The places that don't make you apologize for the kids. Restaurants with crayons that aren't an afterthought, parks with shade and bathrooms, the ice-cream stop with the line on a hot Tuesday.
The original Common Man, open in Ashland since 1971 and the reason the small New Hampshire chain exists at all. Meatloaf, baked mac and cheese, and a Nantucket pie regulars order before they've sat down — comfort food, not a lake-view production. The upstairs lounge has a wood stove and parlor games for the wait; Squam Scoops opened across the courtyard for the ice cream after.
Common Man's ice cream counter, opened across the courtyard from the main restaurant in Ashland. House-made ice cream and frappes, nothing fried or elaborate — the reward stop after Squam Boat Livery or a Rattlesnake hike. Open at noon on weekends but not until 4 on weekdays, so a weekday-afternoon drive-by can come up empty.
The clifftop view everyone means when they say "the Rattlesnake hike" — a two-mile round trip up the Old Bridle Path to a broad ledge at 1,293 feet, looking straight down over Squam's islands. Easy enough for kids, popular enough that the Route 113 lot fills by nine on a summer Saturday. Leashed dogs are fine here; keep going on the ridge trail for East Rattlesnake if the group wants more.
A 1.4-mile loop on Squam Lakes Natural Science Center land, steeper near the Welcome Center and gentler on the way down the other side. The payoff is a look at Squam's islands plus the stone foundations of the old Piper Homestead about halfway around — sheep-pasture walls still visible in the woods. Dogs aren't allowed since it's Science Center property, and the trail closes November through April.
Live native New Hampshire wildlife on a woodland trail — black bears and mountain lions among them — plus the Discover Squam Cruise on a canopied pontoon boat, ninety minutes, reservations required and paid in advance. Book the loon-focused version if the schedule lines up: a biologist from the Loon Preservation Committee rides along some Mondays and Fridays in summer. Park at the Science Center on Route 113 and walk the crossing path to the cruise dock.