As summer approaches and city pavements heat up, so do our plans for coastal getaways that offer cool dips by day and comfortable waterfront breezes by night. Ocean escapes are obvious draws, but we suggest turning your attention inland. The Northeast is lucky to lay claim to several large lakes, many of them storied summer resort destinations, that often offer more bang for your buck and less traffic en route than a crawl across the Sagamore. Here’s a guide to six lovely lakes that provide the beachy appeal of the Atlantic, not to mention diverse options for four-season fun.

SEBAGO LAKE

Hidden in the thick of Maine’s tall pines waits the state’s deepest lake, teeming with options for fun on the water while baiting those in need of R&R with killer Vacationland sunsets.

Where to stay: If Vineyard Vines established an adult summer camp, it might look like Migis Lodge. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, it’s an enclave of 35 polished lakefront cottages where you can kick off your penny loafers and espadrilles before hopping into a kayak left casually waiting on your private parcel of sandy beach. Your itinerary includes morning tennis matches, afternoon rubdowns in a forested massage hut and lobster bakes under the pink dusk sky. Jackets-required dinners commingle with marshmallow roasts at a fire pit, keeping the vibe classy-casual—like a sharp navy blazer with thistle-stuck plaid patches at the elbow.

Where to eat: Locals will send you to Top of the Hill Grille, a simple family diner that keeps its coffee pot hot, its breakfast breads freshly baked and its corned beef, used for signature lunch sandwiches, house-cured. But you should also take the 7-minute ferry ride to Frye Island, home of Frye’s Leap General Store & Cafe, which serves smart sandwiches, gourmet pizzas and whole belly clams right on the water.

What to do: Migis can hook you up with private waterskiing and wakeboarding lessons in the summer, and “Autumn Adventure” outings include expert-led nature walks and lobster boat excursions. The lake’s State Park is one of the country’s first; its 1,400 acres span a 250-site campground, beaches for fishing and miles of hiking trails used for cross-country skiing in winter. And Sebago is flanked by two retro rarities: the Bridgton Twin and Prides Corner drive-ins, perfect places for clasping hot buttered hands during a flick under the stars.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN

New England’s largest lake feels positively mythic thanks to stunning, Quebec-facing horizon views across its blue waters—home, if you buy the folk tales, to Champ, America’s answer to the Loch Ness monster.

Where to stay: Champlain is bordered by Burlington, Vermont’s largest “city,” a crunchy, cobblestone-lined metropolis of 42,000. Hotel Vermont takes great advantage of its proximity to lake life and downtown address, tricking out a Pottery Barn-meets-dairy barn aesthetic with amenities that’ll appeal to city slickers: loaner bikes for wheeling to the nearest free-trade coffee shop, a “Bedtime Menu” that delivers flannel PJs to your room and an in-house “beer concierge” offering tours of local taprooms. It also houses Juniper Bar, which pours the hotel’s own branded gin and vodka amid live music, and the second location of Hen of the Wood, an award-winning farm-to-table spot for New England foodie bucket lists.

Where to eat: You will not want for options in Burlington, where artisan cheesemakers, charcutiers and brewers keep ploughman platters covered. Wood-fired gourmet pizzas at American Flatbread are a hit; so are the fruity cocktails and surf-and-turf at Splash at the Boathouse, billed as Champlain’s only on-lake restaurant. But food nerds really need to check out The Essex, a culinary resort where you can dine at the quirky Junction restaurant or sign up for countless “Cook Academy” classes that cover pasta making, cooking with beer, Southern grilling styles and more.

What to do: Champlain is great for lake lovers and landlubbers alike. When not paddleboarding, fly fishing, hunting for Champ on a lake cruise or exploring the murky deep (Waterfront Diving Center runs excursions to several shipwreck sites), you can find cider-paired seminars at ECHO AfterDark, a series run by the local marine science center, crisscross islands en route to Canada by driving the foliage-festooned Lake Champlain Byway or sip your way along the Lake Champlain Coast Wine Trail, where vineyards make the most of a microclimate great for growing grapes, apples and berries.

LAKE PLACID

Photo Credit: Wild Walk: Roost / adirondacksusa.com

Tucked in by the Adirondack High Peaks, this tranquil destination in upstate New York has cooler climes—but as the only U.S. site to host two Winter Olympics, it’s also a sporty spot with lots of outdoor activities to get the blood pumping.

Where to stay: Aim for Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, the only resort located directly on Placid’s smaller neighboring sibling, Mirror Lake. The eco-friendly property—the first in the country to notch platinum status from Audubon International—embraces the region’s terrain: Think golf and gondola lake cruises in summer, a cross-country skier’s paradise in winter. It can also hook you up with an “Olympic Sites Passport” that provides admittance to the nearby Whiteface Mountain, the Olympic Sports Complex and other locations key to the 1932 and 1980 games. The passport grants you discounts on activities too, so you can careen down the old bobsled track with a professional driver or go “extreme summer tubing” down the chute of a 90-meter ski jump complex. Add some dips in the lake, and you’ll sleep well in your balcony-equipped room on the water.

Where to eat: Taste Bistro & Bar casts a wide net for upscale comfort foods, serving everything from lobster-filled fisherman’s stew to smoked duck poutine washed down with scotch flights. Artisans at Lake Placid Lodge, with its large patio overlooking the water and mountains, is recognized by Relais & Châteaux for its refined tasting menu—and its vaulted brick wine cellar invites private romantic dinners. But when craving ’cue, it’s all about live music, whiskey and sauce-slathered ribs at Smoke Signals.

What to do: If you tire yourself out with lake watersports and Olympic-style exertions, you can stick to spectatorship at the Ironman Lake Placid triathlon, America’s second oldest Ironman competition, held every summer. And it’s worth the 40-minute drive to visit the Wild Center, a wonderful nature center with forest trails, animal exhibits and the recently opened Wild Walk. Dubbed the “High Line of the Forest,” it’ll take you over the treetops on swinging bridges and platform structures, including a four-story treehouse.

LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE

The Granite State’s grande dame—21 miles long at her widest point—is a summer resort from the bygone era of vaudeville circuits and paddleboat cruises that retains plenty of quirky character.

Where to stay: Historic charm abounds at Wolfeboro Inn, a bayside property in a namesake town that bills itself as “America’s oldest summer resort.” The cozy, rambling inn has a private beach, and you can catch a ride on the hotel’s Winnipesaukee Belle, a 150-passenger replica of the 19th-century paddle-wheel boats that once meandered the lake; now it runs seasonal scenic and music cruises. Afterward, hunker down in the rustic Wolfe’s Tavern and work toward membership in the “Mug Club,” an elite group of guests paid tribute with personalized pewter mugs, which hang proudly from the pub ceiling after they sip through all 100 beers.

Where to eat: Wolfeboro, on the southeast side of Winnipesaukee, has a number of worthy casual waterfront joints, like the Wolfetrap Grill & Raw Bar, where the lobsters are steamed hot and the oysters served chilled, and Garwoods Restaurant & Pub, which boasts an eclectic menu and a spectacular lake deck. (Afterward, fill a growler at the Lone Wolfe Brewing Co., a one-man operation with a 20-seat tasting room.) For something more refined, visit Mise en Place, a small gourmet dining room that stands apart from the typical surf-and-turf slingers.

What to do: Besides water activities like kayaking and canoeing, you should plan on driving around Winnipesaukee’s perimeter. Visit Castle in the Clouds, a 16-room mountaintop mansion just off the north shore. Get to Gunstock Mountain Resort on the south side, where ski trails yield to summertime zip lines and aerial adventure courses. And after taking in the tacky boardwalk fun of the west coast’s Weirs Beach (home to Funspot, one of the world’s largest vintage arcade game collections), class things up at Hermit Woods Winery, maker of boutique bottles invoking wild local blueberries, harvested raw honey and floral infusions.

CHITTENDEN RESERVOIR

For a feeling of total seclusion, turn to this comparatively modest, 750-acre manmade reservoir, the result of damming a nearby creek. Rich with wildlife and coves for kayak launches, it’s totally encircled by Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.

Where to stay: The lakefront itself is almost entirely undeveloped, so you’ll opt for overnighting at Mountain Top Inn & Resort, where the rustic-chic guest suites and handful of cabins are perched on 350 wooded acres overlooking the reservoir. Indulge in body wraps or slink into a cedar sauna at the farmhouse-inspired spa; then clink local craft brews at the cozy resort tavern. It’s really all about solitude in natural surroundings here, so unwind in a lounge chair on the resort’s private beach, hit hiking trails with a chef-packed picnic lunch, practice clay bird shooting or go bass fishing on the rentable fishing boat. Mountain Top also offers one of New England’s only on-property equestrian programs, so you’ll learn to trot in awe-inspiring environs.

Where to eat: You’ll probably rely on the resort’s Mountain Top Dining Room and its lovely American lodge menu for most of your feedings. But locals also sing the praises of the delish deli sandwiches at the Wooden Barrel, a quaint country store in a filling station. For breakfast, get to Sugar and Spice, a family-owned business that sells its housemade maple syrup in the gift shop and slathers it across stellar sweet and savory eats.

What to do: It’s all about peace and quiet here, but when you’re not lazing lakeside you can journey to the taprooms at Long Trail Brewing Company and Woodchuck Cider, or take advantage of the summer fun—including a golf course, mountain biking trails and a ropes course—at Killington Resort. Explore the quaint nearby towns of Rutland, home to the Chaffee Art Center, housed inside a 19th-century Victorian home, and Woodstock, where the Billings Farm & Museum, one of America’s top dairy farms, offers tours and special events.

LAKE GEORGE

Gilded Age wealth flocked to the shores of this long, narrow sapphire nestled in the green of eastern New York’s Adirondacks, building Newport Mansion-sized “cottages” and catalyzing a summer colony that still thrives today.

Where to stay: One of the region’s earliest resorts remains one of its best. The Sagamore Resort is a historic Victorian property that rambles between 137 contemporary guest rooms, condos and “The Castle,” a six-bedroom stone home on the water that fits 12 guests, if you can find a dozen pals to split the (lofty but worth-it) rate. There’s a full spa and eight different dining options—from white-tablecloth Italian at La Bella Vita to open-air cocktails at the LakeHouse—plus tennis, tiered pool decks and hotel-facilitated excursions on the Morgan, a replica of a 19th-century tour ship.

Where to eat: With the Sagamore’s sophisticated options, you may find yourself craving some culinary counterprogramming to all the fine fare. Between swims, sink into picnic chairs at Boardwalk Restaurant, featuring live music and fried seafood baskets on its deck lofted over the lake, or hit up the Pizza Jerks for inventively topped pies (like the Philly Steak, adorned with roast beef and garlic butter sauce). Swing by Smokey Joe’s Saloon & Grill, a barebones BBQ joint with rave-worthy ribs, and The Silo Restaurant and Country Store, an irreverent breakfast- and lunch-only favorite inside a repurposed farm silo.

What to do: The Adirondack Theatre Festival imports NYC actors for summer stock performances of cabarets and contemporary musicals, like July’s one-percenter-focused farce A Comedy of Manors; more experimental works come from the Lake George Theater Lab. Outfitters like Wild Waters Outdoor Center can get you equipped for a white-water rafting excursion on the Hudson River, while SunKiss Ballooning will send you sky-high in a hot air balloon; ballooning is big around Lake George, which fills the sky with them during an annual September festival.