Saratoga County
— Weekend Getaway
by Jeff Tompkins

Saratoga! The name conjures images of horse racing, luxurious spa treatments, and one of the most celebrated main streets anywhere in the United States. You can read about all those things and more in EscapeMaker's profile of Saratoga Springs. But it's worth pointing out that Saratoga is an entire county, and that the reasons to come here don't stop once you've explored the town and all it has to offer.

For instance, one of the most crucial battles ever fought in North America took place less than half an hour away from downtown. You can pay an entertaining and enlightening visit to that sacred ground, and tour the county's eastern side, ending up at an apple orchard or a French bistro, while you're at it. Further south, meanwhile, you can explore the old canal country and see why there's a growing revival of interest in this area of marine transportation and commerce. And outdoor lovers will revel in the wealth of opportunities Saratoga County offers for hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and camping—to name only the warm-weather activities!

All of these attractions and more are here waiting for you. So whether you're a newcomer to the area, or whether you're already in love with Saratoga Springs and want to branch out, we think the following suggestions will be welcome additions to your itinerary.

 
  THINGS TO DO IN SARATOGA

The best place to begin exploring Saratoga County NY is by dropping into the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center, at 297 Broadway. Open daily from 9 am to 4 pm (but closed on Sundays from December through March), the Center can provide you with maps and brochures in addition to answering whatever questions you have about the region. Saratoga County's Chamber of Commerce (at 28 Clinton St., two blocks from Broadway) is an equally reliable source of information, and in July and August you can also try the Chamber's Information Booth in the center of town (Broadway at Congress Park).

REDCOATS AND REBELS
Approximately a twenty-minute drive southeast of Saratoga Springs, in Stillwater, lies the Saratoga National Historical Park. The American victory over the British at Saratoga in October 1777 is widely regarded as one of the pivotal battles in world history—had the Yanks not won here, their bid for independence could very well have been doomed. It's a compelling story (among other things, you'll learn that a certain Benedict Arnold was one of the heroes of Saratoga), and the Park tells it so well you just might come away from here having learned more about the American Revolution in one day than you did in all of high school.

Start at the Visitor Center before you visit the battlefields proper—a fiber-optic light display and a short film lay out the terrain for you, and even better are the park rangers who can answer seemingly any question a layperson sends their way. Then, beginning from the south end of the Visitor Center parking area, follow the auto tour, which winds through the actual battlegrounds and other strategic spots in the Park proper before continuing north on Route 4. (The auto tour inside the Park is open from April through November 30 of each year, weather permitting.)

Outside the Park grounds, follow Route 4 eight miles north up to Schuylerville. Two quick stops right off the road are the Schuyler House, the country estate of American General Philip Schuyler, and Fort Hardy Park, the actual site where General Burgoyne laid down British arms on October 17, 1777. Visitors may also notice an emerging arts corridor along Schuylerville's main street, a happy sign of the town's improving fortunes.

Your tour culminates, appropriately, in the village of Victory, home of the recently renovated Saratoga Battle Monument; make it to the top of the Monument (155 feet high!) and you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of not only Saratoga County to the west but also, looking east, the Hudson River and Vermont! (You may also want to stop at the apple orchard located conveniently on the way to the Monument.)

BOTTLES AND BATHS
The word "charming" might just as well have been coined to describe the village of Ballston Spa, almost a Saratoga Springs in miniature. A thriving resort community in the later nineteenth century, Ballston Spa is the site of several once-famous mineral water springs and became a popular "watering hole" for the upper crust during the heyday of the mineral water industry.

Sometimes described as a veritable outdoor architecture museum, the village still retains much of its earlier grandeur. Newcomers will want to stroll down Milton Avenue, the main drag, for its splendid Victorian buildings alone (not surprisingly, this part of town is now an official historic district), but the shops themselves are a draw in their own right. Vintage items abound at The Antique Store. And when you want to sit down and "pour" over your finds, Coffee Planet (left) dispenses gourmet coffee and teas from around the world in a laid-back cafÈ atmosphere.

Milton Avenue also boasts a one-of-a-kind attraction in the National Bottle Museum. This storefront museum's avowed mission is to preserve the history of this country's first major industry: bottle making. The ground floor alone holds one wall displaying some 2000 bottles of every conceivable shape, size, and color; even skeptics will be struck by just how beautiful many of these artifacts are. In addition to regularly changing exhibits the Bottle Museum offers glassblowing classes, and it also sponsors a 160-table antique bottle show and sale here every June.

Just off Milton Avenue, still within the historic district, Front Street also merits a visit. If you want the complete Ballston Spa experience, go for the full-service treatment at the Medbery Inn & Spa, where visitors can pamper themselves with mineral baths, facials, body treatments, waxing, massages, makeup, pedicures, and aromatherapy.

One glance in the old-fashioned display window will show that Fishers' Variety Store appears to hold just about every kind of merchandise imaginable. Across the street, next to the charming, vest-pocket-sized Wiswall Park, The Shops at Front Street combine gallery space with a set of artists' studios; new exhibitions go up regularly, and studios are open to the public as well. Finally, architecture buffs should be sure not to miss the striking red-brick office building at the corner of Front and Bath, which dates from 1873.

IT'S A LOCK
Thanks to geography, the southeastern corner of Saratoga County has its own unique history. The convergence of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers and the Champlain and Erie Canals made the town of Waterford a major point of entry to the New York State canal system by the mid-nineteenth century. Boats and barges plied these waters for decades, shuttling goods and materials between the east coast and the Great Lakes area.

Today, the canal system is used largely for recreation, but Waterford is still home to a working waterfront that hosts hundreds of boaters exploring the nearby rivers and canals each year. The Waterford Harbor Visitors Center has a fun "promenade tour" of the Erie and Champlain Canals built right into its sidewalk; see how locks work and trace the canals' routes in miniature there before you set out along the Champlain Canal Byway—some of the tugs are just plain adorable. Drive, bike or boat this officially designated "New York State Scenic Byway" along Route 4 and the Hudson River/Champlain Canal from Waterford through the historic villages of Halfmoon, Mechanicville, and Stillwater before ending up 64 miles later in Whitehall, birthplace of the United States Navy.

Waterford also celebrates its maritime-industrial heritage every September with its annual Tugboat Roundup (above left). Usually held the weekend after Labor Day, the festival has grown to the point where approximately 25,000 people descend on this sleepy canal town each year for a chance to see these uniquely endearing vessels up close. Tours of the visiting tugs are offered, along with boat rides, children's activities, fireworks, live music, and other attractions.

ENTERING THE NORTH COUNTRY
The northwest corner of Saratoga County, which includes the southern edge of Adirondack State Park, is an outdoor-lover's paradise. From downtown Saratoga Springs, follow Route 9N north up to Corinth and within a half hour you'll be impressed both by how scenic the countryside becomes and by how quickly the population thins out. The southern end of the Great Sacandaga Lake is a treat any time of the year: a great place to explore by snowshoe, cross-country ski, or snowmobile in winter, as well as a major destination for kayakers and whitewater rafters in the summer. (The 29-mile lake boasts 125 miles of shoreline, so there's no shortage of places to put in.) Paddlers can head to the Sacandaga Outdoor Center in the town of Hadley for kayak lessons and rentals, and the Center can also set you up for whitewater rafting and tubing.

See more info on activities and businesses

 
  LODGING

In addition to being a spa and salon (see above), the Medbery Inn & Spa, left, offers 11 handsomely appointed rooms that combine old-fashioned amenities like comfy robes and slippers with up-to-the-minute conveniences like data ports and DVD players. Step out onto the front porch and sit in one of the rocking chairs, and be sure not to miss the complimentary breakfast downstairs in the remarkable San Souci Room. (Movie nuts, take note: the 1973 Barbra Streisand-Robert Redford sobfest The Way We Were was filmed right here.)

In the mood for a rustic retreat? The Saratoga Rose Inn & Restaurant, up in Hadley, may be the bed and breakfast for you. Set just inside Adirondack State Park, in a restored 1885 Queen Anne Victorian, the Inn features comforts that you won't take for granted after a day spent exploring the lakes and mountains—like luxurious rooms with private Jacuzzis or fireplaces, for starters. Another bonus is that The Saratoga Rose is chef-owned and operated, so you won't have to look far to enjoy a wonderful dinner.

See more info on lodging


  DINING

Ballston Spa offers several excellent dining options in the historic district of Milton Avenue and Front Street. Sunset Café (left) starts with southwestern basics—the menu includes twelve quesadilla options—and then mixes in crowd-pleasers like pulled pork and hickory-smoked brisket and salmon. Got a hankering for clam chowder or steamed mussels? The Great Bay Clam Company has been drawing attention for the freshness of its seafood ever since 1970 (the fresh fish is trucked directly from Boston).

Bistro 120 is an exciting new presence along the main street in Schuylerville. Billed as "contemporary French," the restaurant relies on locally grown meat and produce, and in keeping with the bistro theme the chef changes the menu every few weeks.

See more info on dining

 
  NIGHTLIFE

The outlying regions in Saratoga County tend to be quiet come nightfall; these are largely rural communities with an early-to-bed, early-to-rise character. But Saratoga Springs, of course, has a bustling nightlife scene; you can read more about it in our profile.

See more info on nightlife


  TRANSPORTATION

AIR: The nearest airport is Albany International Airport (518-242-2200), easily accessible from Interstate 87 (the New York State Thruway).

BUS: Adirondack Trailways (800-858-8555) has daily service between New York City and Saratoga Springs; buses arrive and depart from the Saratoga Springs Amtrak Station at West Ave. & Station Ln.

CAR: Saratoga County is roughly 3 to 3-1/2 hours' drive from both Boston and New York City. From Boston, take the Mass. Pike to the New York State Thruway (I-90), head north on Thruway to Exit 24; then follow I-87 north to Exit 13N. From New York City, take the New York State Thruway (I-90) to Exit 24; then follow I-87 north to Exit 13N.

CAR RENTAL: Enterprise (800-261-7331), Saratoga Car Rental, Inc. (518-583-4448) and New Country Saratoga Auto Park (518-584-7272), all based in Saratoga Springs, rent vehicles.

LOCAL BUS: Local bus #98 shuttles between the train station and Congress Park, in the center of Saratoga Springs, throughout the day, so you won't necessarily have to shell out for a taxi to get to and from the station.

TAXI: Visitors to the county can choose among Saratoga Taxi (518-584-2700), Saratoga Capitaland Taxi (518-583-3131), and A Destiny Limousine of Saratoga (518-587-5221), a limo service based in Ballston Spa.

TRAIN: Amtrak's Adirondack line stops at the Saratoga Springs station about three times a day. Travel time to and from New York City's Penn Station is approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes. Call 1-800-USA-RAIL for details.

See more info on transportation


  TRAVEL TIPS

Visitors wanting to stay within the confines of Saratoga Springs will find that they can do well without a car, although a taxi will be needed to reach the racetrack and the Saratoga Spa State Park. For the surrounding county, however, the distances involved in getting between the attractions described above mean that having a car is only realistic.

Maps are especially key if you plan to spend time in the surrounding county, since you'll likely be traveling along smaller regional roads that aren't always so well marked, particularly at night.



  LINKS

http://www.saratoga.org/ - Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce


  MAP

For a detailed map of Saratoga County, click here


  WEATHER


All photos courtesy Tom Killips/Stockstudiosphotography.com/Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, except: Coffee Planet, courtesy of the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association; Medbery Inn & Spa, courtesy of the Medbery Inn & Spa; Sunset Café, courtesy of the Sunset Café.


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