Saratoga Springs

Getting To Downtown Saratoga Springs From Campus

WALK From Skidmore, downtown Saratoga Springs is a 15-minute walk along scenic North Broadway, which is known for its beautiful Victorian homes. Take a Right out of either of the entrances located on North Broadway.

BIKE    

Skidmore uses a Bike Share program called CDDHP.

• Using a desktop or laptop visit www.cdphpcycle.com
• Click on the green “Unlock Your Access” tab
• Click on “Skidmore College”
• Input the required information including a credit card (only to cover incidentals, you will not be charged for riding)
• Once your membership has be created, download the Cycle! app to locate a bike near you, press any button to wake the bike up, scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it an begin your ride.  When you are done riding, lock the bike to a Cycle!rack or any fixed public object in the riding system to end your ride.

BUS

The Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA) offers Skidmore students, employees, and guests with a current ID card free bus service from Skidmore to downtown Saratoga Springs and other locations.

CDTA bus 473 leaves from the front of Case Center every half hour on the dot. The bus drives downtown via Woodlawn, Clinton, Van Dam., and then Broadway. At the intersection of Broadway and Lake, passengers may transfer to CDTA bus 15, which goes to the Wilton Mall, or to CDTA bus 472, which goes to Walmart and to the Amtrak/bus station. The 473 route from Skidmore ends at the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.

For exact departure/arrival times and maps, CDTA brochures are available at the Summer Registration Desk or See Schedules and Routes. The summer trolley bus runs via Broadway to Saratoga Spa State Park and to the Race Track, stopping along the way. For those wishing to catch the trolley, take the 473 from Case Center and transfer downtown. The trolley fare is $1.00 one way.

TAXI  

Recommended Taxi Services include:

• Saratoga Taxi: (518) 584-2700
• Saratoga Hybrid Cab (518) 698-4122
• Uber and Lyft are also available

Restaurants: stars connote favorites, **please note** Saratoga is a small city and during the week restaurants close earlier than busy metropolitan center

Stars denote that it is particularly recommended by MDOCS

• *Augies to go $$- Delicious family-style Italian-American to-go restaurant with a sit-down branch in the neighboring town of Balston Spa
• *Nine Miles East Cafe $$- Excellent locally sourced salads, sandwiches, and pizzas, with good vegetarian and vegan options, close to campus- good for outdoor dining
• Little India $$- Family-owned cozy Indian Restaurant
• Phila Fusian $$- pan-Asian restaurant
• Wasabi– $$$- sushi restaurant
• *Hamlet and Ghost $$$$- Delicious chef-prepared small plates and cocktails- good for outdoor dining
• *Taqueria Guadalajara $- Excellent Taqueria in neighboring Balston Spa
• Max London’s $$$$- Delicious American fair and wood-fired pizza- good for outdoor dining
• *Solevo Kitchen $$$$- High-end Italian cuisine
• *Comfort Kitchen $- Excellent lunch and brunch spot with good vegetarian and vegan options- good for outdoor dining
• West Ave Chicken $- Great for lunch, lots of chicken sandwich options and rotisserie chickens
• Triangle Diner $- Excellent classic brunch spot
• Sweet Mimi’s $$- Excellent bakery and breakfast spot

Cafes:

• *Mrs. London’s – Excellent French bakery and cafe- good for outdoor dining
• Kru Coffee – Good locally roasted coffee shop, close to campus, but not downtown
• Uncommon Grounds– spacious coffee shop in downtown Saratoga- good for outdoor dining
• *Death Wish Coffee– Death Wish does not have a brick-and-mortar location, but it is an award-winning local coffee company and you can buy it to make at home in many local shops

Bars:

• *Black Elks Club Saratoga– local chapter of the Black Elks, a community center for Black Saratogians with a low key bar.
• The Local– spacious bar and tea house
• Walt & Whitman’s– local brewing company and bar- good for outdoor seating
• Henry Street Taproom– relaxed bar with good food and late-night kitchen– good for outdoor seating
• The Parting Glass– spacious Irish bar with regular music sessions

Ice cream: Upstate New York has excellent soft-serve ice cream, here are some local favorites!

• Farmer’s Daughter– beautiful view, a little bit out of town
• Dairy Haus – closest to campus

Black Elks Club– local chapter of the Black Elks, a community center for Black Saratogians

Saratoga BLM– local Black Lives Matter group

Black Dimensions in Art– local Black artists organization

Ndakinnah Education Center – local wilderness center that hosts indigenous organizations and events

Estamos Aqui Saratoga– community arts initiative in Saratoga’s Latinx immigrant community

Saratoga Pride

Saratoga LGTBQ resources

Houses of Worship

Local Area Cultural Activities/Organizations

Stars denote that it is particularly recommended by MDOCS

Entertainment:

• Caffè Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY) folk music venue
• *Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)– large music venue that attracts big name acts
• *AMC Saratoga– local first-run theater
• *Malta Drive-In- classic drive-in movie theater
• Albany-Saratoga Speedway– Race Cars!!
• *Roosevelt Baths Saratoga- Historic mineral bathhouse and spa- We all need a little pampering sometimes!

Museums:

• *The Tang Teaching Museum– our campus contemporary art museum
• Saratoga Springs History Museum– local regional history museum
• Yaddo Artists Colony– historic artist colony (gardens open to public)
• National Museum of Dance– museum dedicated to classical and contemporary dance forms
• Saratoga Automobile Museum– classic car museum
• New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center– New York State Military History Museum

Capital District

Entertainment:

• *The Spectrum, Albany, NY- excellent independent movie theater
• The Linda Albany, NY- WMAC’s performing arts center,
• *Youth Fx Albany, NY- Youth Media center run by the founders of Next Doc
• *RPI EMPAC Troy, NY- Excellent Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center
• *Sanctuary for Independent Media Troy, NY- Beautiful Community Media Center, screening space, radio station and much more!
• *Round Lake Auditorium Round Lake, NY- home to one of the oldest and largest organs in the world. Offers theater, organ shows and more
• *The Madison Theater– Independent movie theater and dining experience
• *No Fun– Troy NY- Dancing and Live Music

Museums:

• Albany Art and History Institute– Albany, NY- Capitol region art museum
• New York State Museum– Albany, NY- New York State history museum
• The Hyde Collection– Glens Falls, NY- small art museums with distinguished collections of European and American ar
• The National Bottle Museum– Balston Spa, NY- created to preserve, research, and exhibit bottles and objects related to bottle making.

For more information:

• Saratoga Springs Visitors Center (opposite Congress Park)
• Maps/Brochures (guided historic walking tours)
• Chamber of Commerce
• Saratoga.com