Fort Ticonderoga

I love the fort. I have been a rev-​war reenactor for 20 years and for half of them i have attended the fort ti event. I love this place. The fort is redone and you can get a great feel for what it must have been like living in the fort back in the 1700’s.
I personally enjoy the artillery and mortars they have on display on the parapat.
Inside the exhibits are outstanding and they keep everything in such good condition. The King’s gardens are beautiful and I can just stroll in them for hours at a time. The view of the lake and surrounding mountains are breath taking.
This is my favorite historical place in NY. It is a true gem.

It is a fantastic site and full of things to do. The museum and fort are amazing. The sites outside as well as the re-​enactors are amazing. It is a must see for all Americans especially history buffs.

If nothing else, you get to walk around on a piece of American history… and what a lot of history happened here! The admission fee seems high, but in the end, the view and history was worth it. We didn’t even stop at the gardens because the fort itself was fantastic. The staff in the bookstore and the actors seemed a bit aloof, but once engaged they did their job. The downside is that Mt. Defiance is also owned by this group and they charge you another $ 10 to go there… seems a bit much!

This was really an interesting place to visit. It wasn’t that expensive either at about $ 17.00 per person. There was a nice gift shop, a café, and easy access to bathrooms. There were plenty of activities to attend to as well. Each day they have tours every few hours. The tours of course take you where you could go on your own, but you have the benefit of having someone who knows about the relics, place, and history to tell you all about it. The staff were incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable. The reason for my four stars instead of five comes down to personal assessment. While I was entertained and really enjoyed the sites I just felt like there could have been a little more. I didn’t get to try the food in the café, so maybe that would have swung me to the five star rating.

Beautiful setting on Lake Champlain. The fort was used during the French and Indian War and is well preserved. Many planned events, check out their calendar before you go. Also beautiful gardens. Stunning views.

Excellent stop on our upstate NY road trip! Educational and truly a beautiful location. The staff/​reenacters are awesome — they really know their stuff. The military museum was very cool too — lots of great things to see in there! A must see and great for all ages.

If you are a history buff and you’re in the Vermont /​New York borderlands, then Fort Ticonderoga is a must. This fort played big roles in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. It was built by the French, then turned over to the British and conquered by the Americans. Occupants include George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Montcalm.
Most of the fort has been restored with a whole new building that was constructed on one end. The exhibits throughout the fort are excellent which depict first hand accounts of those who were there, weapons and other artifacts of the time.
There are a number of reenactments throughout the day including actors in various rooms doing various tasks of the time. They interacts with the tourists and answer any questions on what life was like in the fort.
You need at least 2 hours here. We got here an hour before closing and were rushed.

Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain is a fascinating stop for anyone who has even a modest interest in American history. We won’t go into details of that history here, but note that the fort figured into the Seven Years War (aka, the French and Indian War) and the American Revolution, and that a number of important military figures in the 18^th century passed through here, among them George Washington, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen. The fort — privately operated, not part of the national park system — has been largely re-​created since most of it was destroyed by the beginning of the 20^th century. That work has been done quite handsomely and to a great extent, realistically, making a visit here an opportunity for most of us to brush up on our nation’s early history in a pretty painless way.
There are brief tours offered during the day, but mostly it’s a guide yourself experience. To enhance that, there are some period costumed actors/​workers to answer questions and talk about life here in the 18^th century. We found the shoemaker particularly interesting along with one of the musicians and the women making clothes for the re-​enactors. Just outside the stone walls some of the men were building wood huts for winter housing, putting down wooden flooring above sites that may be excavated for archaeological findings in the near future. We enjoyed chatting with a group of actors preparing food over fire pits, too. There are a number of exhibits showcasing everything from weapons used at the fort to eating utensils and clothing.
in addition, there’s a sit-​down or take-​out café inside the visitor center which has surprisingly tasty fare, only slightly over-​priced, and served quickly by a friendly staff. In fact, everyone we encountered in and around the fort was friendly and helpful, save one rather grumpy woman in the gift shop. It adds up to a visit we felt was well worth our time (while admitting we are history buffs and inclined to like this sort of thing). We did visit in mid-​September, so the fort wasn’t crowded, which delighted us. On a very busy summer weekend, we suppose, things could get a bit busy, but whenever you arrive, there’s a lot to do for everyone in the family, youngsters included.

I brought my 7 year old son to Fort Ticonderoga and am so glad I did! The grounds are impeccably maintained with spectacular views. We were greeted in the gift shop and café with very friendly staff who directed us to the counter to get a map and a scavenger hunt for us. There were non stop reenactments happening all around the grounds. Young adults (students) as well as adults. They shot off muskets with full explanation and narration. My son was in awe. There were craft tables, constant tours, every part of the fort is accessible. The views are spectacular. We followed the band of fife and drums down to The Kings Garden with other visitors. The gardens are pristine. They offered boards with paper, brushes and water colors so my son could sit and paint while I sat on a bench and soaked in the peaceful atmosphere. Under the sunflowers they set 6 Adirondack chairs for kids. The photographs of my son are so picturesque everyone asks where we were. I highly recommend this fort!!!

Review first for America’s Fort Café, the restaurant inside (four stars) and then for the Fort overall experience (five stars, with caveats).
You *can* just go to the museum shop/​café without paying entrance — when you come to the gate, tell them you’re not going into the fort and they won’t charge you the gate fee. (You need a sticker to get into the fort.) You can also access the little-​used but excellent hiking trails and history walk without paying admission.
We were pleasantly surprised by the café. The seating is a little crowded, with some community-​table-​style sharing for longer tables, but it’s more than made up for by the fact you have a stunning lake view, and on our visit, very pleasant breezes. Service was very fast, both from the server and the kitchen.
The fare is basically diner food, but with very cute names. (The Montcalm Cristo sandwich, etc.) It’s overpriced, as you would expect, but was definitely very well done relative to the usual diner fare. Plus, you can get local beers, and they have a little of the old colonial tavern flare. So if you’re going to plan your visit around lunch, you could do a lot worse. (We didn’t spot any picnic tables, fwiw, not sure about their picnic policy.)
The Fort: this is a recreation, not the authentic fort, and it’s doubtful any of the succession of French, British, or American forts that occupied this space was quite like what’s here today. The other caveat I provide is that this is a private historical site, not a national or state park, and as such there’s a bit of a skew on the history to make the narrative fit into a sort of broader patriotic theme that is, if I can put this delicately, more political than historical. (This is common to most private historical society sites, from Mount Vernon on down, where the impetus to stay in business even for non-​profits suggests overemphasizing the importance of a place and neglecting some unpleasant truths).
All that said, there’s a ton to recommend this for both history buffs and those taking their kids on the history tour. The Fort itself is pretty impressive, nearing the end of a 100+ year effort to create a master plan for the site. The exhibits are a little random, but the artifacts they have — both originals and some recreations or copies — are quite interesting (including a display on ships of the US Navy that have borne the name of Ticonderoga). We particularly liked the series of historical maps, posted near windows where you could see many of the features described. Somewhat surprising, the history of Fort Carillon, the earlier French fort on the site, was well represented and the French are not just seen as a bump on the road to get to the Americans and British.
Also a bit of a surprise: there wasn’t a long narrative about the Allan/​Arnold/​Knox trek to take the cannons from Ticonderoga to Washington’s army in Massachusetts in ’76, even though that’s what the fort is best known for in popular (American) history; while it’s not ignored I expected there would be more on this topic.
The re-​enactors scattered around are great — friendly, knowledgeable (we had a really nice conversation with the cobblers about their craft), showing a bit of camp life, and performed some excellent demonstrations (the small musket demonstration was particularly well-​done and detailed, and we enjoyed the Fife and Drum music).
One other lacuna: lack of an exhibit on the archaeology and restoration (or recreation) of the fort over the last 100 years. Maybe they don’t want to pull the curtain so you can see Oz, but I’d be interested in that, which has both interest for preservationists and has its own interesting, odd history from what I know of it.
There’s a lack of a guided tour, and visitors are left a bit to themselves to wander the parts of the Fort that are open. They do have a schedule of special events, all of which we missed.
If you come in August to October, leave time for the corn maze (down by the gardens) — you can walk down with the Fife and Drum corps at two points during the day, which is sort of fun, or drive down to save your energy for the maze. It’s just a regular corn maze, albeit with some topical things cut into the corn, but it’s a well done maze.
The gift store is dialed up with some of the usual colonial chaff (tricorn hats, play guns, fake aged copies of the founding documents, keychains, etc.), but they do have some nice things you don’t see everywhere — a set of reproduction maps and illustrations, and a pretty nice selection of historical books. But again, they’re missing a basic single-​volume guidebook to the history at the Fort, tied in to the exhibits. They really need to hire a historian to write such a thing.
Fort and exhibits are 0% ADA compliant, btw. Stairs and bad transitions everywhere.
Recommended, with the asterisks above.

I was a bit shocked, as a rude New York City dude myself, that all the staff from the ticket seller /​cashiers to the re-​enactment actors were friendly, helpful and professional. I heard a lot of silly questions from all the tourists — but yet the staff all took them seriously and patiently answered each and everyone of them.
I had an incredible good time there — enjoyed both the fort and the well manicured gardens.

This is a must see for any history buff like myself.
The grounds themselves are immaculate, though with the charge to enter, which is indeed very high, they should be. I was surprised to see a historical site like this was privately owned. Upon entering, a café and gift shop will greet you with a map and schedule of the days events. The grounds are extensive, so arriving early would be suggested. We came on a weekend when their were several reenactments occurring and it was crowded, which has to do with my biggest complaint. They only have one shuttle bus with 12 seats to ferry people from the fort to the battlegrounds. It’s not a huge walk, but there was more than one elderly person along the way I simply saw sitting on the ground resting as they couldn’t continue. The man driving the shuttle may as well been the banjo picking inbred from Deliverance for all his knowledge. He couldn’t even tell us when he would be back and had no schedule while the rest of the fort runs precisely on set scheduled events. It was very annoying.
Once inside the fort, you’ll find a history going back for the ancient Native Americans to the current private restoration of the fort. There are literally hundreds of artifacts, weapons etc. from the Champlain discovery of the region, through the French and Indian and Revolution, including some of the only known surviving uniforms of the American Revolutionists. Wandering from room to room, you’ll come upon reenactors such as tailors, gunsmiths, and soldiers who provide you with great detail about the time period. The King’s Garden, located near the entrance is a place you will able to explore for a few hours if you like flowers and plants and is a great photography spot. a
All in all, it’s one of the most thorough and enjoyable walks back through time I’ve taken in my many historical ventures. Just get a bigger bus and more competent man to drive it.

Amazing 18^th Century Gem. Not many reminders of this period but Fort Ticonderoga represents that era at the highest level. The journey across the River was breath taking. We arrived at the Fort, with our first stop being the Garden. The Garden on the grounds was beautiful. The Fort itself Transformed you into a different time, the people who were working at the Fort did a great job with the reenactment. We saw a display on how to shoot a 18^th Century musket. We also learn a little about the French troops who were station at the Fort. A wonderful trip.

Get your history fix here!
I did not like history when I was a teen. Memorizing a bunch of names and dates — phooey! But after I started to travel, I realized history was the lines connecting the dots. Many such lines pass through Fort Ticonderoga.
Privately owned by a NON-​PROFIT organization, Fort Ticonderoga is a genuine piece of North American history. It’s well-​preserved/​restored, very scenic, and the interpreters are excellent. Be sure to attend the guided tour and spend time in the main building with hundreds of artifacts.
The on-​site dining was good, with reasonable prices considering the captive audience. Staff was great. Knowing that profits went back into the attraction made it even better. The coffee was pretty good, too. Had to pass on the tempting apple pie, though.
Lots of maps, books, and other stuff to buy if that’s your thing.
We didn’t have time for the 6-​acre corn maze or the King’s Garden… maybe next time. If you want to do everything, plan for a full day here.
SUMMARY
If I were a history teacher and lived within an hour of here, I’d bring my students in a heartbeat. Not cheap (about $ 50 for the four of us; AAA and other discounts are out there), but well worth it. AAA says it’s a «gem» — we agree.

This was the highlight of my husband’s recent trip to Lake Champlain valley. I liked the restoration work, the very informative costumed interpreters and a very good museum display of period weapons (plus other artifacts). They have AAA discount.
The café in the gift shop was a pleasant surprise: great views over lake Champlain, offers local beer & wine and our lunch was very tasty — yummy clam chowder and a fresh, delicious salad. My husband’s turkey sandwich was stuffed full of meat.

Very interactive. My boys and I really enjoyed it. If you’ve been before, note they have made some improvements in the past few years.
Costumed employees were very informative and open to questions.
New addition of The King’s Garden is nice. Hopefully they are able to raise the money to restore the old Pell house but in the meantime, strolling their lake front garden is wonderful.
Decent gift shop too.

While the historical artifacts featured here are fascinating, I would recommend coming for the views and The King’s Garden. It seems that EVERY flower was in bloom while we were there. The Pavilion, a former private residence and hotel located behind the garden, has fallen into disrepair. Still, if you shut your eyes, you can envision carriages arriving for the weekend.

An important part of the revolutionary war, when you come and visit you are walking on the same grounds that George Washington, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and others have gone before.
The fort is in excellent condition. We happen to go on the same day as the Scottish Festival, and it was really cool to have bagpipe bands playing and be surrounded by folks in historic outfits, which added another layer of historic authenticity to our visit.
The fort offers impressive panoramic views of Lake Champlain and this alone is worth the $ 15 admission price. If you have AAA they will give you 10% off. Children under 7 are free.

More like 4.5 stars, actually. My husband and I went in the autumn. It was one of the last days before the closing for the season. I imagine that it gets busy in the summer and that that would have made for a less pleasant experience. There are many guided tours on offer of which we took the diseases tour, which happened to be starting as we walked in and turned out to be really interesting. The fort itself is really nice and the views are stunning. I will add some pictures. The cold, frosty weather added something to it. I imagine the sunsets are stunning too. Unlike me my husband grew up in the US and was very excited to see an important historical sight he learned about at school.
They lose half a point for their not so nice modern refurbishments in part of the building.

I love Fort Ti. Its a cool old FORT made of granite blocks. The fort is huge and over looks Lake Champlain and you can see the Vermont on the other side of the lake.
Some things that I thought were cool:
Old cannons
A lock of hair from George Washington
The prison cells (Very dark and scary!!!)
Old swords and bayonets
Wooden teeth. dentures. (I don’t know)
I did not see any Native Indian’s or Frenchmen hashing it out, but It s a fun place to roam, wander, and take in the beautiful scenery.
Be sure to go on a clear sunny day. As most of the fort is outside.