America’s Best Small Towns of 2023

America’s Best Small Lake Town

Runner Up

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Picture it: Wood-clad Chris Craft speedboats bobbing by the docks in summer, colorful ice-fishing huts dotting the lake in winter, trees lit up gold and red against the quaint New England village scenery come autumn. The tiny town of Wolfeboro, NH — dubbed “the oldest summer resort in the U.S.” — sits between Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Wentworth and has been a go-to getaway spot since New Hampshire was still an English colony. Check into the Pickering House Inn (voted by T+L readers to be one of New England’s best stays in this year’s World’s Best Awards), an 1813 estate that’s been reimagined as a luxurious 10-room boutique hotel, and make it your jumping off point for mornings lounging in the sun on Brewster Beach and afternoon strolls down Main Street, just a block away from Winnipesaukee. The newly expanded Burnt Timber Brewing and Tavern is a laid-back spot for brunch or lunch — try the Korean fried chicken sandwich and a pint of the kaffir lime-infused Always Summer Saison. And don’t leave town without a meal at Pavilion, a three-year-old fine dining restaurant now run by chef Chris Viaud, a Top Chef alum and James Beard semifinalist whose New England upbringing and Haitian roots inspire his vibrant farm-to-table cuisine.

— Lila Harron Battis

Wing Night

at Tower Hill Tavern

6:00 PM • All Ages