Sometimes a change of scenery means more than studying at Uncommon. To avoid cabin fever, some friends and I headed two hours north this weekend to Lake Saranac for a day trip. The drive up was beautiful, epitomized by ice skaters alongside the road. I’d forgotten how singing in the car was such a well-missed pastime. The annual Winter Carnival, particularly its ice castle, was the main reason for our venture, but we were pleasantly surprised by the other gems this small town held.
Anywhere that has a town hall bake sale where cookies cost a quarter, and where almost every storeowner brings their dog to work, is quickly going to make my list of favorite places. But more than anything, it was simply the community feel that made Lake Saranac so welcoming. The small dining quarters of the coffee shop encouraged customers to mingle; store clerks still asked if you had an email address for their mailing list, a question I’d forgotten could have answers besides “yes” and “of course.” Even though I was a complete stranger to the Adirondacks, I felt like I was coming home.
One of the most surprising aspects of the town was their incredible progress in environmentally-friendly thinking. Lake Saranac is a pedestrian town where almost every store I encountered (except a Sears) was local, and the buildings charming. One grocery store, Nori’s Village Market, sells local, natural, and organic items—a second Christmas for my newly vegan friend—with debatably more grocery variety than Four Seasons.
The shopping was unexpectedly impressive for such a quaint town. We went thrifting in one store and tried on Free People in another. Our lunch at Blue Moon Café, which offered a lot of vegetarian options and some winter coffee drinks like an Eggnog Latte, warmed us up before making snow angels on the frozen lake. But the gorgeous powder snow came at a price—the temperatures were freezing (about 0 degrees) so unlike me, be prepared and buy wool socks before you get there.
Instead of dreading the cold temperatures take advantage of them! The Adirondacks have plenty of opportunities for ice-skating, sledding, skiing, and scenic road trips. Smaller towns like Lake Saranac, Lake George and Lake Placid are all charming areas to check out. But for a more cosmopolitan weekend, there are many other destinations near Skidmore. New York City, Boston, and Montreal are all close by car, and chances are you know someone who lives or goes to school there to show you around. Happy traveling!