Pete H, with friends and family
Submitted: February 6, 2013
Stayed: January 2013
This was my third or fourth weekend stay at the house, first time as the 'renter.' The renovation of the upstairs bathroom is a real plus, and the new towels are thick and absorbent, a great combo.
Due to my injury which eliminated skiing this season, my wife and I got to do some sight-seeing. We had planned to go to Lake Placid one day, but changed our minds when my wife found the Wild Center's website. The Wild Center is the catchy name for the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks. IT WAS FANTASTIC. It is 65 miles NNW and a bit over an hour from North Creek, in Tupper Lake, easily accessible via Rt. 28 to 30 or 28N to 30 (we took both routes, one going and one returning).
If you like museums you will love this place. It is not large, yet we spent 5 hours there and loved it all, including good sandwiches in the cafe. There was even more to do, and more outside in warmer weather. It is very modern (opened in '06 or '07) and the exhibits reflect that. It is designed to show and explain the creation of the Adirondack area by glacier activity and all the various terrains included, and their interaction, and animals, fish and birds. They have activities for kids, but we didn't need them. Everything is very accessible--you could reach out and touch the snapping turtles and ducks and frogs if you wanted to (or are dumb enough to). The highlight of the place are the river otters, which you can watch frolicking in their large water-filled enclosure all day. They never stop swimming, playing and entertaining, including getting up on their hind quarters for the naturalist. They have 4 otters and have 2 out at all times. Don't miss the naturalist's lecture/demo at 2:30.
There is a large theater that shows several videos, and the center of the exhibit area has perhaps a dozen video-stations, each offering several selections that you can chose. All are relatively short, and interesting. I particularly liked the ones at the stuffed moose, about how they train sniffer-dogs to find moose scat in order to set up a tracking system.
Check out the website, especially days and hours of operation, because they have limited days in the winter and are closed all of April. But it's a great place!
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Adventure Seekers,
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Families with Young Children,
Romantic Getaway
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