Story: Return to Summer Camp

In the late 1940’s I went to summer camp on Trout Lake in upstate New York. My younger brother Michael joined me, and my mother served as camp mother for one summer. My last summer I was a counselor and the horseback-riding instructor. While going through boxes of old photographs I found two of my bunk mates and myself. My folks used to stay at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing when they came to visit us. I had not been back since then so jumped at the opportunity to visit Glens Falls, Lake George, Bolton Landing and Saratoga in early summer. The camp is gone, replaced by a resort but the Sagamore is still going strong. On a Sunday morning in late June it took me about 4 hours to reach Glens Falls where I met my Warren County host for lunch at the Rock Hill Cafe.

The population of Glens Falls is around 15,000. The name is taken from a large waterfall in the Hudson River, located at the southern border of the city. Glens Falls is located in the southeast corner of Warren County, surrounded by the town of Queensbury to the north, east, and west as well as by the Hudson River and Saratoga County to the south. Glens Falls is known as "Hometown U.S.A." The city has also referred to itself as the "Empire City." Glens Falls has two historic districts and 161 locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic places. The Fredella Avenue historic district includes a series of unique concrete block structures. The Three Squares Historic District comprises the majority of the Central Business District. Included in that area are: DeLong House – Presently the home of the Glens Falls/Queensbury Historical Association and the Chapman Historical Museum. Juliet Chapman of the DeLong family donated this restored Victorian home to the city in 1968. The nearby Glens Falls Civic Center opened in 1979 and hosts sports and entertainment events. There is an arena for sporting events (4,800 permanent arena seats), concerts (7,800 capacity), family activities, dance, theater and trade shows as well as banquet facilities. I drove a hundred yards to Cooper’s Cave Outlook, made famous in James Fennimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans. I was staying two nights at the Queensbury Hotel, a Victorian style property with 125 rooms. I was the only person using the indoor pool and whirlpool, which relaxed me for my 3-block walk back to the downtown district and dinner at Davidson Brothers Restaurant & Brewery.

I spent the next day in the Lake George area, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes. It is a long, narrow lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains. The lake extends about 32.2 miles, is quite deep (up to 200 feet) and varies from 1 to 3 miles in width. Although the year-round population of the Lake George region is relatively small, the summertime population can swell to over 50,000 residents, especially in the Lake George village region on the south end of the lake. Lake George is home to 165 islands and 230 satellite islands, most of them state owned. Conveniently situated on the rail line halfway between New York City and Montreal, the lake became a magnet for the era's rich and famous in the late 19th and early 20th century. By the turn of the 19th century, only Newport, Bar Harbor, Maine, Saratoga and the Hamptons equaled Lake George as a summer enclave for America's aristocracy. The Fort William Henry Hotel, in what is now Lake George Village, and The Sagamore in Bolton Landing, served their wealthy clientele. By the 1950s, with the advent of affordable auto and air travel, Lake George became more attractive to the growing middle class and less so to the "jet set". Most of the mansions of Millionaire's Row along the lake were torn down or turned into hotels and restaurants.

Outside of town are 4 small outlet centers and I managed to find several bargains. It was then to Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway and its 100-mile view. The 5 1/2 mile highway reaches over 2,000 feet with a mini-bus taking us to the top. There are spectacular views of Vermont’s Green Mountains, New Hampshire’s White Mountains and New York’s Adirondack Mountains. You can see most of Lake George from the summit. First stop in Lake George was the new Information Center at the corner of Canada Street and Beach Road. I like to think of it as 42nd Street & Broadway in NYC. The parking meters also reminded me of New York City with almost no free parking. I drove through Battlefield Park checking out the historical markers. After finding an available meter I walked along the shoreline on Beach Road and picked up my ticket for that night's Lake George Steamboat Company 2 1/4-hour dinner cruise aboard the Lac du St. Sacrement. I was having lunch at the Adirondack Pub & Brewery with the owner John Carr, and they did offer free parking. He allowed me to park at his other not yet opened restaurant and pointed me to the Adirondack Winery & Tasting room where co-owner Michael Pardy showed me his micro-winery that offers hand-crafted wines made on premises. His wife Sasha took all the photographs for the labels. I found her work some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. All were scenes at and around the Lake George area.

I then drove a half-hour into Bolton Landing to see the Sagamore Hotel. No parking meters and two hour free parking; a much more laid back town. The Sagamore was under construction and I wondered if the guests minded sharing their stay with equipment, mud, rocks, dirt and noise. I hope all this work will renew the Grande Dame as I remembered her. I also wish I had the time to visit the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum, her former summer estate. Having an hour before my 6:30 cruise departure I parked at the Fort William Henry Museum, a restored colonial fortress from the French & Indian War, and walked down their stairs to my awaiting boat. Luckily, the weather cooperated and I spent the first hour on the top deck. The dinner buffet offered cordial service, followed by music and narrated tour information.

The next morning I spent an hour at the Hyde Collection Art Museum with museum director David Setford giving me a private tour. What a revelation to find a collection of old European and modern masters, American artists, decorative arts and furnishings in such a small town. El Greco, Degas, Renoir, Picasso etc. Don’t miss the museum.

It was less than an hour's drive to Saratoga Springs where I met Greg Dixon at the Chamber of Commerce offices. We walked from there to the main drag- Broadway and lunch at the Circus Café. Across the street was Putnam Wine where I spent an enjoyable half-hour talking to owner William Roach. He and his wife also own the adjacent Putnam Gourmet Market. I was staying at the 1873 9-room High Victoria Batcheller Mansion Inn directly across from Congress Park and its renovated wooden Carousel.

Saratoga Spa State Park has over 2,000 acres of parkland. It features mineral springs, reflecting pools, an automobile museum, a hotel, a spa, a golf course and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This outdoor performing arts venue features classical performances, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, the Saratoga Wine and Food Festival and major pop and rock concerts. It is the summer home of the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. With 18 naturally occurring mineral springs in Saratoga, you can "take the cure" as visitors did during the Victorian age. The first major attractions in Saratoga, these springs still flow throughout the area. The city is often called “Spa City.” It was pouring rain but Richard Selikoff, director of development, kept the Saratoga Automobile Museum open awaiting my arrival. The mission of the Saratoga Automobile Museum is to preserve, interpret and exhibit automobiles and automotive artifacts. My mineral bath appointment was at Roosevelt Baths & Spa, also in the park, where I soaked for almost one hour in a private room. I could not believe the price was only $25. I was floating on air as I returned to downtown and my dinner at Wheatfield’s. Established in 1988 they make 20 shapes and flavors of pasta daily.

On my way back to NYC I first stopped at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame located opposite the Race Course. As one of America’s oldest sports, Thoroughbred Racing has a long and rich history. To tell the story of the sport, the museum relies on a renowned equine art collection, stunning trophies, beautiful silks, and thoroughbred memorabilia. Also known as Saratoga Racetrack or "the flat track", Saratoga Race Course is the oldest continually operating Thoroughbred horseracing track in the United States (1863). The track is home to the Travers Stakes, "America's Mid-Summer Derby" which occurs in late August. I did not visit Saratoga Gaming and Raceway that has over 1,700 video gaming machines, harness racing and a nightclub.

The Battles of Saratoga actually took place 15 miles southeast in Stillwater, between September 19 and October 7, 1777, and was considered among the 15 most decisive battles in world history. It conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American Revolutionary War. Burgoyne won a small tactical victory over General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of Freeman's Farm at the cost of significant casualties. His gains were erased when he again attacked the Americans in the October 7 Battle of Bemis Heights and the Americans captured a portion of the British defenses. Burgoyne was forced to surrender on October 17. This led France to recognize the independence of the United States and enter the war as an ally of the Americas. The 3,600-acre Battlefield is the largest of three sites making up Saratoga National Park. The Visitor Center has a 20-minute film about the battle and a small museum with artifact exhibits. There is a 10-mile self-guided driving tour, as well as a bicycle path & jogging trails. Schuyler House is the restored country house of American General Philip Schuyler and is located approximately 7 miles north of the Battlefield. Saratoga Monument, a 155-foot obelisk commemorating the American victory after the Battles of Saratoga, is located approximately 7 1/2 miles north of the Battlefield.

I was back in my apartment in a little over 3 1/2 hours with a renewed sense of history and the realization that upstate New York has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike.

For More Information:

www.cityofglenfalls.com
www.glenfallsonline.com
www.glenfallscc.com
www.queensburyhotel.com
www.rockhillbakehouse.com
www.davidsonbrothers.com
www.chapmamuseum.org
www.visitlakegeorge.com
www.lakegeorge.com
www.thesagamore.com
www.operamuseum.org
www.fwhmuseum.com
www.adkpub.com
www.adirondackwinery.com
www.lakegeorgesteamboatcompany.com
www.hydecollection.org
www.saratoga.org
www.batchellermansion.com
www.putnammarket.com
www.putnamwine.com
www.saratogaautomuseum.org
www.rooseveltbathsandspa.com
www.wheatfields.com
www.racingmuseum.org
www.nyra.com
www.nps.gov/sara