Adirondacks Region
Museums/Theatre
Boldt Castle - Alexandria Bay
The manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan had an architectural team start building the 6 story Boldt Castle in 1900 as a present to his wife. Unfortunately, she passed away before the house was completed and he never went there again. This is now preserved as a museum and it is a great way to spend a summer day marveling at the incredible house.
The Olympic Museum - Lake Placid
There is only one place in the United States that has hosted the Winter Olympics twice - Lake Placid, New York! In both 1932 and 1980, this quaint Adirondack town played host to the world and featured some fantastic sporting moments like the Miracle on Ice in 1980 when the U.S. Men’s Hockey Gold Medal and Eric Heiden’s 5 speedskating gold medals. With numerous historical videos and memorabilia, this recently renovated Olympic Museum will make any American proud as you relive the history and successes of our Olympic history.
The Adirondack Experience - Blue Mountain Lake
If living in a city in the 1800’s was tough - think about what it would be like in the middle of the Adirondacks? Stagecoaches, boats, horse and buggy - we can only imagine. But, you can get what the experience was like way back when at The Adirondack Experience. It is a great museum with great videos, exhibitions, and views into what life was like in rural NY in days gone by.
Singer Castle - Chippewa Bay
In the early 1900’s the Singer Sewing Machine company, which was based in New York City, was an extremely successful company. The company’s President Frederick Bourne purchased Dark Island in 1902 and built a 4 story, 28 bedroom mansion as his family’s “upstate getaway home”. The home had a few different owners over the years, but now it is a historic site and it is a great place to visit when you are in the 1000 Islands Area.
Fort Ticonderoga - Ticonderoga
Back in 1758 before there was a United States, the French built this fort at the end of Lake Champlain to keep British soldiers from accessing the waterway. It played a bigger role in the Revolutionary war when a now infamous Benedict Arnold made the British commander surrender control of the Fort. If you are a history buff or just want a beautiful view of the lake, it is a great thing to see on a summer afternoon.
Clayton Opera House - Clayton
The Clayton Opera House hosts music and theatrical performances throughout the year. With only 280 seats for most performances, it is an intimate venue with great acoustics. It is well maintained and gives the summertime guests in the 1000 Islands area a nice venue for performances.
Pendragon Theatre - Saranac Lake
With five different shows each year and numerous other music and theatrical shows, the Pendragon Theatre is one of the best places in the Adirondacks to take in a show. Any summertime visit to Saranac Lake or Lake Placid should include taking in a show at Pendragon.
The Saranac Laboratory - Saranac Lake
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, tuberculosis killed millions of Americans. In 1876, Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau came to Saranac Lake in an attempt to cure the disease. Having been diagnosed with the disease himself, he quickly found that the fresh Adirondack air helped his condition significantly. He continued to research the disease at the “Cure Cottage” and Saranac Lake quickly became a place where people from all over the world came for relief from the disease. The Trudeau institute still exists in Saranac Lake doing high level research on infectious diseases and the Saranac Laboratory Museum is an interesting place to visit to learn about how this small town helped save many lives. Interesting side note - Dr. Trudeau’s great grandson is Garry Trudeau who wrote the comic strip Doonesbury, and he grew up in Saranac Lake.
Great Camp Sagamore - Raquette Lake
Because of the beauty of the ADK’s, many of the richest families in the U.S. had houses there. The Vanderbilt’s were no exception. Great Camp Sagamore. For many years, the rich and famous flocked to this idyllic resort to hob-nob, gamble, and relax with other well to do people. Now it is an education center, hotel, restaurant, hiking, and educational programs focused on the Adirondack history and lifestyle.
Lake Placid Center for the Arts - Lake Placid
Lake Placid Center for the Arts has been hosting travelers from around the globe since 1972. Besides the numerous theatrical performances that the Center puts on each year, there is also an art museum on the property that hosts rotating exhibits and has artwork available for purchase from local artists that portray the beauty of the ADK region in their paintings, drawings, and photographs.
John Brown’s Farm - Lake Placid
A few years before the beginning of the Civil War, a man named John Brown and his followers raided the U.S. armory at Harper’s Ferry and planned to liberate large quantities in slaves in the South. Unfortunately, he was captured in Charlestown, VA and he was eventually tried and hanged. His modest home and farm still stands in Lake Placid and it provides you with a perspective on what life was like in the 1850’s with the well-maintained and historically accurate homestead.