After living in NY for the past 4 years, I figured it was about time that I went to the Adirondacks. I had never been because most of the time that Adam or my friends go, they go to actually camp. And I’m not a camping in a tent kinda girl. So we booked a cute cabin airbnb with some of our friends and just planned on having a nice relaxing weekend.
Lake George Town and Bolton Landing
Our Airbnb was actually on Lake George near Bolton Landing. So we spent some time just walking around not only Lake George town but also Bolton Landing.
It’s so refreshing to see small little towns that pretty much fit on a couple small blocks and how cute and quaint they are compared to the larger cities I’m used to.
So many little places to eat, and the smallest Tops Grocery store I’ve been to in my life, it was literally the size of a large gas station! And the people were all out and about.
There’s an amazing view of Lake George from Lake George Town’s waterfront walk at the bottom of the lake, incredible to just take it in.
Gore Mountain Fall Festival
One of the events that we found out was happening the weekend we were going to be there, after we had already booked our airbnb, was the Gore Mountain Fall Festival. The Mountain was beautiful! We got there pretty early, around 11 am, and the parking lot was already packed. There was everything fall, pumpkins, cider donuts, food, wine, beer, and lots of local vendors! It was fun to walk around and see all of the local products and spend the day outside. There were so many animals, which was really cool, we got to hold a tiny baby owl!
On our way out, a couple of hours later, there was a huge line of cars waiting to find parking! So getting there early was key! There was also a huge line for the sky lift ride, so we didn’t get to do that because we didn’t want to spend that much time waiting in line.
Overall though it was a super cute and fun event, left with a bottle of wine from The Adirondack Winery!
https://www.visitlakegeorge.com/events/gore-mountain-harvest-fest
Baxter Mountain
After the festival, we made our way to the high peaks region to see some more foliage. The “hike”, more like a quick walk to a viewpoint, that we originally wanted to do was closed, so we ended up finding the Baxter Mountain trail, which was a small hike, up to a beautiful viewpoint. We were not prepared to hike, but it was still fairly easy until the very top. It only took about 30 minutes or so to hike up, and was well worth the view!
Would totally go back in actual hiking clothes and do it again and enjoy the hike up a bit more! But the view was worth the uncomfy hike in my heeled boots!
Leaf Peepin’
In general, just driving around the Adirondack region was breathtaking. I don’t think I have ever seen such fall foliage before in my life like it is in the Adirondack High Peaks Region. The colors were beautiful amidst the mountains and rivers.
The entire trip was well worth just seeing how beautiful the area is. It’s so peaceful to just be surrounded by nature. And going around looking at the scenery and hanging out with friends is so much fun.
Keep in mind how HUGE the park is though! From our Airbnb to Bolton Landing was about 20 minutes alone, and then to the High Peaks region was a little under 2 hours. We didn’t mind the time and distance, but stay safe at night with winding roads and deer everywhere!
The Lake from our Airbnb
Just a small part of our trip, but an awesome part, was that our airbnb had access to Lake George. It was very peaceful to go down by the lake, take a seat, and just watch the tide. I imagine in the summer it would be amazing to go swimming in the lake in the morning. Visiting the area, and being by the lake, made me want to come back again in the summer for summer activities!
Food
Now, food is a huge part of any trip for me. So here’s the places we visited on our weekend trip:
Adirondack Brewery
Our first dinner we went to the Adirondack Brewery, most of us ordered burgers, which were actually amazing! The beer was great too, and loved the meal in itself. Definitely had an interesting serving staff, but the food and beer itself were good enough that I’d return.
The Bolton Bean
For one of our breakfast meals we went to The Bolton Bean which is like Rochester’s Highland Park Diner because it is in an old train car. It was a tight fit, very small inside, but the breakfast was great! I had hash and eggs, no surprise there, and Adam had a massive breakfast burrito. Definitely would go back for the food, but maybe isn’t ideal for a party of more than 4 people!
The Pickled Pig
We did stop at the Pickled Pig in Lake Placid for dinner one night. As a bar it was nice, and the food was good, but the menu was pretty small and the wait for a table was kind of long. It was late and dark, so I didn’t get any pictures, but I would probably try another place for dinner next time I’m in the area.
Bear’s Cup
Bear’s Cup feels like New York City in Bolton Landing, and that’s exactly what it’s meant to feel like! The cafe is new this year, and the owners came from New York City to open Bear’s Cup. The coffee was delicious! I had the cold brew and Adam had a latte. And the breakfast sandwiches were amazing on fresh made that morning bagels! Would highly recommend this cafe if you are in the Lake George area.
Old Mountain Coffee
Old Mountain Coffee is in Keene Valley, and we stopped in before our hike for a little caffeine pick me up. The coffee was amazing, and in a convenient spot for anyone in the High Peaks region.
I wanted to add it here because not only was it great coffee, but inside there was plenty of seating for someone that needed to get some work done to have space to do so. Which is usually not the case for coffee shops in smaller towns! Will definitely be revisiting them next time I’m in the Adirondacks!
https://www.oldmountaincoffee.com/
Overall, my first visit to the Adirondacks was amazing. Quality time spent with some of my favorite people and in such a stunning space. We spent a lot of time just talking about life while on the long drives around the area, and hanging out at night in the cabin. Escaping out of the city and into the mountains was amazing for a weekend of relaxation and exploration.