Soothing Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs is famous for its opulent historic inns, mineral baths and a rich schedule of cultural, sporting and social events. The Saratoga Spa State Park (518/584-2000) is home to mineral water that has for generations provided soothing therapy at the Roosevelt and Washington Bath Houses. After the private bath, an attendant wraps you in warm sheets while you finish unwinding. Perhaps you'll opt for a massage too. In town the Crystal Spa (518/584-2556) offers similar services in a contemporary setting.

The park is the perfect site for a picnic or a leisurely bicycle ride through the Avenue of the Pines, where majestic evergreens line the roadway.

In the evening Saratoga State Park comes alive at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (518/587-3330 to purchase tickets and for the summer schedule). This outdoor amphitheater is the summer home of the New York City Ballet, New York City Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra -- and it doesn't stop there. The season is full of special performances like the Newport Jazz Festival, Yanni, Bonnie Raite, Seal, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Amy Grant, Steve Miller with the Doobie Brothers, Melissa Etheridge and Phish.

Also in the park is the National Museum of Dance (518/584-2225), the only museum in the country devoted exclusively to professional American dance.

The City of Saratoga Springs itself is not to be missed. Be sure to visit the Saratoga Springs Urban Cultural Park Visitors Center (518/587-3241), the Beaux Arts former trolley station built in 1915 that was converted in 1940 to a "drink hall" where spring waters were served. Today it offers visitor information, exhibits, film presentations and information on walking tours.

The Historical Society of Saratoga Springs Museum (518/584-6920) is located in Historic Congress Park. Housed in an 1870s Italianate former gambling casino, it highlights 19th-century resort life in Saratoga. Exhibits on mineral springs, the baths and gambling tell the story.

This is a cosmopolitan racing town. Visit the National Museum of Racing and Thoroughbred Hall of Fame (518/584-0400) for a sense of the excitement that surrounds the "sport of kings." The Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame (518/587-4210) chronicles the sport with memorabilia, racing silks, blacksmith works, horseshoe and metal sculpture.

The Regent Street Antique Center (518/584-0107) houses 30 antique dealers and contains a museum collection of stoneware, scrimshaw and Saratoga bottles.

End your day at the lovely Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Spa State Park (518/584-3000 for reservations). Or experience the ornate Victorian ambiance of the Adelphi Hotel (518/587-4688), the last of the great romantic hostelries from Saratoga's gilded age.

For more information about Saratoga, call the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce (518/584-3255)