girlonthego

Hi I am thinking of a summer vacation on a lake in the Adirondacks. We are coming from VA, and have family coming from northern NJ. We would like a resort feel (Sagamore is our taste, but very expensive). We would do a cabin vacation, but nice cabins please. Lake George has sparked my interest as well as Lake Placid. We have kids ranging from 3, 6, 8, 11 and 12 in our group. They all like water, swimming, boating, fishing, etc... We do not all want to stay in the same house. (Grandparents are coming too.) It would be nice to have a town with activities and restaurants.
Thanks for any info.

radiofanatic

I would recommend the Big Moose Inn on Big Moose lake, near old forge which is a fun town - we stayed there last year and loved it

www.bigmooseinn.com

Also, in Lake Placid, I would recommend Lake Placid Lodge.

www.lakeplacidlodge.com

Also, Friends Lake Inn and Mirror Lake Inn are two amazing places with their own websites.

Scarlett

the reason I like the Sagamore is that it is that bit removed from Lake George and the honkytonk atmosphere..we also try to go in the fall rather the summer at the peak of crowds and craziness.
So I would recommend looking around Blue Mt Lake or even Schroon Lake. I have not stayed in either of these places, only passed through them over the years and always found them to be charming and peaceful and clean. and do not forget Beautiful!
I love the Adirondacks, they are so wonderful.

girlonthego

Scarlett, Is Lake George really honky tonk? I passed through there as a kid. I don't remember it at all. Anything you can tell me would be great!

Scarlett

Yes, it is cheesy and honky tonk.
(Now I bet I have offended someone)
We avoid the whole area in the summer, traffic is terrible, the lake is a mess of amusement rides and cars and screaming babies and parents.
Who can enjoy the lake?
We go to the Sagamore in the fall. Perfect quiet and gorgeous.
But one summer we went to Montreal, on the way up we went to Blue Mt Lake for a day, went to a big antiques fair and then on the way back we stayed at the Sagamore and then in Saratoga.
It was great for a couple but you don't want to do anything like that with people and kids.
I can only recommend googling Lake George and looking at lots of sites and photos and see if it appeals.
I can ask friends and see if anyone can recommend a cabin place. We knew people who have a house there, so maybe they can help and I will post back if I find out anything~

cmcfong

You might want to do a word search for "Adirondacks" on this forum.I have posted some queries about resorts and hiking in the area. The Hedges and Elk Lake Lodge had caught my eye along with a couple of the properties Scarlett mentions.

radiofanatic

I agree with Scarlett about Lake George and I live near the area. The Sagamore, although beautiful, is EXTREMELY expensive. If you do stay there, I would not recommend eating dinner there unless you wish to spend quite a bit of money. My dh and I spent more than $200 for 2 people. I have stayed at the places I mentioned and recommend them all, especially Big Moose Inn.

wliwl

Elk Lake is horrible. If you are looking for a town with stuff to do, probably only Lake Placid, Lake George, or, maybe, Old Forge will fit that bill. In general, you probably shouldn't go to the Adirondacks if you're looking for town type activities (shopping, dining, amusement parks) because it just isn't like that. It's sort of like the charm is that there is nothing to do except outdoorsy activities (hiking, kayaking, swimming). Hedges is nice, but may already be booked as they have a lot of return customers. It is in a pretty quiet area. There is really nothing on Blue Mountain lake except one good craft shop. I believe they outlawed jet skiis too (thank god). Try Big Moose, they seem to have occasional openings. You might also try Irondequoit Inn, they have cabins, but the place tends to be a little casually run (lots of turn over in management). But the cabins are OK (not fancy, but well equipped). We go every year to Morningside Camps in Minerva, but they have a waiting list that can run 5 years (seriously). Friend Lake Inn is nice, I'm not sure if they have any cabins though.

Cher

Check into the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid and ask about renting rooms at the White House or Cottage which are part of the Mirror Lake Inn (so you can use all their amenities) and are right across the street from the main inn, on the shore of Mirror Lake.