Travelling to Saratoga Co. NY 1st week of August

Going with my family to Saratoga County from July 29 thru August 5. Any suggestions on places to go and things to see for old and young alike? Oh, and also a photo getaway or two. Thanks all.

Chris -

Your timing is not totally ideal - the racing season begins July 23, and for the next six weeks, the area is extremely congested.

But since its a family thing, you don't have a choice, so here are some suggestions:

- Horse racing (of course)
- Automobile museum (for old cars)
- Dance museum
- Saratoga Performing Arts Center - the Philadelphia Orchestra will be in town during that time along with a few other acts - http://www.spac.org/spac-calendar/
- Saratoga County Arts Council - will be having an annual juried show called "Saratoga Inside-Out"
- day trip to Manchester, VT - lots of outlet shopping, quaint New England town. Lunch at the Equinox - fabulous old resort hotel.
- day trip to Lenox, Stockbridge and Great Barrington, MA - Boston Symphony will be at Tanglewood, also visit The Mount (Edith Wharton's home) , the Hancock Shaker Village (great round barn - good photo excursion, bot NO TRIPODS), the Norman Rockwell Museum, and Chesterwood, the home of Daniel Chester French (who did the Lincoln Memorial scupture). The Red Lion in Stockbridge is a wonderful place for lunch- lots of practice, this hotel has been in operation since the 1700's
- day trip to Woodstock, NY to watch all the weird people with green hair. Also visit the Woodstock Center for Photography.
- day trip to Cooperstown, NY. Farmer's Museum (great photo opportunities), the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Fenimore Art Museum. Also, you can take in an opera at the Glimmerglass Opera House.
- day trip to Utica to photograph Union Station - Don't laugh - the place is spectacular.
- day trip to Springfield, MA to photograph the Springfield Armory (fabulous spiral staircase) and also visit the Emily Dickinson Museum in nearby Amherst.
- don't forget horse racing. Just think - every buck you lose will help reduce my taxes.
- and then there's the Racino - its actually a harness track but in recent years the place has become loaded down with slot machines and other "gaming" equipment. More opportunities for tax reduction for the residents of Saratoga County.
- drop in to Uncommon Grounds for a cup of coffee, or to the Bread Basket for pastries
- check what's happening at The Parting Glass. If the McKrell's are performing, be sure to go - they are a classic Irish blues group and a lot of fun.
- ride the carousel in Congress Park
- go to a polo match. Great photo opportunities, but you need a long lens and fast film since the action is fast and it doesn't start until 6pm. Take a tailgate picnic.
- Lake George - more outlet shopping
- Lake Placid - it's a longish day trip, but if you haven't been there, you might want to have the experience.
- Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake - to see what life was life in the mountains a hundred years ago.
- Hanford Mills - another longish day trip, but interesting for the family and for potential photo opportunities. A sawmill and wood working shop powered by lineshaft driven by either a waterwheel or a steam engine. In East Meredith, NY - out I88, near Oneonta
- and if you get bored, you can even do a day trip to New York City. Amtrak has a train from Rensselaer Station at 6:20am that gets into Penn Station at 8:45am, with hourly return trains in the evening.

Have fun.

Damn, I think Louie just about nailed them all!

As you can tell - Saratoga is well-situated for Summer fun.

If you go all the way to Utica, you can swing through Little Falls (where I grew up). The Masonic temple there is castle-like and there are several great houses. The city hall has carvings of Indians way up at the top (it took a 300mm with a 2x tele-extender to get them on 35mm).
Other than that, he got them all. If you drive along route 5, you can see the real central NYS.

$$$$

As an addition - if you remember the thread on "decay" and are interested in such - stop in Sharon Springs (perhaps on your way to Cooperstown). SS was a resort town famous for its spa and baths. We passed through it last year and the old bathhouse (much "down at the heels") is a magnificent cast iron structure. I'd never really seen cast iron buildings much outside of NYC's SoHo area - so it was fascinating to me.

Unfortunately, we were just "passing through" and it was getting late in the day and we were meeting up with folks so I didn't stop. It's on my list as a place to return to for shooting.

Note, although the town is hard on its luck - there are signs of renewal. At least I'm told that there is a good restaurant that opened just up the street from the baths.

In addition to Rte. 5 - travelling along Rte. 20 will also give you a good feel for central NYS. It is an area that is all too often missed by folks zipping along the NYS Thruway at 80 MPH.