Rich and I managed to carve out only four days for a couple’s getaway this summer. We wanted a nice hotel, good restaurants, cultural experiences and maybe some time outdoors. And we didn’t want to fly or drive very far. We headed to Saratoga Springs, NY, which provided all of those things, plus opportunities to kick back and relax.
The Gilded-Age wealthy traveled to Saratoga to drink the healthful spring waters. In the 1930s and ’40s, people visited to sooth their aches and ailments by bathing in those same mineral springs.
We both soaked in and drank Saratoga spring waters during our long weekend, and did a lot more besides. Here are my recommendations for the best things to do and worthwhile places to eat during your own kid-free romantic weekend in Saratoga, New York.
Saratoga Springs Weekend Quick Tips
• Stay: At the relaxing Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs State Park.
• Or, for Gilded-Age-inspired luxury right in town, book the Adelphi Hotel.
• Enjoy morning baked goods at Mrs. London’s Bakery
• An afternoon beer at Lago by Druthers
• and a stylish dinner at Hamlet & Ghost
• Don’t miss the historic Saratoga Racecourse or the Roosevelt Baths & Spa
A Unique Saratoga Springs Hotel: The Gideon Putnam
I booked a room at the Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa because it’s located in Saratoga Spa State Park. It sounded relaxing and the park itself has a lot to do.
The park’s tennis courts, bicycle rentals and Victoria Pool, golf courses and Roosevelt Spa are all less than a five-minute walk from the hotel, giving you resort amenities for a much smaller price tag than the typical domestic resort.
Plus, the bands performing at the outdoor Saratoga Performing Arts Center, also in the park, sometimes stay at the hotel. We rode the elevator with the guitarist of a prominent 70s rock band during out stay.
The Gideon Putnam was built in the 1930s for the convenience of people seeking treatment in the nearby baths. It’s designed in the same Neo-Georgian, Colonial style as the baths and the Victoria Pool.
While we were waiting for our room to be ready we settled into the rocking chairs on the front porch. We admired the towering stand of pine trees around us, listened to the quiet and exhaled. This was the place to relax!
During our stay we spent time on the hotel restaurant’s back patio, where we could sit with glasses of chilled rosé and a basket of house-made potato chips and read our books or watch people practice on a nearby putting green. (The hotel will lend you putters and golf balls to try it out.)
The lobby has comfortable couches — good places to play a game of cards — and fireplaces that are probably very cozy in the fall and winter. A free shuttle will take you to the racetrack or anywhere else within a certain radius of the hotel.
Our room had a king-size bed and a big, comfortable armchair. The bathroom has white subway tiles that make it look like it might date back to the 1930s. But have no worries; the water-pressure was great.
The air-conditioning was plentiful, too, but I appreciated that the hotel is old enough to have windows that we could open on cool nights when we didn’t need the AC.
Also Consider a Couple’s Weekend Getaway to
• The Catskills or Hudson Valley, NY
• New Hope, PA
• Or Toronto, Canada
The Best Things For Couples To Do On A Long Weekend In Saratoga Springs
Unique things to do around town
Explore the state park
Whether or not you stay at the Gideon Putnam, be sure to spend some time in Saratoga Spa State Park. You enter the park by turning on to the stately Avenue of the Pines, lined on both sides by towering trees.
The Victoria Pool is part of the park and available to anyone who wants to use it. On the hot, sunny Sunday we arrived, it was packed with families. But during the week it wasn’t crowded. Its Neo-Georgian walls and covered walkways make it one of the most picturesque pools we’ve swum in.
The pool has lockers and changing rooms but only about 100 lounge chairs. Apparently, local residents line up before the pool opens to snag these. One of the attendants warned me that, “they can be kind of possessive about them,” and recommended we bring our own chairs.
There was no line when we arrived in the afternoon. We left our towels on an empty bench, which was fine since we were just there to swim and didn’t plan to hang out.
There’s a poolside café and grill where you can buy lunch and cold drinks, including beer, wine and spiked seltzer.
The hours are shorter than a hotel pool’s would be. Admission to the pool was free this summer, but in some years there’s a small fee.
There are bike share racks where you can borrow a bike for about $5/hour. I downloaded the app but rain interrupted my plans to try it out, which is a shame. The shady paved bike/walking paths that snaked all over the park really called to me.
Some of these paths pass through a bird conservation area, which is especially worth visiting in the fall and spring, when dozens of migratory bird species stop here.
The tennis courts appear to be first-come, first-serve, but you’ll need to reserve tee-times for the 9- and 18-hole golf courses.
Fans of either classic cars or stock-car racing will want to visit the Automobile Museum in the park. And in addition to the giant SPAC mainstage, there’s the Little Theater, which stages jazz, classical and world music, modern dance, holiday shows and touring plays.
If you come with the kids
In addition to the Victoria Pool, there is the Peerless Pool Complex on the other side of the park. It has an Olympic-size pool along with a wading pool and water slides.
The Saratoga Children’s Museum is near the park entrance in the historic Lincoln Baths building.
Experience the famous mineral baths
I had been curious about the Saratoga mineral baths for ages, so we visited the Roosevelt Bath & Spa, in the state park, the only place in the area where you can access the springs for bathing.
We started our spa visit by changing into soft, heavy fleece-lined robes. Even in the summer they felt wonderful. Wrapping up in them on a chilly fall or winter day would be luxurious.
We headed to the relaxation room with giant one-person couches, cold water, hot tea, a trickling waterfall and a fireplace to wait for our treatments.
A bath attendant came to collect us a few minutes later and led us to separate, private treatment rooms. The mineral baths are literally baths, but it was the best bath I’ve ever had. The mineral-rich spring water is cold and the attendant mixes it with hot water to what they have determined is the perfect bath temperature: comfortably warm but not steaming.
The tubs are extra deep and a little bit longer than usual and the mineral water is effervescent. There is soft light, soothing music and a candle. I brought a book because I thought that during a 40-minute bath I might get bored, but I was content to just close my eyes, float around and soak.
The attendant brought us warm towels when our time was up. I met Rich in the hallway and we returned to the relaxation room, where we both promptly fell asleep for more than an hour.
We eventually, reluctantly, pulled ourselves up from our couches, mostly because it would have been embarrassing to sleep for much longer.
I felt relaxed and refreshed for the rest of the day, so I think there must be something to the mineral content and the perfect-bath-temperature thing.
Practical Tips: You can book a 40-minute bath and add aromatherapy or a ten-minute sauna for a few dollars extra. You can also add a 20-minute soak to another treatment. If you combine your bath with a massage, they both take place in the same private room.
You can wear a bathing suit if you prefer, but you have complete privacy. They recommend not showering for a few hours after your bath to let the minerals soak into your skin. Clearly, you’ll want to allow some time to relax after your treatment.
Spend a day at the races
We’ve visited other horse-racing tracks on the East Coast and found them disappointingly seedy, but the Saratoga Race Course had well-kept grounds and a festive vibe that surprised us.
There were ten horse races that day and about a half hour between each post time. We used that time to watch the horses and jockeys stroll from the barns on one side of the grounds to the pre-race paddocks on the opposite side.
We looked at stalls selling hats, horse-themed paintings and other items. And perused food stands selling everything from fresh lemonade, burgers and meatball sandwiches to clam chowder and lobster rolls. We snacked on warm empanadas and micro-brewed beer.
We also placed a few small bets (and won on one race: woot!). If you aren’t sure what you’re doing, place your bets with the people, not at the computers. The cashiers we encountered were patient and happy to explain the betting to visitors like ourselves who weren’t track regulars.
I bought grandstand seats, which were less expensive than I expected, and I was happy I did.
They use three concentric tracks over the course of a race day. We went down to the general admission area to stand by the rail for the races on the outermost turf track. But when they used the inner tracks, the grandstand gave us a better vantage point.
We also liked being able to retreat to the shade of the grandstand between races. And we would have been covered had the forecasted rain happened.
Explore Saratoga’s Gilded Age
We signed up for the 90-minute Grand Gilded & Glorious walking tour, to learn more about Saratoga’s heyday.
We began the tour at the Visitors’ Center and ended at the Saratoga Springs History Museum on the other side of Broadway in Congress Park, which is nicely landscaped and worth a visit in its own right. Along the way we paused on two street corners and at one of the working drinking-water springs in the park so that we could sample the spring water that Gilded Age visitors would have been drinking (it was salty).
Our guide was a former history teacher who has clearly spent many years researching, writing and talking about Saratoga history. We learned a lot about the history of the town, what it looked like in the late 19th century, who visited and how they spent their time.
And you get to spend time in the elegant Canfield Casino, where they also give ghost tours on summer nights. The most likely ghosts are gentlemen still hoping to win back what they lost at the Roulette and Faro tables.
Tip: The Gilded-Age hotels in town are long gone, but for a taste of that era’s splendor, take a drive down the Union Avenue Historic District, between Congress Park and the racetrack.
The broad Avenue is lined with elaborate Queen-Anne-Style mansions that date to the late 1800s. They’re festooned with cupolas, mansard roofs and porches. Each is uniquely ornate even though the style is the same. The racetrack itself features complementary Victorian architecture that dates to its founding in the 1860s.
Tip: Some of these mansions are B&Bs with period rooms, porches & even pools.
Visita Legendary Music Club
Most Saratoga Springs bars have live music at night, but if you want something hipper and more interesting than crowd-pleasing cover bands, head up Philadelphia Street to the Listening Room at Caffé Lena.
Lena Spencer opened her café in the1960s as the type of coffee house/music venue that was common to Bohemian enclaves like Haight-Ashbury and Greenwich Village.
It’s one of the few survivors, primarily because when Lena passed away in 1989, local residents kept it going as a not-for-profit arts organization. It’s been recognized by the Library of Congress and the Grammy Foundation for its contributions to American music.
It books interesting small acts in almost every music genre, but we stopped in for its Monday open-mic night, an inexpensive and low-risk way to hear live music.
There’s no cover charge and they don’t serve alcohol on open-mic nights (it keeps the focus on the music and the community).
They do serve tea, coffee drinks, hot chocolate and desserts and other food. We settled in with mugs of mint tea and a plate of chunky chocolate chip cookies to listen to some of the 20 acts that signed up.
As to be expected at an open-mic night, a few acts were great, most were OK and a few were…not our thing. My favorite was a woman who was making her debut with a fanciful song about Theodosia Burr (Aaron’s daughter) growing up to become a successful pirate.
3 unique-to-Saratoga museums
Saratoga history
We didn’t know that our walking tour tickets included the History Museum and we explored it a day earlier.
The museum looks like it has a few small exhibits crammed into a few floors of a narrow townhouse. But it holds a Gilded-Age secret that you would never know about from the website or your first impression of the building.
Follow one of the guides through a door at the back of the first-floor exhibit and you’ll find the opulent rooms where Victorian gentlemen went on summer evenings to see, be seen, and cavalierly gamble their new-found wealth.
The museum and walking tour guides covered some of the same ground, but they came at history from such different points of view that we didn’t feel they were redundant. The second floor’s exhibits highlight the enormous luxury hotels Saratoga had back then, along with some of the large personalities who gambled downstairs.
Give yourself a good 90 minutes to take the tour and explore the upstairs exhibits on your own.
Revolutionary history
The Battle of Saratoga gave the colonial troops an important early victory in the American Revolution. The battlefield is a national historical park with a small visitors’ center, about 20 minutes from downtown.
We drove around the battlefield while listening to an NPS audio tour. The ten stops can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours depending on how much time you spend exploring each stop. Some of the stops are worth making just for the Champlain Valley views.
The most interesting exhibit at the visitors’ center illustrated how other European countries seized this moment of British distraction to attack its colonies in other parts of the world. The British were forced to scatter their military resources and this probably helped the colonies to win.
There are ranger programs twice a day and a movie about the battle, which changed the fates of Benedict Arnold, who felt he didn’t get due credit for his role in the American victory, and British General John Burgoyne, who generously shared the blame for his defeat with anyone he could.
Tip: Stop in at the visitors’ center in town and take advantage of an app they are using to allow cardboard cut-outs of four key players in the battle to spring to life and talk about their experience. It’s pretty cool.
Horse racing history
Before heading to the horse races, we stopped into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, across from the track.
The most interesting exhibits for the casual visitor are the ones that trace the history of horse-racing in the U.S. from a casual rural pastime to a popular day out for city people. It offers a very rose-colored view of racing but is fun nonetheless.
We began our visit with a short movie that features interviews with jockeys, owners and trainers who are hall-of-fame members. The movie is shown on two square screens nested inside each other and on the walls of the theater, which was pretty cool. The movie itself is more celebratory than educational.
We were able to see everything we wanted to in about an hour.
Saratoga outdoor markets
One of the best things about being in upstate New York during the summer is the outdoor markets and fairs. We book-ended our Saratoga vacation with market visits.
On Sundays, Spa City market sets up in the state park, next to the Lincoln bathhouse. It has seasonal produce, meat, baked goods, local honey, pickles, alcohol and blended herbal tea, plus jewelry and other artisan crafts.
But we were there for the prepared food. We bought a large stuffed cabbage from one vendor and a gyro from another. Both were big enough to share. The stuffed cabbage was good even at room temperature and the gyro was as messy as it ought to be.
Afterward, I found the Left Field shave ice truck. They use a whirring machine to shave the ice, which I consider cheating. But I was willing to overlook it because they make their own all-natural syrups and you can choose up to three from a list of about ten.
It being summer, I chose strawberry and peach. They were less cloying and paler than the usual too-sweet, overly bright syrups. They tasted genuinely fruity and were light and refreshing on a hot afternoon. They had a steady stream of customers until the moment they closed and no wonder.
Before leaving town on Wednesday, we stopped at the smaller outdoor green market in High Rock Park at the North end of town. It also has seasonal produce, baked goods, alcohol and prepared foods. I bought a four-pack of hard cider from an apple farmer. When we drank it back at home, it was well-balanced and disappeared quickly.
Don’t miss the garlic-filled rolls that looked and smelled amazing and Freddie’s Rockin’ Lemonade, which he sells in quarter containers. He uses berries from one of the farmers at the market for his blueberry syrup, so that’s the flavor we chose out of a half dozen that he makes.
On Tuesday we happened upon a weekly crafts fair in Congress Park. It’s small but there are some good finds. We sampled excellent whiskey and lemoncello from an area distiller and looked at handmade jewelry, woodwork and scarves among other items. The most unique offering was probably the stall making bespoke leather shoes and boots.
Saratoga Springs Restaurants Worth Seeking Out
Lunch
We liked the food and beer selection at Druthers Brewing Company so much, we ate there twice. It has a quiet, semi-hidden courtyard in the center of town and a great selection of beers served in large stylish tumblers.
On our first visit, I had a grilled-cheese sandwich inspired by French onion soup, with caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese on crunchy sourdough. It was gooey and good. Rich liked his peppery fried chicken sandwich with coleslaw and jalapeño ranch sauce.
On our return, we shared a large plate of fresh, crispy fish & chips and a green salad. Several people were eating the tacos and macaroni and cheese, which also looked really tasty.
Between us, we tried a crisp IPA, a summery but not too sweet raspberry-currant lager and an unfiltered peach cider that they say tastes like peach candy rings. Thankfully, it doesn’t. It was crisp and refreshing and perfect for a summer afternoon.
Druthers as an outpost called Lago by Druthers on Saratoga Lake. We stopped by on our way back from the battlefield for an afternoon drink. The large back patio is lovely with a bar, tables, a gazebo, cornhole games and Adirondack chairs right on the water.
I think it’s on the wrong side of the lake to watch the sunset, but it would still be lovely at that time of day. The menu has some overlap with their place in town but has more of an Italian accent with focaccia sandwiches, antipasto and pizzas.
Carson’s Woodside Tavern is perched on a hilltop at the opposite end of the lake, It’s not on the water but it has a large patio has great views of it. We stopped in for a light dinner but I recommend going for lunch because they close the outdoor seating at 7:00 pm.
The sandwiches, salads, burgers and chili are all respectably good. But be sure to get the littleneck clams they have shipped up a few times a week during the summer. They’re steamed in garlic and wine and served with drawn butter and bread for dipping. We could have happily wiled away an afternoon on the patio with nothing more than some cold beers and a few bowls of these.
Dinner
If you want to have a truly adult evening out, put on something smart and head to Hamlet & Ghost, a wine bar a block back from Broadway at Caroline St. It’s so unassuming on the outside that we almost couldn’t find it. But inside, it’s stylish, laid-back and friendly.
They have a good menu of creative cocktails and spirit-free drinks and local beer and an extensive wine list. We chose an Italian white wine and ordered a few dishes to share.
Some dishes seemed overly complicated, but the excellent Tempura wild mushrooms had a light crispy coat and a salty-citrusy dipping sauce.
The steak tartare was attractively plated with crusty bread and house-made potato chips. A salad with fresh peas, pea shoots and fresh ricotta was a nice change from the usual summer salads and was light and flavorful.
On the one cold, rainy night we had, we headed to Brasserie Benelux, on Broadway, where you can find German pretzels, Dutch croquettes, Belgian mussels, Polish sausage and Swedish meatballs. It seems like a bit of a hodgepodge, but there’s a clear overlap between all these cuisines and it works. They have good Belgian and German beer on hand, too.
I ordered wiener schnitzel, which came with cucumber salad, chewy spaetzle noodles and a berry compote, which is how they serve it in Austria. It might seem unusual, but the berries went very well with the meat, not unlike cranberry sauce with turkey.
Rich had a pork schnitzel with mushroom sauce, home-fries and red cabbage. Everything was freshly made and very good.
We didn’t really need the crêpes with mascarpone, fresh strawberries and drizzled chocolate for dessert. But it was as delicious as it sounds and we ate every last bite.
Breakfast
We had our pick of bakeries and cafés for breakfast. On the first morning, we wandered into Mrs. London’s Bakery, on Broadway. It’s the kind of bakery where it’s hard to decide what to choose because everything looks good.
We settled on a cheese Danish, which was really a flaky, sweet-cheese filled croissant, and a small pecan ring, which was great to dunk in coffee. There’s outdoor seating, but we preferred to sit inside and enjoy the colorful Victorian wallpaper and tearoom vibe.
I wanted to return the next day, but in the spirit of trying new things, we headed to the Bread Basket bakery on Spring Street, across from Congress Park. They have a few outdoor table in a small leafy garden out front, as well as tables inside.
The selection isn’t as big as at Mrs. London’s but it was still hard to choose. I was leaning toward the soft and sticky cinnamon rolls, the healthy blueberry bars or the sturdy NY crumb cake, but we settled on sharing a large chocolate-almond Danish, which was also more of a croissant. It was crunchy, flaky and had the right amount of melted chocolate inside.
Since it’s not on Broadway, it can be less busy than some of the other places. Uncommon Grounds on Main Street can easily have a line that’s 15-people deep in the morning.
On our final morning, we treated ourselves to a sit-down breakfast at Morrissey’s, a stylish bar and bistro inside the stylish Adelphi Hotel. It has a classic interior reminiscent of the 1920s and is an excellent place for a pre-dinner cocktail or a late-afternoon drink and snack.
Channel Saratoga regular Diamond Jim Brady and order fresh raw oysters (just maybe in smaller quantities than he preferred). The hipster fries with chili oil, Parmesan, bacon and sweet-hot peppers also make a great bar snack.
In the morning, we sat outside and watched the parade of dog-walkers and tourists as we tucked into breakfast. I was strongly tempted by the glazed poppyseed doughnuts, but couldn’t persuade Rich that we needed them on top of our main dishes.
He had eggs with sausage, sourdough toast and crisp rösti-style hash browns. I had a buckwheat waffle with butter and mixed summer berries. It came with real maple syrup, too. But it didn’t need it.
The Basics for Planning Your Saratoga Springs Weekend
How to get to Saratoga
By Car, Saratoga Springs is a bit more than three hours from Montreal and about four hours from New York City, Boston and Providence, RI. It’s about five hours from Buffalo, Philadelphia and Ottawa.
Amtrak’s Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express lines both stop in Saratoga. The trip from Moynihan Station in Manhattan is four hours or less, depending on which train you take.
The nearest airport is in Albany, about 30 miles south of town.
We usually had no problem finding a parking spot in downtown Saratoga. The once or twice we didn’t find a spot on Broadway we just headed to the municipal garage at Spring and Putnam streets, near the park. It’s free after 7:00pm and $2/hour otherwise.
Things to keep in mind
Hotels can book up on random summer nights depending on what’s going on at SPAC and the racetrack. Definitely book your hotel ahead.
None of the restaurants where we ate were packed solid midweek, but if there is a place you really want to try, a reservation wouldn’t hurt. They are no doubt more essential on the weekends.
The racecourse, some of the area wineries, breweries and restaurants and some museums close on Monday and Tuesday, even during the summer. It’s easier, and sometimes a little less expensive, to book a hotel from Sunday through Wednesday. But if you want access to everything, plan a visit later in the week.
I saw New York State wines on some of the menus at restaurants in town. If you’re interested and can’t get to the wineries, it’s always worth asking what a restaurant has that’s local.
How to pack for Saratoga
The best time to visit Saratoga is probably the fall, when the weather is crisp and you can do some leaf-peeping. Summer days were only a smidgen cooler than they were in NYC, and it didn’t get cool enough to need a jacket at night. In the winter, be prepared for cold, snow and slush with good boots and a water-resistant coat.
The races, walking tours and SPAC performances all happen rain or shine during the warm months. Be sure to have sunscreen that you love, a broad-brimmed hat and packable ponchos. A water-proof picnic blanket can be handy for SPAC.
You’ll see people walking around the Gideon Putnam dressed in athletic clothes for outdoor activities, cocktail attire for destination weddings and all-weather gear for the SPAC concerts. Casual-neat is fine for the restaurant and bar.
In town, pack something a little smart for places like Hamlet & Ghost or Morrissey’s.
At the lakeside restaurants and brewpubs it’s totally casual. Shorts, tank tops, t-shirts and probably even flip-flops are fine.
At the racecourse, all but the most casual clothes are fine in the general admission, grandstand and clubhouse areas. But there are dress codes for the more expensive and exclusive seats.
Pin It for Later!
Discover Saratoga sponsored our walking tour, spa time, racing museum visit and meals at Benelux, Hamlet & Ghost, Carsons and Morrissey’s. I did not agree to any specific coverage in exchange for this sponsorship. My opinion is always my own.