About mid-August, we drove up to Lake George for a couple of days. About three hours from us in Northern New Jersey, it’s a very doable trip for a long weekend or as a pitstop for another destination further north.

We keep returning to Lake George, because it’s a nexus of outdoorsy-ness and history. With a cool style of homes and decor, it has a unique vibe. There are decent restaurants and unique lodgings. The air always smells clean. The only downside to the area is that it is difficult to walk out of your cabin or hotel and just go for a walk or jog. There one main road that connects up all the hotels, and it’s dangerous for pedestrians.

At the base of Lake George is the town of Lake George. It’s kind of fun with its retro signs and tacky motels, but it’s a place to stop in for the afternoon, not to hang out for the week. People usually go up the road towards the next town, Bolton’s Landing, and find either a cabin or a fancy resort to park themselves for the week.

When the kids were young, we stayed in the family-friend O’Connor cabins. Now, we stay at The Blue Water Manor, mostly because it has an amazing bar overlooking the lake.

We rented a motorboat for a couple of hours this trip. We had some trouble finding a place that took reservations, until we found Chic’s Marina, which does first come, first serve for motorboat reservations. Steve and Jonah operated the boat and we got a close up look at the little islands in the center of the lake. People go out there and camp for the night in tents. We’ll have to try that sometime.

On the boat trip, we also got a good look at The Sagamore Hotel. The Sagamore is a magnificent old hotel that is totally out of our price range. But you can still have dinner there or order drinks and sit on their chairs. Rachel Ray got here start there, as a manager of one of their restaurants. The view is so awesome; it’s worth a visit.

For meals, we ate at the Blue Water Manor or drove up the block to Bolton’s Landing. All the restaurants at Bolton’s Landing are decent, but none are amazing enough to highlight.

• General info about the entire Adirondacks.
• Pictures from our trip in 2017 and our trip in 2009. My kids have grown up a lot. (And for total randomness, read a review of a book that I read during one of our trips to the lake.
• Fort Ticonderoga – We’ve been there three times and would go back again. Great fort and grounds to walk around, museum exhibits, garden, historical demonstrations and talks.