Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Lake Placid, NY

We just got back from two weeks (!!) of vacation where we visited lots of family and friends, ate delicious food and relaxed - by the beach (Maine) and on the lake (Lake Placid). Has anyone ever been to Lake Placid? It's one of our favorite places to visit and we're so lucky that Ryan's dad lives there, so we get to go every summer!


Here are a few of our favorite things to do and places to eat...


What To Do: 
Get out on the lake! There are actually two lakes in Lake Placid: Lake Placid itself which is bigger, and Mirror Lake, which is smaller and has the downtown area around one edge of it. We're huge Mirror Lake fans - motor boats aren't allowed but there are lots of canoes and paddleboards - and you can swim and fish as well.

In the summer, there is a concert series downtown and you can take a canoe out on the lake to listen to the music. We did this last week and heard Rusted Root and it was so fun!


Aside from water-centered activities, there is also tons of hiking and biking and there's a great walking path around Mirror Lake which is just under 3 miles and makes for the perfect morning power walk.

It's also fun to stroll around downtown - there are great restaurants and bars (more on that later), a bookstore, a fun candy shop, an olive oil store and of course the USA Hockey store - Lake Placid held two Olympics, in 1932 and 1980.

Where to Eat:
Lake Placid has a big selection of restaurants and bars, but these are a few of our favorites: The Cottage for Bloody Marys in the morning. You can take them down to the dock behind the restaurant and sit out on the lake.


Dancing Bears has always been a favorite for a casual dinner - and we've watched many a sporting event there: the Kentucky Derby, playoff hockey games, World Cup soccer...their menu is simple and easy and the atmosphere is super relaxed.

Top of the Park for martinis. They have an eccentric martini list and you can sit outside on a deck that's right above the lake so you have a wonderful view.

The bar at the Interlaken Inn is our favorite spot for a nice dinner. You can sit in the dining room or at the bar (we prefer bar) and everything there is so delicious - we just had an amazing lamb bolognese last week and they have a killer flourless chocolate cake for dessert.


Where to Stay:
We're lucky enough to always stay with Ryan's father right on the lake but we love the atmosphere at the Interlaken Inn; it has a cozy but upscale B&B feel and like I said before, the restaurant and bar is great.  The Mirror Lake Inn is another favorite - it's right downtown and is central to everything. Plus they have a nice spa which is perfect for rainy days - we once got massages there which were heavenly. On this past trip, we had a drink at The Lake House and loved it; their bar/living room area is really fun. You can stop in for happy hour and hang out on one of their couches and play games like Sorry and Connect Four while you have a glass of wine.


Have you ever been or are you going? It's one of our favorite vacation spots!

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