| When it comes to vacation homes everyone has | | | | and odor of the city. They would often camp in |
| a different idea of what is the ideal getaway. It | | | | tents along the shores of lakes. They generally |
| seems that people will refer to these vacation | | | | camped on land owned by local hotels. The north |
| spots by a variety of names based not only on | | | | country hotels of the time were primitive |
| the type of building but also where they come | | | | themselves but they gradually improved and |
| from. Most people in the Adirondacks will refer to | | | | expanded the lodging from tents to cabins. |
| these recreational properties as camps. Some | | | | These summer compounds of tents became |
| people are familiar with the term summer home | | | | groups of cabins and eventually grew into the |
| but they may not understand when someone | | | | famous great camps of the region. These |
| from the Adirondack region talks about "going up | | | | mountain lake mansions generally featured |
| to camp" for the weekend. Many think of the | | | | separate guest cabins instead of rooms and |
| term camp as a temporary place to sleep when | | | | allowed their owners to entertain in relative luxury. |
| traveling or back packing but it could actually be | | | | The famous great camp Top Ridge built by the |
| much more. To some a camp may be a cabin in | | | | Post family in 1923 had an enormous dining and |
| the woods, but others are thinking of multiple | | | | entertaining facilities to create luxury in the |
| bathrooms, a wine cellar and 5000 square feet | | | | wilderness. After the party wound down friends |
| for entertaining. | | | | would retire to one of 68 guest cabins each |
| The idea of a "camp" as a summer time getaway | | | | staffed with its own butler. Not exactly roughing it. |
| in the Adirondacks began in the second half of the | | | | When you are looking for a recreational lake |
| nineteenth century when wealthy people wanted | | | | property in upstate New York don't discard any |
| to spend their summer away from the cities. | | | | "camps" before you get more information. It may |
| These wealthy urbanites would pack up their | | | | be a little more than you expect. You can always |
| families, servants and trunk after trunk of supplies | | | | benefit by having a local guide on your side. |
| and head for the mountains to escape the heat | | | | |