Rachael's Adirondacks Travel Guide: Where To Eat + What To Do While You're There

If you know Rachael, you know that she grew up in the Adirondacks and lives there with her husband John when they're not in New York City—so if anyone knows (and loves!) the area, she does.

"I grew up there," Rach says. "I'm biased, but wow, is it fabulous."

Naturally, when a viewer asked for recommendations, Rach didn't skip a beat.

"We just recently bought an RV and are interested in exploring the Adirondacks. Where do you recommend?"

–Katie H., viewer via Instagram

WHERE TO EAT (AND FOOD SHOP) IN THE ADIRONDACKS

For pizza: "[The] Harvest … in Queensbury." Rach always orders the same thing: spicy wings, tossed salad and a pizza with provolone, onions and peppers. She's such a good customer and loves the pizza so much, Harvest named it the Rachael Ray! (Watch manager Kelly Fuller make it in the video below.)

For an upscale dinner: The Ridge Terrace. "[It's] open in the warmer months," John says.

For dinner on the water: "You can rent a boat and go to The Algonquin on the lake," Rach says. "You can literally eat on the docks. We park our boat. Our boat's name is Delicious."

For the best smoked meats and cheeses: Oscar's Adirondack Smokehouse in Warrensburg. They make my absolute favorite bacon on the planet, Rach says: "It's the meatiest, most flavorful bacon I've ever had."

Rachael Ray Show

Rachael Ray Show

WHAT TO DO IN THE ADIRONDACKS

Hiking: "[The Adirondack Park] is a 6 million-acre park," Rach says. "When I went to public school, when we were in 4th grade, they started taking us on hikes up Prospect Mountain, which takes an hour. There's a giant parking lot on top of Prospect Mountain right off exit 21. It's not that hard of a hike, by the way. I mean, you are in nature. You are technically climbing a very short mountain. They have a road, so people can ride their motorcycles up to the top. There [are] also trails. We would walk on the trails as children, get to the top—and we used to play kickball in the parking lot. It was so much fun. I still have dreams about it. I'm 52 years old, and I can't forget about how much fun that was as a kid. So, I would pack lunch, go up there and play some kickball."

Explore Lake George: "Lake George is beautiful," Rach says. "It's 32 miles long. It's very narrow, so you can always see each side of the lake."

Rachael Ray Show

WHERE TO STAY IN LAKE GEORGE (or just have cocktails at sunset!)

"I used to run several bars in a restaurant at The Sagamore, which is this giant resort on a peninsula that juts into Lake George," Rach explains. "So beautiful. You can go there and have cocktails at sunset. It's very, very beautiful."