Lake George New York - Orlando / Florida Guide
Florida Guide > Travelling
Lake George is situated in in the north east portion of New York State close to the border with Vermont to the east and the Adirondack mountains to the west. The resort of Lake George is a great base for anyone who wants to explore this area or an ideal stopping off point for anyone venturing further north.
We visited Lake George en route from Boston to Lake Placid, the journey from Boston airport took us 4. 5 hours with a stop for a drink and a snack, the traffic leaving Boston was heavy as you might expect, but once out of the city the driving was easy and the route straightforward, the only other busy stretch was around Albany (New Yorks' State Capital).
We stayed just off the I 87 a few minutes from the centre of Lake George Village and on our drive into the village of we passed the Six Flags theme park and a small outlet mall, there are quite a lot of tourist attractions around and some of the guide books had described LG as tacky but we were very pleasantly surprised. There is one main road which runs along the side of the lake and either side of the road there are restaurants bars and shops selling souvenirs, ice cream and seaside tat but it is very clean and pretty with loads of flower beds and hanging baskets, very different to your average British or European seaside resort.
There is a visitor centre providing lots of information on Lake George and the surrounding area. Being situated on a lake a lot of the activities in the immediate resort are water based and there are cruises of every variety on offer, orientation cruises, dinner cruises, paddle steamer cruises to name but a few. The other popular pastime is parasailing! A pleasant stroll along the lakeside took us via a boat exhibition where the classic wooden boats were beautifully restored with high gloss varnish finishes and brass polished til it gleamed. At the far corner of the lake is a small man made beach popular with families.
We decided to take a one hour orientation cruise of the lake and were very pleased we had as it was hugely informative.
The captain pointed out loads of places of interest, he took us along millionaires row past all the beautiful summer houses which we would not have seen from the road. He also pointed out the road up Prospect Mountain which we would not otherwise have known about as we had not read about it in any of the guide books.
Back in the car we soon located the route he had told us about. There were three scenic outlooks on the way up with beautiful views over Lake George and we had to stop in the car park just below the summit and take a shuttle bus to the top. It was a clear day and we could see as far as Albany and beyond some 60 + miles away. There were lots of picnic tables and even BBQ facilities which families were enjoying.
Lake George itself is 32 miles long and whilst it is possible to drive to the end the road does not hug the shoreline completely but passes through some beautiful wooded areas and past some fantastic properties. On the drive to the far end of the lake you will pass the pretty shoreline village of Boltons Landing, there are a couple of nice lakeside restaurants here and the opportunity to take a jet ski out on to the Lake.
At the end of the lake is a village called Ticerondoga which marks the boundary of Lake George with Lake Champlain, the shoreline on the far side of the lake is situated in Vermont and a quaint ferry provides a crossing to the opposite side. The ferry is just like a pontoon with a tugboat alongside, it is on a cable pulley system and it takes 7 mins to reach the other side. The cars, pedestrians and cyclists just queue up in a country lane and board the ferry then conductor goes around and collects the fares. . . . . . . really antiquated!
To return to Lake George you have the option of going back the way you came or returning via the I 87.
Please be aware we visited Lake George in the summer and winter activities will be totally different as the area will be covered in snow!
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