Arriving in Utica, NY this afternoon, visit the Woodland Farm Brewery for a tour and tasting.  Woodland Farm Brewery is Oneida County’s first farm brewery with a focus on lagers, barrel-aged beers, and beer that tastes like beer!

Check into your Utica hotel for a two night stay.  Dinner is included this evening at Babe’s at Harbor Point.  Babe’s at Harbor Point is the perfect restaurant for groups with several dining options such as Utica classics like Utica Greens, Chicken Riggies and homemade soups, homemade sauces, and fresh baked bread daily. (D)

This morning after breakfast, depart the Utica’s Union Station for a two hour ride on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.  Travel through remote forests, past sparkling rivers, ponds and streams into the magnificent beauty of the 6 million acre Adirondack Wilderness.  A one way rail journey, disembark in Thendara, a small town train platform and find your bus waiting.

Next, you will have some free time and lunch on own in the Village of Old Forge.  Stroll Main Street and see many unique gift shops including Old Forge Hardware.  This long-standing staple has served as a bustling center of commerce for more than 100 years.  Along with hardware, you can shop for clothing, books, fishing and camping gear, furniture, houseware, gourmet foods, kitchen gadgets, cookware and bakeware, yarn and more!  Old Forge is a shopper’s dream filled with woodsy gifts, rustic furniture, locally made goods, and so much more.

This afternoon, tour Great Camp Sagamore.  The Adirondack Forest Preserve surrounds the entire 27-building Great Camp Sagamore estate owned by the Alfred Vanderbilt family from 1901-1954.  This masterpiece of Adirondack architecture, was a place where America’s most influential people came to take a break from the clamor of modern life.  Its wood and stone buildings are the vernacular rustic architecture on which our National Park lodges were modeled.

This evening enjoy a Dinner Cruise on Raquette Lake, the Adirondack’s largest natural lake! Enjoy breathtaking views and a four-course meal on the W.W. Durant.  At one time, Raquette Lake was the playground of the rich and famous, with such as JP Morgan, Vanderbilt, Huntington, and Carnegie.  Home of the Great Camps style of architecture, there are more Great Camps on or near Raquette Lake than anywhere else in the Adirondack Park.  Your Dinner Cruise includes two cocktail vouchers, appetizer and entrée.  (B,D)

After breakfast, depart for home. (B)