Lake George

Source: cheapvacation-ideas.com via Melissa on Pinterest

This summer has been pretty amazing, but it's going by too fast. Do you feel that way, too? Today I ordered backpacks and lunch boxes online. Saturday morning we embark on our last road trip of the season. We're headed to Lake George, and we've invited my parents to vacation with us for the first time. So excited.


I must say it was nearly impossible to secure an affordable, picturesque waterfront property anywhere in the Northeast for the exact days we wanted. Ideally we wanted three bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, a large porch overlooking water, pet-friendly {we had pre-booked Jazzy on the vet's farm, but we wanted the option to bring her}, a fire pit, a sandy beach within walking, a charming village within driving, access to canoes/kayaks/paddle boats. You know... the bare necessities. Ha.


Initially we focused our search on Maine and New Hampshire, but I was just recovering from recent trips to Cape May and Rochester {which I still need to post about}, so I suggested something a wee bit closer to home. We switched gears to Northern Vermont and Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack resort towns of Lake Placid, Saranac and Lake George. My Sweets and I have visited and loved all of these destinations before.


For two weeks we perused, called, texted, and emailed hundreds of listings on VRBO, VermontProperty.com, and Adirondack By Owner. A good number of homeowners showed availability when they were in fact booked :( A few husband-wife teams even double promised their cottages and had to look at exact email times to see who won {we lost a gem on Lake Champlain by 57 minutes!}. I suppose that's what I get for waiting until July 7th to plan a July 30th departure. These areas are hot spots, and I knew it. Now is a good time to high five my parents for being so flexible. They would go anywhere.


In the end we scored someone else's last-minute cancellation for a slightly reduced rate. It's a big, beautiful cedar cabin on a lake with private beach access, fishing, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and all the amenities that four adults and three littles could want in a week. The location is perfect... a totally doable drive from both of our houses and only 10 minutes to Lake George Village.


The boys will ride their Harleys all week. The girls will follow behind in our jam-packed SUVs. {I travel heavy with three babes, a car top carrier, a motorcycle trailer, and two kid bikes somehow rigged on.} The trip will be about relaxation and family time, Adirondack style. We will jump into lakes, row boats, catch a fish or two, roast s'mores out back, and play board games late at night.


I'm also hoping to squeeze in a wild night at this rodeo, a hike through these marble caves, a walk around this historic fort, a morning run through this museum {if the boys are out riding}, a round of pirate golf or go kart races {for Buby}, free concerts here, an after-dinner treat {p.s. my mom loves soft ice cream, and this place was voted BEST EVER three years in a row}, and maybe a one-hour cruise on the famous Mini-Ha-Ha. Oh, and fireworks on Thursday. Always fireworks. Too ambitious?


I will check in when I can. For now I pack. And play. And clean.