Gilford: Beach, Summer Concerts and Winter Experiences

In Gilford, reasons to visit range from the sandy beach on Lake Winnipesaukee to outdoor concerts and snow activities. Ellacoya State Park is on the lake’s southwestern shore and has a 600-foot sandy beach for swimming and picnicking. Also nearby are the BankNH Pavilion concert venue and Gunstock Mountain Resort, which offers skiing and snowboarding. If you’re looking for a vacation rental in Gilford, you might first consider which of these sides of the town best suits your vacation plans.

Beach Days at Ellacoya State Park

Ellacoya State Park connects Gilford with the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Its 600-foot sandy beach is specifically intended for swimming and picnicking. This offers two distinct ways to enjoy a visit to the water: spending time in the lake or taking a break on the beach. If you’re planning a family trip, you can discuss whether swimming, picnicking, or a combination of the two should be the focus of your outing.

The beach’s length refers to the sandy beach in the park. This helps distinguish this specific offering from Gilford’s other experiences: here, the focus is on water and the beach, while the other destinations mentioned center on concerts, winter sports, or a children’s fun park.

Summer Concerts by the Lake

The BankNH Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue for summer concerts in Gilford, next to Lake Winnipesaukee. If you’d like to include live music in your trip, it offers a specific cultural experience alongside beach activities. Its outdoor format and focus on summer concerts define what the venue offers.

The lake is also a geographic reference point for this part of Gilford’s offerings: Ellacoya State Park is on the southwestern shore, and the BankNH Pavilion is next to Lake Winnipesaukee. The two places appeal to different visitor interests; this does not mean they form a combined outing or that any particular distance separates them.

Snow Activities at Gunstock Mountain Resort

Since 1937, Gunstock Mountain Resort has introduced people from New England to skiing and snowboarding. Other activities mentioned include night skiing, snow tubing, and guided snowshoe tours. The resort offers different ways to enjoy the snow: on skis or a snowboard, snow tubing, or on a guided snowshoe tour.

This range of activities can help with your vacation planning as you consider which options you and your fellow travelers would prefer. Skiing and snowboarding are offered alongside other snow experiences, not instead of them. The snowshoe tours are specifically identified as guided, while snow tubing is a separate activity. Together with its connection to skiing and snowboarding dating back to 1937, the resort offers a different reason to visit than the lake and summer concerts.

A Children’s Fun Park and a Historic Site

At Beans & Greens Farm, Jack & The Flying Bean Stalk has been a children’s fun park since the summer of 2022. Its features include a large jumping pillow and small zip lines. These specific offerings give families a point of reference when considering whether a visit to the children’s fun park suits their interests. The jumping pillow and zip lines are clearly different from beach, concert, and snow activities.

Union Meetinghouse is also one of Gilford’s notable place names: it is listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. For travelers interested in historic sites, this listing adds a cultural point of interest to the more recreational offerings.

Discover More Places

If you’d like to explore other places in this selection as well as Gilford, you’ll find Winnisquam, Laconia, Meredith, Sanbornton, Belmont, Tilton and New Hampton here.

For the broader travel overview: Belknap.