Manchester, VT, Lake George, or Mystic, CT

[mickeyboat]

Would you mind sharing the name of that all-inclusive near Lake George?

Thanks.

It is Canoe Island Lodge. It's not fancy, but it's a lot of fun!

http://www.canoeislandlodge.com/

 

[bergenparent]

wow lots of great ideas. Thanks so far to everyone.

 

[luvmy3]

ok do you have any idea if traveling on 84 is better than traveling on 95. Also do you recommend any other places within an hour of Mystic as based on what there is to do in Mystic I can see spending 2 nights there but not more as we have beaches here iN NJ and I cannot see spending extra time in Mystic just for the beach although we hope to maybe go one morning. I see Newport is within 1 hour but when I went to Newport it seemed like the main thing to do was touring mansions which my kids would not like. Or are there any other places that you would recommend within about 60 miles of Mystic where the kids will have 1 to 2 days of fun and or learning.

If you do take 84 just make sure that you plan your trip so that you don't go through Hartford at rush hours. I remember a trip to my SIL's in NH that would have taken us 3 1/2 hours ended up taking us 6 (due to rush hour and some roadwork). It was torture.

My kids love lake George so much that they were torn when this year we told then we could do Florida for Spring Break or LG in the summer, but not both.
We really enjoy staying in the campground (Not tent, some years were were in a cabin, some in an RV) because they have alot of activities to do there but we have gone into the Village and surrounding area and done pretty much everything there is to do.

 

[vicki_c]

If you did stay in the Woodstock area, you would be on Route 4, right in between the Hanover / Norwich / Quechee area and the Killington / Rutland area. I think you would be able to find lots to do if you branch out in both directions.

Pico Mountain (near Killington, about 30 minutes away) has an alpine slide / kid area (although it is not nearly as nice or as large as the one at Bromley. There is a gondola at Killington and lots of hiking and mountain biking trails.

You would also be close to the junction of Interstates 91 / 89, which would allow you to branch out even further into Vermont. Waterbury (where Ben & Jerry's is) is about an hour away, and Burlington (ECHO museum, VT Teddy Bear Factory, Burlington Waterfront) is about an hour and a half away.

The Woodstock Inn is very nice. I am not sure about their occupancy limits.

I think your idea of staying somewhere more centrally located than Manchester is a good one. If we didn't love where we stay and love the owners (who actually live next door and are often there when we rent), and also feel like it's our place since we've been going there for so long, we would probably stay somewhere that was more convenient for getting to other VT locations. Someday I would really like to travel to the NE Kingdom.

We usually visit Quechee (must do Simon Pearce glass), Norwich, Manchester, Weston, Woodstock over a week, so as I said before, from Jamaica/Stratton, it's a lot of driving time. We went as far as B&J's in Waterbury last trip and combined it with a side trip to an amazing cemetary in Barre.

 

[mickeyboat]

I think your idea of staying somewhere more centrally located than Manchester is a good one. If we didn't love where we stay and love the owners (who actually live next door and are often there when we rent), and also feel like it's our place since we've been going there for so long, we would probably stay somewhere that was more convenient for getting to other VT locations. Someday I would really like to travel to the NE Kingdom.

We usually visit Quechee (must do Simon Pearce glass), Norwich, Manchester, Weston, Woodstock over a week, so as I said before, from Jamaica/Stratton, it's a lot of driving time. We went as far as B&J's in Waterbury last trip and combined it with a side trip to an amazing cemetary in Barre.

Oh yes, the Hope Cemetary in Barre is great, even for kids. If you are ever in Barre again, make sure to visit the Rock of Ages quarry and the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury. My kids have gone there on school trips and it is a favorite of theirs.

 

[DMRick]

I live in Upstate NY and I still never get tired of Lake George. Besides Six Flags (called Great Escape here) there is a Great Escape lodge with an indoor water park as well. There is so much to do, (google Lake George) and so many places to choose from, you will be very busy. You also aren't that far from Albany and their museums, as well as a couple of hours to Howe Caverns, a wonderful underground place to explore (with a guide..my father in law and Uncle in law were 2 of the first guides there, so we get to go in for free, and I never get tired of it). They also now have an adverture park:
http://howecaverns.com/howe-high-adventure

Saratoga is a really nice Village not too far, and of course the races are always fun to go to.

If you go an hour or so past Lake George, there is an Adirondack Museum that is just awesome for kids:
http://www.adkmuseum.org/

My grands liked visiting here, right in Lake George:
http://www.fwhmuseum.com/

There are also several Dude ranches..nothing fancy but the kids love them. We used to take the grands (and their parents also came a few times) here....we've been in the summer and the winter:
http://www.ridinhy.com/directions.asp


It's a beautiful area..mountains with good trails to climb, the beautiful Lake George to swim and boat in..the jewel of Upstate NY!