpkin Festival, October 23–24, 2026 | See the festival site |
Getting your bearings in Laconia
Laconia isn't one village. It's three, strung along Route 3 and the Winnipesaukee River as the water drops from the big lake to Winnisquam (Wikipedia):
- Weirs Beach, at the north end, on the channel where Lake Winnipesaukee drains into Paugus Bay. This is the boardwalk, the cruise dock and Motorcycle Week.
- Lakeport, in the middle, between Paugus Bay and Lake Opechee. The WOW Trail starts here.
- Downtown Laconia, to the south, the city's center: Main Street, the Colonial, the Belknap Mill, the library and the train station.
Most first-time visitors only see the Weirs. The rest of Laconia NH's attractions are downtown and along the water south of it, and that's where locals spend their time.
Downtown Laconia
Downtown is compact enough to walk in an hour, and most of what's worth seeing is within a few blocks of Main Street.
The Colonial Theatre
The Colonial Theatre at 609 Main Street opened in 1914 with more than 1,200 seats, ran as a movie house until it closed in 2002, and reopened in August 2021 after a full restoration as a 750-seat venue (Cinema Treasures). Its return is a big part of why downtown Laconia is busier on a Friday night than it used to be.
The calendar mixes touring tribute acts, comedians and concerts with local theater. In October 2026, for example, the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative stages Peter and the Starcatcher (October 9–11, tickets $23.25–$27.50) and a Michael Jackson tribute show plays October 14, according to the theatre's own listings. The box office line is (800) 657-8774.
The Belknap Mill
The Belknap Mill at 25 Beacon Street East is a three-and-a-half-story brick textile mill built between 1823 and 1828, which made textiles for nearly 150 years until 1969 and opened as a museum in 1991. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971 (Wikipedia). The Belknap Mill is usually described as the oldest unaltered brick textile mill in the country. Inside are a knitting-machine exhibit and the original powerhouse, and the building hosts concerts, talks and, from November through May, the Laconia Winter Farmers Market (see below). Check the mill's site for current museum hours before you go.
The Laconia Public Library
Even if you're not a library person, the Gale Memorial Library at 695 Main Street is worth a look from the outside. It's a Richardsonian Romanesque building designed by Boston architect Charles Brigham, built in 1901–03 with a bequest from local banker Napoleon Bonaparte Gale, and it's on the National Register (Wikipedia). The Laconia Public Library runs a busy calendar of kids', teen and adult programs, which makes it one of the better free rainy-day stops in the city.
Outdoors: the WOW Trail, Opechee Park and the beaches
The WOW Trail
The WOW Trail is a paved, 10-foot-wide rail trail in the state-owned railroad corridor. Phase 1 opened in 2010 between Lakeport and downtown. Phase 2 opened in fall 2016 and runs from the downtown train station past Bartlett Beach to the Belmont town line, where it meets Belmont's Winnisquam Scenic Trail. Together they make about 4.25 miles of continuous trail from Lakeport to Osborne's Agway in Belmont.
It's open to walking, running, biking, in-line skating and leashed dogs, and in winter to walking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. You can park at the Lake Opechee Inn in Lakeport, behind the train station downtown, at Bartlett Beach, or at Belmont's Leslie Roberts beach. The trail group's long-term goal is a connected trail from Meredith through the Weirs, Lakeport, downtown, Belmont and Tilton to Franklin and the Northern Rail Trail.
Our favorite way to use it: park downtown, ride south along Winnisquam to Belmont, swim at Bartlett Beach on the way back, and finish with lunch on Main Street.
Opechee Park
Opechee Park, at 306 Union Avenue, is Laconia's largest park: ballfields, the Smith Track, a skatepark and two beaches on Lake Opechee, Opechee Cove along North Main Street and Opechee Point behind the peninsula. Both have bathhouses in season and neither has lifeguards. The city is upfront that the Cove "can often test high in E.Coli Bacteria," so check the beach advisories before swimming there, especially after rain.
Bond Beach, Bartlett Beach and Ahern State Park
- Bond Beach is Laconia's residents-and-taxpayers beach. You need a pass from the City Clerk's office, $15 for one or $25 for two, and the city's beach page lists it as the only city beach with lifeguards this season (City of Laconia, Beaches). If you're visiting, use one of the free beaches instead.
- Bartlett Beach is the free one on Lake Winnisquam, with a free lot and a WOW Trail trailhead. It's quieter than the Weirs: no boardwalk, no arcade, just sand and water.
- Ahern State Park, off Route 106, has 128 acres and 3,500 feet of Winnisquam shoreline, a small beach, walking trails and some of the best-known mountain biking in the city. Dogs are allowed on the trails but not on the beach.
The city doesn't maintain or test its beaches outside the official beach season, which starts in late June (City of Laconia). For fees, lifeguards and parking at more than 40 other beaches, see our guide to public beaches in New Hampshire.
Lake Winnisquam and Paugus Bay
Lake Winnisquam covers 4,214 acres and reaches 155 feet deep, making it the fourth-largest lake entirely in New Hampshire, shared by Laconia, Meredith, Sanbornton, Belmont and Tilton (Wikipedia). It's calmer and less built-up than Winnipesaukee, with good paddling around Ahern's cove. Our Lake Winnisquam guide covers the lake in detail.
Paugus Bay, between the Weirs and Lakeport, was once treated as its own lake and is now usually counted as an arm of Winnipesaukee (Wikipedia). It's sheltered, ringed with marinas and condos, and a favorite for boaters who want to get out of the Broads' chop. For the big lake itself, our Lake Winnipesaukee guide has the depth, islands and towns.
Weirs Beach
The Weirs is the Laconia most people picture: a free public beach on Lake Winnipesaukee, the boardwalk of arcades and snack stands along Lakeside Avenue, Funspot up the hill, and the dock of the M/S Mount Washington. Parking runs $2.00 an hour on Lakeside Avenue and $2.50 at the Endicott Rock lot in season (City of Laconia). Everything you need for a day there, from cruise schedules and the scenic railroad to the drive-in and the live cams, is in our Weirs Beach, Laconia guide.
Things to do in Laconia NH by season
| Season | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Summer (June–August) | Motorcycle Week, Weirs Beach and cruises, Bartlett and Opechee beaches, WOW Trail, Gunstock Adventure Park, paddling Winnisquam |
| Fall (September–October) | Lakes Region foliage, the Laconia Pumpkin Festival, Gunstock scenic lift, Prescott Farm trails, Colonial Theatre season |
| Winter (December–March) | Skiing and tubing at Gunstock, ice fishing, skating, the Sled Dog Derby, Winter Farmers Market at the Belknap Mill |
| Spring (April–May) | Quiet: trail walks, Belknap Mill, Colonial shows, the last Winter Farmers Markets |
Summer in Laconia
Summer is beaches, boats and the WOW Trail, with the Weirs as the busy center.
Laconia Motorcycle Week is the oldest national motorcycle rally in the United States, according to the city. The 2026 rally ran from 8 a.m. Saturday, June 13 to midnight Sunday, June 21 (City of Laconia), and the 2027 dates are covered in our Weirs Beach guide. Whether you come for the rally or plan around it, book lodging early and expect Route 3 and Route 11 traffic to slow down all week.
At Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, ten minutes from downtown, the summer Adventure Park has a mountain coaster with carts you brake yourself at up to 25 mph, a 1.6-mile ZipTour that runs from peak to peak and down to the base in about 90 minutes, an aerial treetop course and scenic chairlift rides (Ski NH).
Also on Winnipesaukee in Gilford, Ellacoya State Park has a 600-foot sand beach looking across the lake to the Sandwich and Ossipee ranges. Day use is $5 for adults and $2 for children 6–11.
Fall in Laconia
Fall is Laconia's best season, in our view: the water is still warm in September, the crowds have gone home, and the Lakes Region usually peaks around mid-October. For timing and the best drives, see our New Hampshire fall foliage guide.
- Gunstock's scenic lift runs into the fall, and in early October 2026 the resort listed it as open seven days a week, with a Fall Fest weekend October 10–12 (Gunstock).
- Prescott Farm, at 928 White Oaks Road, is a nonprofit environmental education center with more than 3 miles of trails over 160 acres of field, forest and pond. The trails are open dawn to dusk year-round. It's a wildlife viewing area, so no dogs and no bikes.
- The Colonial Theatre runs its busiest stretch of shows from fall into the holidays.
Laconia Pumpkin Festival 2026
If you searched for the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival, this is it now. The festival spent 24 years in Keene before moving to downtown Laconia in 2015. The Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce ran it for its first nine years, and since 2025 the City of Laconia has run it as the Laconia Pumpkin Festival (weirsbeach.com). The 2026 festival is the second under the new name and the eleventh in a row held in downtown Laconia.
| Laconia Pumpkin Festival 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026 |
| Hours | Friday 4–10 p.m. (soft opening); Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Where | Downtown Laconia, centered on Veterans Square |
| Organizer | City of Laconia, Economic and Housing Development |
| What's on | Pumpkin tower of lit jack-o'-lanterns, vendor booths, food, live music and laser shows, kids' and pets' costume parades, a zombie parade, and the Runaway Pumpkin 5K and 10K |
Source: laconiapumpkinfestival.com. The festival site has its own directions and parking page; check it the week before, because downtown streets close for the event. The centerpiece is the pumpkin tower in Veterans Square (weirsbeach.com), and it's at its best after dark on Saturday.
Winter in Laconia
Winter is when Laconia feels most like a place people live year-round rather than a summer resort.
- Skiing at Gunstock. Belknap County owns Gunstock, which the Works Progress Administration built in 1937. The summit is at 2,267 feet with 1,340 feet of vertical (Wikipedia). The resort lists 49 trails on 227 skiable acres, and the tubing hill, terrain park and 22 trails are lit for night sessions (Gunstock). It's the closest big mountain to Laconia by a wide margin.
- Skating. The Merrill Fay Arena is indoors on Route 107, and the city runs outdoor rinks, including one on Opechee Cove that opens only once the ice is at least 12 inches thick (weirsbeach.com).
- The World Championship Sled Dog Derby. The Lakes Region Sled Dog Club holds this race in Laconia each February, starting from the Opechee State Forest area off Route 106 (Lakes Region Chamber). It depends on snow and has been cancelled in warm winters (NHPR, 2023), so check lrsdc.org for the 2027 dates.
- Ice fishing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing on and around Winnisquam and Paugus Bay. The WOW Trail is open for walking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
- The Laconia Winter Farmers Market meets at the Belknap Mill on the third Tuesday of each month from November through May, 3 to 6 p.m. (Lakes Region Tourism).
Rainy-day things to do in Laconia
When the beach is off the table:
- Funspot, at 579 Endicott Street North near the Weirs. Guinness named it the world's largest arcade in 2008, and its third floor holds the American Classic Arcade Museum (Wikipedia).
- The Belknap Mill, for its exhibits, talks and concerts.
- A matinee at the Colonial Theatre.
- The Laconia Public Library, for kids' storytimes, crafts and author talks. The city calendar lists them.
- The Merrill Fay Arena, the indoor rink on Route 107; check its schedule for public skate times.
Things to do near Laconia
Laconia sits in the middle of the Lakes Region, so a lot is close:
- Gilford (next door): Gunstock, Ellacoya State Park and the Belknap Range. See our page on Gilford NH real estate.
- Belmont and Tilton (south): Belmont's Winnisquam Scenic Trail connects to the WOW Trail at the town line.
- Meredith (north on Route 3): the Mill Falls shops, the Meredith Bay waterfront and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad's other station.
- Plymouth and the White Mountains (under an hour north): our things to do in Plymouth NH guide is the next stop up I-93.
Things to do in Laconia NH this weekend
Laconia's event calendar changes week to week, so rather than print a list that's out of date in a month, here's where locals check:
- The City of Laconia calendar: library programs, Parks & Recreation events, city beaches and park facilities, and community events.
- The Colonial Theatre for shows.
- The Laconia Pumpkin Festival site for the October festival.
- Gunstock for lift, Adventure Park and seasonal events.
- The Lakes Region Chamber for the wider region.
Living in Laconia
What visitors often miss is that Laconia is the Lakes Region's working city. It has the hospital, the county courthouse and the big grocery stores, and it offers a wider range of housing than the lakefront towns around it. Buyers usually choose between a few different Laconias: condos and seasonal cottages around the Weirs and Paugus Bay, in-town homes within walking distance of Main Street and the WOW Trail, Lakeport homes between Opechee and Paugus Bay, and waterfront on Lake Winnisquam.
A few practical notes from our side of the closing table:
- Rally week is part of the deal. Some owners leave town for Motorcycle Week, some rent their place out, and a few wouldn't miss it. Visit in June before you buy near the Weirs or Route 3.
- Short-term rentals depend on zoning. Laconia limits them by zoning district and tightened the rules again in March 2026. Our Weirs Beach guide explains the rules.
- Water matters. On Winnisquam, Opechee or Paugus Bay, ask about frontage, docks and shoreland rules before you fall in love with the view.
For prices, neighborhoods and property taxes, read our Laconia NH homes for sale guide, and browse current listings on our Laconia NH real estate page.
When you're ready to look seriously, talk to our buyer team about touring Laconia and the towns around it.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Laconia NH?
The main Laconia NH attractions are the Colonial Theatre and the Belknap Mill downtown, the paved WOW Trail along Lake Winnisquam, the beaches at Opechee Park and Bartlett Beach, and the boardwalk, arcades and M/S Mount Washington cruises at Weirs Beach. Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, ten minutes away, adds skiing in winter and a mountain coaster, zip tour and scenic lift in summer and fall.
When is the Laconia Pumpkin Festival in 2026?
The 2026 Laconia Pumpkin Festival is Friday, October 23 from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, October 24 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in downtown Laconia. The City of Laconia runs it, and it includes the pumpkin tower, vendors, costume parades, live music and the Runaway Pumpkin 5K and 10K.
Is the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival still held?
Yes, under a new name. The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival moved from Keene to Laconia in 2015 and was run by the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce for nine years. Since 2025 the City of Laconia has run it as the Laconia Pumpkin Festival, still in downtown Laconia every October.
When is Laconia Motorcycle Week?
Every June, centered on Weirs Beach. The 2026 rally, the 103rd, ran from Saturday, June 13 through Sunday, June 21. The city calls it the oldest national motorcycle rally in the United States.
Where can you swim in Laconia for free?
Weirs Beach, Bartlett Beach and the two Opechee Park beaches (Opechee Cove and Opechee Point) are free to use, though you pay to park at the Weirs in season. None of them has lifeguards. Bond Beach is for residents and taxpayers and needs a city pass.
What is there to do in Laconia when it rains?
Funspot's arcade and the American Classic Arcade Museum, the Belknap Mill, a show at the Colonial Theatre, programs at the Laconia Public Library, and in the cold months the indoor Merrill Fay Arena.
What is there to do in Laconia NH in winter?
Skiing, night skiing and snow tubing at Gunstock in Gilford, skating at the Merrill Fay Arena and on Opechee Cove, ice fishing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on the WOW Trail, the World Championship Sled Dog Derby in February when there's snow, and the Winter Farmers Market at the Belknap Mill.
Is Laconia NH a good place to live?
It depends on what you want. Laconia is the Lakes Region's service center, with a hospital, year-round shops and restaurants, a restored theater and access to four lakes, with everything from in-town homes to Winnisquam waterfront. Our Laconia NH homes for sale guide covers neighborhoods, prices and taxes.