Among the first things you'll want to do is to hit the waters of the Great Sacandaga. If you're a boater with your own boat, you'll find plenty of launching and boat trailer parking facilities such as Ryan's Lakeside Marina and Park Marine Base, which offer short-term and overnight docking slips.

Powerboats, pontoon and fishing boats also may be rented for half days, full days, and one week from outfitters such as Edinburg Marina and Power Sports. Or, if you'd like to catch a few pike, trout, or bass, outfitters like Gary's Guide and Charter Service offer four-, six-, and eight-hour charter boat fishing trips.

Public and private beaches dot the edges of the Great Sacandaga Lake, including the public beaches in the towns of Northville, Mayfield, Northampton, and Broadalbin, and a privately-owned beach at Northville's Sport Island Pub and Restaurant.

It's important to add that Fulton County also has a number of other lakes where you might encounter much smaller crowds during the summer. Caroga Lake, for instance, is actually two smaller lakes right next to each other—East Caroga Lake and West Caroga Lake. Along the west branch, Sherman's Park is the biggest attraction, with its ferris wheel and a restored carousel from the turn of the last century especially likely to appeal to kids. The east branch, meanwhile, is home to the Caroga Lake State Campground, which offers approximately 160 campsites that can accomodate everything from a basic tent to massive RVs from mid-May until Labor Day. A sandy beach (with lifeguard on duty), hot showers, hiking trails, and a recycling center are just some of the amenities at this New York State-run campsite.

Peck's Lake, meanwhile, is popular with both fishermen, who treasure its pollution-free waters, and canoeists, who prize the numerous coves tucked into its shoreline. Peck's Lake is in fact a private lake owned by the Peck family, who offer cottages and campgrounds for rent; use of a rowboat comes with whichever lodgings you opt for, which makes for a nifty all-in-one visitors' package.

Numerous hiking trails also can be found in and around Fulton County, with the outdoor guide company Adirondack Wilderness Adventures offering a list of nearly 30 easy-to-difficult hikes ranging from one-third of a mile to 19 miles.

Away from the lakes, you can learn a little bit about the region by visiting the Johnson Hall State Historic Site, the remaining home and grounds of Sir William Johnson. Born in Ireland in 1715, Johnson rose to become the most powerful man in New York State and was instrumental in the English victory in the French and Indian War. The stone estate house where Johnson lived with his nine children, 20 house servants, and 200 field hands, is filled with old muskets and furniture of the day, and is centered around a large entry parlor that in its time was filled constantly with traveling Indians. The site also tells the story of Molly Brant, the powerful Mohawk Indian woman who became Johnson's wife and mother of his nine children.

For more recent history, head over to Gloversville and the Fulton County Museum (left). The museum offers a bit of everything from a recreated Iroquois hunting lodge to a Victorian-era parlor, but is best known for its chronicling of the area's glove-making heyday. ("Gloversville Gloves the World" went the slogan in the late 1800s, when nearly every glove in America was made in and around Gloversville.) The museum now contains a mini-glove factory as well as a 1930s- and 1940s-era "world's largest glove." Admission to the museum is free, but donations are suggested.

And sometimes the best attractions are those quirky little places you don't expect to find anywhere else. One of these is the Olde Knox Mansion, a 42-room former Victorian Neoclassic mansion that was home to the Knox Gelatin family. Charles Knox created the world's first pre-granulated gelatin in the late 1800s and, with his legendary market tricks, made the product a nationwide success. When Knox died in 1908, his wife Rose took over and become one of the nation's first women to run a major company. The mansion was built in 1898 for $1.2 million and now serves as a non-profit museum (and bed and breakfast; for details, see "Lodging," below). Current owner Marty Quinn gives lectures on the Knox family and also enjoys pointing out the home's distinct little touches—such as a huge fireplace from a 300-year-old Italian castle, hidden rooms, secret panels, and nearly century-old gelatin artifacts. The mansion also is considered by some to be haunted; Marty, who lives in the house, will gladly show you a photograph appearing to capture Rose Knox on the house's front balcony decades after her death.

Another surprising attraction is the professional Glove Theatre and Museum (left). The Glove Theatre dates back to the early days of cinema and vaudeville, and was the flagship for the nation's first movie house chain. In its heyday during the 1930s, the Glove Theatre was home to world movie premieres that attracted such stars as Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert. Today a small one-room museum beside the theatre chronicles that history and includes old movie memorabilia, a 1920s silent film projector, and signed photos from some of the biggest names in film. The now-live-action Glove Theatre, meanwhile, offers professional live theatre and attracts some of the nation's best touring productions.

A great attraction for the kids is the 80-acre Adirondack Animal Land, located just south of the Great Sacandaga Lake in Broadalbin. This wildlife propagation center includes close-up viewing and plenty of feeding opportunities with animals such as lemurs and other monkeys, camels, a tiger, and kangaroos. It also includes a petting area and a mini-old west town.

Fulton County also offers other family attractions, such as the Eagle Mills Cider Mill and Adirondack Family Fun Center (left), where visitors can watch a water-powered cider mill in action, pan for gold, or take an old west-style train ride. Families also will enjoy the High Rollers Family Fun Center in the Town of Perth and its go-kart track, batting cages, arcade, and roller rink.

In the warm months visitors also can enjoy Fulton County's seven golf courses, and in the winter this area is home to 150 miles of groomed snowmobile trails as well as miles of snowshoe and cross-country routes. 13 downhill ski runs with three chair lifts can also be found 15 minutes from Johnstown and Gloversville at the Royal Mountain Ski Center.

If you're a lover of English gardens, try Richmond's Reflections Bed & Breakfast in Northville, near the Great Sacandaga Lake. Owners Doris and Ray Richmond have created the feel of an old English inn feel by meticulously filling their garden and 90-year old Victorian home with a variety of colorful plants and flowers. Richmond's Reflections offers two guest rooms and one two-room master suite (each with its own bath, small refrigerator and coffee maker), and is located near the lake and Northville's Main Street.

Another nice lodging choice in the county is the Inn at the Bridge Bed and Breakfast Cafe and Marina. This beautiful inn beside the Sacandaga, in Northville, offers six guest rooms, each with private bath, a wraparound porch to take in the lake and mountain views, and boat docks. The inn is also just a short walk from Northville's busy Main Street.

As noted above, the Olde Knox Mansion, in Johnstown, also doubles as a bed and breakfast. The mansion offers a master suite with two fireplaces, a separate sun room, private bath and jacuzzi; four other bedrooms with two shared baths are also available.

For a little more excitement, try the Flip Inn (left), located across the road from the lake and one of the Great Sacandaga Lake's most popular bars and restaurants, The Sport Island Pub. The Flip Inn is also within walking distance of the Sacandaga Golf Course and one mile from a boat launch. The inn is a motor court in which you can drive up to your room or efficiency. The efficiencies include a stove, refrigerator, and kitchenette.

For an upscale but casual restaurant with some of the best lake and mountain views in Fulton County, try Lanzi's On The Lake (left) in Mayfield. The interior of this Italian-American restaurant boasts natural wood, high ceilings, and a wall of windows overlooking the water. This family-owned establishment, which also includes extensive outdoor seating and boat docks, offers a diverse menu filled with classics as well as unique items such as the Pasta Lanzi with sautéed mushrooms, artichokes, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, shrimp and chicken in a garlic sauce.

A more casual bar and restaurant atmosphere can be found at the Sport Island Pub. This popular restaurant and night spot on the Great Sacandaga Lake offers live music on weekends as well as a private beach and more than 40 docking slips for patrons. Though laid-back, Sport Island offers a variety of dishes from homemade soups and salads to steaks and pastas.

If you'd like something a little more in town, try the Railyard Restaurant in Gloversville. This 20-year-old family-style eatery (with a separate two-story pub called the Caboose in back) is located on the city's old rail yard and decorated with old Gloversville maps and train-themed art. Interesting daily specials, a large sandwich selection, traditional entree and unique chef's recommendations (including proscuitto and fontina cheese pasta bundles with artichoke hearts and tomatoes in a pesto cream sauce) will please a wide variety of tastes.

And for a taste of true country living, try the Main Street Kitchenette along Northville's small Main Street. Though its home-baked blueberry muffins and hearty breakfast are certainly a draw, the joy of this small, low-priced diner is watching regulars greet each other and trade town gossip from table to table.

See more info on dining

With some 15 bars and restaurants on or near the Great Sacandaga Lake alone, Fulton County is not lacking in nightlife options! For starters, if you're staying right on the Great Sacandaga, the place to go is the Sport Island Pub, where the party keeps going from afternoons spent swimming on its private beach to weekend evenings dancing to its beachside live music. Slips for up to 48 boats also draw boaters from around the lake.

Vic's Tavern, in Northville, is a sports bar with pool tournaments on Tuesday nights, TVs tuned to any game you can think of, and, as they like to put it, "the hottest wings on the lake!"

Sherman's (pictured, above left), on Caroga Lake, is not only an amusement park with carousel and ferris wheel, but it also offers an upstairs and downstairs bar that host bands and DJs of all descriptions throughout the warm-weather months.

See more info on nightlife

AIR: Fulton County is located one hour's drive from the Albany International Airport. Direct flights to Albany from New York City take roughly one hour and 10 minutes. Flights from Newark, NJ, and Boston are approximately one hour, with Chicago taking just over two hours.

CAR: Drive time from New York City is three hours, Albany one hour, and Philadelphia just under five hours. Drive time from Newark is three hours.

CAR RENTAL: Car rentals are available at the Albany International Airport from Avis (800-331-1212), Budget (800-527-0700), Enterprise (800-261-7331), Hertz (800-654-3131) and Alamo (800-462-5266).

TRAIN: Amtrak offers a three-hour and 20-minute train from New York's Penn Station to Amsterdam, which is nine miles from Gloversville and slightly further from the Sacandaga. Amtrak also offers four- to four-and-a-half-hour trains from Newark and Philadelphia, with stops in New York City.

BUS: Greyhound offers an eight-hour bus from Philadelphia, and a six-hour and 55-minute bus from Newark. Adirondack Trailways offers a one-and-a-half-hour bus from Albany to Gloversville and a four-hour bus from New York City.

Both companies drop off and pick up passengers at the Gloversville Transit System, at 109 West Fulton Street. The Transit building is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

TAXI: Numerous taxi companies, such as Gloversville's Express Taxi, are available in each of Fulton County's main towns. Check the local yellow pages.

See more info on transportation

Fulton County's roads are easy to navigate, as most attractions lie along its main routes. But the attractions can be spread out, so order a FREE map and tourist packet from the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce and plot your activities before you go.

www.44lakes.com - Fulton County Tourism Website

www.fultoncountyny.org - Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry

For a detailed map of Fulton County, click here