Getaway: Lake Placid

Lake Placid Lodge, the lone resort on New York’s Lake Placid, is a sprawling manse that hearkens back to the Gilded Age, when the downstate wealthy spent leisurely summers at lakeside “camps” in the Adirondacks. You can certainly understand the urge: When August in Philadelphia gets still and sticky, Lake Placid is still all cool breezes and blooming beauty.

So should you decide to make like the pampered campers of yore, you’ll be greeted at the Lodge by an attentive staff, handed some bubbly, and taken on a tour that ends at your spacious room with beautiful artisan-crafted furniture and a stone fireplace. From there, you might tour the lake itself aboard the hotel’s sleek Hacker-Craft or hit one of the many scenic lakeside trails—the adventurous can even aim for the peak of nearby Cascade Mountain. The less intrepid will be satisfied with a stroll down Main Street in the charming surrounding village and, further down the road, an inventive cocktail at Liquids and Solids at the Handlebar.

For on-site sustenance, there’s Artisans Restaurant for farm-to-table fare served on a sweeping porch, and the wood-paneled Maggie’s Pub for local craft beer and comfort food. And without fail, you should start each Lake Placid day with the Lodge’s homemade muffins (and anything that will soak up the local maple syrup) and end each evening at its crackling outdoor fireplaces, roasting marshmallows for s’mores—another thoughtful summer “camp” luxury.