Adirondack Hotel.

The last of the old wood hotels still operating inside the Blue Line, and it sits directly across from the Long Lake town beach and the Helms Aero Service seaplane dock. Twenty guestrooms, recently renovated, each one different. Park the car here for a weekend and you don't need it again.

Two restaurants under one roof. The Victorian Room is the dressed-up option, white tablecloths and a wine list. The Lake Street Cafe and Taproom is the everyday one, with windows over the lake and a bar that fills up after the boats come in. In summer the verandas are the better seats in either direction.

Best for road trippers crossing the central Adirondacks who want a real lobby instead of a chain check-in, and for families who want to walk to the beach. Views are toward the Seward Range and the High Peaks behind the lake. Year-round.