A couple of weekends ago, my family and I celebrated my birthday up in Lake Placid, New York. The host of two Winter  Olympics and a little over two hour ride from Albany, New York, Lake Placid seemed like a good choice for us to get away to a relatively close destination filled with beautiful scenery and cute local shops.

There were a lot of places that we could have traveled to, but the  decision was made even easier when I won a two night stay for two at the Village’s Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa during a very worthwhile fundraiser- Visions of Strength. Since I wanted to celebrate my birthday with as much of my family as possible, I was happy that the Inn permitted me to also include my two kids, Alex and Sarah.

With its  roaring fires, beautiful Adirondack decor,and impressive spa, the Inn lived up to its reputation for casual luxury. But what I really loved was its amazing location. The views were terrific, and we were only a short walk from the area’s Main Street with its little shops and interesting restaurants. Each morning I loaded up on the sumptuous breakfast buffet provided by the Inn’s restaurant, The View, and then I went out to see the sites.

I thought that it would get pretty crowded when it was eventually ski season because of nearby Whiteface Mountain, but I was told by the locals that the busiest time of year is actually July and August.

I wanted to explore other places around the area, and I was told that The Wild Center, located about 45 minutes away in Tupper Lake, was a must see.  The Wild Center says that its 54,000 square foot LEED certified natural history museum which is located on a 31 acre campus is designed to ignite an enduring passion for the Adirondacks.

Curator David Gross invited us to visit so that he could provide us with a behind the scenes tour of the place.

We were able to see up close a wide variety of animals indigenous to the area including snakes, a porcupine, sea otters, and birds.

Before hitting the road to go home, we also visited Adirondak Loj,

Sarah showed us around the lodge and told us of its history.The current Adirondak Loj was built in 1927 on the shores of Heart Lake, and has space for 40 guests in a combination of private rooms, family bunk rooms, and a co-ed loft.

There are so many mountains to climb in the Adirondacks, but we chose the trail up Mt. Jo. We had a good time, but taking the shorter path might be considered a bit strenuous for the boomer and beyond crowd so I would recommend the longer alternate path, especially traveling down the mountain.

Great trip!