New England Travel

The country’s best small lake town is in Minnesota.

A New Hampshire destination was just named runner-up to the best small lake town in America by Travel + Leisure.

Wolfeboro, N.H., was edged out by winner Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Travel + Leisure‘s list of America’s Best Small Towns, published on Tuesday, named the best small towns in the following seven categories: beach, lake, food and culture, spa and wellness, mountain, desert, and wine, beer, and spirits.

We’re sure Grand Marais is lovely. But, of course, we can’t help but think New England was underrepresented on the list of best small towns. After all, earlier this year, Bar Harbor, Maine, was named the best small town in America by U.S. News & World Report and Marblehead and Provincetown were named among the best coastal small towns in America by USA Today.

But we digress.

Bravo to Wolfeboro. Here’s what the publication had to say about the New Hampshire getaway: “The tiny town of Wolfeboro, N.H. — 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.”

Travel + Leisure lauded its “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.”

To determine the winners, Travel + Leisure polled its colleagues and travel advisors and then “chose the destinations we belive our readers will enjoy the most right now.”

The winning towns have a full-time population below 25,000 residents, and offer a variety of activities and stays as well as a timely reason to visit (think: new hotel, restaurant, festival, etc.)

Check out Travel + Leisure‘s list of America’s Best Small Towns.