Every Fall we head upstate. This year we went a bit further than we normally travel, we ventured to Saratoga Springs. After stopping in Saratoga for a quick pit stop on our way to Montreal one summer, I quickly fell in love + decided why not head there for a weekend.
Here is a recap of our fun Fall weekend in Saratoga Springs, NY:
Day 1
After an over three hour drive we landed in Saratoga Springs. Saratoga is filled with places to stay from swanky hotels like Adelphi to adorable AirBNBs. Take your pick.
We dropped our bags, immediately headed to Broadaway to get lunch at the spot that started it all - The Mercantile. We devoured our smash burger + pulled pork sandwich then walked it off around Congress Park. A beautiful park right off Broadway with natural springs, fountains + historic casino building.
We headed right back out to Broadway for dinner at Rhea, where we had yummy ramen + chilled sesame noodles. After dinner we ventured to the side streets of Saratoga where the magic happens. Magic as in rows of restaurants + bars. Thanks to disco balls hanging from the ceiling, I was lured into what quickly became my favorite bar in Saratoga - Lucy’s Bar. A hole in the wall with amazing drinks, cool vibe, hanging disco balls + fun bartenders. We had a night cap + called it a night.
Day 2
Woke up + headed straight to Saratoga Spa State Park, a short drive from downtown Saratoga. There we headed to the Geyser Loop to hike along the springs with a geyser, mineral deposits + trail. The geyser loop + wooded trail were a perfect hike especially with a toddler. Saratoga Spa State Park has natural springs throughout the park, a few are carbonated with the mineral taste (not my thing) + others are pure delicious natural spring water. Make sure to bring extra bottles when you head to the park to fill up! We explored only a small portion of the park. There is a hotel, pools, automobile museum + more. Our next trip to Saratoga we are hitting the pools!
We had to fuel up after our morning hike + what better place than Hattie’s Restaurant, home of the best fried chicken in New York State voted by the Food Network. We ordered the famous fried chicken + my favorite dish of the trip - cheesy grits. Hattie lives up to the hype. The chicken was perfectly fried, seasoned + juicy, but the one dish I won’t forget - that bowl of creamy, cheesy + delicious grits. We strolled around Phila + Caroline Street, headed back to my favorite spot Lucy’s Bar for Fall sangria + Bloody Mary’s.
Hot Tip: make reservations when you spend the weekend in Saratoga. We unfortunately didn’t make reservations at the hot spots like Hamlet + Ghost, Mouzon House + Solevo so we weren’t able to get in. We did get a table at Cantina, a hip Mexican restaurant where we had flavorful birria tacos + crispy coconut shrimp.
Day 3
Our last day we headed towards home + landed in Ballston Spa, a quaint town outside of Saratoga filled with antiquing, shops + spots to eat. It is a perfect town to stop for some vintage finds + upstate town charm.
We went to Bowman Orchards for our annual apple picking in upstate. It is your one stop shop for Fall farm fun. They have a petting zoo, hay ride, kids activities + a huge apple orchard - map included. We picked rows of apples we never heard of from snap dragon to pixie crunch. We stocked up on apple cider donuts + headed back home with our weekend trip coming to an end.
All in all Saratoga Springs is a spot to check out. There is SO much to do + we only grazed the surface. It is perfect for a family trip, romantic getaway + in my prime I would have loved to go here for a rager weekend or bachelorette party. We didn’t even visit any of the breweries or wineries in the area. I can’t wait to go back specifically during the warmer season when we can take advantage of the natural springs, pools, racetrack + check out the Lake George area.
If you don’t mind a three hour car ride, I say pack your bags + head to Saratoga stat.