Water access, beach, canoe, kayak, rowboat, fireplace, outdoor
grill, equipped kitchen, telephone, television, VCR, DVD player,
standard cable, stereo.

There is a nearby internet cafe and wireless connection.

"Balsam" is within walking distance of restaurants, taverns, post
office, laundromat, general store, coffee shop, gas, ATM, video
rentals, and a chapel. All the amenities of a friendly, small city
are 15 minutes away in the historic sister-cities of Gloversville
and Johnstown.

Hiking, golf, mountain biking and ATV trails, trout-fishing streams,
state hunting land, and gorgeous views from a mountaintop fire tower
are all nearby. The county has 44 lakes to enjoy, ranging from small
hidden lakes on hiking trails to the 26 mile long Great Sacandaga.

Centrally located in the accessible southern Adirondacks, just 30
minutes north of the NY State Thruway, "Balsam" is a great location
for easy daytrip excursions to Saratoga (Performing Arts Center,
Thoroughbred Racing, and much more), Lake George, Great Sacandaga
Lake, Cooperstown (Baseball Hall of Fame, Farmer's Museum, Fenimore
Museum, Howe Caverns), the Albany capital region, and much of the
six million acre Adirondack Park, including Blue Mountain Lake and
Tupper Lake, homes of renowned Adirondack regional museums.

It's about an hour to Saratoga, Cooperstown, and Albany; about four
hours to New York, Boston, Buffalo, and Montreal.

Family Excursions
Fun family excursions include Adirondack Animal Land, Eagle Mills
cider mill with gemstone mining & “Dino Dig,” mining for
Herkimer “Diamonds,” Great Escape and Magic Forest theme parks in
Lake George, Howe Caverns and Secret Caverns, drive-in movies,
bowling, roller skating & go-karts, miniature golf, and a trip to
the Stinky Art Company in Northville.

Spa Treatments
Enjoy a spa day at the mineral springs in Saratoga. We recommend
great massage therapists in Amsterdam.

Historical Sites & Museums

The region abounds in museums and historical sites. Caroga Lake has
its own history museum. Gloversville is home to the Fulton County
Museum. Johnstown is the home of Sir William Johnson, head of Indian
Affairs during the French and Indian War, and the first-wave
feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Amsterdam has the Walter Elwood
Museum of the Mohawk Valley. The National Shrine of the North
American Martyrs in Auriesville and the Kateri Tekakwitha birthplace
in Fonda are historic and religious pilgrimage sites. Native
American museums include the Noteworthy Indian Museum in Amsterdam
and the Iroquois Indian Museum near Howe Caverns. The Erie Canal is
just south of us along the Mohawk River. Covered bridges in the
Adirondacks include three in our area.

The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake is widely acknowledged
as best of class; it has recently been joined by the new Wild Center
Adirondack natural history museum in Tupper Lake. Saratoga has a
children’s museum. Cooperstown has the fascinating Farmers’ Museum &
not-to-be-missed Baseball Hall of Fame; the Northeast Classic Car
Museum is nearby in Norwich. Schenectady offers a walking tour of
the Stockade, one of the oldest and best preserved neighborhoods in
the United States, dating from 16th century Dutch colonial
settlement. America’s first Shaker settlement is in Albany. The
Schenectady Museum & Planetarium specializes in science &
technology.

Music & Theater

Sherman’s, a 1920’s vintage former amusement park with a charming
carousel and Ferris wheel, hosts live music most summer weekends.
Harry’s Place, a 3 minute walk from “Sunset” on Pleasant Lake,
offers acoustic music (as well as delicious food and drink) on
weekends year-round. Summer band-shell concerts are held in
Johnstown and Sharon Springs. Saratoga Springs’ Performing Arts
Center (SPAC) hosts the New York City Ballet in July, the
Philadelphia Orchestra in August, headliner concerts and a jazz
festival. Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs is a famous acoustical music
venue. Saratoga and Cooperstown host renowned summer opera seasons.
The Pepsi Arena in Albany has headliner concerts.

Johnstown and Gloversville have community theaters. There’s a comedy
club in Gloversville. In Schenectady, Proctor’s Theater’s year-round
programming includes national touring companies of Broadway hits. In
Albany, the Egg hosts a variety of performing arts events.

Antiques & Art

Antiquing is popular, with several shops in the area and antiques
malls in nearby Dolgeville and Little Falls. Gloversville has
Saturday night auctions. Eagle Mills hosts a crafts fair in
September. Many communities, including Caroga Lake, hold annual town-
wide garage sales.

The state capital at Albany is home to the New York State Museum
(natural & cultural history exhibits) as well as great art
collections by the Hudson River School of landscapes and the New
York School of modern art. Regional fine art collections worth
visiting include American folk art, Hudson River School and Native
American collections at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown,
American and European Masters at the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls
and the Munson-Williams-Proctor Museum in Utica, and 21 Winslow
Homer paintings at the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery.


"Balsam" accommodates a maximum of six guests at all times. There is
off-street parking for two cars. Sorry, no pets and no
smoking. "Balsam" has a NO SHOES policy; bring slippers or flip-
flops for indoor use.