Where next? After a couple months in Illinois to clean out my storage unit and a week in Michigan to meet my beautiful new granddaughter, I thought about going back to the Finger Lakes region. I loved my stay there in 2020 but decide to go somewhere different and booked upstate New York, finding a rental in Plattsburgh. I thought I would spend a lot of time in the Adirondacks but was closer to Lake Champlain and Vermont and Canada.

I hadn’t done much research, assuming there would be lots to see and do in the largest state park in the country. I was surprised that so much of what is recommended is privately owned and quite expensive. For example, High Falls Gorge would be beautiful to visit but it requires a ticket, $15 and you have to pay for the trails at Ausable Chasm. I also didn’t like the location of my AirBNB, about 15 minutes west of Plattsburgh. Going into town many times, I realize I would have been happier if I had stayed downtown where it was easier to walk many places.

I drove around the area a great deal, into the Adirondacks, all around Lake Champlain, a day trip to Montreal, and lots of locations in Vermont.

New York

Plattsburgh

I visited a number of historical sites in town. The Kent-Delord House was home to three generations of the Delord family and also site of the British army headquarters during the war of 1812. They offer guided tours. Directly across the street is Samuel Champlain Monument Park and a nice walkway.

Just down the street is the McDonough Monument in McDonough Park, with Trinity Park across the street. Both are nice areas to walk and enjoy the view of the lake.

I enjoyed the area of town called the US Oval. It was the site of an Army base from the 1890s and also the Plattsburgh Air Force Base until the 1990s. It’s a nice place to walk and visit, and the site of both the War of 1812 Museum and the Clinton County Historical Museum. President McKinley visited here and both Douglas McArthur and Theodore Roosevelt visited during their time in the military.

I was in town for the commemoration of the Battle of Plattsburgh, September 11, 1814. They had a number of events, music, food trucks, reenactments from the 9th to the 11th. The Clinton Historical Museum offered tours of the old military base on the Oval as part of the weekend and I enjoyed the 90 minutes walking the area learning about the buildings and history. Later that night I spent a few hours at Trinity Park where they had food trucks, musicians and more.

I read about the Stoneledge Sculpture Park and drove south of town to see it one day, definitely worth a stop. Some of the pieces look like they were pulled from an old building but the Goya Third of May 1808 and John Brown’s execution were very good.

I loved the trails and views at Point au Roche SP. Because my AirBNB was on a country road, not that busy but with no sidewalks, we found a number of nice trails a little closer for long walks, too, including Heritage Trail, Saranac River Trail and Lapierre Lane Riverway.

Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point

I drove down to Fort Ticonderoga one day. Originally called Fort Carillon, it was built in 1755 by the French. Until the battle of Antietam during the Civil War, it was the site of the bloodiest battle of the North American continent when the British attacked the French in 1758 and suffered 2000 casualties. It changed hands in 1759 when the French blew up the powder magazine and retreated. The British renamed it Ticonderoga.

I scheduled the 75-minute Carillon narrated boat tour in the morning. I visited the beautiful King’s Gardens after my boat tour. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the fort. I attended several of their special tours, the Key to the Continent Guided Tour, did a quick tour of the museum with a guide to see the highlights then spent more time revisiting some of the exhibits on my own.

I also saw the cannon firing demonstration, the musket firing demonstration, and the Fifes & Drums of Fort Ticonderoga. Privately owned since 1820, it is a very interesting visit.

Another day I drove back to His Majesty’s Fort at Crown Point. Fort Ticonderoga is privately owned but this is part of New York State’s park system. They had resumed the guided tours on the weekends, so I went on a Saturday arriving in time for the 1030 visit. I watched the 15 minute video on the area, learning about the French, their early fort, Saint Frederic, and how they blew it up themselves when retreating from the British, then the British building their larger fort.

The guide, also called Lisa, walked us over to Fort Saint Frederic, then onto the grounds of Fort Crown Point. Later I walked over to the lighthouse to see the Champlain Memorial, and visited the exhibits in the museum. After finishing here, I drove across the Lake Champlain bridge to Vermont to visit Chimney Point Historic Site.

Lake Placid

I spent several days in the heart of the Adirondacks visiting the gorgeous town of Lake Placid. I started my first visit with John Brown Farm Historic Site. There is a guided tour of his farm house, historical markers, his and two sons’ graves and a small museum in the barn plus an exhibit on Timbuctoo, Gerrit Smith’s plan to give 40 acres to free blacks. New York had a law that black citizens had to own $250 of property, a law that didn’t apply to whites.

There are, of course, many Olympic Legacy sites from both the 1932 and 1980 games. Close by the John Brown farm are the ski jump facilities. I paid for the Skyride Gondola to visit the top. There are amazing views of the Adirondacks.

I visited the Olympic Center downtown, site of the 1980 Miracle on Ice. It is undergoing a lot of restoration and updates for the 2023 FISU games. The rink for the 1932 games is part of the old building and there is a small temporary museum open while they work on a new expanded museum.

I spent time at Mount Van Hoevenberg both days. My first day I took the Olympic Legacy Tour; we heard about the location, visited the indoor practice area (very cold!), then took a shuttle to the start of the bobsled, luge and skeleton tracks, learning a lot about the sports in general, the sleds and the Olympic rules and team practice. We walked back down most of the track. A few days later I visited to just walk several of the trails in the area, the biathlon track and I walked up the Mount Van Hoevenberg summit trail.

The weekend I visited was also The BBQ and Music Festival at the Horse Show Grounds, and I stopped in for some great music. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay close attention to the schedule and I was too late for the rib tasting.

I visited the interesting Adirondacks History Museum in Elizabethtown and on the way back stopped in Westport, then Ausable Chasm before returning to Plattsburgh. I didn’t pay to enter Ausable, just walked along the bridge to enjoy the views.

Vermont

When I went to Fort Crown I also spent an hour and a half across the lake visiting Chimney Point State Historic Site. There is a nice museum in an old 18th c. tavern, lots of history and information on the old historic bridge and its replacement. I had a sandwich at The Bridge restaurant before visiting the park.

Alburgh and Champlain Islands

After a walk through Alburgh, I continued to Isle la Motte. I stopped to see Saint Anne’s Shrine. We continued to Fisk Quarry Preserve, walking the trail here. I stopped to see the Teddy Roosevelt plaque. As Vice President, he was speaking at the annual meeting of the Vermont Fish and Game league, when word came that McKinley had been shot in Buffalo, NY. He left for Buffalo but after being told McKinley would survive, he left to climb Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks. Several days later, he had to travel for hours to return to Buffalo after McKinley died.

I drove to North Hero and to South Hero, stopping at the picturesque Bird House Forest on South Hero’s White’s Beach. There were about a half dozen people parasailing. Lovely!

Saint Albans

What a beautiful town. I really enjoyed the Saint Albans Museum of History. Taylor Park has markers about the most northern battle of the Civil War, and we visited Bay Park to finish our day here.

Burlington

I had a great day in the Burlington area. I started with a visit to the Ethan Allen Homestead and Museum. I loved the downtown area, visiting Battery Park and the pedestrian area, Church Street.

I booked the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour in Waterbury, had a small taste on tour (NOT broccoli cheddar) and also ordered their best seller, Half Baked, and got Boo a treat. A walk through their Flavor Graveyard is fun.

I also stopped by for some cheese tastings at the Cabot Farm Store down the street before spending an hour in the Historic Downtown.

I returned to the area to visit the beautiful UVM Morgan Horse Farm just outside Middlebury. I took the tour with the guide and visited the mares and foals at the old barn, very interesting visit. I spent several hours in the lovely town enjoying the city center and historic buildings, marble works, and park.

Montreal

I wanted to see Montreal but also wanted to verify border requirements with COVID and crossing with Boo. I checked their website of course, and downloaded the mandatory app to register, ArriveCan. Just an hour north of Plattsburgh, I crossed the border at St. Bernard-de-Lacolle. It was a very easy crossing, and since it wasn’t busy I had to time to ask the agent about various items, Boo’s medicines and food, to plan for my next crossing, too.

We started downtown, Old Town, visiting the gorgeous Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal. I bought tickets online and was able to go right in; they have a self-guided tour with lots of information. We wandered Old Town after leaving, visiting the Place d’Arms. I only had a 2-hour parking space and it was hard to find more, so then we drove out to Marche Jean Talon. The traffic is crazy so will factor that in when looking for a place for a longer stay and try to stay downtown. It took us about 1/2 hour to go under 8km to the market. It is another lovely area, though. Dogs are not allowed in the market any more so I had lunch at the quiche place then Boo and I just walked the neighborhood for a few more hours. This is a beautiful city and I plan on spending a week or more here soon.

Restaurants

Indian Grill (Plattsburgh, NY) Picked up take out one evening, the Chicken Madras was good, so were their samosas.

Valcour Brewing (Plattsburgh, NY) In the old Stone Barracks, part of the military base, a lovely location, Boo and I sat on the outside patio enjoying several nice afternoons and very good beer. Their food menu sounded good but I never ate there.

Oval Brewing (Plattsburgh, NY) Another nice location, close to the Oval, outdoor seating but they don’t offer food so you can have your dog inside, too.

Big Slide Brewery (Lake Placid, NY). I noticed them driving by the first time I visited when returning from Mount Van Hoevenberg, but didn’t stop in until my second visit. They had excellent pizza, good beer, and very good service.

Prohibition Pig (Waterbury, VT) Brisket tacos, delicious! Outdoor seating.

Twiggs American Gastropub (St. Albans, VT). Outdoor seating, had a great burger.

Otter Creek Bakery & Deli (Middlebury, VT) Great turkey and avocado, a nice patio when walking around town.

14th Star Brewery (St. Albans, VT). Back patio so I could have Boo and a nice selection of beer, friendly bartender.

Gaku Ramen (Burlington) Glad I returned to the area a second day. I had seen this restaurant and some of the people eating their bowls of ramen when walking down Church Street my first visit but decided to eat at Vermont Pub and Brewery that evening. Mistake!

I saw the brewery listed in my Eat & Drink Burlington brochure, rated “One of 25 Best Breweries in the US”. It is NOT. I ordered a flight of 6/3 ounce beers. None were at all memorable. Below average beer and worse food. But Gaku Ramen, delicious!

I also stopped at Zero Gravity when leaving Red Rocks SP on my second visit and had a couple of their great beers before dinner. Skip Vermont Brewery and go to Zero Gravity. Two different beers, a sour and marzen, both great.

** All photos property of Lisa, not to be copied or reproduced **