Rutland, VT Outdoor Activities

Golf courses are designed to compound players’ mistakes. An errant tee shot winds up buried in the rough, on a side-hill lie, or shut out behind a tree—where golfers may not be able to take a full swing, let alone concentrate on how to correct their mechanics. In golf, the driving range is the only safe haven. Saratoga Springs Golf Range’s all-grass hitting bays provide a smooth, flat surface that lets golfers concentrate on improving their swings and grants amnesty for past swing transgressions in the form of range balls and a course notary who expunges all mulligans from players’ official records.

Saratoga Springs Golf Range helps swings enter into a harmonious relationship with their sticks through custom club fitting, loft and lie adjustments, and regripping services. The range’s club technicians also offer various repair services for snapped club shafts and emotionally distraught drivers.

The adventurous tour guides at GO Mountain Biking! lead scenic nature-gazing rides for all skill levels as well as harrowing jaunts through rocky terrain for more experienced riders. Each client takes part in a phone interview before the tour to schedule a time and devise a game plan. Tours begin with a review of safety and technique before guests venture out into the wilderness of the Glens Falls area to enjoy the lush landscape, scope out resident wildlife, and gulp fresh, clean air without having to suck from a balloon inflated by Mother Nature.

Adventure Racing enchants fun-seekers with a sprawling mini-metropolis of indoor and outdoor attractions. Drivers execute turns and passes around the indoor and outdoor go-kart tracks, which offer single karts for solo racers and tandem conveyances so adults can teach young passengers to flout traffic laws. Towering Star Wars figures lurk in the darkened passageways of a three-story laser-tag arena, where teams of up to 12 people test their marksmanship as they navigate between phosphorescent walls.

Inside Adventure Racing's indoor bumper-car arena, drivers steer circular vehicles on a constant collision course with their fellow vessels. The fun center's climbing wall tests the strength of grappling hands, and more technical tests of dexterity await at Adventure Racing's paintball shooting range, arcade, and knitting circle.:m]]

Sculpted through scenic mountainside terrain, Green Mountain National Golf Course spans 6,589 yards of arching fairways and multi-tiered greens. Engulfed by dense tree lines and rising mountain faces, the course's narrow fairways call for a cautious approach, and those boldly teeing off with a driver or 17th-century musket may end up hacking their second shot out of the woodsy rough. As golfers traverse the course, elevated tees, greens, and cresting fairways give way to panoramic views, letting golfers glimpse the contoured terrain and drink in ancient rock formations shaped by glaciers and the species of colossal paleontologists that ruled the continent prior to their extinction. A full-length driving range, short game practice area, and putting green fine tune players' club-wielding prowess, and a fully stocked pro shop offers up equipment and gear to help guests loop the links in style.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,589 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.1 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 138 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options

During the summer, Whaleback reverberates with the echoes of paintball players, mountain bikers, and BMX riders. But, when winter’s blustery winds sweep across the peaks, the homey lodge welcomes skiers and snowboarders with 85 acres of fresh powder.

More than 30 trails run down from various heights and slopes at this family-friendly resort filled with the rustic, laid-back vibes of old New England. Beginners practice their mountainside maneuvers on the gentle magic carpet level; more advanced riders can take advantage of the kickers in the terrain park, or the whoosh down the 1,800-foot descent from the mountain’s towering summit. Such feats of wintry derring-do aren’t bound by the constraints of sun—the resort also lights up the mountain for night excursion. Post-ride, visitors can decamp to the resort’s on-site pub, a no-frills joint often filled with the friendly racket of live music.

Spanning 140 feet and welcoming up to 424 shipmates, the Spirit of Ethan Allen III stages public and private cruises along Lake Champlain's shoreline in prime view of the Adirondack and Green Mountain ranges. Furnished with heating and air conditioning, each of the ship's three decks seat guests for an array of occasions, including luncheon cabaret shows, brunches, dance parties, and murder-mystery dinners all fueled by the ship's executive chef. The captains disclose historical tidbits and folklore during daily narrated scenic cruises and remain quiet during nightly sunset cruises to let guests groove to background music, sip on spirited beverages, and fill out long-overdue tax forms.