We just got back from a last minute road trip to Lake George in the Adirondacks in New York and it was such a great place to visit with kids. I saw a five day window in our schedule and jumped at the chance to get away as a family before the busy summer schedule kicks in for our flower farm.
I was looking for any area in the Northeast United States, as it’s not too far of a drive from us in Ontario, Canada. Lake George came up as an excellent part of the Adirondacks to visit with young kids.
Travelling with kids takes some work and planning (and you don’t get much “relaxing time” on the trip), but it’s incredibly rewarding to see them exploring the world around them, visiting new places and sharing these adventures together. At the end of the trip, our kids didn’t want to leave, which is always a sign of great vacation.
We’d been nearby to Lake Champlain back on a Summer Road Trip in 2017 and loved the Adirondack lake area. We just had our eldest with us (who is now 8!) and did a trip through Ontario, Vermont & New York (Read PART 1 and PART 2).
More in this Post:
- Activities with Kids in Lake George
- Our Perfect Glamping Accommodations at Lake George
- What We Packed for Meals & Snacks
- Visiting Nearby Villages & Cities
- More Road Trips We’ve Taken
Activities with Kids in Lake George
With three active kids, I knew we needed to find activities that got us out exploring. It was a crazy heatwave when we were visiting (with the humidity it felt like 39°C / 102°F!). We had to skip some of our plans to stay out of the heat, but we were still able to find lots to do.
Fort William Henry
It’s easy to see the natural beauty of Lake George, but it was also the location of a British fort during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). I was gifted tickets to Fort William Henry Museum and was excited to visit with our kids. From the top of the fort, you had a great view of Lake George, the surrounding mountains and the steamboat cruises in the harbour.
We walked around beforehand by ourselves and then joined in a guided tour, which included musket and cannonball demonstrations. There were well done exhibits throughout the museum, with real artifacts found from the original fort.
It was interesting to see the depiction of a British fort during that era. We’d previously seen how a French fort would have been in that time period when we visited nearby Fort Ticonderoga on another Summer Road Trip to the area. The Fort William Henry Museum also offers Haunted Tours which we’d have done if the kids were a little older. Maybe next time!
Lake George’s Million Dollar Beach
Lake George is known for it’s gold sandy Million Dollar Beach and we had looked forward to going. However, our visit there was cut short by thunder and lightning (they cleared the water and eventually the whole beach). It has clean facilities and great parking, and would have been a lovely morning break from the heat if the storm hadn’t rolled in. We were there on a weekday and it was quite busy but could still find a good spot.
Family Friendly Hiking Trails near Lake George
Our kids love going on nature walks back home, so we knew they’d like exploring somewhere new. We did the Nature Trail of Potash Mountain at the Harris Preserve in Lake Luzerne, NY. It was a short 1.7 km hike on a reasonable incline, so the kids could do it easily with minimal help. Our little guy crashed on the way down and had a nice little nap on his dad for the last bit of the trail.
We had to ditch the second hike we’d planned for the week because of the extreme heatwave and thunderstorms, but it looked like a great option too. Bradley’s Lookout at the Pinnacle Preserve overlooks Lake George and would have been stunning.
Ice Cream at Martha’s Dandee Cream
Stopping into Martha’s Dandee Creme was a recommendation from Pantry Hill (thanks Darien!) and it was the perfect treat after a visit to Million Dollar Beach. It was only a 10 minute drive away to nearby Queensbury. Martha’s has been operating since the 50’s and make 37 homemade soft serve flavours, with different ones available each day.
I have a peanut allergy and was excited to find out that I could enjoy most of the flavours. Be warned, the sizes are VERY generous. Garrett and I got “mediums” and it was more than a pint of ice cream. A large is essentially the whole length of your forearm. I tried the Salted Caramel and it was amazing. Definitely a spot to stop in if you’re in the area.
Natural Stone Bridge & Caves
On our last morning, on our way back north to Canada, we stopped into Natural Stone Bridges & Caves in Pottersville. The same family has owned it for over 200 years!
We took the self guided tour through the park, which took about 1.5 hours with little kids in tow. It was amazing to get up close to the rock formations carved by the river, and go into some of the caves. You can see the natural stone bridge on the right side of this picture. You can walk right up over the top, and then walk down to explore below.
The views and rock formations were stunning. The paths and maps are well marked out, but I’d recommend keeping little ones close to you.
The caves and underground pathways you get to explore were worth the visit to Natural Stone Bridges & Caves, but be sure to check out the amazing gem stones in their gift shop as well. They are beautiful stones from all over the world.
Our Perfect Glamping Accommodations at Lake George
When I started looking for a last minute trip for our family, I was trying to find something unique. We enjoy camping but I didn’t think I had the time to get the tent and everything ready on such short notice. That’s when I stumbled upon Huttopia Adirondacks at nearby Lake Luzerne.
We picked the “Canadienne” tent, with beds (and linens!) for 5 people, a table indoors, a mini fridge, bbq and all the kitchen gear we needed. There was also a wood stove, which was handy for our first chilly night. Plus there was a fan which was even more helpful when the heatwave started on our second day. I love that I really only needed to pack our clothes, food and beach gear.
Our tent felt like it was out in the woods and very private, but still only a short walk to the washrooms, showers and dishwashing station. I loved how naturalized it felt and the kids were thrilled to find salamanders, snacks and even a deer at our campsite.
The rest of the amenities at Huttopia Adirondacks made our glamping trip feel like a nice resort trip in the woods. There was a heated pool, playground, outdoor games, large patio area, free coffee & tea all day, and a bistro open on the weekends (and during the week in the summer months). With six locations in North America and more worldwide, I’d definitely stay at a Huttopia again.
What We Packed for Meals & Snacks
We knew we wanted to maximize the fun and spend less time prepping food on this trip. I kept the menu super simple and repeated meals a few times. We thankfully had a mini-fridge in our tent, which was helpful too.
Breakfasts: Yogurt with Honey & Oats Granola and Fresh Fruit. Breakfast Porridge (bring all the dry ingredients in a large freezer bag – oats, cinnamon, salt and raisins).
Lunches: Hot Dogs. Sandwiches. Lunch Out and About
Dinners: Hamburgers. BBQ Honey Garlic Sausages with Roasted Potatoes & Veggies. Charcuterie with cheeses, meats, fruit and nuts. (especially nice after a long evening swim)
Snacks: Fruit, raisins, cheese strings, muffins, cheese and crackers, popcorn, s’mores. I brought a big bag of stuff our kids like and their regular snack containers. We kept the containers stocked up whenever we were leaving the campsite. I always had extra snacks in our backpack too.
Visiting Nearby Villages & Cities
Common Roots Brewery in South Glen Falls
When a big storm rolled through, it was a good chance to visit another recommendation from Darien at Pantry Hill. (I highly recommend messaging people you know who live in the area – you always get good tips!). Common Roots Brewing Company is a family-owned craft brewery that focuses on sustainability.
We enjoyed some drinks (Snowy Night Coconut stout for Garrett and a Strawberry Guava sour for me) and shared some nibbles with the kids. The pizza was our favourite and the poutine was very good too (coming from a whole table of poutine-loving Canadians).
Saratoga Springs
At this point the sky was clearing and we decided to continue our drive around the area to the nearby city of Saratoga Springs. It’s the home of the Belmont Stakes, the final race of the Triple Crown horse races, which had been just a couple weeks before, so everything was all about horses (which the kids loved).
We popped into G. Willikers Toy Store to let the kids pick something out with the money their grandparents gave them. It was a real toy store with lots to choose from and the most impressive Jelly Cats selection I’ve ever seen. The kids still had a little pocket money left, so on the recommendation of the toy store clerk, we made a walk down Broadway to the Saratoga Candy Company to fill a couple bags with penny candies.
We loved visiting the Lake George area and will definitely be back for a family vacation to the Adirondacks again.
More Road Trips We’ve Taken
- Honeymoon Road Trip in the Southern United States
- Ontario, Vermont & New York (PART 1 and PART 2)
- Salem, Massuchusetts (PART 1, PART 2 & Hocus Pocus Walking Tour)
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Back to Laurel, Mississippi
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- The Lodge at Wakulla Springs, Florida
- Southwest Florida & Disney World
- Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Wilmington, Vermont
- Keene, Newhampshire
Fantastic vaca! Thanks for sharing. I am definitely going to refer to this post when my babes are a bit older and ready for a fun trip!
Our kids love going on nature walks back home