Lake George, New York

Ever has those moments where life seems to take over and everything gets crazy and out of your control? These last couple months have been exactly like that for us. But I’m so glad to be able to get back into the swing of things and talk to all of my amazing followers, thank you for sticking by us through our months of silence.

Our first big trip of 2019 was to the gorgeous area of Lake George, New York for a family vacation with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and niece, all thanks to my amazing parents for this trip. It’s about 6 hours north of us but the scenery made the long drive worth it. Taking 5 kids on a long car ride is always an interesting undertaking but we made lots of plans to have fun. My 5 year old knows all his letters know so we played the Alphabet game on the way up and he actually found more letters than my older kids. A few other road trip tricks and treats we do are the license plate game (found about half the states), I Spy (which got very interesting and including some road kill thanks to my 11 year old), the silent game (which only lasts about 5 minutes) and lots of books and puzzle books. Plus it’s always a good thing to have chargers for their electronics when the driving gets too boring. Thankfully we all made it one piece, even though at times I was tempted to run away at a rest stop.

We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham, which is a gorgeous hotel located about 5 minute drive from the lake. They offer complimentary breakfast, coffee all day, an indoor and outdoor pool, laundry facility, workout room and I cannot say enough times how nice the staff was. We got there before check in and they gave us a keycard in order to use the pools until the rooms were ready. I highly recommend staying there if you visit the area.

After swimming, we still had time so we headed down to the lake to check it out. There are so many parking areas which made it nice; even with how crowded it got, we also found a spot to park. The breeze coming off the mountains felt amazing and the scenery was more beautiful than I expected. We got ice cream from The Pink Roof, which was delicious and a lot less expensive than I was expecting; and we watched the boats come in and pull out including the Minne Ha Ha which is a gorgeous paddle boat that has a calliope on board powered by the steam as you travel the lake. The beach areas for swimming were well maintained with lots of room for everyone, the designated fishing areas were accessible to everyone including anyone in a wheelchair, there is a restaurant for everyone no matter your taste and so many shops that you can find anything you want.

Our first day was spent swimming and checking out the town, then we headed for dinner at the Adirondack Pub & Brewery. With a group of 10, we expected to have a small wait but were able to make reservations and sat down as soon as we got there. The food was AMAZING! They had something for everyone in our party, made to perfection. I got the Gouda and Chorizo stuffed chicken, definitely one of the best meals I’ve ever had. They also offer many locally brewed beers including Bare Naked Ale and also serve Bear Wizz Root Beer brewed right in the Lake George region.

Our evening ended with some of our party going to Fort William Henry for their ghost tour. The history of the fort was intriguing and while I didn’t see any faces or apparitions, we did catch some interesting photos and learned a lot about the tragedy that happened there.

 

Our four days there were full of fun, laughs, lots of memories, delicious food and new experiences. We drove to the top of Prospect Mountain where usually you can see 100 miles from the top. It was a little rainy and cloudy that day so we couldn’t see much from the top but the views from the lower pull off spots were still gorgeous. It’s only $10 per car to drive up the mountain and it’s so worth it.

We also ate at the Moose Tooth Café (I love that name). The inside of the café is set up to look like you’re eating in the woods including a “thunderstorm” (flashing lighting, raindrop icicle lights and thunder), moving woodland creatures and even butterflies that flap their wings. The food there is delicious and I finally tried the Bear Wizz Root Beer which was so good.

 

Some of the new experiences that we tried were going paddle boarding and kayaking. This was the first time for the kids and I to try paddle boarding and while they had a great time and managed to stand up and travel the lake, I stood up and promptly fell off (taking the paddleboard upside down with me and bruising my shin of course). Riley was even able to do some Fortnight dances while standing up on his paddle board, that child picks up everything so quickly. Chase and I decided to ride out in the kayak, which he loved. He learned how to paddle quickly and even took my mom out with him to show her. We went with Kayak Lake George and I’m so glad that we did. The equipment was in great condition, had life jackets for everyone, and even had a small beach and splashing area for my 1 year old niece to have fun in while we were taking turns on the lake. If you’re going up there, definitely look for them at 22 Lake Ave, Lake George and http://www.kayaklakegeorge.com. 

 If you love history, be sure to head over to Fort William Henry, only in service for two years. The fort was actually rebuilt using the original blueprints from England. The tour demonstrates how they loaded their guns and cannons, they have an enlistment demonstration for the kids. They loved it!

Another first experience was an early birthday present from my amazing parents for something that I’ve been saying for years that I want to try: parasailing! My brother-in-law joined me for his first time as well. We kept joking that they would hear us crying from the shore line but we were determined to do it. The company that we went with was Pinky’s Parasailing Adventures. The captain of the boat explained how to sit to get off the boat, how to land and what to do in case the tow rope broke (eek!); he also loved sharing his stories of his adventures and time doing parasailing and made us feel completely at ease before we went up. As we got clipped to the bar and settled on the back of the boat, my nerves were rocking as I have a small fear of heights especially when I’m on cables such as ski lifts or sky rides at amusement parks. I’m happy to say that we had a great time! It was so smooth and the views were amazing; it didn’t feel like we were moving as the boat moved. When we landed, we found out that we were 300 feet above the lake! It didn’t feel more than 100 honestly. Now I can’t wait to go again! Pinky’s is located at 2 Kurosaka Lane,https://www.parasailingadventures.com and you can call them at 607-272-7245 or 518-681-9440. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to try parasailing!

 

Lake George was amazing and the perfect place for our first adventure in 2019. The views were breathtaking and had something for everyone. I’m definitely hoping to go back sometime.