Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake

06/24/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆! Join us for Veterans Appreciation Day as we honor those who have served our nation.

Celebrate service members past and present with a day of special activities, music, and invited dignitaries. Throughout the day, visit veterans groups and organizations tabling on campus.

𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗗.

📅 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦
10:00 AM – Opening & National Anthem
11:00 AM – Music by Dan Berggren
1:00 PM – Music by Dan Berggren

New York State Department of Veterans' Services

06/20/2026

Join us today for the Xcvatating ADKX Open House!

The SUNY Potsdam archaeological field school has been hard at work at the ADKX exploring what may lie beneath the surface here on the ADKX property.

Activities Include:
Interactive Exploration Station
Kids' Dig Zone
Shadow the Dig Crew (register today at ADKX)
Guided Excavation Site Tour (register today at ADKX)

06/19/2026

This Juneteenth, we honor the journey toward freedom and equality. In that spirit, we are excited to share a preview of a story we're uncovering for our upcoming exhibition, The Black Experience in the Adirondacks, opening in Summer 2027.

Meet Charlie Walker. After serving in the Marines during World War II, Walker moved to Lake Placid. A single hockey match sparked a lifelong passion, launching him into a career in ice skating. Breaking barriers in the sport, he went on to become the first Black judge for US Figure Skating. Charlie’s legacy is a powerful reminder of resilience, dedication, and the deep, diverse history of our region. Stay tuned as we continue to share more highlights from this upcoming exhibition.

06/17/2026

Join Akwesasne Mohawk artist Angello Johnson for an introductory basket-making class for new and experienced basket makers.

Saturday, June 27 | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
$150/Members; $175/General Public

All attendees will be provided a hands-on demonstration for preparing black ash materials and a cultural background on basket making. All participants will be provided with splints, forms, and handles to complete a black ash berry basket by the end of the class.

Register now: https://www.theadkx.org/event/black-ash-berry-basket-making-with-angelo-johnson/

06/15/2026

It's always great to visit our friends at The Wild Center! Thanks for having us!

Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, came troll hunting with us at The Wild Center today!

Always fun to share the trails — and the magic — with our Adirondack neighbors.

06/13/2026

The SUNY Potsdam archaeological field school has been hard at work at the ADKX exploring what may lie beneath the surface here on the ADKX property. Next Saturday, June 20, we're inviting visitors to join in and connect with students to learn more about their findings and the archaeological process.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:A drop-in area where you can connect with student archaeologists, clean and process artifacts, and learn how materials are documented.

𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀’ 𝗗𝗶𝗴 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲: A hands-on, family-friendly sandbox-style mock dig where younger visitors can search for replica artifacts using brushes and trowels.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄: A small-group program for ages 14 and up that offers a guided introduction to active excavation work. Participants join the team in the field to observe techniques and assist with basic tasks. Pre-registration is required. (Available at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, or 2:30 PM) .

𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿: An up-close tour of active or recently excavated dig sites on and around campus led by Dr. Hadley Kruczek-Aaron for ages 14 and up. Pre-registration is required. (Available at 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, or 3:30 PM) .

General admission is required to attend these programs, and museum members always receive free admission. Learn more here: https://www.theadkx.org/event/xcavating-adkx-field-school-open-house/

06/10/2026

The original bell has officially returned to the Marion River Carry engine! 🚂🔔

In the summer of 1932, a college student named Frank Leon LeRoy was on an Adirondack canoe trip when he came across an abandoned Porter engine on the Marion River Carry Railroad tracks. Wanting to preserve its tarnished bell, Frank returned later with his Colgate University fraternity brothers and carted the heavy bell away in a canoe.

For decades, the bell traveled with Frank—from a barn on West Canada Creek to a camp on Chesuncook Lake in Maine, where it rang family and friends to dinner for 30 years.

Meanwhile, back in 1955, the fate of that very same locomotive inspired Harold Hochschild to found this museum. He rescued the engine and mounted a replacement bell, which generations of visitors have loved ringing since we opened in 1957.

At the end of his life, Frank asked his family to return the original bell to Blue Mountain Lake. His son Larry fulfilled that wish, bringing it back to the museum. Our staff helped to safely take delivery of the heavy bell and handle, getting it securely installed back on the locomotive. Before the installation, our conservation team spent hours meticulously cleaning and restoring the metal to stabilize it and bring back its original luster. Following this careful treatment, the original bell is ringing out once again from the top of the engine, 92 years later.

Come visit and give it a ring for yourself!

06/09/2026

Thanks to Raquette Lake Navigation for a beautiful evening cruise with our staff and staff from The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts!

Last night we had beautiful weather to cruise for dinner with employees of the Adirondack Experience, Museum on Blue Mountain Lake & Arts Center!
theadkx

06/06/2026

Our Artist-in-Residence for June, Ben Allanoff, is on site here at the ADKX! You can meet him on campus Tuesday - Thursday and in the Art Lab on Fridays and Saturdays. On Fridays and Saturdays you can work with him to make your very own wire sculpture - make a fish or waterfowl, or a bird to add to our collaborative pond! Or take it home!

06/05/2026

The SUNY Potsdam archaeology field school is on-site at the ADKX, and excavation work is officially underway!

From Tuesday through Saturday, all June long, the student-archaeologists are working on sites on and around the ADKX property, exploring what may lie beneath the surface.

Our historic campus mirrors the story of the Adirondacks itself. Before becoming a museum, the land evolved from a lumber camp into a bustling summer resort. In 1876, the Log Hotel as built and opened as the Blue Mountain House to accommodate travelers to the Park. By digging into these layers, the field school hopes to unearth artifacts ranging from logging tools and hotel-era items to maybe even indigenous traces that reveal what everyday life was like on this mountainside over the centuries.

Stay tuned for regular updates on their progress, and if you want to see the action for yourself, make sure to mark your calendar for the special public open house happening on Saturday, June 20.