The Adirondacks is an amazing family destination! There is so much to see, explore and do, that there is something for everyone. We just came back from our family trip to the Adirondacks, specifically the Lake Placid area, and WOW! What an amazing time we had! We had so much fun that I wanted to write this article and share with you all the fun activities we did. That way, you can start planning your next family vacation without all the research!
Our first stop was to The Wild Center! Between all the indoor and outdoor activities, you can easily spend a whole day exploring and learning. Inside, you will find tons of interactive studios and videos to teach you all about climate solutions, wind power, composting, and other ways to help our environment. When you step outside there are beautiful walking trails, picturesque ponds, canoe rides, animal viewing areas and much more! Most notably there is the incredible Wild Walk! This is a walking path that leads you on a journey through the treetops where you can jump and climb all around the large Spider’s Web, walk on suspension bridges, and even get inside a life-sized Eagle’s Nest! The view from the nest is spectacular and you will definitely want to take some pictures! There is also a café and a fun gift store as well. Check out my Instagram reel for a glimpse into all the fun your family can have at The Wild Center! Happy exploring!
When I think of Lake Placid, the Olympics always pops up in my head! Lake Placid held the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980! There are quite a few places in the area for Olympians to train and two of them are the Olympic Jumping Complex and Mt. Van Hoevenberg. We had to check them out!
Interesting Fact: In 1932, Lake Placid became the first U.S. host site of the Olympic Winter Games! The Opening Ceremony welcomed 252 athletes from 17 countries, competing in 5 sports over 14 events! Click here for pictures.
The Olympic Jumping Complex is jaw-dropping! Once you lay your eyes on those ski jumps and how massive they are, you will realize your mouth is hanging open. Mine was, haha! When you are at the complex you will find a nice and relaxing SkyRide gondola, which takes you up to the top of the mountain. Then, you can take an elevator all the way up to the top of the HS 120 meter ski jump! Once at the observation deck, you will have beautiful panoramic views of Lake Placid and all the tree-filled mountains. You will also find a fun bobsled that is great for photo ops, so you know I was all about getting some fun pics, haha! You can even walk out and get a close up look at those ski jumps! Another really fun activity they have is the Sky Flyer Zipline! This zipline runs alongside the ski jumps at approximately 30 mph from the top of their 70-foot tower. My husband did the zipline and said it was amazing! If you want to see video footage of the Skyride Gondola and Sky Flyer Zipline, check out my Instagram reel for all the fun!
Mt. Van Hoevenberg has a TON of activities to do there (Bobsled, Luge, Biking, Climbing, Biathlon, Skiing and much more), but there is one special activity that I have been waiting to do since I first heard of it a couple of years ago. It’s the Cliffside Coaster! The minimum age rider needs to be at least 3 years of age... and you guessed it! My little guy is now 3, so we didn’t have to wait any longer! Your coaster car can go up to 25 mph, but you can control how fast or slow you want to go. My husband let it fully coast a few times and he said it was a lot of fun! My daughter and I went at a medium pace to get the thrill, but also enjoy the beautiful trail through the woods and the Fall leaves. A really nice feature of this ride is that inside your car there is a recording of the history of the 1980 Olympic Sliding Track, that you are coasting alongside. Not only was this fun, but it’s educational, too! The coaster track has dips and turns for a fun ride for kids and adults and definitely lived up to my expectations! I am so glad we got to experience it as a family and enjoy this special time. You can check out my video reel of our coasting fun at Mt. Van Hoevenberg on my Instagram page!
While we were in Lake Placid, we stayed at the incredible Placid Bay Hotel, right on the lake! We enjoyed the spacious and beautiful Whiteface Suite and called it our home away from home. It was complete with a full-sized kitchen, large family room, bedroom, and bathroom. It even had its own private patio and a view of the pool, Whiteface Mountain, and the lake. The hotel is complete with many amenities that are available to all the guests, and we even took out a canoe (they also have paddleboards and kayaks)! This was the first canoe ride we took with the kids and everyone loved it! We enjoyed our last evening at the hotel watching the cotton candy skies reflecting on the water and topped it off with a cozy bonfire by the water and cooked up some s’mores! Yum! You can check out my article that I wrote about our stay, complete with many gorgeous pictures. You can also watch my video tour of the hotel and the room we stayed in on Instagram.
The Adirondacks was a hugely fun destination for our whole family! We had a great time learning, exploring, and enjoying all that the Lake Placid region has to offer. I’d like to give a big “Thanks!” to all the amazing hosts on our family trip for making a lot of smiles and great memories! We can’t wait to come back!