Since Lake Placid, New York, was the home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, people think of it as a winter tourist destination. In fact, there are things to do in the Lake Placid area all year round.
When you take exit 30 off the Northway, be sure to look for the little hot dog vendor by the side of the road. If you’re hungry, it will be a 20 min. drive before you pass a place to eat, so you might want to stop. But there’s another attraction at this wide spot on the road that you might miss if you don’t look close: the spring. You can get fresh spring water that’s running out of a pipe at the back of this little pull-off parking area. It has a great taste and it’s free! Be sure to fill up your empty bottles!
Whiteface Mountain is a popular downhill skiing facility near Lake Placid. It has facilities for all levels of expertise, as well as the history involved in having been the location of some of the Olympic competitions. If your family contains skiers and non-skiers, a vacation to Lake Placid would be a good choice: the skiers could spend the day at Whiteface while the non-skiers enjoyed the other amenities that Lake Placid has to offer. And there are plenty of family activities to do together if you can persuade the skiers to take a day off from the slopes.
Just before you enter the town of Lake Placid, you’ll see the towering Olympic ski jumps off to the left of the road. The Freestyle Aerial Training Center is also nearby. You can watch Nordic jumping and freestyle competitions throughout the winter, and in the summer you can take a chairlift or elevator tour of the ski jumps.
The Olympic Center, in the heart of the town of Lake Placid, is an ice skating rink and museum rolled into one. Home of the “miracle on ice” when the US beat the Russian hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, claimed by some to be the greatest moment in sports history, this complex also houses an Olympic museum. You can visit knowing that such greats as Scott Hamel skated there, or you may get the chance to watch one of the many competitions, shows and concerts that regularly take place there now. Right outside is the Speed Skating Oval which is open December through March to public skating.
The Olympic Sports Complex is a great place for cross country skiing. The full service lodge offers rentals as well as other services, and you can ski on 50 km of trails used in the 1980 Olympics. Take a look at the tracks used by the Bobsled and Luge teams, and you can even take a bobsled ride. Another wonderful winter experience is taking a dog sled ride on the ice of Mirror. Flying along low to the ground all scrunched together under a nice warm blanket is a thrill for those not brave enough to try out the bobsled run.
Whether your visit is in summer or winter, the main street in town has lots of shopping and restaurants you will want to explore. Park somewhere so you can walk up and down and visit the little shops. There’s even an old movie theater that shows current movies. In the summer, you can rent boats or go swimming in the lake.
Summer offers fun activities, too. The Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway allows you to drive most of the way to the top of the 5th highest Adirondack peak. Park and make the short stint to the very top on foot or take the in-mountain elevator. Another option is the Cloudsplitter Gondola, which runs from the base lodge at Whiteface Mountain to the top of Little Whiteface mountain. Bring a lunch and enjoy it at the picnic tables at the top. Or pay for the 1.5 hour guided nature trek along the Ausable River which includes a gondola ride and picnic lunch. The entire Adirondack region has many marked hiking trails, and there are places to hire boats for fishing or whitewater rafting. The entire region is great for those who enjoy the outdoors, whether it be summer or winter.
