Olympic Venues

Olympic Venues

Lake Placid might be most well-known for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympics and the famed “Miracle on Ice” hockey game. The 1980 games were actually the second winter games hosted by the village, making Lake Placid one of only three locations to host the Winter Olympics twice. St. Moritz, Switzerland and Innsbruck, Austria are the other two. Fun Fact: There was not enough commercial housing to host all of the journalist, athletes, coaches and spectators, so many locals opened up their private homes to teams. 

Shortly after the games, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was formed to manage and run all of the Olympic Venues. Because of this, all of the venues are still in operation and open to the public. It also allows Lake Placid to be the Eastern Olympic Training Center and host to many national and international sporting events like the Viessmann World Cup Luge and Stars on Ice. Check out the different venues and the fun things they have to offer today.

 

Cliffside Coaster

Enjoy a scenic ride to the top of the Cliffside Coaster and learn about the inspiring Olympic history of the Lake Placid Sliding Center. Once you reach the top, you control the ride. You have the ability to go as slow or as fast as you’d like. Race your family & friends alongside the 1980 bobsled track to the bottom of the Cliffside Coaster, the longest Mountain Coaster in the USA. We promise you’ll love it so much you’ll want to race again!

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Outdoor Adventure

From offering easy-breezy strolls to more challenging Adirondack hikes, the Lake Placid Olympic Sites are welcoming all abilities of hikers. You’ll discover how they have incorporated physical fitness, mountain adventure, and environmental education to make your time fun, healthy, and memorable. Their beautiful trails will put you into the wilderness, but keep you close to modern conveniences and attractions.

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Sky Flyer Zipline

The Sky Flyer Zipline offers an experience of soaring through the air like a World Class ski jumper. Soaring parallel to the ski jumps, guests will experience a similar feeling to an Olympian taking flight. And, on your way down, enjoy the unparalleled views that only the Lake Placid region can afford.

Olympic Jumping Complex

Skyride Gondola

Stand alongside the ramp that ski jumpers launch themselves from before flying over the length of a football field. Explore the eight-passenger Skyride (a new, state-of-the-art pulse gondola) and glass-enclosed elevator ending at the observation deck of the K-120-meter ski jump.

 

Olympic Jumping Complex

The Rinks

Ice skating is ingrained into the Olympic DNA of Lake Placid, and that legacy is accessible to the public at the Olympic Center.

In the Olympic Center and on its grounds are skating rinks, open to the public, where gold medals have been won – including the famous Herb Brooks Arena where the “Miracle On Ice” game was played and the speed skating Oval where many Olympic and other international speed skating competitions have been held.

Olympic Center

The Museum

The new Museum is a treasure trove of history featuring interactive exhibits, innovative displays, and North America’s second-largest Winter Olympic artifact collection. One that reveals the boundless spirit of Olympians and the Olympic Games. A spirit, you’ll discover, that lives in you, too.

Olympic Center

Memorial Highway

Driving up to the top of the Whiteface along the Veterans’ Memorial Highway—New York’s fifth-highest peak at 4,867’—isn’t your typical automotive experience.

Nowhere else is the beauty and vastness of the Adirondack Park so apparent and so easily accessible. The paved road rises over 2,300 feet in five miles from the Toll House.

At the summit, there are a few things you don’t often find atop a peak: a castle built from native stone, a restaurant and gift shop, an elevator carved deep inside the mountain top itself, and a truly spectacular 360-degree, panoramic view of unparalleled beauty.

A visit to the Adirondacks is not complete without a drive to the top!

Whiteface Mountain

Cloudsplitter Gondola

A fifteen-minute ride gliding through the air in the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountain range, the Cloudsplitter Gondola Ride transports visitors from the base of Whiteface Mountain to the peak of Little Whiteface.

Whiteface Mountain

The only thing we overlook is the lake

Surrender yourself to the natural and untouched beauty of the Adirondack Mountains at the first resort in the U.S. to receive the Audubon International’s Platinum Eco Rating for Hotels. There are now only six hotels in the United States to obtain this honor! It’s a place to renew yourself on the serene shores of Mirror Lake, and take in the history of the town, just steps away from the famed Olympic Village and the heart of Lake Placid, New York. No other place on earth provides this unique blend of comfort, rejuvenation, or one-of-a-kind experiences. Start planning your stay at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort now!