Wiawaka hosts weddings, family reunions, private retreats and group meetings on the east shore of Lake George, New York. Couples and families can reserve the entire property for a weekend, and groups of 15 or more can book a meeting space, meals and lodging. Five historic lodges sleep up to about 50 guests. The center was founded in 1903 and is a nonprofit run for women's programs.
Seminars and company events
Groups of 15 guests or more can reserve a meeting space together with group meals and lodging. Folding tables, chairs and audiovisual equipment are available. The format fits a nonprofit board retreat, a women's leadership workshop, a writing group or a team that wants a quiet, low-key setting by the water. All guests must be 18 or older.
Weddings and receptions
Wiawaka hosts private events in its shoulder seasons, May and June, then September and October. The base rate gives the couple or family exclusive use of the property for the weekend, and overnight lodging is added on top. Private events are being booked for 2027 and into 2028. Arrangements are made directly with the executive director.
Accommodation
Five buildings house guests. Fuller House has guest rooms on its second floor and sleeps 6. Wakonda Lodge, built in a rustic Adirondack style, sleeps 11. Mayflower Cottage sleeps 15 and Rose Cottage 9, both in single and double rooms. Lake House sleeps 16 in single rooms and is often booked whole by one group. The center gives an overall capacity of up to 50 people. Rooms have one or two twin beds and a fan, and bathrooms are shared.
Catering
Meals are prepared on site by the center's chef and kitchen staff and served buffet style in the Fuller Dining Room. Breakfast is continental. Lunch and dinner come with salad or seasonal soup, iced tea or lemonade and dessert, and dinner adds a hot main course. The kitchen offers options for dietary needs where it can, and every house has a refrigerator.
History and setting
Wiawaka opened in 1903 as a holiday house giving affordable rest to working women from the mill towns of Troy and Cohoes. It was founded by Mary Fuller, who led it until her death in 1943, with Katrina Trask as honorary president. Spencer Trask and George Foster Peabody had bought the former Crosbyside Hotel in 1902, Katrina Trask gave the property its name in 1905, and in 1908 she deeded the central 8 acres and their buildings to Fuller. The center describes itself as the oldest continuously operating women's retreat in the United States, and the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Getting there
The address is 3778 Route 9L, Lake George, New York 12845, on the east side of the lake, a short drive from Lake George village. Albany International Airport is about an hour south by car.
