It’s that time of the year again when we let local families tell us about their favorite parts of living in the Capital District. There’s a lot to see and do here, and the ballots we received in our third annual Parent Picks survey reflected the diversity of this region.
This year, we got hundreds of responses from our readers our highest number since we’ve started the survey which was partly due to the fact that, new this year, answers could be submitted through www.cdparentpages.com.
In the results, we had some classic favorites reemerge at the top of the heap, but there were also some newcomers, and even a few surprises that gave the pack leaders a run for their money.
In the 2012 Parent Picks survey, as in previous years, we asked local families to nominate their favorites in a variety of categories such as restaurants, retail and relaxation.
Receiving the most votes for favorite park for the third year in a row was The Crossings of Colonie.
Sherry Finn, of Albany, who was one of this year’s winners in the Parent Picks drawing for Great Escape tickets, said The Crossings has a multi-faceted appeal.
“It’s a huge park. You could make a whole day at it,” she said.
The park has playgrounds for kids of all ages, a bike path and even a maze, in which Finn’s kids “love to play hide-and-seek.” Central Park in Schenectady came in a close second, making its first appearance on this list.
A different kind of park appeared as the No. 1 vote in another category: favorite local hike. Thacher Park received a vast majority of the votes in this category for the third year in a row, with the Indian Ladder Trail its major selling point. People said they love walking the path, passing by the waterfalls, finding all the hidden (and not so hidden) caves and seeing the plant life on the trail.
Thacher Park also appeared as favorite day trip for some families, but Lake George overwhelmed in that category. This is the second year Lake George has received the most votes for favorite day trip. The second place winner, Vermont, was a nice reminder that our neighboring state has plenty to offer from shopping in Manchester to going to the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury.
Part of what makes Lake George such a popular day trip is The Great Escape in nearby Queensbury, which took top honors as a favorite family splurge. (And no, choosing The Great Escape did not give entrants a leg up in the drawing for free tickets.) Second favorite family splurge? Going out to eat. However, where families liked to go out got a broad range of responses.
There were more than 50 different nominations in the category of favorite restaurant, but in the end, Red Robin was the winner. An old favorite, Friendly’s, came in second for the second year in a row, remaining popular despite its dwindling number of locations.
Friendly’s also had a strong showing in the favorite ice cream place category, but it ultimately lost to local favorite Stewart’s with multiple locations and runner-up Bumpy’s in Schenectady. This was another tight category, receiving more than 40 unique nominations. Jumpin’ Jack’s, Curry Freeze, and last year’s second place winner, Kurver Kreme, all came very close to the top spot.
Tree Paad in Malta was the runaway winner for favorite indoor play area. The second place winner was Clifton Park’s Bounce Around. Both also received nominations in the “best place to host a child’s birthday party” category, but ultimately, most parents said you can’t beat a birthday party hosted in your own home. Chuck E. Cheese’s came in second place.
For favorite children’s clothing store, the Gap took first place and the Children’s Place made a return this year for second place. However, when it comes to buying clothes for your kids second hand, one store’s fans spoke loud and clear: Trendy Tots in Schenectady. It was a close race for second place in this category, but Polka Dots in Guilderland edged out Cuddle Bugs in Saratoga Springs.
For favorite toy stores, Toys R’ Us was the top vote-getter for the third year in a row. Second place was Saratoga Springs’ G. Willikers, a smaller shop with plenty toys and trinkets and other fun items that will amuse kids, teens, college students and adults.
Check out the rest of the great Parent Picks that made the cut in the list below. Thanks to everyone who voted this year and took the time to fill out the survey, and congratulations to the winners of our Parent Picks survey drawing who each one a four-pack of tickets to the Great Escape Splashwater Kingdom: Sherry/Eric Finn of Albany; Kerry Rarick of Scotia; Kari Miele of Troy; and Julie Urbanski of Stillwater.
Favorite Park
1st: The Crossings of Colonie
2nd: Central Park (Schenectady)
Favorite Indoor Play Area:
1st: Tree Paad in Malta
2nd: Bounce Around in Latham
Favorite Place to Go Out to Eat:
1st: Red Robin
2nd: Friendly’s
Favorite Day Trip:
1st: Lake George
2nd: Vermont
Favorite Movie Theater:
1st: Regal 13, Colonie Center
2nd: Scotia Cinema
Favorite Children’s Clothing Store:
1st: The Gap
2nd: Children’s Place
Favorite Place to Buy Used Clothing/Accessories/Sporting Goods for Kids:
1st: Trendy Tots
2nd: Polka Dots
Favorite Family Splurge:
1st: The Great Escape
2nd: Going out to eat
Favorite Health Care Provider:
1st: CDPHP
2nd: Capital Care Pediatrics
Favorite Place to Host a Child’s Birthday:
1st: Home
2nd: Chuck E. Cheese’s
Favorite Museum:
1st: New York State Museum
2nd: Saratoga Children’s Museum
Favorite Pool:
1st: Rudi Ciccotti Recreation Center
2nd: Tawasentha Park pool
Favorite Toy Store:
1st: Toys R’ Us
2nd: G. Willikers
Favorite Youth Organization:
1st: Scouts
2nd: 4-H
Favorite Ice Cream Spot:
1st: Stewart’s Shop
2nd: Bumpy’s
Favorite Local Hike:
1st: Indian Ladder Trail in Thacher Park
2nd: Five Rivers
Favorite Family Festival:
1st: Tulip Fest
2nd: Altamont Fair
Favorite Dentist
1st: Dr. Jeffrey Moran
2nd: Dr. Jason Decker
