Both A Historical Park And A Concert Venue, New York's Saratoga Spa State Park Is An Underrated Day Trip Destination
By Christy Articola|Published September 14, 2022
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
Saratoga Spa State Park is one of the very best state parks in all of New York. This park has a little bit of everything! Saratoga Spa State Park has so much history, historical buildings, mineral water springs, a golf course, a swimming pool, a hotel, spa and bathhouses, a concert venue, two museums, a nature center, trails, picnic areas, beautiful architecture, wildlife, and so much more. It covers 2,379 acres just outside of the city of Saratoga Springs and visitors can spend an entire day there enjoying all of the many things that this park has to offer. It’s an underrated day trip destination, one of best hot springs in the US, and a place that you should not miss. Read on to learn more about it.
Saratoga Spa State Park so special. Long before Europeans moved to this area, the park land was used by the Mohawk and Iroquois for hunting and the mineral springs. As time went on, the land drew European settlers for the same reasons. The springs became a tourist attraction in the 1930s and many of the historic buildings were built during that time. The area was named a park in 1962 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
The mineral springs in this park have always been a huge draw. These springs have been used for medicinal purposes for generations. There are 11 different springs in the park that are functional today.
One of the springs feeds into the Lincoln Baths. People still visit the Lincoln Baths today, but this part of the park was most popular after WWII when veterans and Holocaust survivors used them for healing purposes.
The Peerless Pool Complex is popular during the warm summer months. This pool complex includes a children's pool, waterslides, and a zero-depth entry Olympic swimming pool.
The Gideon Putnam Hotel was built in 1802 and at one time was one of the most famous hotels in the world. It has 70 rooms and still hosts guests from around the world. The park is also home to the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame and the Saratoga Automobile Museum, both of which often hold events at the hotel.
There are also a number of beautiful hiking trails in the park -- altogether, there are 15 miles of them. The paved, 1.8-mile Avenue of the Pines Trial is quite popular, as is the Geyser Trail, which takes visitors for 2.9 miles along Geyser Creek.
The Creekside Classroom Environmental Education Center in the park is open all year and hosts school groups on field trips and welcomes visitors of all ages who wish to learn more about the park.
This large, professional venue opened in 1966 and is the summer home of the New York City Ballet and the New York Philharmonic, but it also hosts dozens of concerts and other events each year as well.
As you can see, Saratoga Spa State Park is a very special park! Some might argue that it is the very best state park in New York, and they would have a good argument. There are few parks that have this many different things to offer, and it’s easy to spend multiple days in this park experiencing everything inside it. If you haven’t been to this underrated day trip destination, plan a trip to this park as soon as you can! You’ll love it.
