We love hosting families at the cottage, and summer is a great time to plan a Lake Placid visit with the kiddos. I’ve put together this list of recommendations for a precious family we know with a 10 year old and an 8 year old. They all love outdoor activities, so family-friendly hikes, paddles and swimming top the list! Here’s what I suggest.

Paddle Sports: Unless someone has been paddling recently, I’ve learned to recommend starting with a group paddle that includes some basic instruction.

• Paul Smith’s VIC offers guided paddle trips every Saturday and Sunday in the summer. They provide canoes and all the equipment for $15-$25/person, and the group is led by a naturalist expert who can tell you lots of cool stuff. The VIC is about a 30-min drive from Lake Placid. Also, when you go to the VIC, you can also stop in the butterfly house! Or make a full day out of it, and stay for one of their afternoon wagon rides.

• Another group paddle situation is offered at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, about 30-40 minutes away. They offer daily canoe trips in July and August. You pay admission to get into the Wild Center, plus it’s another $45 per boat, but like the VIC every trip is led by a NYS Licensed Guide and naturalist. You can paddle as a family, with up to 2 adults and 2 children per boat, and it’s tailored for paddlers of all experience levels, ages 4 and up.

• The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation also offers guided group paddles, although not as frequent or as reasonable. The 3-hour paddles are $50/person and you’ll need to rent equipment separately. I’m also not sure how much instruction they provide, so you might prefer to start with the VIC or Wild Center first.

• If you want to SUP (stand-up paddle), I recommend Mirror Lake right in town. It’s super convenient and since no motor boats are allowed on the lake, it’s easy and safe for a family outing. You can SUP anytime, but I recommend combining a late afternoon/evening SUP with either the weekly Tuesday night Songs at Mirror Lake concert or weekly Wednesday night Sinfonietta concert in Mid’s Park. You can rent SUPs from either the Mirror Lake Boat Rental (most convenient to our house) or Locker Room 5, and paddle right up to Mid’s Park for the concert. (If you don’t SUP, these park concerts are very family friendly for anyone.)

• For a little more adventure and slightly more advanced, refer to my previous post on paddling. We usually start friends on the Rollins Loop paddling from the Floodwood base down Fish Creek stream, which is absolutely lovely. You don’t need to make the loop or do any carries/portages (Rollins pond can get pretty windy, so I’d avoid it with small kids). Just paddle down Fish Creek stream and back, and it will be an excellent outing. It’s gorgeous and rarely many other people.

Hiking:

• First, I highly recommend families consider booking a half-day with a licensed guide like Rich Hanlon. He charges $100 for a half-day guided hike for up to 5 people, or $200 for a full day. Rich is amazing with kids and he can tell you all about the wildlife, plants and trees you see. Highly, highly recommend.

• For easy and entertaining walks that are relatively flat, check out this post. For families I recommend the Peninsula Trails (walking distance from our house) and John Brown’s Farm (5 miles away and educational).

• If you want to combine a short hike with a swim, try the walk to Owen Pond mentioned in this post of hikes under 500’ of elevation gain that all lead to a pond. Not all the ponds on this list would be good swimming holes, but Owen and Copperas are. However, crossing the highway on foot to get to Copperas Pond is a little sketch.

• As you move up in difficulty, I have a previous post on hikes under 1,000 feet of elevation — highly recommend Mount Jo for a family hike (although there’s a parking fee). And from this post on the Lake Placid 9er challenge, I love all these hikes for families. If you take your kids up Hurricane Mountain in the summer, not only can you see the fire tower, but there’s usually an ADK Mountain Club volunteer host at the top who can point out all the surrounding peaks and talk about the alpine environment. Very cool. If you’re up for it, do Hurricane Mountain.

Swimming:

• The public beach on Mirror Lake is convenient, safe and fun for kids. You can either walk from the house, or park nearby. There are nearby bathrooms, snacks, a playground and more. As mentioned above, you can also rent water sports equipment from Locker Room 5 which is nearby the beach.

• I mentioned Owen Pond, above, which is on the road to Wilmington. In addition to that option, lots of people go down to Chapel Pond, which is south of Keene Valley. If you want to skip a hike, Chapel Pond is steps from the parking area and very beautiful.

Motor boating:

• If you want an easy, short boat tour on Lake Placid, go for the Lake Placid Marina Boat Tour. It’s a little corny, but fun for kids. I talk about it in this post. It’s a comparatively decent option for the price, but I’m still not sure it’s worth it for adults.

• If you’re looking for a more active day on the lake, ADK Aquatics will rent boats by the hour for tubing, wakeboarding and waterskiing. It’s pricy, but if you want some serious fun, this is a popular option. Or rent a pontoon boat from Captain Marney’s. There are other boat rentals around, but since this is within walking distance of our house, it’s more convenient than going to Saranac Lake.

Ski Jump and Cliffside Coaster:

• I love recommending a visit to the Ski Jump for both kids and adults. There aren’t many places in the world where you can go and see these types of venues and they’re so impressive. Check out this old post about the Olympic Jumping Complex. Here’s an updated 2023 link to the athlete ambassador tours, which I highly recommend. And if you’re visiting in July/August, call and ask in advance about the pool training schedule. It doesn’t look like they post the specifics on the website anymore, so you should call and talk to the information desk. I’m telling you, it is so fun to sit in the stands in the summertime and watch the athletes take jumps off the ramps into the swimming pool as they practice their crazy flips and twists with skis on. Incredible.

• Another awesome Olympic venue is the bobsled track on Mt. Van Hoevenberg. In the last couple years they built a new, state-of-the-art bobsled track, so they turned the old track into a Cliffside Coaster ride that’s awesome for kids and families. It is not a rollercoaster … more of a slow-moving scenic ride in a re-purposed bobsled. Unfortunately, I just checked and you have to be 9 years old, but maybe worth investigating. I’ve definitely seen parents in the ride with a small kid with them, so probably worth a call. There’s also a cool indoor climbing wall at this complex for a good rainy day activity, and you can rent bikes up there too.

The Wild Center:

• The Wild Center is a 30- to 40-minute drive, and their ticket prices are a little steep, but it’s a super cool place for kids (and adults). In addition to the canoeing mentioned above, they’ve got the Wild Walk through the treetops, the insanely impressive stick work art in the forest, a cool play area, and indoor exhibits including wildlife interactions with a porcupine or raptor.

Sky Center & Observatory:

• We haven’t yet been to the observatory, but it’s at the top of my list for this summer. If you didn’t guess already, the Adirondacks have some of the darkest skies in the nation and an excellent observatory. Their public stargazing sessions are offered every Friday (weather permitting) Memorial Day through Labor Day (and twice a month in winter). Stargazing begins about ½ hour after sunset, and it’s free! Check their Facebook for updates on whether the observatory will be open. If your schedule or the weather doesn’t match up for one of the free sessions, you can also book a private observatory session for a fee.

• The observatory is in Tupper Lake, which is about a 30- to 40-minute drive. If you want to make a whole day of it, you could spend an afternoon at the nearby Wild Center, have a leisurely dinner in town, and then hit the observatory that evening. It might be a busy day, but something to consider. For dinner options in Tupper Lake, we love Raquette River Brewing, which has outdoor picnic tables, food trucks and live music - very kid friendly. Well Dressed Food is good, and so is Little Italy.

Farm and Foodie Stops:

• Since this whole post is geared toward a summer family trip, you cannot miss the local soft serve ice cream stands. An Adirondack tradition like no other. Check out this post and make a plan to visit all three. But know that Donnelly’s is the best!!

• In terms of family-friendly farm stops, it’s pretty hard to beat Rolf’s Orchard. It’s more on the touristy-side, but they offer a lot for kids. In the summer you can visit the petting zoo and pick your own fresh produce like berries, apples and tomatoes. And in the fall they’re known for their apple cider donuts and pumpkin patch. It’s an operation and geared toward visitors.

• For a glimpse at working farms, check out this post I did with a driving tour of some of our favorite stops. These farms don’t typically offer organized tours on a regular basis, but some of them might come out for a talk if you call them in advance. North Country Creamery is a particularly wonderful small farm.

• I’ve also been to the DaCy Meadows Farm which is in the same area as my favorite driving tour route above. They have the iconic Highland cows that are fun to see, a nice self-serve farmstand, and they do a lot of events and tours on their farm. Even if you’re not staying in their lodging, I’d suggest calling ahead if you’re in the area.

• The Cook Farm is more of a drive (1 hour north of Lake Placid) and there’s not a ton around it, but you can definitely make it a fun day. They offer more in-depth farm tour experiences, and the option to pick fresh flowers or pumpkins or whatever is in season.

• If you’re running short on time, you might consider a visit to the Saranac Lake Farmers Market (Saturdays) or the Keene Farmer’s Market (Sundays). Notably, the Keene one seems to have a lot of crafts too. You can read about them in this post. The Lake Placid Farmer’s Market is nice, but much, much smaller.

• Another convenient operation is the Uihlein Maple Research Forest run by Cornell. It’s 5 miles from the house and you can call ahead to schedule a tour, or just stop by their farmstore when you’re going out to the Ski Jump Complex.

Shops and Galleries:

• We’re right around the corner from the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. They have exhibits, performances, and classes to check out. They also operate an art gallery on Main Street in Lake Placid.

• I think Saranac Lake and Keene have a bit more of an arts scene. Keene has the Keene Arts center. And just walking around Saranac Lake you’ll find a lot of cool shops and galleries. Here’s a longer list of area galleries. While we’re on the subject of art, you’ll need to plan another trip and possibly participate in the annual Plein Art Festival in Saranac Lake, and also hit the 3rd Thursday Art Walks.

• For shopping, check this post for favorite stops on Main Street (also good for rainy day activities), and this post if you’re into home furnishings (although probably not super exciting for the kiddos).

Meals and Grocery:

• For grocery shopping, our house is very convenient to a Hannafords and Green Goddess, both on Saranac Ave. within 5 minutes from the house. I also love Nori’s if you’re in Saranac Lake.

• Heat and eat cabin dinners are super easy when on vacation. This post lists our favorites.

• Here’s a post on coffee shops. Origin is probably my favorite.

• For restaurants, check out this post and this post for casual dining and this post for sandwiches. I think the Dack Shack on Saranac Ave. has really improved and is a little less pricy, plus it’s easy walking distance. Barley Sandwich in Saranac Lake is also awesome (a little more foodie), but not always easy to take to-go.

Gear and Equipment:

• Check out this post on great outfitters and places where you can rent gear for your adventures.

Emergency Providers:

• Last but not least. Hopefully nobody will need this, but here’s our info on emergency services in the area. We also have this info printed out at our house.