Hamilton County brings Adirondack history to life, from early logging days to the Gilded Age. Visit The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, home to extensive collections and historic structures, or tour National Historic Landmark Great Camps to see the luxurious, rustic summer compounds of the past. Charming towns throughout the region also feature smaller museums and historic sites that highlight the people and events that shaped the area.

The Adirondack Hub’s history is rooted in the land, from the Indigenous peoples who first stewarded it to settlers drawn by lumber and mill opportunities. During the Gilded Age, the area flourished with grand hotels and resorts like Scaroon Manor, leaving a cultural legacy including the Seagle Festival, which still brings professional performances to Schroon Lake. Today, local historical societies and preserved sites help visitors explore this rich past.

The Lake Champlain Region has deep history, serving as a corridor for Indigenous peoples, early explorers, and Revolutionary War soldiers. Visitors can explore ruins, museums, and reenactments, including smaller sites like the Penfield Homestead Museum and Ticonderoga Heritage Museum. The region is currently celebrating its past through the 250th Commemoration of the American Revolution, offering a special opportunity to engage with these historic sites.

Lake Placid boasts a fascinating history built around the competitive world of winter sports and a commitment to profound social change. The village successfully launched its sports history in the 1920s, quickly establishing itself on the competitive world stage and leading to it hosting both the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Visitors can explore this legacy at the Olympic Museum or step back in time at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, honoring the life and work of the famous abolitionist.

The Whiteface Region is loaded with history! Before Whiteface Mountain hosted the 1980 Olympic Alpine events, the region was a key player in the Prohibition Era, with Wilmington serving as a notable spot for bootleggers due to its proximity to Canada. This deep, varied past, spanning illicit spirits to world-class ski racing, is celebrated alongside the area's ongoing artistic and cultural endeavors in its small towns.

Tupper Lake’s history is shaped by its powerful logging industry, as timber barons used the region’s dense forests and waterways for their operations. The arrival of the railroad transformed the town, linking timber to larger markets and fueling economic growth. Visitors can explore this legacy at the Tupper Lake History Museum and through preserved structures, then connect it to the natural landscape at The Wild Center.

Saranac Lake’s history is shaped by its role as a world-famous health destination, beginning with Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau’s tuberculosis sanatorium in the late 1870s. The cure era produced hundreds of unique cottages and laboratories, including the nation’s first TB research facility, which shaped the village’s architecture and culture. Today, visitors can explore this legacy at the Saranac Laboratory Museum and via self-guided tours of the historic downtown, retracing the steps of figures like Robert Louis Stevenson.