Hey everyone…I’m taking my family with me this year to IMLP. We’re staying in Saranac Lake. Any recommendations for fun family stuff to do around there or Lake Placid? I have two boys aged 4 and 7. Thanks in advance for any good ideas!
Spot
Plenty of Stuff!
- mini golf (2 places)
- main street
- bobsled runs (10AM - 4PM gets crowded)
- hiking ( The BEST ! Adirondak Loj just past Bobsled runs is the best jumping off place)
- High falls gorge (right on the bike course)
- Just bead it on Main st.
- Mirror lake swimming
- Saranac Brewery tour (mmmm beer!)
- Olympic center
All good stuff - so many options you won’t have time for most of it.
there are lots of trails in Keene, and it’s a very cute village with rustic shops, restaurant, etc. this is about 10 miles from LP; i love it there.
also, i think the ice skating rink is open–your boys might really like that.
check and see if there are shows at the ski jumps. last summer during IM week they put on shows, mainly with kids who attend ski schools and they jump off the ramps into pools. fun to watch for any age
The two miniature golf courses are on the west end of LP. The one on the north side also has a few other things like a trampoline that you wear a harness which really boosts your jumps, might be a bit much for the 4 yr old. There is also an indoor adventure maze that they can crawl through. My 11 yr old daughter enjoyed both.
Your seven year old might also enjoy trying the kids triathlon on Saturday. Age adjusted distances, swim and run (no bike at least in 2005).
Mirror lake is great for swimming, a little luck and they’ll see a few fish, always cool. Make sure you bring them functional goggles or a swim mask.
We’ve stayed at a B&B at Saranac and had access to canoes to go out on the lake. Daughter went crazy over that. Nice little ice cream shop just across from the lake at the main junction in town as well.
The Wild Center in Tupper Lake! http://www.wildcenter.org Highly acclaimed by the NY Times http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/travel/escapes/07museum.html
I can’t wait to go there myself! They also let children touch the creatures, according to the NYT article at least (they have over 75 different species native to the Adirondacks).
Also, for adults, you have to treat yourself to some Ubu Ale of course!
Thanks dude, and thanks to everyone else. This is going to be our first big family road trip summer vacation. Should be fun! If anyone else has any more ideas, please chime in!
Spot
Santa’s Village…
Take the lift to the top of the shi slope. Very cool thing to do. Fly fishing lessons if the kids are old enough.
George -
My 2 loved the Gondola ride up Mt. Washington. We also took a train, complete with planted actors/singers, from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake and back - pretty cool. We did a boat ride/guided tour of Lake Placid to see the homes (they call them “camps”) that I thought was cool, but I think the kids were a little bored. There is a cool kid friendly outdoor eating place on the way to Placid on the left from Saranac that looks like a circus - you can’t miss it! Pretty fun place - eat outside, yet served by eastern european waitresses?
have a great time!
I have been to Lake Placid many times and always find something new to do.
I rented two kayaks with my 10 year old son last year and had a blast. There is a place that rents boats just outside of town near the boat launch. We had a great time before and after the race.
There is a movie theater in town which is great for family on race day. There are many shops, some tailored towards children.
After the race, check out the Caribbean Cowboy restaurant. It is one of LP’s best kept secrets. The food and cocktails unbelievable (the Painkiller is great)! It is a very small place, so you may have to wait a bit to get a table.
After the race, check out the Caribbean Cowboy restaurant. It is one of LP’s best kept secrets. The food and cocktails unbelievable (the Painkiller is great)! It is a very small place, so you may have to wait a bit to get a table.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
What are you thinking??? You just added about 40 min to the wait 
Really, the place sucks. I would not let my dog eat there. LOL
Oh yeah, I am confusing the place with somewhere else. Don’t go there!
Mirror Lake Beach is great - lots of families and a great swimming area. Drive up to White face and walk up to the top of the mountain (also an elevator if you do not want to climb)
Ice Skating!! My kids go almost every night at the Olympic center. I think it starts at 8 PM and goes to 9:30. $3-$4 and never crowded.
Couple of easy trails to hike - Mount Joe is one that takes about an hour.
Your 7 year old might like to camp that is offered each day from 9 am - 3 pm - go to the Ironman LP web-site for information. The camp offers hiking, swimming kayaking, mountain biking. My 11 year old has done the camp the past 4 years and love it.
Z
Whatever you do, go to the little cafe in Keene (I can’t remember the name), right at the bottom of the hill on the bike course, where you turn left, cafe on the right, I can’t remember the name. Great food and great homemade stuff like trail mix, cookies, stuff like that. We ate there for lunch driving into town and ordered a turkey and hummus wrap, the turkey was real turkey, like they had cooked a bird and carved it up, not that deli thinned sliced crap. Best lunch.
Oh, and Great Adirondack Brewing and Steak has the best beer, although Lake Placid Brewery is good too.
There is a cool kid friendly outdoor eating place on the way to Placid on the left from Saranac that looks like a circus - you can’t miss it! Pretty fun place - eat outside, yet served by eastern european waitresses?
I imagine you are thinking of “Tail o’ the Pup”. It is a good outdoor barbecue pit style restaurant on Route 86 (between LP and Saranac Lake on 86). The reason you see so many “eastern european” waitresses and for that matter, a huge number of foreign college age students, is because most of the local businesses specifically recruit foreign college students (study abroad) who are on summer break from local colleges. They work hard and don’t expect much in the way of fringe benefits. They are available during the summer season and are usually good, hard working kids looking to make some extra coin and spend the summer in the Adirondacks. Usually the businesses work out some type of work for room/board arrangement.
As for other recommendations:
NoonMark Diner : Keene : On Route 73 in the village of Keene (bottom of the big hill of the course). The best home cooking and homemade pies in the Adirondacks.
Activites for Kids:
Those listed above are great ideas. Another cool activity is the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake.
I happen to live just outside LP and work in LP, so if anyone has any specific questions about the area, feel free to PM me.
Yup, that is it - “Tail O’ the Pup”! What a name!
You have to do the kids race with both your kids… It was an absolute blast last year with my 4 & 7 daughters… Hilarious matter of fact. I have both their race finisher photos on my desk at the office, that was one of the best moments of IMLP 06 for me.