The Lodge At Schroon Lake

The Adirondacks

Because of its 19th and early 20th century history of Great Camps and wilderness retreats, the Adirondacks has a tradition of self contained resorts. Some were for the wealthy and some for the middle class, but they all included a good restaurant, a lakefront location with dock and beach, and facilities for games and recreation. In the 21st Century, some of the old places are still in business and new ones have opened. The families who come here are mostly from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and other northeastern cities and towns and they have certain expectations.

So it was with great excitement that residents of Schroon Lake and longtime visitors to the area learned two years ago that one of the most famous of the old resorts, The Brown Swan, had been bought back from Word of Life Ministry and would reopen as a resort.

The Brown Swan opened in 1917 as an exclusive club for executives and their families from New York City. It was bought by Word of Life in 1953 and operated for 70 years as a Summer camp, retreat and conference center.

But Word of Life also owns an island, a ranch and another Summer camp in the area, attendance was down, and all of their facilities need updating. So they sold The Brown Swan for $4.5 million. The purchase and renovation was undertaken by Sonny and Julie Bonacio, Andrea Crisafulli and Alan Ayers. The Bonacios own Bonacio Construction and Spring City Development Group and have extensive experience building townhouses and condominiums. Crisafulli owns Crisafulli Plumbing & Heating in Albany. They've hired Chuck Donnelly as General Manager and Travis Green as Director of Food & Beverages. They're updating and renovating in five phases. Phase I has just been completed. Each phase will take about a year.

The original Brown Swan Lodge (photo, left) was their first priority. In 1917 it contained a restaurant, bar, lobby, and guest rooms upstairs and across the back. It now holds an enlarged restaurant and kitchen and an updated bar. They're still debating how to use the upstairs and back rooms.

Their next priority was to create the area's best restaurant, one great enough to pull in diners from Lake George, Plattsburgh and maybe even Albany.

To do this they hired Ramiz Jasic (photo, right) from Lake Placid. Jasic was quite a hire. Originally from Bosnia, he came to America at age 11. He lived in New York City, Connecticut and Rochester before attending the Connecticut Culinary Institute. He and his wife, a nurse, live in a house on the grounds, 100 yards from the restaurant.

Jasic was hired not only to prepare three meals a day seven days a week, but also to serve large weddings, conferences, and other events.

He began by assembling a staff. He now has four sous chefs. Then he put together a Spring/Summer/ Fall menu. It features Rainbow Trout, Seared Tuna, Bourbon Mac n Cheese, Bison Chili, Pork Schnitzel, Roast Eggplant, Braised Short Ribs, Fish & Chips, Maple Bourbon Chicken and Black Angus Strip. Pastas include Bolognese, Cioppino, Alfredo Cavatelli, and Clams & Pesto. There are three Flat Breads, three Salads and a French Onion Soup.

But he's working on upgrading it to his Winter menu. That will include the Bosnian dish Sarma, which is cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, pork, ham, and ground beef in a rich tomato sauce. He wants to add a hearty stew for skiiers coming off a day on the slopes. And they're discussing including breakfast with lodging.

Jasic is still in his first year, but his influence is already obvious. The Brown Swan Restaurant is outstanding. We ate two meals a day there for a week and every entree was delicious. The Bolognese, Pork Schnitzel, Maple Bourbon Chicken and Rainbow Trout are probably the stars, but we've been eating Mac n Cheese at top restaurants all our lives and this Bourbon Mac n Cheese is the best we've ever tasted. If you think Mac n Cheese is a kid's meal you need to try this.

The French Onion Soup is outstanding but guests staying for a week can only order it so many times. A rotating Soup Of The Day is under consideration.

The Bison Chili and Bourbon Mac n Cheese have been listed as Starters but they're overdue to be upgraded to Entrees.

Among Desserts, the Terimatsu, Chocolate Tort and Blueberry Cheesecake are award winners. The Terimatsu is served in an oversized cocktail coup glass and is so rich few diners can finish it.

The restaurant is still building its reputation and people are still learning it's open, but during the week in October we were there it was busy for both breakfast and dinner and respectable at lunch. Both indoor and outdoor seating were full. We had to take these photos during off hours.

Pricing is clearly aimed at a middle class clientele, with entrees ranging from $19 to $34. The Adirondacks is an expensive place, and these prices are very reasonable when compared to all the other lodges and resorts.

One of the great assets of The Brown Swan restaurant is the view. Even if you eat inside, as these photos show, you're looking out across Schroon Lake at the Pharoah Lake Wilderness.

Often, at breakfast, fog is still lifting from the lake and the hills, which makes for spectacular photo opportunities.

At dinner, you get to watch the sun setting or the moon rising, adding surreal effects to the water and the hills.

There is discussion about including breakfast and dinner with lodging as is common practice at many Adirondack and New England lodges. By time you read this and make reservations this may be an option.

Just across the lobby from the Brown Swan restaurant is an updated bar called The Tavern. The bar is beautiful, natural wood coated with epoxy and polished.

Comedy Thursday Nights and NFL Sunday Afternoons attract crowds and other events are planned.

There's a pub style menu and live music Friday and Saturday evenings.

Just outside the bar is a large natural gas fire pit, circled by Adirondack chairs. Patrons can order their drinks and find a chair. Waiters will bring them their drinks fireside. Even on frosty Fall or Spring nights, the firepit is a cozy place to spend an evening meeting other guests and exchanging stories about adventures had that day. When weather permits the live weekend music is performed out at the fire pit.

There's another full bar, The Bevy, with its own kitchen, over in the Lodge. This one has a bright red counter with fireplace in the background and several seating niches in the corners.

The Bevy serves a surprisingly good Pizza, plus a very good Burger, Meatball Calzone, Roast Beef Pannini and Ham & Pulled Pork Cuban.

For Kids there's a Grilled Cheese, Mac n Cheese, Hot Dog and Chicken Fingers.

Top Desserts include a Sundae and Banana Split.

Yes, this is only bar food, but it's excellent bar food, and if you have a room in the Lodge and outside is a driving rain, deep snow or bitter cold, and you don't feel like fighting it to walk over to the Brown Swan, this is a perfectly good option.

Just off The Bevy in the Main Lodge is a fine heated indoor pool, complete with chaise lounge chairs, hot tub and wading pool for rug rats.

Two walls of large windows offer views of the weather while you relax in the hot tub or the pool. On snowy days this is an especially enticing option.

This is a pretty spacious pool, able to handle numerous people before seeming crowded.

Parents are asked to accompany their kids, but the fitness center (photo below) opens directly off the pool, so Dad or Mom could work out on the treadmill, bike or rower while watching the kids in the pool.

The game room includes pool tables, foosball, air hockey and a full 12 foot shuffleboard table.

Windows open onto the pool, so parents could swim and keep an eye on kids playing foosball or shuffleboard. Or parents could play billiards while keeping an eye on kids in the pool.

These gaming tables are all new so they're a pleasure to play.

The fitness center includes treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, benches and weights.

It's a new, sleek and well lighted facility with windows opening into the swimming pool.

It may seem redundant to have a fitness center after you spend a whole day hiking or skiing. But if you spent your day cruising on Lake George or driving over to Lake Placid and watching the Olympic athletes practice, you may feel the need for a workout.

One of the advantages The Lodge At Schroon Lake offers is a variety of lodging, 116 beds in all spread across the 37 acres.

There are rooms in the Main Lodge and its new wing.

There's a row of Birds Nest Cabins, shown here at right. These are very small and rather primitive, but they do hold a full bath with shower and a queen bed. Remodelling and updating the Birds Nests is one of the priorities in Phase II of the long term plan.

At the rear of the property is a row of wall tents generously equipped with queen beds, lights and chairs. Referred to as Glamping, these tents share a community bath and shower complex.

High on the ridge looking down on the lake is a row of chalets with Queen bedroom, King loft bedroom, two full bathrooms and living space with kitchenette. Each chalet has a large private deck and a smaller balcony, both facing Schroon Lake.These are tremendously popular and the owners are considering building at least six more. At $350 a night they're the second most expensive lodging on the property and may be a bit overpriced. But they're great options for four people, perhaps two couples or a family, and the views from their balconies are stunning.

There are also small houses for rent. Shown here is the Owl's Nest, just down the hill from the Brown Swan. It contains two queen bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living space. At $400 it is the most expensive lodging on the property and may be a bit overpriced. But it's a great option for a family of four, close to the beach and marina.

The West Lodge sits on the ridge next to The Brown Swan. It contains queen rooms, many with bunk beds, a few set up as business rooms with a desk. Some face westward toward the pond, but you want a first floor room with a balcony and lake view. At $130 per night, this is probably the best value at Schroon. Bunk beds allow you to bring two preteens and the balconies are great.

In the various buildings, especially the Lodge and the Brown Swan, there are niches where individuals, families or small groups can gather, relax and talk.

Some of these are set up for Chess or board games like Monopoly. Some are set up for reading, conversation or just enjoying a drink and hanging out.

Certainly, there are outstanding lodges, hotels and resorts across the Adirondacks. Many of them match or surpass the Lodge At Schroon Lake in one or two categories. But none of them can match it across the board. Therefore, after weeks of research, we are confident in recommending this as your best option for a one or two week stay.

For example, if you're coming exclusively for hiking and backpacking, the Lodge at Schroon Lake is 10 minutes from major trailheads into the Pharoah Lake Wilderness, five minutes from major trailheads into the Hoffman Notch Wilderness, and 30 minutes from major trailheads into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness.

If you're coming for fishing, Schroon Lake right in front of you is rich in Pickerel, Lake Trout, Salmon, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Smelt, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Brown Bullhead, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch and Pumpkinhead. The backcountry lakes in Pharoah Lake Wilderness contain Brook Trout, Lake Trout, Bullhead and Sunfish.

If you're coming for the various tourist attractions, the Lodge at Schroon Lake is centrally located. It's not close to any of them, but it's a comfortable drive to Lake George, Ausable Chasm, High River Falls, Whiteface Mountain, Lake Placid with its Olympic Museum, Olympic sites and the Museum of the Wild, Blue Mountain Lake and its Museum of the Adirondacks, Fort William Henry, Fort Ticonderoga and Natural Stone Bridge & Cave. No other major lodge or resort offers this central location.

If you're bringing children and want plenty of activities you have them right here. If a good restaurant on site is a priority you have one of the best in the Adirondacks right here, with reasonable prices.

In the Winter, the Lodge at Schroon Lake provides you with shuttle service to Gore Mountain and other area ski resorts.

If you need wifi to keep in touch or work while you're here, the Lodge has that. It's a bit slow, but many of the more remote lodges and resorts have none at all. And one of the priorities in Phase II is to upgrade the wifi, so by the time you read this 5G may be available.

Amtrak does not come into the village of Schroon Lake, but it does stop daily at Ticonderoga, 30 minutes away. With advance arrangement, the Lodge can send its shuttle over to pick you up. Since the Lodge also runs ski shuttles, and the restaurant serves three meals every day, this means if you were reluctant to drive here in the Winter, you would not need a vehicle at all. However, if you came by Amtrak in the Summer, you would need to rent a vehicle to drive to the trailheads or the tourist attractions. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and Thrifty all maintain outlets at the train station in Ticonderoga.

The nearest full service commercial airport is at Albany.