Lake Placid Olympic Museum

Lake Placid Olympic Museum 2x Olympic Winter Games host city, preserving the legacy that inspires. Visit today!

Tell the world about the Olympic movement and Lake Placid's rich winter sports history in order to promote the values of the Olympic Games to the broadest possible audience.

Carving through history at Whiteface Mountain ❄️⛷️During the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington...
05/27/2026

Carving through history at Whiteface Mountain ❄️⛷️

During the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York, hosted the alpine skiing events, including downhill, slalom, and giant slalom competitions. From downhill speed to tight slalom turns, Whiteface was at the center of the alpine action in 1980.

This Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games luge helmet was hand-painted by renowned artist Jon Wooten, who first caught th...
05/21/2026

This Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games luge helmet was hand-painted by renowned artist Jon Wooten, who first caught the attention of the sliding world after his unique helmets debuted at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Since then, Wooten has created every Olympic team helmet for USA Luge.

This particular helmet is especially unique: it is the original prototype design for the 2010 Vancouver team and one of just 16 created for the U.S. Olympic Luge Team. Though never worn by an athlete, it represents the artistry and innovation behind the sport.

Each helmet can take about 10 hours to individually paint by hand. This helmet, in particular, used only about 15 grams of paint to keep it lightweight for competition. Designed in bold patriotic colors, the graphics were created to stand out clearly even at fast racing speeds.

To learn more about Wooten’s artistic process, follow this link: https://wydaily.com/sports/2026/02/05/road-to-milan-meet-the-williamsburg-native-behind-team-usas-luge-helmets/

Today, museums around the world are celebrating International Museum Day and this year’s theme, “Museums Uniting a Divid...
05/18/2026

Today, museums around the world are celebrating International Museum Day and this year’s theme, “Museums Uniting a Divided World.” 🌍

Museums have the power to bring people together through shared stories, dialogue, and experiences, and at the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, we see that connection through sport every day.

The Olympic Games unite athletes and spectators from across the globe, transcending language, borders, and differences. Through the stories preserved in our galleries, we’re proud to share the moments where sport inspired connection, understanding, and a sense of community worldwide.
International Council of Museums - ICOM

A frozen track, roaring crowds, and Olympic history in motion ❄️⛸️This photograph captures the first heat of the 10,000-...
05/15/2026

A frozen track, roaring crowds, and Olympic history in motion ❄️⛸️

This photograph captures the first heat of the 10,000-meter speed skating event at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. In the end, Team USA’s Irving Jaffee claimed gold, followed by Norway’s Ivar Ballangrud with silver and Canada’s Frank Stack with bronze.

A medal tie once is rare enough… but twice in the same Olympic bobsleigh program? 🤯This pin from the 1998 Olympic Winter...
05/08/2026

A medal tie once is rare enough… but twice in the same Olympic bobsleigh program? 🤯

This pin from the 1998 Olympic Winter Games features the lovable Snowlet mascots packed into a four-man bobsled — a fitting tribute to one of the most memorable sliding sport storylines of those Games.

In the two-man event, Italy and Canada tied, both earning gold medals with identical times of 00:03:37.240. Then, in the four-man event, Germany took gold while Great Britain and France shared the bronze after finishing with the exact same time of 00:02:40.060.

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Museum will be closed on May 11, 2026. Our regular hours, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, will resu...
05/06/2026

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Museum will be closed on May 11, 2026.

Our regular hours, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, will resume on May 12, 2026. We apologize for the inconvenience.

“May the 4th be with you” from Lake Placid Olympic Center ✨🤖During the 1980 Winter Olympics, this Coca-Cola-sponsored R2...
05/04/2026

“May the 4th be with you” from Lake Placid Olympic Center ✨🤖
During the 1980 Winter Olympics, this Coca-Cola-sponsored R2-D2 robot made appearances around Lake Placid — including outside the Olympic Center during the Games! A fun blend of Olympic excitement and pop culture from a galaxy far, far away. 🌌🥤

On February 22, 1980, the scoreboard inside the Olympic Center Fieldhouse told the story of one of the greatest moments ...
05/03/2026

On February 22, 1980, the scoreboard inside the Olympic Center Fieldhouse told the story of one of the greatest moments in sports history: USA 4 — USSR 3. As the final seconds ticked away in this medal-round game, the celebration that followed became forever known as the “Miracle on Ice.”

Today, we wish all of this year’s Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp participants an unforgettable experience as they step onto the same historic ice where the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team made history, right here in Lake Placid. We hope your weekend is filled with great memories, teamwork, and a little bit of that Olympic magic. 🏒✨

On February 10, 1932, skiers lined up at the Olympic Stadium in Lake Placid for the start of the 18 km cross-country rac...
05/01/2026

On February 10, 1932, skiers lined up at the Olympic Stadium in Lake Placid for the start of the 18 km cross-country race at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. Competitors tackled the challenging Mount Whitney route, climbing a total of 500 meters before returning to the stadium finish line. Sweden’s Sven Utterström claimed gold with a winning time of 1:23:07. 🥇🎿

Last fall, the museum partnered with the Mt Van Hoevenberg team and photographer Jordan Craig to digitize all nine Patti...
04/29/2026

Last fall, the museum partnered with the Mt Van Hoevenberg team and photographer Jordan Craig to digitize all nine Patti Bellantoni banners created for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Each velvet banner measures 14 feet, 5 inches long and depicts a different sporting event from the Games.

Now preserved in the archives of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, the banners were originally displayed in the mezzanine during competitions and later hung around the arena scoreboard for the Closing Ceremony (slide 4).

From the Lake Placid Olympic Museum Collection: Nine velvet banners designed by Patricia Bellantoni and produced by Banners Unlimited Inc., 1979.
Photographed by Jordan Craig, 2025.

Address

2634 Main Street
Lake Placid, NY
12946

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

(518) 523-1655

Website

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