Saratoga Springs NY

Time stands still in Saratoga - an area famous for its Victorian splendor. The beautifully preserved 19th century architecture delights the eye of every visitor. Follow Self-Guided Walking...Biking...and Driving Tours to best experience the 1,000+ Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Your first stop in Saratoga County should be the Urban Heritage Area's Visitor Center at the Drink Hall, 297 Broadway, Saratoga Springs - across from historic Congress Park. Here you will find local maps and all the info you need for you self-guided tours. Stately homes, Victorian cottages, beautiful gardens, and Yaddo, a majestic Artist's Retreat, are just a few of the treasures waiting to be discovered. Dozens of Saratoga's famous springs are still in operation, and can be sampled - absolutely free! Look for them in Congress Park, at the Race Track, at Saratoga Spa State Park, and the Iron Spring in Ballston Spa. No visit to Saratoga County is complete without a stop at The Saratoga National Historical Park. This is where the British forces surrendered to the American Colonials on October 17, 1777 - an event considered "The Turning Point of The American Revolution." You can explore the Visitor's Center, as well as drive, walk, or bike the 9 mile self-guided tour. Browse elegant boutiques.. and explore the fascinating countryside full of antique treasures. You'll love the sidewalk cafes...lakeside dining...country inns...and award winning restaurants and bistros. You'll discover hundreds of restaurants serving everything from French cuisine to homemade ice cream and the perfect after dinner coffee.End Your Evening Under The Stars with a candlelight picnic on the lawn at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center or as the sun sets over the fast pace of harness racing and world class polo. Then retire to one of the many charming hotels, motels, or bed & breakfasts.

Quick Tips:

If you plan your visit for the month of August be sure to visit the Saratoga Race Course. Considered by many the August place to be, this is one of the oldest throughbred flat tracks in the nation.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Adelphi Hotel is a grand Victorian hotel located in the heart of Historic downtown Saratoga Springs. All 39 guest rooms are individually appointed with lavish wall coverings, rare prints and antiques. In the morning, guests may enjoy the complimentary continental breakfast in their room, the parlor, piazza, or courtyard. During the hot summer months, guests can find the lavishly landscaped pool just beyond the courtyard...a tranquil spot for those wanting a cool, serene afternoon. The Adelphi's Cafe offers a full bar featuring fresh daquiries. During July & August dinner is served Wed - Sun beginning at 5pm.

This Victorian Mansion was built in 1873. I was called 'Saratoga's Crowning Jewel' by Country Inns Magazine. This beautiful home was the first home in the United States to carry a patent because its design was so unlike any other. Their 9 guest rooms each out do the other with their opulence and splendor. You feel like you stepped back into another era the minute you walk through the grand entrance doors into the beautiful center hall. A graceful staircase just invites you to explore the guest rooms upstairs. What could not be saved during renovations has been authenically replicated. The Inn offers a continental breakfast during the week and a full breakfast on the weekends. Each room has a television, telephone, and refrigerator stocked with Saratoga Springs water. When dinner time arrives the innkeepers put out a book containing menus from all the local dining establishments. When you return from your evening entertainment in Saratoga your bed will be turned down awaiting your return. Everyone deserves to be this pampered at least once in their life.

This restaurant used to be an A&W drive in. It is now home to the best BBQ in New York State. They are known for their chicken and ribs. The chicken comes in quarters or halves, a la carte or dinner. Slow-cooked over real charcoal and basted continuously to a golden brown. The ribs come by the half pound or pound, also a la carte or dinner. Slow-cooked over real charcoal and basted continuously. Their very own hickory sauce recipe is 'seared' on, making the meaty ribs tender, succulent and delicious.

This house is completely furnished ans decorated from the 1950's. A 1953 Chevy BelAir sat in the driveway fully equipped with fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror, while pink flamingo statues decorated the lawn. Every television in the house is from the 1950s, and all the appliances, including an old Maytag wringer washer, still work.

This amphitheatre has lawn, balcony and floor seats. If you choose the lawn make sure you pack a picnic and make and evening of it. There is a diverse offering of entertainment from world class ballet, wonderful orchestral evenings and also popular rock bands. A definite must see while you are in town.

You don't have to be a serious racing fan to love the beauty and excitement of thoroughbred horse racing in Saratoga. There is no place like it in the world. For over 130 years, some of the most heart stopping horse races in history have been won and lost here. Legendary races like those fought by Man O War - winning five races in Saratoga, as well as suffering the only loss in his career. Whether you cheer your champion on with a winning ticket or just watch the graceful beauty of the horses competing in a steeplechase the racing season at Saratoga offers something for everyone. The five week July/August meet is a summer festival, throughout all of Saratoga County. Music fills the air, glorious flowers burst from every window box, and hats are once again in style.

The Petrified Sea Gardens is a beautiful outdoor park that is home to almost an acre of exposed Stromatolite fossils approximately 500-million-years old! This huge slab of fossils was once part of an ocean-reef existing when the area that is now Saratoga Springs was at the edge of a warm tropical sea, (the continent was by the equator) and the entire world's life was still in the ocean. The self guided tour shows a series of glacial erratic--'standing stones' huge interesting rock formations from the last ice-age. As well as a labyrinth, a Native-American Medicine Wheel, a sundial garden, fossil rock-gardens, and a huge 300-year-old white pine tree: the 'Iroquois Pine.' Admission is $3 for adults, children 6-16 $1.50 and 5 and under are free. Plan to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy your afternoon here.

Horses leave the starting gate throughout the year at the Saratoga Equine Sports Center which is regarded as the fastest and most beautiful half-mile harness track in America.

The National Museum of Dance is the only museum in the country devoted exclusively to American dance - from ballet to broadway, modern to jazz, ethnic to tap. Admission to the Museum is $3.50 for Adults, $2.50 for Students and Seniors, and Children under twelve $1.00. Museum Hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday thru Sunday (June 1st - Dec 17th)

Yaddo is a 400 acre artist community. It was original established in 1900 by Spencer Trask and his wife Katrina. It has provided. Visitors have included James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Aaron Copland, Alfred Kazin, Ulysses Kay, Jacob Lawrence, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Anne Porter, Mario Puzo, Clyfford Still, and Virgil Thomson. Some believe that the land itself at Yaddo is the source of mystical creative power. The property on which Yaddo now stands previously housed a tavern operated by Jacobus Barhyte, a Revolutionary War veteran. Many well-known writers of the 1830s and 1840s dined at Barhyte's tavern, among them Edgar Allen Poe, who is said to have written at least part of 'The Raven' on a visit. While the main house is closed to the public their gardens are open daily. Some of most beautiful roses bloom here. Children of all ages will delight in the goldfish ponds. This is definately a must see and who knows who you might just run into wandering among the flowers.