Sleigh Rides at our farm in Plattsburgh, NY With one of our Draft Horse Teams   Birthday Parties Corporate Parties Youth Groups Families Welcome! Credit cards accepted. Visa, Mastercard, American Express & Discover Fully insured on & off the farm.  News Article-Press Republican  Sign up for our mailing list 2003 Article on  "All Points North"   Sleigh Rides Relax, enjoy a trip back in time with an old fashioned sleigh ride. Renew your spirit and calm your soul while gliding with us through the fields and meadows in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Enjoy the serenity of the crisp tinkling of sleigh bells in the fresh New England air. You will be Snuggled in warm blankets while on your trip around Country Dreams Farm. Upon your return, enjoy the homey atmosphere of our gift shop while sipping on a complimentary warm beverage and cookies. SLEIGH RIDES AT CD FARM $175 and up- Private Romantic Sleigh Rides Groups $35.00 adults. $10.00 per child 10 and under. Sleigh  Rides only, weather permitting. Includes hot tea and/or hot cocoa and cookies. Approximate length of ride 30 minutes +. Dress warm! Call or email for rates for Birthday parties,  weddings, etc at off farm locations. Call for possible group rates at farm location.     Private, Romantic moonlight "Couples Sleigh Rides". $175 per couple. Snuggle under cozy blankets  with our complimentary  flask of hot cocoa! Listen to the crunch of the snow under the runners and the jingle of the bells while traveling through snow covered fields and farm lanes in the moonlight. By Appointment only. 518-561-8941 888-818-2701 e-mail   HOME

Article printed in 2007 edition of the Press Republican neswpaper

It's a quintessential picture of the northern winter, straight out of a Grandma Moses canvas. You know — "Over the river and through the woods ... the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh ..."

We enjoyed our own version at the Whiteface Inn just outside Lake Placid. Melissa Monty-Provost, proprietor of Country Dreams Farm, north of Plattsburgh, takes two of her Belgian draft horses over there each weekend (and longer during holiday weeks) to pull groups of up to 18 for spirited sleigh rides.

When ice permits, she and partner George Weidle operate sleigh rides on Mirror Lake, but it's more fun to go up and down the hills of Whiteface Inn. At our appointed time, we climbed aboard with 15 other people, about evenly divided between adults and kids. Most came from New Jersey, so they didn't take the Adirondack landscape for granted, as we sometimes do.

Temperatures hovered in single digits. The New Jersey crew appeared a bit better prepared, with their black ski masks and hand-warmers. Of course, we like to think we're a bit hardier as a consequence of our North Country experience. Nevertheless, we were happy to have Melissa and George pull out heavy blankets to give us some added protection against the cold and wind.

Earlier in the season, snowfall was a bit deficient in Lake Placid. After Valentine's Day, however, any scarcity had disappeared. Whereas the sleigh rides usually traverse the hills of Whiteface Inn's golf course, the heavy drifting now made that unsuitable. So the horses pulled us around a network of snow-paved roads in the complex.

George took the reins, and we took off as if we were being released from a starting gate. The pair of Belgian draft horses, 18-year-old Pete and 13-year-old Pat, had us galvanized with their early sprint up a gradual hill. I saw a sign posting a 15 MPH speed limit; I assumed Pete and Pat noticed it, too.

Once away from the clubhouse building, we had classic Adirondack scenery. Rolling snow-covered hills, mountains in the distance, Lake Placid looking just that — placid — to a backward glance. Tall dark pines gave texture to the terrain, as did spirals of smoke rising up from nearby chimneys. A tinge of pink lit the late afternoon western sky. We felt a certain pride listening to all the others rhapsodize about the views.

There's a bit of man-made scenery around as well. The Whiteface Inn includes condos and an impressive smattering of single family homes. Architectural styles are appealingly rustic and blend well with the landscape. One favorite sported a turret and white birch bark siding. Some of these places sell for well over a million dollars we learned as we rode by.

Not surprisingly, the kids displayed quite a bit of energy during the ride. One young girl named Jessica, bundled warmly in a hot pink parka and cap, asked if she could drive. George dutifully gave her the reins, explaining the intricacies of turning left and right. Most likely the horses know the way quite well, but I'd like to believe they wouldn't have performed quite so well without Jessica's encouragement.

The ride lasted about half an hour. Some of the younger passengers were cold by then, but we could have gone seemingly forever through the winter wonderland. Usually there's a stop along the golf course for hot chocolate. This time kids had to settle — quite contentedly, however, for an outdoor marshmallow roast.

We were perhaps a bit less hardy, or perhaps we were just more hungry. So we went into the Whiteface Inn clubhouse to try out the restaurant. The Adirondack Room lived up to its name in design. During the day, views out the large windows must be glorious. Beams festooned with greenery and white lights added ambience, but our interest was the roaring fire in the center stone fireplace. The hostess seated us at a table close to the hearth.

The early dinner crowd seemed a bit sparse, but the chef appeared to be on top of his game. Marty and I shared an excellent Caesar salad (anchovies on the side). For main courses, she chose a cedar-planked salmon filet, while I selected shrimp and scallop stuffed lobster tail. Both came accompanied by asparagus and polenta.

Everything tasted delicious, enough so that we had to sample a dessert, in this case an apple tart that held to the same high standards. Our server, Rich, was attentive and efficient.

When I was young, my parents took my brothers and me to the old Whiteface Inn (no longer standing) a few times. My recollections center largely around the water, my ineffective efforts to hit a golf ball (I'm still pretty ineffective), and evening Bingo games.

It turns out Melissa has nostalgic thoughts of Whiteface Inn, too. Her grandmother worked as a switchboard operator there, and Melissa spent a fair amount of time visiting and playing on the grounds. She finds a certain symmetry in her life now that she operates the sleigh rides there. I suspect she and George are helping to create quite a few fond memories themselves!

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If You Go

Whiteface Club and Resort, 373 Whiteface Inn Lane, Lake Placid, NY. 800-422-6757.

Country Dreams Farm, Pellerin Road, Plattsburgh NY. 561-8941. Conditions permitting, sleigh rides will be given on weekends 4-8 p.m. throughout March.

New York resort village of Lake Placid in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains providing horse drawn sleigh ride, romantic sleigh ride, and private sleigh ride party options. NY sleigh riding in the Adirondack Mt region with Whiteface and the high peaks as a background can make your sleigh ride experience a once in a lifetime adventure. Sleigh rides are offered from November-March at the Whiteface Club and Resort in Lake Placid, NY. Private couples sleigh rides are available for an Adirondack Mountain vacation, anniversary, retreat , wedding proposal, or just the pure joy of riding in a horse drawn sleigh. Sleighs availbale are 2 seater "Currier & Ives" antique, 12-15 passenger sleighs and sleighs equipped with hay and robes. Sleighs are pulled by a beautiful team of percheron draft horses. Harnesses are decked with silver and silver sleigh bells. Sleigh bells will jingle while the snow crunches beneath the sleighs runners and the powerful hooves of the draft team. Trips will include a stop at an authentic Adirondack Lean-to for hot cocoa or coffee. Dinner can be provided at the Whiteface Club and Resort in Lake Placid, NY.

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