“Hey honey, the forecast says severe thunderstorms this evening. What do you want to do?”
“Let’s go to Schroon Lake for dinner and ice cream.”
“Sounds good!”
This may not be how normal Friday conversations go in your house, but that’s often how things work around ours. With three kids in tow, we’ve learned that there will always be reasons to not go on an adventure. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge.
So we piled the kids into the car and set off for Schroon Lake. It’s just a short hour-long drive from where we live, which was plenty of time for the baby to fall asleep, the two older kids to start fighting, and my wife and I to have a nice conversation about the black market value of a couple of bickering children. Just kidding.
As we rolled into Schroon Lake the rain subsided and we were able to beat the dinner rush at Pitkin's Restaurant. Things were already looking up! We settled in to our table and began looking over the menus. My wife and I decide to try the Friday fried fish special, and our daughter got the hamburger. Our son, a notoriously picky eater, got the ribs. That’s right. Ribs. I almost canceled my order because I assumed that I'd just finish the ribs for him. Luckily, I didn’t because there wasn’t much left! The food at Pitkin's is phenomenal and it comes out fast, which is important if you have young kids.
After dinner we strolled Main Street checking out the cool shops like Pine Cone Mercantile. This was to prepare us for the next essential Adirondack stop: ice cream!
On the word of one of the shop owners we headed across the Schroon Lake to the Adirondack General Store to try out their soft serve ice cream and homemade ice cream sandwiches. The drive was pleasant, but we agreed that next time we should see about renting a boat to cross the lake. The Adirondack General Store's ice cream was delicious but the homemade ice cream sandwiches were out of this world.
This evening just goes to show that even when the weather isn’t ideal, Schroon Lake is still the best place to be!
If you're hanging out at the Schroon Lake beach, there's a closer ice cream destination. Stewart’s Shops are a chain of convenience stores with dozens of locations in the Adirondacks. Besides having reliable gas prices, you know the shop will be clean, well-stocked, and friendly. You can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner there plus a solid cup of coffee.
Stewart’s Shops are also always stocked full of their own specially made ice cream. Long freezers contain pints and half gallons of dozens of specialty flavors. My personal favorite is the raspberry fudge tort (which the baby also loved!). My son opted for a dish of mint cookie crumble and my daughter chose rainbow sherbet. My wife is loving the new Crazy Coconut flavor! Schroon Lake’s Stewart’s is located right next to their amazing beach, so grab a cone and dig your toes into the sand.
Schroon Lake is well equipped for your next family outing. Hit the beach, go out to eat, and check out a fun summertime event!
