How Small Towns Win Travelers' Hearts
/On a warm summer evening on the shores of Lake George, NY, we unpacked our chairs and spread the picnic blanket across the lawn of someone we’d never met. A resident was hosting an emerging folk band, and he invited those interested to join him. With the beauty of Heart Bay as our backdrop, we were introduced to musicians Kat Wallace and the High Horse band. It was fabulous.
While the trend today with grand, sophisticated hotels is to showcase luxury brands, small towns are taking a different approach. They are playing to their strengths. Communities are expanding beyond their proximity to resort destinations, offering a treasured local experience.
What this Adirondack enclave has discovered is that weaving arts, music, and culture together, in a casual style, captures the hearts of visitors. It creates passionate guests who stay longer, spend more, give to regional causes, shop locally, and invest in its future by putting down roots. I’ve seen all of this happen in my family and many others.
The secret is finding creative ways to connect locals and visitors. One example is Ticonderoga (Ti), NY, a rural area at the northern tip of Lake George. There, a regional development coalition engaged artists to paint vibrant murals across town, as part of the Walls Between Waters mural festival. Each mural highlights a different aspect of Ti’s history and culture, and prominently features the artists. By extension, this invites art admirers to become shoppers at the local food co-op, hardware store, and retailers, creating opportunities for travelers to explore beyond traditional destinations.
Music and dance concerts add to the entertainment options. We are three-time returning fans of the Gibson Brothers’ concert, free for locals to attend on the Silver Bay YMCA campus - all part of their Summer Music Series. Then, there’s Evenings of Dance featuring individuals from renowned institutions, including the American Ballet Theater. Big city arts and culture on the shores of a small community. It is wonderful to experience.
The nearby town of Hague hosts weekly Music in the Park concerts, complete with food trucks. As one attendee noted, it’s a great social event with adults mingling, friends catching up, kids playing, and live music. (This year, someone brought hula hoops! See pic below.) Boaters anchor offshore, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Lastly, while it might not be Broadway, this year's Peter Pan production, a cast of all local talent, attracted a full house all three nights at Silver Bay.
As someone who’s spent much of my career in economic development and the arts, I appreciate this community engagement effort, up and down the shoreline. These towns are learning that they are stronger together; in addition to the natural attractions, their willingness to host arts, music, and cultural events energizes the local economy, builds friendships, and transforms family vacations into a unique, rich experience, one many will repeat.
Pictured below, left to right: Members of the Gibson Brothers Band at Silver Bay, a mural in Ti, musicians Kat Wallace and the High Horse band on Heart Bay, and a spontaneous hula hoop contest at Hague’s Music in the Park.
