Everything worth doing.Within 20 minutes.

Stone mansion on the western shore about two miles north of the Village, built to look like it belonged on the French Riviera and now the lake's most serious dining room. Farm-to-table menu that changes with the season, most of it sourced within an hour's drive. Book the table by the window — the room was built around that view.

Waterfront seafood and American fare with its own docks — tie up the boat and walk straight to the table. The kind of room that books up on a Friday in July two weeks out. Order the lake perch when it's on the board; it doesn't stay there long.

Soft-serve stand across Route 9 from Six Flags Great Escape, family-run since the Freibergers built it behind their farmhouse in the 1940s. Rotates through a dozen flavors a day from a list of 38, and the Dandee Cremewich is the one regulars order by name. The line moves fast even when it looks long — go before or after the Six Flags rush.

Bolton Landing dock-and-dine on Huddle Bay — three outdoor decks plus the indoor Topside Grille, a fish-centric American menu, and a dinghy dock for anyone arriving by water. Long enough a Lake George tradition that regulars have a standing table request. Sunset seating on the outer deck books first.

Bolton Landing's most-named restaurant when locals get asked where to spend the special-occasion dinner — seafood and steakhouse fare, pricey, and worth it according to nearly everyone who's been. Small room, so the wait for a Saturday table runs long without a reservation. Book the week you book the rental.

Family-owned since the early 1990s and the reason Diamond Point doesn't need to drive to Bolton for a burger. The lake-caught fish fry is the dish regulars order on repeat, and the deck catches the sunset better than the parking lot suggests. Cash gets you out the door faster on a Friday night.

Lake George Village's own microbrewery since 1999, set back from Canada Street across from Charles R. Wood Park. More than 25 all-natural, unpasteurized ales brewed and bottled on site — the seasonal IPA rotates every few weeks. Free tours run Fridays at 4 and Saturdays at 11:30, plus a bonus Tuesday tour Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Small-batch distillery out of Fort Ann with a storefront tasting room on Canada Street, opened in 2016. The Indian Kettles Smoked Corn Whiskey won silver at the New York International Spirits Competition — ask for it neat before the flight. Walk-in tastings most afternoons in season make it an easy pre-dinner stop in the Village.

Fifty-one-acre public beach on the southern basin, lifeguarded, with volleyball courts and a boat launch built into the same stretch of sand. Open Memorial Day through the weekend after Labor Day, ten to six. The beach itself is free; parking runs ten dollars a car, and the lot fills by mid-morning on a July Saturday.

A 5.88-mile drive to a 2,030-foot summit with four overlooks on the way up and a hundred-mile view at the top. The turn is on Route 9 half a mile south of the Village. Open late May through Veterans Day, roughly ten to six; small fee to drive it. A walk-up trail exists for anyone who'd rather hike than drive.

Marble cave system near Pottersville, about a forty-minute drive from the Village — the largest cave entrance in the eastern United States, reached by a three-quarter-mile self-guided trail with 500-some stairs. Gemstone mining, disc golf, and a Dino Dig round out the kid list. Open daily late May through mid-October; snowshoe tours run some winter weekends.

Seventy-five-acre environmental education center above Bolton Landing — a butterfly garden peaking late July into September, a live turtle exhibit, and woodland trails with real wildlife-spotting odds. Snowshoe rentals in winter cover the same trails. Warren County-run, which keeps admission low and the crowds thin even in August.

Village park with its own sandy beach, boat launch, fishing pier, and Pappy's Playground — a crawl-cave, musical-element play structure built for the under-ten crowd. Hosts the summer Arts & Crafts Festival most years. Less crowded than Million Dollar Beach a few minutes south, and the playground makes it the pick with young kids.

Working sugarbush and sugar house near Warrensburg, a short drive off the lake — horse-drawn wagon rides over a covered bridge to the sugarbush during open-house weekends. Maple Weekend in late March is the big draw, with syrup, candy, and a boil demonstration running the whole time. Call ahead outside of open-house dates.

Wednesday market in Shepard Park, right on Canada Street, running roughly mid-July through early September — the season starts once Americade clears out and the crowds settle. Produce, crafts, and prepared food from a rotating list of regional vendors. Ten to three, and the shade under the park's trees is worth arriving for on a hot one.

DEC hard-surface ramp built into Million Dollar Beach at the south end — 54 car-and-trailer spaces in peak season, boat inspection and wash stations on site. The most convenient launch on the southern basin, which means it's also the most crowded by mid-morning on a July weekend.

Oldest marina on the lake, running in Bolton Landing since 1921. Full-service — fuel, slips, service — for anyone keeping a boat on the water for the season rather than trailering in and out. The kind of place where the staff has heard every version of the same engine problem.

Kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals out of a restored 1890s boathouse on Green Island in Bolton Landing — launch straight from the dock, no trailer required. Family-run, full-service for the paddle-only crowd who don't want the motorboat logistics. Reserve ahead for a July Saturday; walk-ups work most weekdays.

Running continuously since 1817, which makes it one of the oldest steamboat companies in the country — the Mohican is the oldest continually operated, inspected passenger vessel in the US. Three boats, narrated history and sunset cruises, departing the Village docks May through October. The one tourist-track boat worth doing even if you live here.

Reconstructed 1750s British fort at the Village's south end, with costumed interpreters running musket and cannon demonstrations through the day. The French and Indian War history that gives the whole region its name-dropped forts and battle sites. Open daily, roughly 9:30 to 6:30 in season — check ahead for the shoulder-season schedule.

The region's big amusement-and-water-park stop in Queensbury, with the Bobcat wooden coaster as the current headliner and enough kiddie rides to cover a family with a wide age range. Full-day tickets aren't cheap; buy online ahead for the discount. Martha's Dandee Creme sits right across Route 9 for the after.

The old Magic Forest, running since 1963, now folded into Lake George Expedition Park with a new Dino Roar Valley section. Twenty-five kiddie and family rides, a petting zoo, and shows scaled for the under-ten crowd — the gentler alternative to Six Flags a few minutes up Route 9. Weekends only through late June, then daily.