Sample Itineraries

Rustic Refined

The Lake George Area in NY’s Adirondacks is rich with world class arts, entertainment and culture that can be experienced through the many galleries, museums, performing arts venues and historical hotspots scattered amongst its charming communities. Start your groups day at The Hyde Collection, in Glens Falls, a historic house and art museum complex offering a world renowned collection of artwork then on to the Delong House to discover The Chapman Historical Museum, where you can experience what it was like to live in Glens Falls 100+ years ago. Stroll through picturesque City Park as you peruse the charming boutiques and restaurants of downtown. Choose from outdoor bistros, quaint cafes, a landmark hotel or even a brew pub for lunch before heading out to catch an evening performance at one of the many theaters in the area.

Delight their inner muse with a second day of art and entertainment, this time lakeside. Enjoy coffee on a lakeside deck before heading to the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum, in Bolton Landing. As the bus cruises along the shoreline, storytelling begins as you are reminded of those wealthy entrepreneurs that came to the area and built wonderful mansions and ornate hotels at the turn of the century. Enjoy the era of Alfred Steiglitz, Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Holmer, and the distinguished families of Tuttle, Trask and Pitcairn along the way. A group tour of the Morgan Marine & Hacker Boat Company can round out any pleasant afternoon as you learn about the legacy and craftsmanship of these beautiful mahogany boats. But you’re not done yet! Bring a blanket as you bring your experience to a close with a lakeside evening jazz performance under the stars.

Grandma & Grandpa and Me

Grandparents love to spend quality time making memories for their grandkids. Let your time together be about learning and discovery in the Lake George Area. There’s plenty of hands on activities and attractions to keep the whole bunch busy and you also entertained. Here’s just a few ideas that will give ‘em something to write home about. Get back to nature at Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center in Bolton Landing, offering year round activities such as a butterfly garden, pond life, maple sugaring, wildlife viewing, hiking & snowshoeing. Pack a picnic basket and head to the Warrensburg Fish Hatchery where you can learn how fish are raised and stocked in Adirondack waters. Create some memories and a magnificent masterpiece at a pottery painting studio or beadery. Everyone can get involved when you jump on board Lake George Associations Floating Classroom! Their hands on activities will teach you all about the formation and environmental impact on Lake George. Looking to find some treasure? Mine for gemstones at Barton Garnet Mines, in North Creek or explore caves grottoes and waterfalls at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves in Pottersville. There’s so much to see and do in the Lake George Area of NY’s Adirondack’s, you won’t stop talking about your trip and they won’t stop talking about plans to come back next year!

Mountain Adventures

Greet the day with a paddle out to one of our many islands for breakfast around a campfire. A fishing charter boat will pick you up at this location for some great salmon or bass fishing or embark on a pontoon tour of the rest of the 364 islands. Hike to a mountain summit, mountain bike or take a kayak tour of the shoreline. For lunch you will travel by boat to lakeside dining after which you will journey on to a tour of waterfalls gorges and other geological wonders until your last stop at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. A whitewater run down the Hudson River Gorge is an exhilarating way to start the day or take a whitewater kayak lesson and shoot the rapids of the lower Hudson on your own. An afternoon at the Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course (there’s difficulty levels tailored to everyone) is a great way to end your day of adventure. You’ll have no problem retiring early to get up before dawn for a “sunrise over the mountains” photography tutorial by renowned Adirondack photographer Carl Heilman. After a trailside breakfast you will begin your hiking tour of backcountry streams and lakes and if you desire, fly-fishing.

Get Away with the Girls

Whether the kids are off to school, the holidays are around the corner, or you just need a break, there’s always a reason to gather up your best girlfriends and treat yourself to a well deserved women’s getaway. Why not make the Lake George Area and surrounding scenic Adirondack Mountains your next great escape. Do you and your friends love the outdoors? Join a kayaking or women’s only backpacking adventure, shoot some rapids or take a lazy river tubing trip. Is shopping more your style? Head for the outlets for some bargains or try antiquing in quaint small town shops while traveling scenic backroads for a more rustic shopping adventure. Sit back and be pampered with indulgences such as a pedicure, massage or facial at a salon or spa or just gather the girls around a crackling fire for an evening toast, and some girl talk. Have a not so ordinary champagne brunch while cruising along the majestic lake or relax with tea on the veranda of a historic island hotel. The options are limitless... so take a break from the grind to retreat and revitalize with the girls in the Lake George Area in New York’s Adirondacks.

Guys Getaway

We understand that a man’s idea of a really cool vacation may be completely different from that of a woman’s. So if you’re the guy in charge of planning a road trip for the boys then we’ve got just the ticket. Escape to the great outdoors with an adventurous ManCation in the Lake George Area of NY’s Adirondacks. We’ve got miles of lakes and rivers for flat water kayaking and whitewater rafting and tons of mountain hiking trails that will take your fitness to a whole new level. Load up the bikes and blaze new mountain trails or tour back country roads at a more leisurely pace. Pack the cooler, charter a guided fishing boat and hit the area’s best fishing holes in search of “the big one” or go a few rounds at one of our nine golf courses before bellying up to a steak and a micro-brew at a local tavern. Next morning, relax with your coffee and the sports page lakeside while you organize the game plan for the day. Impress ‘em with some adrenaline fueled jet skiing or parasailing over the lake or let loose in the treetops at the new extreme adventure course. Run it by the guys but you may decide to just relax poolside with a few cigars, BBQ and horseshoe challenge. You make the call. After all, it’s whatever you and your pals are up for. It’s your time away and the options are endless. Here’s a lot more…

Kids just want to have fun!

Looking for a little adventure and a lot of fun for your next Group Youth Trip? Well, Lake George has a whole bunch of really cool things for kids to do throughout the year. So why not grab the gang and jump on the bus for a whole day of super activities any group of kids would love. Start their morning off with thrills and skills putting through mountain caves and cascading waterfalls at Pirates Cove Adventure Golf, or zooming around the adjacent go-kart track at Adventure Racing. Some can head indoors for adrenaline pumping bumper cars, paint ball and a rock climbing wall. Just down Rte 9 is The Fun Spot for any in line or roller skating fan in the group or organize a Team Laser Tag Challenge. Cool ‘em off from a day of action with a stop at a local favorite Martha’s Ice cream or just head back to the hotel for a group cannonball into the pool. Chill out with an in-room pizza party before hitting the town for a night of movies or shopping at the mall. Wind down the night with some play time on the hotel room XBOX and then call “Lights Out”….After all, they’re going to need their rest for a full day at Waterslide World or Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom the next day. So give your youth group what they really want for their next trip… Fun and More Fun.

Millionaire’s Row: Opera and The Great & The Gracious

Lake George Village, Bolton Landing, and Hague-on-Lake George

Music, Mountains & Murder

While cruising along the shoreline or on land, the storytelling begins and you are reminded of those wealthy entrepeneurs that came to the area, built wonderful mansions and ornate and elite hotels at the turn of the century. Enjoy the era and stories of Alfred Steiglitz, Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Homer, Marcella Sembrich, and the distinguished families of Tuttle, Trask and Pitcairn. The mysterious drowning of Hulett Brand makes for a suspensful story. “Was it a murder or not?” Town and country couples will love it.

Back Roads & Country Inns

Chestertown, North Creek & Warrensburg to Lake Placid

Caves, Connoisseurs and Bedrooms

Explore the outdoor trail of nature’s geological wonder of caves and grottos for a group adventure. Enjoy travelling together over these backroads that lead to the best of the best. Friend’s Lake Inn, Rene’s, The Grist Mill and the Merrill Magee House are all perfect examples of excellent dining. Include a visit to a 1946 Adirondack smoke house, a wine cellar tour, or just stop and shop. Antiquing and stroytelling are a must for a serene and peaceful day. These year round communities enjoy hunting, fishing, boating and camping for all age groups.

Garnet, Gore and the Gilded Age

Glens Falls and the Lake George Area

Soft Adventure with Teddy, The Train and Treasures

On september 12, 1901 Teddy Roosevelt learned he was to be the 26th President of the United States when he reached the North Creek Station at dawn after hiking in the Adirondacks. The newly renovated Upper Hudson River Railroad and the North Creek Railway Depot Museum warmly reunite the past to the present. Take a train ride or river float along the Hudson, dig for garnets and enjoy the most spectacular colors of autumn in the Adirondacks. A perfect setting for corporate business, team building retreats, spouses’ tours and family reunions.

Cooper’s Cave and Hot Air Balloons

Glens Falls and the Lake George Area

Legacies, Logging and Laughter

Relax and listen while your local step-on guide takes you through a morning of the history and heritage in the Glens Falls area. The guide will bring alive a glimpse of the past today’s logging industry along the Hudson river including the story of James Fenimore Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans” and a visit to the world renowned Hyde Collection Art Museum, home of the finest private art collection in NYS. Afterwards, travel north to Prospect Mountain overlooking beautiful Lake George for a four state, 100 mile view and spectacular photo opportunity. Individual and group balloon rides available at the 29th Annual Adirondack Balloon Festival, an American Bus Association Top 100 Event.

The Last of the Mohicans & Mansions, Too!

Saratoga Springs and the Lake George Village Areas

Heart, Heritage and Horses

Start the morning in Saratoga. Follow the path of the past as the military history, horse racing industry, Broadway mansions and healing Saratoga mineral water baths stories come to light. Going north, this tour will include the discovery of Lake George in 1646 by Father Isaac Jogues, a French missionary from Montreal, and the stained glass windows in the Lake George Sacred Heart Church will tell that story. Your local guide will enhance the history by including stories of the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War along these routes. You will drive through Battlefield Park, up Prospect mountain, stop by the Fort William Henry Museum and go for a lake cruise.

Ranches, Rodeos & Rafting

An Active Adirondack Adventure

While on your way to river rafting, listen and learn about the many dude ranches that captures the hearts of many a cowgirl and cowboy in the early 40’s and 50’s. Dress up for line dancing, a buggy ride, BBQ and the annual Adirondack Stampede. We won’t forget to tell you about the Paul Newman camp for kids, the best milk bottle collection and the summer music camp for young musicians. Next, suit up for a float down the Sacandaga or Hudson River for a guided easy workout with beautiful scenery. Enjoy an evening of rodeo at the oldest championship event in the northeast or a summer concert. Great for active and passive youth and adult groups.

Lakes to Locks Passage Tour

Begin with a tour and history of the Lake George Area along a National Scenic Byway. Learn the importance of the historic waterways and byways during the time of our discovery. Explore American history by visiting the famous battlefields and forts of the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Battle of Saratoga and War of 1812. Also included the Underground Railroad and logging industry; to name a few. Then travel along the Hudson River/Champlain Canal for a voyage into history. The tour can include a visit to the Whitehall Museum, where the Navy was born. Stop by to view the canal locks opening and closing as vessels travel from NYC on to Canada, the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi. Visit the 185 year old Lake George Steamboat Company’s railroad station where guests arrived from NYC which still stands today as a gift shop. Dinner cruises, “Learning on Location” and student packages available. Meals and dessert stops can be included at historic hotels and restaurants.

Talking Quilts of the Secret Network

Black History and the Underground Railroad in the Adirondack/Lake George Area

A corridor of the Underground Railroad came through the greater Adirondack/Lake George Area and provides an excellent opportunity to discover many aspects of the Railroad’s activity. A local guide will take you on this journey through time with captivating stories of the events and the people, as well as see a collection of ten Talking Quilts that guided the travelers on visits, or they can be expanded to 3-4-5 days introducing three courageous and strong-willed individuals: Solomon Northup, John Brown and Rowland T. Robinson. These key players from our area were important participants in the national Underground Railroad movement. Visit their homes and follow their escape routes. The passion of this tour is guaranteed to showcase the story of those who exemplified compassion, moral courage and commitment to equality—sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes unbelievable, but always unforgettable.

The Victorian Era—Pomp and Circumstance

For just a short while, step back into yesteryear.

Tours can be 2 hours in length or an afternoon lunch or drink entertainment. The program is fun-filled, with a Hist’ry Myst’ry contest, audience participation with layer upon layer of clothes worn during that era (and unusual clothes they are!) Find out the mystery of the string! We won’t tell, you have to come to find out. An extended Victorian tour involves staying in a Victorian hotel, dining in a Victorian restaurant, visiting a Victorian museum, enjoying High Tea at a Victorian site, dropping by some Victorian mansions in the area, and learning about some of the rich and famous who graced our area during the Gilded Age. Enjoy the banter of guides dressed in Victorian costumes to give a real personal touch of days gone by. This tour is for men and women. It’s fun, it’s unique, and it’s a must on the itinerary.