“Wrinkles only go where smiles have been.” -Jimmy Buffett
We’re taking another fall vacation. This time we’re on our way to Quebec City. It’s almost ten hours from our home in Lewisburg so we thought we’d do a little exploring on the way there. We’ve only been in Saratoga Spring to go to the horse races years ago. So we thought we’d spend part of the day to see what else this pretty little town has to offer.
Saratoga Springs is named for the mineral springs in the area, which has made it a popular resort destination for over 200 years. It’s also known for thoroughbred horse racing. The Saratoga Race Course is one of the oldest and most famous thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the country. The Belmont Stakes are held here every June. Informal trotting and harness races date back as early as 1847 and the Saratoga Race Course was officially opened in August 1864. The city’s official slogan is “Health, History, and Horses”.
We chose the historic Inn at Saratoga Springs for our stay. It was built in 1843 and is the oldest continuously-operating hotel in Saratoga Springs. Initially it was a simple large boarding house for people who came to soak in the springs. In 1866 as tourism began to boom in Saratoga Springs it began operating as a true hotel.
This room at the inn is used as a sitting room and a dining room. The bottom pictures show our room.
We spent the afternoon at Saratoga Spa State Park. We hiked a little, sampled the spring water and looked at the old spa buildings. The park is renowned for its natural mineral springs, classical 1930s architecture and rich history as a premier health and wellness destination. In the 19th century, the area became a popular place to visit for the medicinal effects the springs held. The spa was named a state park in 1962. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, for its natural and architectural features, and for its role as the subject of early conservation measures. The park features mineral baths, walking trails and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Later in the afternoon we walked around the downtown area. The weather was just right for soaking in the sights of this beautiful little town and the warmth of the sunshine.
State Seal Spring is famed for providing a smooth, refreshing, and clean-tasting drinking water. It was wonderful and we filled our water bottle several times.
There are 13 distinct natural, cold-water carbonated mineral springs throughout the park. We tried three of four. Definitely not a fan of the more mineral tasting springs. Each spring has a little different properties, taste and beneficial qualities. Geyser Island Spouter (“The Geyser”) is a continuously bubbling and spouting natural carbonated spring surrounded by a growing dome and island of hardened mineral deposits called tufa.
We hiked along Geyser Creek.
Some of the buildings in the park. There are two spas, an event building, two pools, a golf course, tennis courts, a preforming arts center, a car museum and twelve miles of multi use hiking trails.
We enjoyed dinner at a Spanish Tapas Restaurant called Boca Bistro.
Toasting to my good friend’s birthday…she was celebrating in Turk and Caicos.
We had meatballs and Shishito peppers. Both were very good.
