A couple of years ago, I found my way to a Facebook page for the Inlet Historical Society. They were searching for couples who had been married at nearby Holl’s Inn, an Adirondack resort that, after more than 70 years in business, had ceased to exist. The organization had inherited some items from the inn, including decorative plates that were custom-made for couples who had gotten married there.
The historical society had photographed the plates and posted them on Facebook, with a request for the owners to claim them. There were more than 300 plates, some dating back to the 1930s. I scrolled through photo after photo until I found the one I was looking for.
Like the others, it was the size of a typical dinner plate. This particular one was plain white. Decorating the center was a sticker of a bouquet of gaudy bubblegum-pink flowers. Above that, mustard-yellow stickers spelled out “Michele & Matt”; beneath the flowers, in the same pink shade, was the date of our wedding: July 13, 2002.
Before this, I knew that Holl’s Inn had been sold and that the proprietor, Rosemary Holl — who played a central role in my wedding planning experience — had passed away in 2008. But this was the first I had learned that the inn had been demolished to make way for a private residence.
Holding a wedding in a small, laid-back lake town like Inlet, NY had been a dream. Planning one, on the other hand, had given me sympathy for the so-called bridezilla, the bride-to-be who supposedly turns into a monster from the stress of planning a wedding.
Not being able to regularly reach my “vendors” — mainly local townspeople who baked wedding cakes or did photography in their free time — threw me into high states of stress. When I couldn’t reach the hairdresser to set up an appointment, I even once threatened (in my head only, albeit in a very commanding shriek) that I would take my business elsewhere.
On a summer weekend almost 20 years later, Matt and I drove up to Inlet to collect our plate. The town looked almost exactly the same but I don’t think I expected it to actually be the same.
After living in New York City for the past decade, I take small conveniences for granted. I can drop by my neighborhood bodega at 8 a.m. or midnight for a pint of ice cream or have pizza or sushi delivered to my door.
I wasn’t expecting this in Inlet, of course, but I did expect, for example, set store hours and maybe up-to-date business websites. What I found was that the lake-life attitude is still very much present and word of mouth is key. All of this is to say: go to Inlet. Leave your rigid routine — and your stress —behind as you ease into lake life.
Things to do in Inlet
A few weeks prior to our Inlet trip we spent a few days at nearby Big Moose Inn (which was tragically destroyed in a fire in 2023) a very different experience because of the location’s remoteness. Inlet, in comparison, is a much busier town and caters to a wide audience searching for various things to do in the Adirondacks. The main activities here are boating, hiking, and swimming but there is something for everyone.
Hike to spectacular views
Inlet is located in the western Adirondacks so the hiking options are plentiful. The Fulton Chain of Lakes, made up of eight lakes designated by ordinal numbers, stretches across the region, so most hikes in the area are rewarded with water views. Inlet is situated on the east end of Fourth Lake.
I grew up hiking Bald Mountain — a popular trail then and now. It’s about two miles round-trip and is rated as moderate. At the summit, hikers can climb the Rondaxe Fire Tower for an even better view of the lakes and the Adirondack wilderness sprawled around them.
The trailhead to Rocky Mountain Summit is close to Inlet’s main strip. It’s a short, steep hike, with some of the best lake views — a perfect way to squeeze some quick exercise into your day and take some photos while you’re at it. For more information on hiking, see here for an extensive list of Adirondack hikes.
Swim and play at Arrowhead Park
Inlet Town Hall is located at Arrowhead Park’s entrance. Inside the lobby is an information center with everything to know about the area. You’ll find brochures for boat tours and rentals, information on where to go hiking, and things to do in nearby towns. There’s even a brochure dedicated to the pet-friendly businesses of Inlet.
Beyond Town Hall, the rest of the park is purely recreational. You can play tennis, have a picnic, sit on the beach, and swim in Fourth Lake. There’s also a boardwalk to stroll on, fish from, or watch the boats come and go through the channel that leads to Fifth Lake.
Shop for gifts and souvenirs
On an afternoon of torrential downpours, I checked out Inlet’s shopping scene. Since I’m not fond of shopping, and because Inlet’s main strip is about one-tenth of a mile long, I expected to pass maybe half an hour before settling into a coffee shop to wait out the rain.
I ended up browsing the various shops for a couple of hours, looking at wool blankets, souvenir tees and sweatshirts, an inordinate number of items decorated with bears, and all things alpaca. You’ll inevitably pass AdironJack’s, worth browsing even if you’re not in the market for a hand-carved porch rocker or hickory furniture.
At Pedals & Petals, you can purchase parts for or rent a bicycle to check out one of the area’s biking trails. They’re also home to the local florist who provided my wedding flowers back in 2002.
Travel back in time at the Inlet Historical Society
History buffs should stop here for an overview of Inlet. Photographs, old documents, and artifacts tell the town’s story, from its Native American beginnings to its heyday as a summer resort destination.
A shelf of wedding plates from Holl’s Inn is on display, and it struck me that my plate was now an artifact, too — an odd feeling, since my memories of the day are still so alive: I thought about Rosemary, the elderly owner, perpetually holding on to a fine-china cup and saucer, daintily sipping her tea even as she marched around the grounds to check that everything was in order. I thought about the yellow floatplane flying overhead, then suddenly dipping down low over our lakeside ceremony and drowning out our vows.
When Rosemary made wedding plates for her guests, she gave one to the couple and kept one to decorate the walls of the Holl’s Inn tavern. I remember my surprise when Rosemary handed us our plate. The others that hung on the tavern walls were hand-painted with hearts and flowers, or bears or boats, while ours had ended up only with colorful, slightly off-center stickers.
After retrieving my plate at the historical society, the man who was in charge of cataloging them confirmed what I had always suspected: commemorative plates were a lifelong tradition at Holl’s Inn and Rosemary had wanted it to continue — she had simply gotten too old to paint them.
Take a side trip to Great Camp Sagamore
While hotel builders like Fred Hess were contributing to the growth of tourism in the region, America’s wealthiest families were doing the same. It became fashionable in the late eighteenth century to retreat to the Adirondacks, and the moneyed class built such opulent vacation homes that it nearly took a village to run them.
In 1901, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt purchased Great Camp Sagamore, located about 15 miles east of Inlet. Alfred made the 36-hour journey from New York City, via a combination of trains, steamboats, and horse-and- buggy, when he wanted to “rough it” in the wilderness. The Vanderbilt’s, who, according to our tour guide, once had more money than the U.S. mint, frequently entertained Alfred’s old Yale buddies, while his second wife Margaret Emerson invited celebrities such as Jean Tierney, Cary Grant, and Gary Cooper.
I love historical residences like this. Great Camp Sagamore is a relic of the Gilded Age, but it’s also open to guests on limited weekends in the summer and fall. They also offer daily guided tours through mid-October, which is how we experienced it. Our two-hour tour covered the architectural and historical background of the property. We saw Alfred’s bowling alley, the game room/casino, the carriage house and cafeteria, and just a few of the 27 fireplaces that are scattered around the grounds.
We also learned about Alfred’s untimely death on the Lusitania, and how Margaret continued to entertain guests at Great Camp Sagamore for another 40 years after he died. The tour was informative and interesting enough that we are planning to book a full weekend stay there next summer.
Where to stay in Inlet
We stayed at The Woods Inn, a stately old building with comfortable rooms decorated in woodsy themes. Outside, the back lawn slopes down to the lake and is furnished with Adirondack chairs and during our stay, a family of ducks marched back and forth from lake to lawn all day long.
The Woods Inn is the last remaining inn of its kind in Inlet. In the late nineteenth century, the undeveloped wilderness began to lure white men to the region. Fred Hess was one of these men. He started out as a guide, eventually moving into hotel building.
The hotels he built catered to the wealthy, who came in search of fresh air, outdoor activities, and lakeside relaxation. These traditional hotels offered guests many of the comforts of home: a lady’s parlor for socializing, a library with a roaring fire for the men to take brandy and cigars, and fine dining enjoyed while listening to a live orchestra.
The increased access to cars, plus improvements in infrastructure, opened the region to more middle-class families, but the popularity of these resorts eventually waned. Prior to World War II, fourteen traditional Adirondack hotels were located in Inlet. Holl’s Inn was among them but today, only The Woods Inn, built in 1894, remains.
There are a number of other places to stay in Inlet, too. No matter which direction you drive into town, the first thing you’ll notice is the sheer number of rental cabins that line Route 28, all with equally enticing names: Sunset Beach Cottages, Holly Cabins, Black Bear Lodges, and dozens more.
Where to eat in Inlet
Go to Tamarack Café for a hearty diner breakfast. For lunch, the Caboose serves paninis out of a bright red, authentic old train car. If you want finer dining, the Overlook Restaurant at The Woods Inn serves prime rib, grilled venison, local trout, and more.
Screamen Eagle is the town pizza parlor; they also serve fifty craft beers on tap. If you don’t mind a few minutes’ drive, Red Dog Tavern is a friendly place with comfort foods like spicy chicken wings, baby back ribs, and burgers.
For pastries, go to Mary’s White Pine Bakery. They bake fresh blueberry muffins, cookies, croissants, and even pasticciotti — those Italian cream-filled tarts, which, where I grew up, are known as “pusties.”
How to go with the flow
Inlet’s year-round population is just over 300 and like many seasonal destinations, they operate under small-town rules. Businesses often don’t adhere to strict opening and closing hours, and information is best gathered by word of mouth.
Back in 2002, Rosemary conducted all of our wedding business with paper and pencil. She handed us a slip of paper recommending a baker, another one with the name of a justice-of-the-peace. The morning after our wedding, she tallied up the entire bill for the rehearsal dinner and wedding in a small spiral notebook, then tore out the page to show us the total amount we owed her.
It seems that easygoing attitude has survived in this digital, social media–obsessed era. On our most recent trip, I wanted to pop into the Inlet Historical Society again but couldn’t catch them open. I asked around town what their hours were but the most committed answer I got was, “Oh, I think Charlie will be there a little later.”
And on our trip in July, we went to Northern Lights, the only ice cream shop in town, for the quintessential chocolate and vanilla twist. When we returned in August, a handwritten sign — taped next to their opening and closing hours — indicated that they were closed that day due to lack of employees. We guessed that perhaps their seasonal help had already returned to college.
I’m OK with ambiguous information like this. It took me three mornings to find Mary’s White Pine Bakery open but when I did, I ate three of the most buttery, light sugar cookies I’ve ever had.
This is what I love about travel in general and about Inlet, specifically: no matter the vague frustrations along the way, there’s always the payoff.
That’s true now and it was true 17 years ago. Our stress washed away the day after our wedding. Now I only remember the day we got married; the sun setting over the lake, streaking the sky with color. Kids ran around with lit sparklers and parents, aunts and uncles retreated to the enclosed porch while we stayed outside with our siblings, cousins, and friends, dancing on the deck, singing at the top of our lungs into the night.