Rails, sails, treasures and trails

The Lake George Area is home to America’s Original Vacation, a time-honored excursion to the pure waters and magnificent mountains of New York’s Adirondacks. Lake George hotels grace the wandering shoreline, with comfortable rooms overlooking both white-sand beaches and busy streets bustling with things to do and places to explore. 

With around-the-clock fun in an unbeatable location, this isn’t going to be your typical getaway. First-time travelers and longtime globetrotters agree — there’s nothing like a Lake George Area group tour. 


Day One

Photo: Warren County Tourism Department, Lake George, N.Y.
Prospect Mountain, Lake George, N.Y.

Arrive in the Lake George area for the most spectacular 100-mile view of Lake George and the mountains beyond at the top of Prospect Mountain. Motorcoaches can travel the 5-mile memorial highway to the 2,030-foot summit, stopping at its three overlooks for photo opportunities and different vantage points of the 32-mile-long lake. The mountain’s pinnacle offers fabulous views of the Adirondack High Peaks, Vermont’s Green Mountains, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and on a very clear day, the Laurentian Mountains of Canada.

Head into the Village of Lake George for a cruise aboard one of Lake George Steamboat Company or Lake George Shoreline Cruises’ sailing vessels (lunch is optional). Whether it’s the famous sternwheel steamship Minne Ha-Ha or the intimate Horicon, your group is sure to enjoy the lake breezes and stately homes and resorts dotting the shores of “The Queen of American Lakes.”

The afternoon offers free-time to explore Lake George’s streetscape. Challenge your newly-made tour friends to a round of miniature golf, peruse the gift shops, stop into the Adirondack Winery & Tasting Room or Lake George Olive Oil Company for a sample of locally produced wine and food products, or just relax in one of the shady lakeside parks.


Day Two

Photo: Warren County Tourism Department, Lake George, N.Y.
Natural Stone Bridge & Caves, Pottersville, N.Y.

Rise and shine for a morning filled with history. In September of 1901, Teddy Roosevelt learned he was to be the 26th president of the United States when he reached the North Creek Train Station at dawn after hiking in the Adirondacks. The North Creek Depot Museum at the North Creek Station warmly reunites the past and the present with exhibits that tell the tale of Teddy’s midnight ride to the station, the impact of his presidency on American life, as well as the history of the Adirondack Railroad and its effect on the Gore Mountain Region. Interested in traveling on a track never before open to passengers? Try rail biking along the Hudson River with Revolution Rail Co. Pedal through scenic woods and over the Hudson River on a 200-foot trestle bridge before you wander the shops of quaint Main Street. Lunch and optional customized programs can be enjoyed at the rustic Adirondack-style, Garnet Hill Lodge.

There are many more options for Adirondack, soft adventure in the afternoon. Take a self-guided or guided trail walk at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves, home of the largest marble cave entrance in the Northeast, or enjoy breathtaking views on the Northwoods Gondola at Gore Mountain. 

Treasure seekers can visit the world’s largest garnet deposit at Barton’s Garnet Mine and Mineral Shop to learn the history and geology of the mine. Guides will explain and demonstrate how to find garnet gemstones, large garnet crystal faces and beautiful, museum-quality mineral specimens to take home.

ASK
Lake George Area in New York’s Adirondacks (Warren County Department of Tourism)
518-761-6575
Tanya Brand, group tour promoter: brandt@warrencountyny.gov
visitlakegeorge.com