A red bench beckons from the roadside. The words “Welcome friend, tarry awhile” are painted in flowing letters on the backrest. Passers-by are invited to sit a spell and let the worries of the busy life melt away.

The small seat is among the friendly touches characterizing Wolfeboro. In this small New Hampshire town, the postmaster knows most folks by name. Kids are safe to go alone to Bailey’s Bubble, a local ice cream parlor. The food at the Wolfeborough Diner reminds you of Aunt Bee’s cooking from “The Andy Griffith Show.” When you cross the road, cars stop.

Nestled along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, the “Oldest Summer Resort in America” harkens back to 1759 when British Colonial Gov. John Wentworth built a vacation home in town. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Marriott Hotel family clan and actress Drew Barrymore are among the famous names associated with the area.

In downtown Wolfeboro, a walk along Main Street reveals what draws visitors from afar.

At Lydia’s Cafe, on the deck shaded by a large oak tree, it’s OK to just have a cup of tea and simply people-watch. At the Yum Yum Shop, freshly made baked goods – from pumpernickel bread to blueberry muffins – make a savory snack. At Garwoods restaurant, fried calamari ($7.95), lobster salad ($16.95) and roasted vegetable risotto ($8.95) are among the offerings. At Bootleggers, Massachusetts native Carol Steen will fit you for a pair of shoes.

“Why did I move to Wolfeboro?” Steen asks herself out loud, gazing out the shop’s window at the lake. In the winter, she enjoys simple pleasures such as watching the sun set across the vast expanse of ice and snow. “I got sick of living in Massachusetts.”

Downtown Wolfeboro straddles a narrow channel between Lake Winnipesaukee and the Back Bay, a narrow outlet of the lake. A small stone bridge traverses Main Street and divides the town in two. In the summer, small craft navigate the waterway under the bridge. Wooden lake boats from another era are docked along the waterfront. Under the gazebo, the town band gives occasional concerts.

Harold Guptill, co-owner of Hampshire Pewter, considers himself fortunate to live in Wolfeboro. In a spirit of disclosure, he’ll tell you he’s a transplant. Less than a year ago, he and a close friend took over this local business specializing in pewter – a mixture of tin, copper, bismuth and antimony.

“It’s hard to imagine with the prestige of Wolfeboro that Hampshire Pewter could be anywhere else,” Guptill says from his office as his daughter, Elizabeth, 11, sits at a nearby desk coloring. “It’s one of the pillars of the community.”

In Hampshire Pewter’s showroom, Dorothy Williams sits patiently, folding gift boxes as she waits for the next customer. Awhile back, her husband’s job brought her family to Rochester, N.H., and the hunt for a home began. The couple got out a map, put a pin on Rochester and drew a circle of about an hour’s radius.

“Four or five times we pulled into Wolfeboro and said, ‘Gee, this is where we need to be,'” she says.

That was 12 years ago.

Tourism accounts for a large share of Wolfeboro’s economy. The lakeside town has 6,570 year-round residents. That number triples in the summer. Most of the Lexuses, BMWs, Mercedes and even Fords that pour into the town mainly bear New York, Connecticut or Massachusetts license plates.

Midsummer, the town’s Great Waters Music Festival hosts a series of musical performances. On Friday, Aug. 11, Branford Marsalis, a member of the famed jazz ensemble family, will take to the festival’s stage on the shores of the lake. Tickets for the show range from $29 to $75.

“Wolfeboro, for its size, has an extraordinary amount of art,” says Sharon O’Donnell, Great Waters’ office manager.

Last year O’Donnell, a Seattle native, moved to Wolfeboro with her husband, two children and dog after visiting over several summers. She soon found herself working for the festival.

“If you really want to feel New England, there’s not too many towns left that have that small-town feel, that small-town look, that small-town taste,” she says. “It’s the way life ought to be.”

On the opposite side of town, Caleb Gagne scurried around The Wolfeboro Inn as he prepared for visitors that would fill the hotel full the coming weekend. Standing over 6 feet tall and sporting short, brown hair that accents his hurried demeanor, Gagne serves as rooms manager – a dream job, he will tell you. At 22, he could have been in New York or Los Angeles pursuing a high-powered hospitality career. He, decided, however, to try and make it in his home state and live the small-town life.

“It’s like everyone around here is on vacation – even when you work here,” he says. “It’s the quintessential small town on a lake.”

If you go …

? Visit Hampshire Pewter and take a free tour of the production facility. Check out www.hampshirepewter.com for more information.

? Buy an ice cream cone at Bailey’s Bubble. The Maine Black Bear flavor has a red raspberry base with chocolate chips and chocolate covered raspberry truffles.

? Take a day cruise on the M/S Mt. Washington around Lake Winnipesaukee, and see what other lakeside towns have to offer. Visit www.cruiseNH.com for more information.

? The Great Waters Music Festival will host Branford Marsalis at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.greatwaters.org.

? Take Interstate 95 to Portsmouth, N.H. From there, join up with the Spaulding Turnpike and follow it until you reach the Route 11 exit. Follow Route 11 until the Alton Traffic Circle when you turn off onto Route 28, which will bring you into downtown Wolfeboro.

? Best bets for lodging include The Wolfeboro Inn (www.wolfeboroinn.com) or the Lakeview Inn (www.lakeviewinn.com).