Love Hard, your latest holiday movie obsession, offers a fresh take on the fake relationship trope, among other innovations it would be an absolute crime to spoil. The narrative will warm your heart, but so will the setting. The film stars Nina Dobrev (Natalie Bauer), Darren Barnet (Tag) and Jimmy O. Yang (Josh Lin), and largely takes place in Lake Placid, New York — an adorable village nestled in New York State’s Adirondack Mountains. It’s an outdoor sports enthusiast’s dream, and for the rest of us, it’s a small town so deliciously charming it might as well be on a Christmas card. You’ll fall for the characters on screen, but you’ll also fall for the town. But before you plan that last-minute getaway, allow us to do the heavy lifting. This is your guide to living like Love Hard in Lake Placid, New York.

Fly into Lake Placid airport.

You could drive, take a bus or fly into the closest city — Burlington, Vermont — but where’s the fun in that? Nat flies to Lake Placid in her Los Angeles best (a motorcycle jacket, body-con dress, envy-worthy booties and… no tights.) Why not re-create the scene? 

Or, failing that, just go to the airport. It is tiny, adorable and if you’re in town for winter sports/the holidays, very, very cold. Dress accordingly, alright? Consider Natalie’s choice to be a cautionary tale.

Check out the Christmas lights.

Okay, so technically you could do this in your hometown, but there’s something especially magical about an upstate New York holiday display. They go all out. The snow is largely untouched. The village’s more than 2,000 residents really want to spread the cheer, making it well worth a quick drive by. 

Drink like a townie.

But stay away from the kiwi shots if you have a deathly allergy. Unfortunately, McGregor’s, the pub in Love Hard where Natalie does a memorable rendition of Meat Loaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love,” doesn’t exist, but there are a ton of comparable (and even more magical) spots in town to scratch that itch. Check out: Lake Placid Pub & Brewery or The Pickled Pig. Wiseguys Sports Bar & Grill hosts karaoke night on Saturdays, if you’re feeling brave. Or, you know, you feel like impressing a handsome local.

Hit up an outdoors sporting goods store.

Lake Placid is known for its winter sports — as evidenced in the movie — so why not do a little shopping for some gear for the slopes? If exerting any kind of physical effort isn’t your thing, you could always pull a Natalie and just sit by a roaring fire in a cute pair of overalls with a book. Even the stores are cozy as heck in Lake Placid. Shop, relax, exercise — do whatever you want!

Drive up and down Main Street.

Yes, this is a village with a real life Main Street. And yes, it is absolutely precious — especially around the holidays with snow on the ground. BRB, we’re moving our office to Lake Placid.

Hike the Adirondacks. 

New York is home to some of the world’s most magnificent mountains; it’s well worth putting on your boots and checking them out. Bonus points if you’re on a date. Your soon-to-be significant other will fall for the gorgeous vistas and the gorgeous… you, of course.

Bobsled and Luge. Seriously.

Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980 (not to mention the 1972 Winter Universiade, 2000 Goodwill Games and will host the 2023 Winter Universiade.) That means a couple of things. Instead of only offering run-of-the-mill winter activities, like skiing, Lake Placid runs the gamut. Ever thought about bobsledding? Luging? Well, hit up Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, home to the only combined bobsled, luge and skeleton track east of the Rockies. 

Happy traveling!