Rip-roaring choppers streak around town at the annual Laconia Motorcycle Week – which actually lasts nine days. Bikers meet in Laconia and tour the area on roads like the Kancamagus Highway. Even if you don’t ride, come for the non-motorcycle festivities, including live music, riding demos and a zip line. The event typically takes place in early June. In February, the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby showcases the best riders and fastest dogs in the sport. Races range from a one-dog race to a six-dog race.
The Weirs Beach section of Laconia lets you relax on a sandy beach off Lake Winnipesaukee and stroll on a pier overlooking the water. Weirs Beach includes Funspot, which bills itself as the “Largest Arcade in the World.” The location has miniature golf, a bowling alley and more than 500 games such as skee ball. While you may not strike gold, Logs of Fun has sluices that let you pan for minerals. Also check out the site's rock-climbing wall. Enjoy walks and bike rides along Lake Winnipesaukee at the 128-acre Ahern State Park.
Don’t be surprised if you spot a Major League Baseball scout at a Laconia Muskrats game evaluating the talent. The team is made up of college players from around the country looking to improve their skills and get noticed against top competition in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Since its debut in 2010, the Laconia team has had 20 former players reach the minor leagues as of the 2013 season. The team plays 21 home games from early June to early August at Robbie Mills Field. Catch a Broadway-style show at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 10 miles north of Laconia in Meredith. The theater typically presents up to a dozen productions a season using professional and community actors.
The Lake Winnipesaukee Museum explores Laconia’s connection with the nearby water. Exhibits cover the steamboats that operated on Lake Winnipesaukee from 1833 to 1939, trick water skiing in the 1950s and the legacy of summer camps off the lake. The Belknap Mill was constructed in 1823 and created textile jobs in the area for decades until its closure in 1969. The Belknap Mill Museum has exhibits about hydroelectric power and hosiery manufacturing.
