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We've compiled the best of the best in The Adirondacks and Thousand Islands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
The center has natural-history exhibits and hosts lectures and classes on wildlife and other nature-related and outdoorsy subjects. Nature trails here double as cross-country-skiing and snowshoeing trails in winter. From June through Labor Day you may observe butterflies in the Butterfly House, a greenhouse-like structure. The center is in Paul Smiths, 12 mi north of Saranac Lake.
Dedicated to preserving the legacy of innovative industrialist Allen Penfield, this museum has exhibits explaining his work using electricity in the process of iron-ore separation. This was the first industrial application of electricity. The museum, 3 mi southwest of Crown Point, also houses many Civil War artifacts and equipment on its 550-acre site.
Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. The 5-mi corkscrew road takes you most of the way up 2,035-foot Prospect Mountain. From the parking lot it's just 100 feet to the summit, which you may reach via a shuttle. The views can stretch to 100 mi and take in up to five states, along with Lake George and the High Peaks region. You may also hike all the way up from the village.
Walk right up to cows, camels, and more than 200 other animals. Old McDonald's has been educating children about farm life since 1986. The complex includes a calf-raising facility as part of a 1,200-acre working farm. There's also a miniature-golf course, pony rides, and a hayride.
In 1887 the author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island spent a year in Saranac Lake being treated for tuberculosis. Today the quaint farmhouse where he lived contains his original furniture as well as a collection of Stevenson memorabilia, including early photographs, personal letters, and his velvet smoking jacket.
During the War of 1812, two battles were fought here between the British and Americans. The harbor served as headquarters for divisions of the U.S. Army and Navy. Today the site includes a nicely restored commandant's house, which dates from 1850. In summer, guides reenact camp life; an audio tour and stories are available through your cell phone through mid-October.
This simple theme park (2 mi northwest of Wilmington) with rides and live reindeer is ideal for small children. Santa and his helpers talk with children, and elves practice their crafts in shops around the park. On Sunday evenings in late December, visitors can take in the brightly lighted Village of Lights.
Guides lead 45-minute tours, up and down many stairs, through this lovely turn-of-the-20th-century castle on Dark Island. The castle, originally known as the Towers, was built as a summer home for Frederick G. Bourne, president of the Singer sewing-machine company. Famed American architect Ernest Flagg modeled the four-story, 28-room structure on a Scottish castle, giving it all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies. To get here, take a boat from Alexandria Bay. Empire Boat Lines and Uncle Sam Boat Tours include Singer Castle in their sightseeing cruises.
American Indian art, crafts, and artifacts are on display at this small museum dedicated to preserving the culture of the Iroquois Confederacy—the Mohawks, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. It was started in 1954 by Mohawk Ray Fadden and his family, who still run the place. Baskets, canoes, paintings, beadwork, and other items are hung on the walls and from the ceilings. The museum is 14 mi northeast of Saranac Lake.
One of the oldest lighthouses on the Great Lakes looks out over the outlet of Lake Ontario. The Coast Guard left in 1981, and the building is now used as a youth hostel. Off-season reservations at the hostel must be made by e-mail at [email protected]. The lighthouse is 12 mi west of Clayton.
The brick building that houses this museum served as the main office of the Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company in the late 1800s. Exhibits here focus on the industrial history of Ticonderoga, which was known as a center for paper- and pencil-making.
President Calvin Coolidge used this great camp on Lake Osgood as his "summer White House" in 1926. Although built in 1907 and expanded in 1911 by William Massarene and Addison Mizner, the camp is noted for blending rustic architecture with a rather modern sensibility. If you're not staying at one of the guest cabins here, you may see the camp only as part of a guided tour. The tours (1½ to 2 hours) take in the bowling alley, tennis house, dining and great rooms, boathouse, and guest cabins. A Japanese teahouse on a small island is accessed by an arched stone bridge. The camp is 12 mi northwest of Saranac Lake.
Though only the fifth-highest in the region, Whiteface Mountain is one of the best-known mountains in the Adirondacks. Veterans Memorial Highway twists and climbs 8 mi to the top of the mountain. Close to the peak is a parking lot; from here you can ride an elevator or hike the rest of the way up. Scenic gondola rides are available in the summer.
