I was always intrigued by Saratoga’s natural springs. This past April, we had time for a short two-day trip, so we decided to visit Saratoga Springs.

In addition to its natural springs, Saratoga Springs is famous for their large horse racing tracks. When we visited, it wasn’t open for the summer season yet, so we were unable to watch the horse races.

Our visit focused mostly on parks and some indoor activities. There’s also a lake in the area with boating during the summertime.

When we visited, we rented a house on a quiet street through VRBO. There are many options of hotels as well.

Saratoga Springs is just a half hour drive from Lake George and is the closest steady minyan year-round. During the summertime there are temporary minyanim at Lake George.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chabad of Saratoga offers an option of ordering catered food. The Price Chopper on Central Avenue in Albany, 35 minutes away, has a large kosher store in it. Information on kosher food options can be found at saratogachabad.com.

Chabad Minyan

Address:

130 Circular Street

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-584-7702

Website:

saratogachabad.com

Approximate distance from Lakewood:

3 hours, 45 minutes

 

 

Saratoga Spa State Park

We loved our visit to Saratoga Spa State Park. The 2,379-acre park is a National Historic Landmark and has many things to do on site. When we arrived at the park, we headed to the playground and the trails to see the natural springs.

The playground seems to be new and updated with fun climbing structures and swings. The playground is located right near some of the natural springs. There are many picnic tables and grill stations on the grassy area near the playground, and a pretty stream flows alongside the playground and grassy area.

We were interested in seeing the natural springs and geysers located in the park. We followed the map to each of the springs and took the Geyser Trail to see the water shooting out of the very large rocks.

We also got to fill our water bottles with fresh, tasty water from a spring that has four spouts with fresh water constantly pouring out. We saw many locals come with multiple large water bottles to fill up for their daily use. The next day, we filled our bottles again at the spring water fill station across the Automobile Museum

Saratoga Spa State Park has a few attractions on site, such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Spa Little Theater, The Saratoga Children’s Museum, the Saratoga Automobile Museum, Saratoga Spa State Park Golf Course, the Gideon Putnam Resort, Roosevelt Baths and Spa, and the Peerless Pool Complex.

Address:

19 Roosevelt Drive

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-584-2535

Price:

$10 per car

Website:

parks.ny.gov

 

 

Children’s Museum at Saratoga

The Children’s Museum at Saratoga is located within the Saratoga Spa State Park. It’s an up-to-date, clean, and fun space for children to play. There are so many sections corresponding to daily life where children can pretend play.

My kids especially loved the fire department with the firetruck and hose. Children can play an interactive game where they need to aim the hose at a virtual fire in a building. The grocery store was also an all-time favorite. Filling up shopping carts or acting as a cashier was really popular. There was also an ice cream store, a bank, a farm, and even a full-size city bus.

There are so many educational activities and things to keep children busy with. And the museum is clean and well-kept.

Address:

65 S Broadway

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-584-5540

Hours:

Sunday: 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Monday: Closed

Tuesday–Friday: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Price:

Age 12 months and up: $12 per person

Museum for All: Discounted admission of $3 per person for up to 4 people with a valid EBT card and ID.

Website:

cmssny.org

 

 

 

Saratoga Automobile Museum

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is also located within the Saratoga Spa State Park, in the former New York State Bottling Plant. The building was renovated to house the Automobile Museum.

The museum showcases many automobiles, both vintage and new. The interesting exhibits and information offer visitors a glimpse into the past and present of a variety of unique automobiles.

The museum is located on two floors. The first floor has a room with displayed medals and race car simulator games. The main area on the first floor houses the temporary rotating exhibits. When we visited, the temporary exhibit (on site for six months) featured Ferraris. There were many beautiful Ferraris on display on loan from their owners. Currently, the featured cars are Corvette sports cars.

On the second floor, the permanent exhibition features many interesting automobiles and some information and history of particular ones. There are many unique automobiles, with their stories posted nearby.

Address:

110 Avenue of the Pines

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-587-1935

Hours:

May–October: Monday–Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Price:

Adults: $20.00

Children 11–18: $15.00

Children 10 and under: Free

Students 17+ (with ID): $15.00

Seniors 65+: $15.00

Veterans or active military: $15.00

Website:

saratogaautomuseum.org

 

 

Geyser Park

The very large tubular slide is what attracted us to Geyser Park otherwise known as Veterans Memorial Park.

The brand-new playground at Geyser Park has lots of exciting elements. In addition to the very tall circular slide, there’s a spider-like climbing structure with a safety net in the center. There are climbing structures and some fun swings, including a long swing on which a few children can ride together in a row.

The park also has baseball fields, picnic tables, and a splashpad for children in the summertime.

Address:

10 Adams Road

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Hours:

7:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

Price: Free

Website:

saratoga-springs.org

 

 

Saratoga Strike Zone

Since we visited Saratoga Springs during the spring when the weather wasn’t especially warm, we were happy to find a fun indoor attraction to enjoy. Saratoga Strike Zone is a great balance of activities and attractions for all ages.

Bowling is the main activity, with 28 state-of-the-art lanes in the main alley. There are also six private lanes in the VIP room, which can be rented.

Saratoga Strike Zone also has bumping cars, Ballocity—a two-level soft play area with lots of ball activities—and an arcade area with redemption prizes.

During our recent visit, we enjoyed bowling and the arcades. The younger children loved playing at Ballocity and the bumping cars.

Address:

32 Ballston Avenue

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-584-6460

Hours:

9:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.

Price:

Price varies per activity.

Website:

saratogastrikezone.com

 

 

Wilton Gavin Town Park

The Wilton Gavin Town Park in Saratoga Springs is a large park with a beautiful new playground with fun elements for all ages. There are climbing structures, slides, and swings as well as a fun merry-go-round and seesaw. When we visited, they were in the process of constructing new swings and a swing on a track that’s more like a zipline.

There are large grassy fields and picnic pavilions, and in the summer, there’s a 7,000 square foot spray park with more than 20 water and spray elements.

The park also has baseball fields, a walking path, basketball courts, pickle ball courts, soccer fields, tennis courts, and an ice rink that’s open seasonally.

Address:

10 Lewis Road

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Hours:

9:00 a.m.–dusk

Price: Free

Website:

townofwilton.ny.gov

 

 

Wilton Mall

We really enjoyed chilling and shopping at the Wilton Mall. It’s nice and airy, with a very large fountain—practically a small lake—in the center with seating near it. In addition to the large variety of stores and restaurants, there are activities and attractions in the mall as well. There’s also a carpeted toddler playground for the little ones to enjoy. The Toy Box arcades are located right near it. We also passed another arcades place and Adirondak chairs put out for people to relax on.

Address:

3065 NY-50

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Phone number:

518-583-2138

Hours:

Sunday: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Monday–Friday: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Website:

wiltonmall.com

 

 

Waterfront Park

The Saratoga Waterfront Park has an upper area with a playground overlooking the lake and a pretty path leading to a pergola and picnic tables. There are lots of steps that lead to the middle grassy area and all the way down to the water. It’s also possible to drive down to the water.

At the bottom, by the water, is an area of beach sand that our children enjoyed playing in, with a picnic table nearby. There’s also a boat launch for people to use if they bring their own boats.

 

Address:

630 Crescent Avenue

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Hours:

7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Price:

Free

Website:

saratoga.com