The Dewey Litl Loj

When I think of libraries, I think of the Dewey Decimal System – that clever categorization (which I’ve yet to puzzle out) of books set up in such a way so you can keep adding books to a section of the library without ever having to renumber them.  Well, Melvil Dewey, creator of the system, settled in Lake Placid, New York and started a resort. When the Florida real estate boom hit, Dewey was retired and widowed, and decided to take a look at what Florida had to offer.  Arriving in this region of many lakes, he immediately dubbed it “Lake Placid” and bought up land to create a grand resort.

The Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center, recent site of the Regional Tourism Conference, encompasses what remains of Dewey’s Florida empire. We met inside the Dewey Litl Loj, a gorgeous testaments to 1920s architecture with delicate embellishments inside the hall.  Howard Hughes, Henry Ford, and Winston Churchill once walked these halls.  Now a Christian camp, the complex primarily caters to church and youth groups, but is available for retreats and conferences, with a variety of halls that seat up to 700 people … and some of the best on-site catering I’ve had in such a venue, with extremely healthful food on the buffet.  If you’re planning a conference, it’s well worth checking them out!

Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center
2665 Placid View Dr
Lake Placid, FL 33852
863-465-2197