The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake started out as a logging camp, built by Tyler Merwin in 1874. When tourism became popular, Merwin built a hotel that eventually was acquired by the Adirondack Historical Association.
In 1957 they founded this fine museum to document the region’s history and heighten awareness of its fragile ecosystem. For a paddler like me, this is a bit of heaven; the guide boat display alone makes the heart thump harder. But you’ll also get a strong sense of how Adirondack-style came to mean adventure to so many generations–and how those Adirondack chairs got invented.
The museum campus includes many buildings and exhibits and overlooks Blue Mountain Lake far below. I challenge you to step on the deck and not let out an audible gasp.
