More Experiences - Northeast Region
Lake Champlain, High Peaks, Northern Adirondacks
In Rouses Point (Rte. 2) look for the ruins of Fort Montgomery near the bridge to Vermont. After its construction in the 1800s it was discovered that the fort was actually built on Canadian soil, giving it the nickname "Fort Blunder." (Open to the public by pre-arranged tour only)
In the city of Plattsburgh, the Mayor’s Cup Regatta Sailboat Race and Festival in early July brings many activities to downtown, including parades of boats, concerts, and fireworks on the Lake Champlain waterfront, with spectacular views across the lake to Vermont’s Green Mountains
Homes in Essex are extraordinary examples of Pre-Civil War village architecture. The hamlet is one of three ports for the Lake Champlain Ferries that carry travelers between New York and Vermont.
In the village of Lake Placid, starting at the Visitors Center, enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the many sculptures created for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Visit places where Olympic history has been made.
In Saranac Lake, beginning at the beautifully renovated Union Depot and Museum, enjoy a self-guided walking tour using the brochure that provides background information on the village’s historic beginnings as the place for the "Fresh Air Cure" for tuberculosis. Explore the charming downtown and meet the artists in the many art galleries and craft shops in the village on Third Thursday Gallery Walks from June through September, 4:30-7pm.
Visit studios in and around Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities during the second annual "Artist at Work Studio Tour" in September.
The W!ld Center (Off Adirondack Trail Scenic and Olympic Scenic Byways) in Tupper Lake, has walking trails, naturalist guides, movies, exhibits including more than 900 live animals-the otters are everyone’s favorites-and a wealth of information about the natural lands of the Adirondacks. The staff will help you explore a fascinating world at the indoor and outdoor exhibits.
On July 19 Celebrate Tupper Lake brings the entire community together for a street fair that features area shops, galleries, and eateries complimented by music, artists, arts and crafts, and food vendors.
The Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) near Paul Smiths (Rte. 30) includes 6 miles of easily accessed interpretive trails and 8 miles of backcountry trails. The VIC’s ponds, brooks, swamps, and 60-acre marsh are havens for boreal wildlife and birds. Trails take hikers, cross country skiers, and snowshoers past glacial and geological features, varied forest types, and scenic vistas of St. Regis Mountain. “In the field programs” complement inside exhibits, classes, and events for children and adults. Open year-round.
In Burke, near the towns of Malone and Chateaugay, visit the Wilder Farmstead, boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, writer of Little House on the Prairie fame. The faithfully restored site, the subject of Farmer Boy, includes the family home and buildings, with exhibits of farm life in the 1800s.
The village of Chateaugay is the birthplace of Orville Gibson, the maker of the famous Gibson guitar. The Orville Gibson Music Festival takes place in June.
In the Chateaugay area, see the dozens of recently installed wind turbines of the Noble Environmental Wind Park.