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Lake Champlain House |
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In every season……there is something special to do in
the area. Summer Attractions: Swimming, Boating, Golf, Biking, Hiking, Fishing,
Gondola Riding. Fall Attractions: Beautiful Fall Leaf Peeping, Apple Picking, Hiking,
Biking. Winter Attractions: Skiing, Ice Fishing, Snowmobiling, Bobsledding, Ice
Skating, Sledding. Detailed Lists
of Interest: Museums, Dining & other great activities in New York and Vermont. Most Popular Attractions:
Lake Champlain: Historic
Lakes, Lake Champlain Region At
your door is Lake Champlain, which is situated in the Champlain Valley between the Green
Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack
Mountains of New York. Often
referred to as the Sixth Great Lake, you can travel anywhere in the World by
boat from Lake Champlain. Heading either direction: 1) South to the Hudson
River and the Mohawk and Erie Canal, or 2) North to the Richelieu River and
St. Lawrence River (of Canada) you can go to the Atlantic Ocean or the Great
Lakes. Lake Champlain is the largest mountain lake (490 square miles) in the
US. It stretches 120 miles (North – South) from end to end, 12 miles across
(East – West), and is 400 feet deep at the deepest point. One
of the more enduring mysteries surrounding Lake Champlain is that of the
infamous Champy.
Reminiscent of the Loch Ness monster,
Champy is purportedly by both locals and tourists as giant aquatic creature
that makes the lake its home. Sightings have been sporadic over time, and the
legend lives on.
The Adirondacks/Whiteface
Region: Go Adirondack, Whiteface Region, Whiteface About 40 minutes away
you can experience the magic, majesty and romance of the Adirondack
Wilderness. Come hike, bike or ski through balsam-scented woods, or canoe,
fish or camp on pristine mountain rivers and lakes, or fly fish on the famous
Au Sable River. It's all here in the spectacular Whiteface Mountain Region.
Plattsburgh: Go Plattsburgh!, Plattsburgh Chamber About
20 minutes away is historic downtown Plattsburgh, New York, which was the site of important
battles during the Revolutionary War and is home of many
events throughout the year. These include the July 4th fireworks and
festivities, the Mayor's Cup yacht race and celebration
in mid July and the Battle of Plattsburgh weekend in early September. In the
last few years Plattsburgh/Lake Champlain has become a stop on several
national bass fishing tournaments' schedules.
Burlington: www.churchstmarketplace.com,
www.vermont.org/visiting/index.aspx About 30 minutes away is Burlington and the historic, award-winning
Church Street Marketplace which is nestled in the heart of downtown
Burlington, Vermont.
Montreal: www.go-montreal.com/areas_oldmontreal.htm About 45 minutes away is the beautiful, international city of Montreal. In the heart of Old
Montreal, the gentle slope down from the Nelson monument affords a superb
view of the Old Port. A major gathering place and entertainment site in Old
Montreal Place Jacques Cartier draws visitors who enjoy street artists,
roving entertainers, jugglers, mimes, face painters anurists. The street overflows with warm and inviting restaurants
offering traditional fine French and Quebecois fare. Busy nightclubs and jazz
clubs add spice to the neighborhood nightlife. The cobblestone road,
particularly East of St. Laurent Blvd., is crowded with horse-drawn carriages
and fascinated pedestrians discovering the history of Old Montreal. Stroll
along de la Commune Street and take in the magnificent view of the Old Port.
Lake Placid: www.lakeplacid.com About 70 minutes away
is the quaint town of Lake Placid. While the village of Lake Placid is a year-round
resort, it is likely most known as the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics, and particularly the
USA-USSR hockey game, the "Miracle on Ice,"
when a group of American college students and amateurs upset the
heavily-favored Soviet national ice hockey team
4-3 and two days later won the gold medal. The victory is sometimes ranked as
one of the greatest in American sports history. Lake
Placid is well-known among winter sports enthusiasts for its skiing, both
Alpine and Crosscountry, one of only three actual bobsled rides in the North
and South American continents, the open skating on the Olympic Oval where Eric Heiden
won his five Olympic Gold Medals, and one of the few places in the contiguous
United States which offers dogsled and sleigh rides. Also popular are gondala
rides in the summer.
Saratoga: www.saratogaracetrack.com
, www.saratoga.com About 2 Hours away is Saratoga which is a hot-spot for the rich and
famous with natural mineral springs, the Saratoga Racetrack,
historical landmarks, Saratoga Springs is still one of the most popular
tourist attractions nationwide.
Ausable Chasm: http://ausablechasm.com/ About 35 minutes away it is sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of
the east, Ausable Chasm is the oldest natural attraction in the US,
established in 1870. Once used as a backdrop for movies, this 1,000 acre
wonderland is now an educational and recreational experience. Walk the
trails, raft the Ausable River (right) and just take in the breathtaking
terrain that began forming 500 million years ago.
Ben &
Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Tours: Ben &
Jerry's About 70 minutes away is a great experience for all ages, it is just north of the small town of Waterbury, Vermont, the factory offers educational fun for everyone.
Vermont Teddy
Bear Factory Tours: Vermont Teddy Bear About
90 minutes away you can tour the factory where the Best Teddy Bears in the
Universe Are Born! Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the
largest maker of hand-crafted, American-made Teddy Bears! Embraced by the
scenic Green Mountains, Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, the
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory colors the countryside in beautiful Shelburne,
Vermont, USA.
The Shelburne Museum: Shelburne Museum Located in Vermont's
scenic Lake Champlain valley about 60 minutes away, Shelburne Museum is one
of the nation's finest, most diverse, and unconventional museums of art and
Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39
exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the
Museum grounds.
Parc Safari: www.parcsafari.com Only about 25 minutes away Parc Safari is much more than a
zoo! We learn, we laugh, have lots of fun and all of this is outdoors. 600
animals from the 5 continents! An automobile safari, 5 kilometers long where
you can drive in the middle of the giraffes, the rhinoceros, the elephants,
the gnus, the zebras and several varieties of antelopes! Parc Safari is also
an amusement park with rides. For small children and the young at heart! At
Parc Safari we must especially remember to bring our bathing suits! 4 small
lakes and a water slide await you.
Bird Watching: http://www.lakechamplainbirding.org/ We are located and the door step of the Kings Bay Wildlife
Management Area which is part of the Birding Trail. This trail is a
highway-based trail (approximately 300 miles) which unifies and connects 88
birding sites along the Lake Champlain shoreline and uplands in Vermont and
New York into a cohesive and marketable unit.
Fall Foliage: http://www.iloveny.com/foliage/ We are located at the gateway to both Upstate NY &
Upstate Vermont, which have among the most beautiful foliage displays in the
world!
Many
of the scenic roads in the Adirondacks & Green Mountains are tiny two lanes
which can make for some slow, but very scenic driving. Large
interstates also offer spectacular vistas and views. From Interstate 87
heading south towards Albany, New York the Adirondacks can be gorgeous. From
Interstates 89 in Vermont the Green Mountains are very scenic to look at as
well. Museums, Dining
& other great activities in New York and Vermont. ………………………………………………………………. WINTER – Bobsled/Snow Skiing
Lake
Placid/Whiteface, New York: Whiteface! About 60 miles away is
the ever more popular winter hotspot of Whiteface/Lake Placid. The
surprisingly unspoiled and quiet village that has been host to two Winter
Olympics, 1932 and 1980, and the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games. The memories
these stir, combined with lots of ongoing outdoor activities and events, set
Lake Placid apart as a winter sports mecca.
Whiteface Ski
Resort
is one of the 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State with a
summit above 4,000 feet. It has glade skiing, a wonderful beginner's area
known as Kids Campus, and in 1997 opened up what was previously out of bound
skiing in The Slides. The Slides offer over 1,000 vertical feet of treeless
skiing and when open boosts Whiteface's vertical to 3,430 feet. With four to
choose from, 'The Slides' is a true backcountry experience for expert skiers
only. They are open only when conditions permit. Encountering frozen waterfalls,
cliffs, and other obstacles is to be expected.
Jay Peak Resort, Vermont: Jay Peak Resort About 60 miles away…. Jay offers 76 trails, glades, and chutes, eight
lifts (including a 60-passenger tramway), and 2,153 feet of vertical. Jay
receives an average annual snowfall of 355 inches, rivaling many Western ski
resorts, and the reason for this is a phenomenon known as "orographic
lift." The resort features a variety of activities for the whole family,
including ice skating, sledding, snowmobiling, bonfires, and snowcat rides,
and there is enough beginner terrain so that novices and intermediates can
enjoy themselves and improve their skills. Because Jay Peak sits atop the northern tip of the Green Mountains and
nothing but a few fences sit between it and the prevailing winds from the
Great Lakes, it receives the brunt of any weather system moving west to east.
These storms tend to lift themselves and circulate between the summit and
Little Jay, its sister peak a few hundred yards away. The result is 30-plus
powder days a season, including a four-foot dump in '98 and a
three-and-a-half-foot powder day in April of 2000. A second reason (as if you needed one) is some of North America's best
tree skiing. The glades are cut in the summer by the same guys who groom the
hill in the winter, and according to Jay Peak guide Andre Cimon, "These
guys know a fall line." Andre leads daily complimentary mountain tours
(9:30 a.m.) and treated us to his philosophy of gladed skiing: "It's all
about confidence, not skill, in the glades," he said. "You must see
the empty spaces, not the trees, and know exactly where your first few turns
will be." Jay Peak rates its glades from one to six, progressing from the easiest
(generously spaced trees and an easy pitch, such as Little Bushwacker) to the
most difficult (super-steep chutes with only a tight line through the trees,
such as The Face). Everglade is a level-five glade, one full mile in length,
with the lower portion easing off a bit to a level three. You can even ski
the glades from top to bottom?that's a 2,153-foot vertical of nothing but the
best tree skiing in North America.
Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont: www.smuggs.com/winter About 60 miles away your will find “Smuggs”. In a word-association test,
if you said "family skiing," any Vermont skier would respond
"Smugglers' Notch." Nobody accommodates families better. Period.
For one thing, they've been doing it longer than most; the resort opened its
first summer children’s camp in 1976. For another, all trails eventually lead
to the self-contained base village, allowing parents to give their children
free reign. Add the state-certified nurseries, pervasive après-ski
activities, and the FunZone indoor playland, and you've got a familial
heaven. But family friendly doesn’t necessarily mean easy, mundane terrain. The
resort is set on three peaks, each appealing to different skier levels.
Novice learning is isolated above the village on Morse Mountain, where the
installation of the mountain’s third carpet-surface lift has made this section
truly beginner-friendly. Madonna Mountain promises some of the headiest
expert terrain around, such as double-black diamond Freefall and triple-black
diamond The Black Hole. Sterling offers a mix of the two, including
Rumrunner, a favorite blue cruiser that was widened and contoured during the
summer of 2006. A few other areas of Smuggs have received facelifts, too. In the Log Jam
terrain park, those new to trick skiing and riding will find more rails and hits
and a larger half pipe for repeated attempts to perfect that first move. The
Mountain Grille, which serves uncommonly delicious waffle fries, has a new
upper-level dining room with awesome slope-side views. And although Smuggs is
blessed with an annual average of 288 inches of natural snow, the snowmaking
capacity continues to increase at the resort. The lifts are a bit old—no high
speed quads here—but they get the job done. And the views of the White
Mountains and Lake Champlain from the base-to-summit Madonna 1 Lift can’t be
beat. |
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