6. Tupper Lake
The village of Tupper Lake in Franklin County is perhaps not as touristy as Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, but offers a small-town Adirondack feel in North Country. The village of nearly 4,000 was settled around the mid-1840s, developing as a major lumber producer. Over two-thirds of Tupper Lake’s structures burned down in an 1899 fire, but it quickly developed as a nature destination near Raquette Pond.
Tupper Lake is perhaps best known for the Wild Center, a natural history center that includes bridges and platforms over the campus called the Wild Walk. Little Wolf Beach and Tupper Lake Municipal Park are must-visit sites for nature watching. In addition to campgrounds around the lake, the village includes restaurants such as Amado, Well Dressed Food Company, The Swiss Kitchen, and the Washboard — offering donuts in a laundromat.