Welcome to Saratoga! I am Sarah and I'm going to be your guide today. Today we're
going to be exploring my hometown, a place near and dear to my heart. I'm
going to be showing you all of the things to do here so join me as I
highlight eleven amazing experiences here in this town.
Saratoga's long-standing slogan is health, history, and horses. So let's dive
into why that is right now. Health. In the 19th century Saratoga was known as the
queen of spas and that title has not changed that much today. Today there are
over 15 spas within a two mile radius back in the day President Roosevelt was
even a fan of taking cure to the legendary bubbling baths here at the
Roosevelt spa. I used to come here all the time. My mom would always give it to
me as a birthday gift and I highly recommend doing a massage or a bath.
Many of the spots here use our famous Saratoga mineral water that you can
get here. It was once known to have healing powers and today there's even a
Disney World Resort named after us with the theme health through water.
History. If you know that in 1777 Saratoga marked the turning point of the
American Revolutionary War? Well today you can visit the battlefield
take a walk through victory woods, see the Saratoga Monument, or even experience
a reenactment. If you're a history buff you should check out the History Museum
located in the historic Canfield Casino right here.
Saratoga is most famous for
its horse racing track, which is the oldest still running sports venue in the
world. In fact when President Lincoln was in office that is when the first race
was run. More recently, it has been named one of the greatest sporting venues in
the world by Sports Illustrated and has even been featured in major films such
as Seabiscuit starring Tobey Maguire. Every year the racetrack and Saratoga
polo bring in over 1 million guests. It's one of the most exciting times of year
for residents. However, horses are a major part of life year long.
At the Saratoga
casino there's harness racing 11 months a year, artistically decorated horses
are found throughout town, and there are opportunities for visitors to ride
horses at local farms. For locals, horses are a way of life and we would never
change that.
Yaddo, Congress Park, and Saratoga Spa State Park are perfect for picturesque
landscapes, taking a beautiful walk, reading a book, or just having a picnic.
Whether you're snowshoeing and the Saratoga State Park in the winter,
enjoying the Rose Gardens at Yaddo in the spring, or riding the seventy-year-old
carousel in Congress Park in the summer, our parks are lovely to enjoy year-round.
From five star restaurants, to craft breweries, to farm-to-table dining and even Food Network appearances, Saratoga's
dining scene is known to be fantastic. We even have two restaurant weeks and
lovely patio dining during the summer. And one of our most popular restaurants
is here it's called Hattie's and they've won prestigious awards like the Bobby
Flay Throwdown for the best fried chicken.
Definitely get that when you come here. It's amazing, it's so, so good!
Caroline Street has many of the bars in Saratoga, and it get's pretty rowdy,
especially on the weekends. Before you come home, I always go to Esperanto. They
have this thing called a Doughboy, and it's freaking amazing. Make sure to get
one before you head home.
From trolley and walking tours of the town to ghost
tours, Saratoga has it all. If you're into history, consider taking the "History,
legends, lore, and more" a walking tour through historic Congress Park with the
Saratoga Springs Heritage Area visitor center in the summer. There are also
lovely food and drink tours that any foodie will enjoy if you like being
scared then you'll have fun at Saratoga's many infamous ghosts and
haunted locations, like this one the Canfield Casino. The story goes
professional boxer and one of the founders of the racetrack, John Morrissey,
started the Canfield Casino in the 1800s with three rules. No ladies allowed,
cash only, and no locals. Today there have been several ghost sightings and
mysterious paranormal activity. But to learn the full stories you're going to
have to take that tour because I'm terrified of ghosts and I'm not going to
tell them here.
One thing I love about my hometown is the wide variety of outdoor activities
there are here. Some of my favorites include kayaking on the Kayaderosseras Creek,
swimming in Saratoga lake, golfing, and hiking in the Adirondacks. But there is
so much more to do here. Other great experiences include hot air balloon
rides, scuba diving, fishing, rafting, skiing, boating, and sailing.
If it's a rainy day you can go to a museum. If you love art you can go to the Tang Museum.
If you're a fan of the Performing Arts check out the National Museum of Dance.
Racing fans should explore the racing museum and the National Hall of Fame. Automobile admirers
can visit the Saratoga Automobile Museum.
History buffs should check out
the US Grant cottage, the Hyde collection, the New York State military museum, or
the Saratoga History Museum. If you're visiting with kids, stop by the
Children's Museum of Saratoga.
Another great option for rainy day is to visit our casino.
The Saratoga casino hotel has thousands of slots and electronic table games,
plus live harness racing 11 months a year, delicious dining, and live
entertainment at Vapor Night Club.
If you're looking to enjoy live music or
theater, we have you covered there too. Saratoga is home to one of the most
unique venues in the country here at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, you can
enjoy live music ballet or Orchestra in an outdoor forested amphitheater.
Other great places for live music are here at Putnam Place, Skidmore College, Universal
Preservation Hall, and the Jazz bar at SPAC.
If you're a theatre lover, check out the shows running here at Spa Little Theatre yearlong.
Like this one. This one's for kids but
it's Aladdin and the reason I'm pointing this out is because I was in Aladdin in
this theater probably 10 years ago so it seems like they're doing Aladdin again.
Obviously we all know that my Aladdin version was the best Aladdin version. Duh!
The great thing about Saratoga's shopping scene is it's
variety tied in with its walkability. Here you'll find everything
from boutique shops, to artisanal grocery stores, to music stores, and so much more.
When shopping, one of my favorite things to do here in Saratoga is to spot as many
artfully decorated horses and ballet slippers statues there are. Like this one
here. There are more than a dozen hidden throughout town.
And that's a wrap those
are 11 incredible things to do here in Saratoga Springs. If you want even more
cool things to do, head over to DiscoverSaratoga.org they have tons of stuff on
their site. Thanks for watching this video, subscribe, and I will see you next time.
Cheers!