Tour: Life is Better at the Lake! Sunapee Harbor

By: Emily Goulet, GSA Communications Director

In typical Summer 2021 fashion, our tour day started off as a cloudy day.  It was cool after a rainstorm the previous evening – almost fall-like.  We arrived at the Sunapee Harbor, where our group met at Stacy’s Smoothies.  It was the perfect way to start off our morning.  There was a variety of breakfast smoothies to choose from, as well as a coffee bar.  I tried an iced latte – a delicious treat!  It was a relaxing way to begin our exploration of the Sunapee Harbor shops and restaurants.

We headed over to Prospect Hill Antiques – the Harbor Gallery.  The primary location is in Georges Mills, a three story horse barn with 12,000 square feet of display space for antique furniture and quality custom furnishings.  The Harbor Gallery is a 6,500 square foot, 3 story space, with beautiful displays of furniture and art.  We were so impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship – all local from New England!  It is certainly a great place to spend some time browsing and admiring everything.

We explored some of the other shops in the harbor, including The Lake Shop – a newer harbor shop, A&E Harbor Shop – a gift shop run by kids, Sunapee Harborside Trading –  offers a variety of knickknacks and clothing, and Wild Goose Country Store – showcases fun signs, locally made crafts and products, and Sunapee logo’d products…the kind of store I could walk out of with a full bag!

We also had the opportunity to visit the Sunapee Historical Society, where Becky Rylander, Board President, welcomed us and showed us around the building.  There is so much history in the Sunapee area.  It is fascinating to see relics of the past, and to learn about the railroad and steamboats era, as well as the grand hotels.

After our adventures around town, we had some time to relax and find some food to eat.  There were a variety of options: Fenton’s Landing, Sunapee Harbor Dogs, The Anchorage, and Stacy’s Smoothies.  I returned to Stacy’s Smoothies for a delicious green smoothie, which I ate with my fellow GSAs under the tent looking out into the harbor.  A picturesque meal!

We were very excited to finally board the MV Mt Sunapee from Sunapee Cruises, where we were greeted by Captain John, who gave a personal greeting to Granite State Ambassadors over the loudspeaker!  The day had turned into a sunny and cool summer day.  Most GSAs sat on the top deck, gazing out at the beautiful views surrounding us.  The first level was just as beautiful, with comfortable window seats and the windows wide open.  The first level also offered a drink and snack bar area.

The captain gave a great overview of different areas of the lake and some of the famous houses, as well as the islands, lighthouses, and some of the views.  We had an excellent view of Mt. Sunapee, and it is always fun to see the ski trails with no snow.  We all enjoyed our time tremendously, and I think it’s safe to say that we will be recommending both the cruise and the harbor to many guests of NH!  A big thank you to Ashlee Rowley, Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce for facilitating this experience!