Traditional Things to do in Old Forge, New York

 There's McCauley Mountain: I recommend going in the fall to see the changing leaves

There are a variety of camping options nearby. Nick's Lake has more family options than most of the state parks in the Adirondack region. It's extremely close to the town of Old Forge, which makes it very convenient for families to take part in the natural setting activities as well as the amusement parks, art museums, restaurants, and shops. To be honest, I don't stay there. It's too "family oriented". I like the quieter, more natural campgrounds; however, this location is best for families and Old Forge visitors.

There's an area on Old Forge pond which has a nice walkway and there is a lot of area to park your boat, if you have one. The local marina rents boats as well. The best time I had on my party barge, many years ago now, was to take the party barge in at Inlet, travel down to Old Forge on July 4th, and sit in the pond and listen to the band and watch the fireworks from the boat. We brought the gas grill and cooked on the boat as well.

Just another view of the pond

It's just too big to get a good picture all al once, but every trip to Old Forge requires a stop at the famous Old Forge Hardware Store. They truly have the most interesting things there. It you can't find it anywhere else, they will have it. You can even buy plastic table cloth material cut to size. They have gourmet foods, specialty yarns, tourist items, household, camping equipment, clothes, and as a hardware store,  they have nuts and bolts. They have it all!

 There's the Strand Theater.
Always good to see a current show, but a life saver on those weeks when you're camping and it seems to rain every night.

An old time Favorite is Walt's Diner.  Old-fashioned home-made diner fare. It's just a classic. There are a number of other restaurants in town, pizza, burgers, even chains, but Walt's says "Old Forge".

     

 

Just a basic road view. This is the end of August and it's not that busy. Granted it's a weekday and not a weekend, but it still doesn't have that annoying traffic of bigger vacation towns like Lake George.

If you've ever wanted to try Kayaking, or trying to purchase the right one, you definitely need to go to Mountain Man Outdoor Supply Company. They have rentals, boats to purchase, and all the associated supplies. I purchased two of my kayaks from Mountain Man during their Rendezvous Sale in the fall.

 just a small amount of their inventory.

 Of course, no trip to Old Forge is complete without a stop at the Candy Cottage. Get me a quarter pound of haystacks and I'll be your best friend, at least until they're gone.

There's a nice sandy swimming beach which still has a dock to swim to with a diving board.

And the self-proclaimed " Largest Water Theme Park in the North-East"! 

Enchanted Forest, Water Safari.

And for those with more refined tastes, there is "The View" an art museum which also offers classes and activities.

I really like Old Forge as an alternative to a major vacation town. It has a nice mix of everything you need, things to keep you busy in bad weather, restaurants, and it's still not sooo crowded most of the time.