Places in New York State to vacation

Come rain or shine, New York State has to be one of the most beautiful places in America to escape for a winter, spring, fall or summer vacation. If you’re looking for an outdoors vacation, the upstate area of New York is definitely the place to go for downhill skiing, wildlife watching, boating, hiking, leaf-peeping, biking, and more.
Places in New York State to vacation

If you prefer a more urban scene with loads to do, a city vacation in New York City, Rochester or Buffalo will do the trick. No matter where you decide to go for a vacation, New York State won’t disappoint! See below some great suggestions on places in New York State to vacation:


Old Forge

The little village of Old Forge is one lovely spot in New York State where you can enjoy a fun vacation with family and friends. Old Forge is surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery with a pretty lake overlooking the village. The main attraction in town is the theme/water park (Enchanted Forest Water Safari), which is a fun place to take the whole family, especially during the summer months.

Old Forge is also popular for water sports since the Moose River is a great spot for whitewater rafting, tubing and kayaking. There is a rafting center just a few miles south of Old Forge called Whitewater Challengers where you can rent canoes, kayaks, and book rafting trips and biking excursions.

If you’re planning a ski vacation in New York State with kids, you can still consider Old Forge since it has a real nice family-friendly ski area (McCauley Mountain Adirondack Ski Area) that has ski runs for all level of skiers.

As far as places to stay, Old Forge Camping Resort is the popular choice because of its camping cabins, cottages, and areas for tenting and RV camping, though there are a few motels and hotels right in town. A little further up the village, there is another major resort called North Woods Inn Resort, which opens  all year-round.


Saranac Lakes Area

The Saranac Lakes area of the Adirondacks is definitely, one of the nicest places in New York State to vacation if you want an outdoorsy-type vacation. Saranac Lakes is home to pristine wild forests home to hundreds of trails ideal for Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, biking, and hiking. There are also lots of lakes and bodies of water within Saranac Lakes where you can enjoy swimming, birding, boating and canoeing.

As far as places to stay within the Saranac Lakes area, the towns of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake are good choices for hotels and motels, though Saranac Lake is a bigger town with more hotels, motels, and B&B’s to choose from.

If you’re fancy a proper lakeside vacation, you’ll find plenty of cabin rentals opportunities along Lake Clear, Lake Colby, and the Upper and Lower sections of Saranac Lake. Popular places include Charlie’s Inn, Point Resort, Camp Algonquin, Dryad Boathouse and Little Wolf Cabin (across from Little Wolf Beach).

It’s also worth mentioning that Adirondack Regional airport and Lake Placid airport are located a short drive either way from Saranac Lake, which is a good thing if you’re a New Yorker looking to fly out from The City.

1000 Islands

The 1000 Islands region is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most popular vacation destinations in the state of New York, and rightly so! Thousand Islands is just an amazing place to go for a vacation all year-round, and the great thing is that tourist crowds aren’t too bad even during the summer months.

If you love boating you’re definitely going to love it up there because 1000 Islands has many waterways and marinas where you can rent boats and houseboats, speedboats, canoes and runabouts. You can also get the opportunity to sail along the Canadian waterways by booking a sightseeing boat tour or dinner cruise with Uncle Sam Boat Tours in Alexandria Bay.

As far as places to stay, the town of Alexandria Bay is home to beautiful Victorian homes, lots of cute cottages, boathouse apartments and a luxurious resort (Edgewood Resort).

Wellesley Island is a popular place in the Thousand Islands for a golfing vacation because of its many golf courses and camping opportunities. Wellesley Island has three state parks, though Wellesley Island State Park has better amenities like a full service marina, golf course, cabin rentals, cottages and areas for tenting and RV camping.

Wherever you plan to stay in 1000 Islands make sure you visit some of the tourist sights there such as Boldt Castle (Heart Island) and Singer Castle (Dark Island), which are open to the public for guided tours. Also, be sure to pass by the town of Clayton to visit the Antique Boat Museum and Clayton Opera House.

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