Museums and historic sites
Brookside Museum
6 Charlton St., Ballston Spa
Located in a 1792 hotel building in the historic Village of Ballston Spa, Brookside Museum has five galleries and a hands-on-history room, a research library, and a gift shop. www.brooksidemuseum.org
Children’s Museum At Saratoga
69 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-5540
The Children’s Museum at Saratoga provides interactive experience that inspires hands-on exploration, sparks imagination and nurtures discovery. www.cmssny.org
National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame
99 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-2225
The National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame was established in 1986 as the only museum in the nation and one of the few in the world that is dedicated entirely to the art of dance. www.dancemuseum.org
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
191 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-0400
Interactive programs, rare memorabilia, equine art collection, tour of Saratoga’s ”Oklahoma” training track, and more tell the colorful story of three centuries of Thoroughbred racing. www.racingmuseum.org
New York State Military Museum
61 Lake Ave., Saratoga Springs; (518) 581-5100
The museum houses over 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm that relate to New York State’s military forces, the state’s military history and the contributions of New York’s veterans. www.nysmm.org
Saratoga Automobile Museum
110 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs; (518) 587-1935
The Museum’s mission is to preserve, interpret and exhibit automobiles and automotive artifacts. www.saratogaautomuseum.org
Saratoga National Historical Park
648 Rt. 32, Stillwater
Here in the autumn of 1777, a crucial American victory in the Battles of Saratoga renewed patriots’ hopes for independence.
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs; (518) 580-8080
The Tang provides exhibits and programming tailored to foster formative connections between contemporary art and students of all ages is central. www.skidmore.edu
Libraries
Ballston Spa Public Library
21 Milton Ave., Ballston Spa; (518) 885-5022
ballston.sals.edu
Burnt Hills: Town of Ballston Community Library
2 Lawmar Lane, Burnt Hills; (518) 399-8174
toblibrary.sals.edu
Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library
475 Moe Road Clifton Park; (518) 371-8622
www.cphlibrary.org
Mechanicville District Public Library
190 North Main St., Mechanicville; (518) 664-4646
meclib.sals.edu
Round Lake Library
31 Wesley Ave., Round Lake; (518) 899-2285
roundlake.sals.edu
Round Lake Library/Malta Branch
1 Bayberry Dr., Malta; (518) 682-2495
www.roundlakelibrary.org
Stillwater Free Library
662 Hudson Ave., Stillwater; (518) 664-6255
stillwater.sals.edu
Waterford Public Library
117 Third St., Waterford; (518) 237-0891
waterfordlibrary.net
Outdoor fun
Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Riverview Road, Rexford; (518) 371-6667
This nature preserve is a 740-acre site along the Mohawk River in the Town of Clifton Park, near the hamlet of Vischer Ferry. The trail system is well maintained and integrates sections of the Old Erie Canal and Towpath. Historical markers provide information dating back to the early 1900s.
Wilton Wildlife Preserve
80 Scout Road, Gansevoort; (518) 450-0321
The preserve is 310 acres and has trails that are excellent for jogging, walking, and easy mountain biking. This habitat supports the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. www.wiltonpreserve.org
Saratoga Lake
Along the edge of the lake there are a number of marinas and a public boat launch located at the northeastern end. The lake is used for a number of recreational activities and boats, both large and small. The lake contains a wide variety of game fish. www.saratogalake.org
Browns Beach
511 U.S. 9, Saratoga Springs, (518) 306-4987
Brown’s Beach, in Stillwater, has a lifeguard on duty throughout the summer and a kayak/canoe launch, and a snack shack. brownsbeachresort.com/about
Visit a farm
Bowman Orchards
141 Sugar Hill Road, Rexford; (518) 371-2042
Pick your own and picked apples, raspberries, blackberries, pumpkins (seasonally), cider, doughnuts and farm animals. www.bowmanorchards.com
Devoe’s Rainbow Orchards
1569 U.S. 9, Clifton Park; (518) 371-8397
Apples, baked goods from the oven, fresh produce, gift baskets and ice cream. www.devoesorchards.com
Ellms Family Farm
448 Charlton Road, Ballston Spa; (518) 884-8168
Open in the fall for a pumpkin patch, hay rides, corn maze and more. www.ellmsfarms.com
Riverview Orchard
660 Riverview Road, Rexford; (518) 371-2174
Fall apple-picking, bakery, doughnuts, hayrides are free on weekends.
Saratoga Apple
1174 Route-29, Schuylerville; (518) 695-3131
Apples, cider, fresh baked goods, and produce. Apple cider doughnuts are made daily all year round.
Schuyler Farms
1124 New York 29, Schuylerville; (518) 695-5308
Corn maze, hay rides, pumpkin patch, and other fall fun.
Sunnyside Gardens
345A Church Street, Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-1034
Year-round garden center with seasonal corn maze, hay rides, pumpkin patch, train ride, cider doughnuts and more.
Parks and Rec
Congress Park
Congress St., Saratoga Springs
Lovely and historic park in the middle of downtown Saratoga with duck ponds, grassy meadows, historic landmarks and a wooden carousel. Also home to live music concerts, arts and crafts festivals, and other special events.
Saratoga Spa State Park
19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-2000
The park is known for its mineral springs, bath houses, and performing arts venues, including the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It offers a wide variety of walking and hiking trails, streams, a geyser, picnic pavilions, two pool complexes, a golf course, biking trails, snowshoe/cross-country ski trails, ice skating, and more Several pools are available at the park. The “Peerless Pool” is a complex of three pools, including a kiddie pool, water slides and a zero depth entry Olympic-sized swimming pool. The “Victoria Pool” is a smaller pool located near the golf course and surrounded by covered arcades.
Kelley Park Playground (Kids’ Creekside Village)
39 Ralph St., Ballston Spa
This huge playground, which was completed in 2008, has the usual slides and swings, but it also has some cool stuff like a giant xylophone and a special area for toddlers. There’s a skate park and some hiking trails as well as a big field.
The Malta Community Park
Plains Road, Malta
The Malta Community Park is located in a forest of pine trees. The sandy plain area, which used to be an old glacial lake, is the active recreational area of the park. A nature trail follows the valley of a small stream where there is an abundance of wildflowers, ferns, mosses, and other vegetation.
Shenantaha Creek Park
376 Ballston Ave., Malta
Shenantaha Creek Park contains a balance of active recreation, historical features, and protected open space. The paved trail along this park is the Zim Smith Trail.
Malta Community Center
1 Bayberry Drive, Ballston Spa; (518) 899-4411
Facility hosts community programs and activities that encourage health, fitness, cultural, recreational, educational, and social opportunities. The center is also home to the Malta Branch of the Round Lake Library.
Don’t Miss
Ballston Veterans Bike Trail
A flat, straight multi-use bike trail that runs 3.5 miles parallel to Ballston Lake and is great for families. The trailhead is located in the Village of Ballston Lake adjacent to a small parking lot along Route 146A (Main Street).
Congress Park Carousel
Congress St., Saratoga Springs
A historic wooden carousel that is usually opens for the year through the summer and costs just a buck per ride.
Double M Rodeo
678 Route 67, Malta; (518) 885-9543
Family friendly rodeo every Friday and Saturday night in the summer. Concessions available on site. doublemwestern.com
