Lake George

There's no denying that one of the many benefits of living in Glens Falls is its proximity to the beautiful Lake George with its concerts and fireworks every Thursday night during the Summer and its many attractions. Unlike Glens Falls however, parking is not free, so be sure to bring your quarters! Each one will buy you a whole 15 minutes. Also, the park and beach on the southern end will cost you $8 to park. Unless you want to spend the whole day, I recommend parking in 15 minute increments across the road from the beach. That also gives you easy access to one of Lake George's free attractions - a mysterious spot you can stand in marked by a map of Lake George painted on the ground. If you stand right in the middle of where the rails cross and speak, you can hear it echoing back to you, but no one else can hear the echo. I think it has something to do with the rails. It would be interesting to cover them and see if the effect was still present. Besides that free attraction, there is one place you can park to go to a beach in Lake George without having to pay, and that is Usher park on the lower east side of the lake. The parking area is small, though, so get there early during the busy season. Usher park also has a lovely playground. Besides Lake George "proper", on the way to Lake George on 9 North, just off exit 20 is the outlet center with great names like Liz Claiborne, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Banana Republic, Nine West, and more! While you're shopping, take a break at the Olde Post Grille. They have great drink specials during their happy hour which runs from 4-7. If you're in the mood for pizza, go to Frank's. They've got the best pizza in that area. They sell it by the slice, and there's plenty of parking in the back.