Heritage

In Saranac Lake, we love our history. From the region's earliest inhabitants — the Iroquois people who hunted here — through the first 19th century settlers to the development of the village as a health resort, Saranac Lake has plenty of stories to tell. We celebrate these stories in a lot of ways, including at museums, special events, and through unique tours. We especially love to share the... [Read More]

Submitted by Guest Blogger: Kathy Barlow Ten Reasons to be grateful in and around Saranac Lake This year, after a rainy (and cool) spring and summer, autumn gave birth to warm days, cool nights, and a festival of colors in the mountains. The extended good weather gave us more opportunities to take advantage of all our area has to offer. Now, as the days are getting shorter and the stars shine... [Read More]

I love the the Roaring Twenties. This was an amazing era in American history when what we think of as modern life really began. The Saranac Lake Laboratory Museum has a new exhibit which features the experience of staying at a 1920’s hotel. This activity, commonplace to most of us, was relatively new to people back then, along with cars, home appliances, and talking on the telephone. This... [Read More]

Of course, no matter how far back a person's roots might go in the Adirondacks, no one's roots go back further than our Native Americans. The Adirondacks were part of the lands of the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy. The Mohawks are the Keepers of the Eastern Door, the Senecas are the Keepers of the Western Door, the Onondagas are the Fire Keepers and the Oneidas, Cayugas, and... [Read More]

Every holiday season, when we sing "Jingle Bells," do we want to go for a ride in a sleigh?That can happen.After all, what's the point of having a winter wonderland without as many magical elements as we can gather? Thanks to the amazing draft horse program at nearby Paul Smith's College, Lake Clear Lodge and Retreat can offer lantern-lit sleigh rides.It's a wonderful experience to slide along... [Read More]

There's a little patch of the Adirondacks, near Saranac Lake, where we can step into the past. We can also book a stay there. Apollos (Paul) Smith was an integral part of welcoming visitors to this section of the Adirondacks. In 1859, he founded the Saint Regis House in Brighton (though it was commonly known as Paul Smith's Hotel), one of the first wilderness resorts in the Adirondacks. It... [Read More]

If we have a yen for history, we've come to the right place. Saranac Lake has both a celebrated backstory and a devoted group of fans. This makes our local history museum something special.There is the lab itself, which has exhibits detailing the decades when Saranac Lake was an international curing center. There's also the addition built during the Roaring Twenties, which houses rotating... [Read More]

People often don't realize we have local farms near Saranac Lake. All kinds of crops flow from nearby fields into our restaurants, diners, and delis. This is one of the reasons our local dining is such a pleasure to experience. North of Saranac Lake, bordered by the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness to the east, and the Saint Regis Canoe Wilderness to the west, there is a broad plateau far more... [Read More]

When I get a free day, there is nothing I like better than finding some comfy seating with a good book. Did you know that Saranac Lake not only contributed to the long history of medical cures? We also contributed to the short history of reclining chairs. So, climb into your comfiest Adirondack chair, grab a hot drink, and prepare to learn a little bit about just how much of an impact Saranac... [Read More]

During Saranac Lake's years as a tuberculosis curing center, people got off the train... alone. They had left everyone behind, and were worried that it might be years before they saw them again.Patients had to create a whole new set of social connections for themselves. Some of the new people they met would become close friends. Some of them would be more of a romantic attachment.There was a... [Read More]

There are many Halloween tales to be told in our corner of the Adirondacks. Some are well-known and some are well-hidden. This particular spooky bit of history is very obscure, even in Saranac Lake. The most well-known figure in the story, John Brown, actually rests in peace at his Lake Placid farm. But he does not rest there alone. a bizarre proposal If a stranger asked if they could send you... [Read More]

Martha Reben was one tough lady. She came to the Adirondacks at the age of twenty-one, to cure in the famous sanitarium in Saranac Lake. But after three-and-a-half years, it looked like she was losing. Her condition was described as "severely debilitated" and she was facing a procedure of last resort where ribs were removed to collapse a lung.At this same time, 1931, Adirondack Guide and boat... [Read More]

Please note: This blog was originally posted in 2015 and this ride is no longer available, however we can happily direct you to cool paddling, awesome biking, and scenic hiking in the region! Check out our outdoor activities to learn more!   Living in Saranac Lake, I've paddled the ponds and hiked the trails and climbed the mountains. Now, we have a new way to experience the Adirondack... [Read More]

Golf and the Adirondacks have had a long and passionate relationship. By the turn of the 19th century, luxury resorts and Great Camps were springing up all over the Adirondack Park. Golf courses soon followed, and Saranac Lake has just the right kind of terrain.Golf in the United States can be traced back to 1828, when Charles B. Macdonald returned from college in Scotland with a set of... [Read More]

It was just after Christmas and I was riding the traditional high that comes from the Holidays spent with family and friends and looking to keep that feeling going through to the New Year. Having recently learned one of our local lodges was going to be offering lantern lit sleigh rides this year, I figured there were few better ways to embrace winter and stay in the holiday spirit than taking... [Read More]

Saranac Lake has an unusual war memorial. It is the Mount Pisgah Veteran's Memorial Ski Center, located on the mountain at the edge of town. It is a wonderful place to explore this Veteran's Day. Even if we can't ski just yet.At the entrance there is a more traditional monument, a native boulder with a plaque honoring all service members. While Saranac Lake has been sending its children... [Read More]

Norman Bethune is a famous Saranac Lake artist. His most celebrated work was created here, in the Trudeau Cottage Sanitarium, where he was both a doctor, and a patient. He was also an inventor: the Bethune shears, for thoracic surgery, are still in use today. He was a humanitarian: his many medical patents were donated to the cause of socialized medicine. He was an innovator: he organized... [Read More]

Saranac Lake spent the decades between 1884 and 1954 as a world-famous curing center. Our history of wellness endeavors continues to this day. It all started with Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau (statue, above) in 1873. He came to Saranac Lake expecting only to spend his last days in his beloved wilderness. He had tuberculosis, and in those days, it was a death sentence.Except he got better.This... [Read More]

Saranac Lake has an extraordinary place in its history, tucked between the lumbering and ice harvesting of its earliest times to the lure of its gorgeous scenery in the present. At the turn of the 20th Century, it was a world famous center for tuberculosis care (known as Taking the Cure) and research.While there were many local sanatoriums, some people were able to “take the cure” in a private... [Read More]

The Saranac Lake area was once home to many Great Camps, the elaborate form of "roughing it" that the very rich enjoyed during the Gilded Age. Time has not been kind to this extravagant tradition. Because of the risk of fire, each room was designed as its own building, and because of their remote locations, many of them burned down, anyway. Between the deep winters and the wilderness itself,... [Read More]

Ceilidh Music Sessions, Thursday Night Fun For AllOn Thursday nights as you pass the Saranac Lake Vistors Center office, you may notice a lot of cars in the parking lot and all the lights on and wonder what is going on. Most people would assume that it is something chamber related (maybe a board meeting or something) that is closed to the public, but that could not be farther from the truth... [Read More]

Building with IceSaranac Lake's Winter Carnival is a wonderful Adirondack festival. One of the strongest attractions happens even before Carnival officially begins. That would be the building of each year's Ice Palace.Festivities began back at the turn of the century, when Saranac Lake was already established as an internationally famous wellness center. Between winter enthusiasts,... [Read More]

Have you ever gone on a hike, arrive at the summit and then realize you don’t remember the trip up? Most of us will take a hike, walk, or journey of some kind and go as fast as we can to get to the ‘reward’, but how often do we stop during the journey to enjoy our surroundings? Probably not very often. Edward Kanze is a naturalist, author, columnist, wildlife photographer,... [Read More]

While the leaves are busy beginning to change for our annual Adirondack Fall spectacle, think about joining in on one of our regional events. Saranac Lake will be alive with many cultural and historic events during the next couple of weeks.A most popular weekly summer event comes to a close with the final Third Thursday Art Walk on September 19th.  Galleries and sidewalks come alive with... [Read More]

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Eugene Sirotkine, internationally renowned pianist and conductor, will perform in a benefit concert for the Bartók cabin on Tuesday, August 6, 7:30PM at Cobble Spring Farm, in Bloomingdale, NY. Sponsored by Historic Saranac Lake, Sirotkine’s solo piano performance will feature pieces by Bartók as well as Handel, Beethoven and Schumann. Two years ago, Sirotkine visited the cabin in Saranac... [Read More]

May seems to be the month for loads of arts and heritage events in the region. From art exhibit openings and talks by local artists, to music and theatre events, there's something for everyone from adults to kids.Pendragon Theatre has opened their summer season this month with Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp, a delightful dramatization of the saga about the boy who found a Magic Lamp. Performances... [Read More]