Lake Placid, NY

Extreme Thrills

Is there a future Olympian or professional hockey player in your family? If so, then a trip to Lake Placid will be a dream come true. They can ski, skate, and bobsled on the same slopes, rinks, and tracks the Olympic athletes used in 1932 and 1980 (updated for the 2000 Goodwill Games). Or swoosh down snow-covered hills on toboggans, inner tubes, even horse-drawn sleighs.

The fun doesn't stop when the snow melts. In spring, summer, and fall, this Adirondack Mountain village becomes a hot spot for mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and canoeing. A gondola ride climbing 2,500 vertical feet is also pretty cool. For wind-down, there's swimming, fishing, and boating on Lake Placid or Mirror Lake.