“Saratoga Springs was the Disneyland of nineteenth-century America,” quips James D. Parillo, executive director of the Saratoga Springs History Museum, located not coincidentally in the city’s both famous and infamous former Canfield Casino…more about that gaming venue in a minute.
The so-called Gilded Age (roughly from 1865 to the early 20th century), dubbed thusly from a lesser-known Mark Twain tome, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873), has come to signify a period of extraordinary economic and industrial growth-railroads were constructed and flourished, mechanized and automated factories mushroomed, political corruption was burnished to perfection, and chicanery blossomed: Hooligans and hoodlums rubbed elbows with the elite; politicians and prostitutes (okay, ladies of the night) were brazenly seen side-by-side, and dubious business deals were made over and under the table. In short, it was the Wild West on the East Coast.
During those heady days, it was not uncommon to see the likes of broad-shouldered politicians from Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall network, with, say, gambling legend Diamond Jim Brady, or impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, or sundry Whitneys, Vanderbilts, Morgans, or Goulds-and throw into that mix, a duo like John Warne “Bet-a-Million” Gates and his quadruple-threat paramour, Lillian Russell, acclaimed for her beauty, style, voice, and stage presence.
Among this gallimaufry of “gilded” gents was former heavyweight boxing champion John Morrissey, who was elected to Congress in 1866, and who was also among the founding members of the renowned Saratoga Race Course, established in 1863, and the oldest in America. Morrissey established the Saratoga Clubhouse in 1870 and in 1874, at the behest of the Congress and Empire Springwater Company, the southern section of adjacent Congress Park benefitted from a “little gardening” by the nascent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
After Morrissey’s untimely death in 1878, ownership of the clubhouse (a casino, really, with the mantra, No ladies, no locals, no credit), was passed on to a business duo, and ultimately, to Richard Albert Canfield, who became the outright single owner in 1884, and thus the Canfield Casino was firmly established.
Today the Canfield Casino is one of the city’s most treasured landmarks (replete with its stained glass, coffered ceiling)-a lovely event venue and the site of the Saratoga Springs History Museum.
This cultural institution (with a wealth of 16,000 artifacts and over 300,000 archival photographs) showcases an in-depth, eclectic, and fascinating mix of memorabilia, from tableware to curiosities-like three-dimensional artwork made of (gasp!) human hair and elaborate scherenschnitte (scissor-cut, silhouetted pictures).
You will find much more to mesmerize you, however, when visiting this charming town, an easy train ride, some 175 miles north of Gotham, and nestled in the Capital-Saratoga Region. The local population, just under 30,000, mushrooms in the summertime, with all that draws tourists here; but even at the height of the season, you will still have room to move around, see the sights, snag restaurant reservations and tickets for the many cultural events, and, in short, enjoy yourself in this appealing “Disneyland” of yesteryear. I spent a mere three days there and was sorry I didn’t have more time-make sure to plan your trip so you can take in everything, including toothsome culinary experiences, gambling glee, singular and sinful shopping, compelling culture, and wellness indulgences.
Not the least of which is the famous waters. To the Mohawks and other indigenous peoples, the area was known as Serachtague, or “place of swift water,” the result of fissures in the earth’s surface, that produced waters rich in minerals-ideal for “the cure.” Thus, did Saratoga Springs become known as the Queen of the Spas. Today, you can still go to the legendary Mineral Baths at the Roosevelt Baths & Spa, located in the Saratoga Spa State Park, itself worth your time to explore. Within the State Park, which is a National Historic Landmark of nearly 2,400 acres, you’ll find two golf courses, two swimming pools, the Hall of Springs, the Spa Little Theater, the Saratoga Museum, the celebrated Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the baths. Allow time for the Roosevelt Baths, as it’s worth it-it’s an absolute throw back in time to its earliest days (established ca. 1935); it clings to its décor and ambience of yesteryear, and offers a combination of politesse, pampering, and procedures that are homey and comfy; after a 40-minute soak in a giant porcelain tub, I felt both relaxed and reinvigorated. A word to the wise: Wintertime is also wonderful here, as when the snow blankets the Park, there are approximately 12 miles of cross-country skiing trails and snowshoeing trails, as well. For 26 years, Saratoga has been staging a winter Chowderfest, so keep your eyes peeled for the 27th next year.
Another must-see is the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. While the racing season is 49 days (July 10 to September 1), the museum is open all year. By the bye, the racing season this year includes the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, June 4-8, staged here, while Belmont Park is undergoing renovation; and from July 3-6, the July 4th Racing Festival will be staged. At the museum itself, you’ll find a replica of a typical starting gate and stalls, a wall of jockeys’ famed, framed racing silks, iconic saddles from noteworthy thoroughbreds, and even an exhibit of three mixtures of earthy compositions-dirt, turf, and synthetic-that constitute the grounds of various racetracks. (Don’t forget to don your most fabulous hat for the races!)
If you have not tanked up on the plentiful fare at the at the racetrack (there are also fun food trucks at the track), I would suggest a few eateries, each proffering different experiences: For breakfast, do not miss Sweet Mimi’s Café-and go early; natives queue up with the roosters for the pancakes and French toast that cascade off the plate, and the biscuits that melt in your mouth (take home some raspberry almond bread).
For a leisurely meal of down-home cooking, I chose Lago by Druthers, with a peaceful panorama of Saratoga Lake and tasty comfort food. For my “big night out,” I found Prime, with a bucolic view of the Saratoga National Golf Club, absolutely outstanding, and I’m still slavering over my starter (crab tater tots) and my dessert (peanut butter skillet).
Need I say more? And while you’re happily shopping on the main drag, aptly called Broadway, take a half-block detour to Bocage Champagne Bar, an absolute oasis of bubbly. It’s cozy and inviting, and you could easily kill an afternoon here shooting the breeze and imbibing the many sparkling offerings.
A highlight for me was an evening at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. (The season runs from mid-May to the end of September.) SPAC, as it’s known, is the summer home to the New York City Ballet (appearing with the Ballet in individual performances are Renée Flemming and Cynthia Erivo) and the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the expert baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
(Last season, I had the good fortune to get tickets for Richard Strauss’s rarely heard symphonic work, “An Alpine Symphony,” a tone poem that is truly a religious experience. Symphonically chronicling an 11-hour trek, from dawn to dusk, up an Alpine mountain, it creates with equal feeling, tranquility and thunderstorm, with searing emotion.) On tap this summer are celebrated, big-time performers, including Jason Aldean, Avril Lavigne, Bonnie Raitt, and Shania Twain, all part of presentations from Live Nation. With something for everyone, other bold-face names performing this summer include just about everything, from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to Jerry Seinfeld. For additional culture: The Opera Saratoga (formerly Lake George Opera, which began in 1962, playing to an audience of a mere 230), will celebrate its 60th season this summer. The company performs at the Ferndell Pavilion in the Saratoga Spa State Park; its season goes from May 29th to June 29th this year.
Psst: Make time, too, for a visit to The Bottling Plant, dedicated to showcasing the area’s bottled waters (think Saratoga Springs, the only naturally carbonated mineral springs east of the Rocky Mountains) and the Saratoga County History Center, which will mount (starting July 30) the exhibit In the Saratoga Style: Potato Chips and Their Regional Folklore. Seriously.
For more information: discoversaratoga.org
© 2025 Ruth J. Katz All Rights Reserved
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of © NYS Dept. of Economic Dev. (NYSDED).
