Hi we are Amy and Sheila Smith from Saratoga Arms Hotel. We grew up in Saratoga Springs and we have been involved in our family's different hospitality businesses since they were able to walk. We offer a unique perspective on what makes Saratoga Springs such a great town to experience, whether for a weekend or for a lifetime. We aim to give you the best Saratoga Springs information, wrapping it up in our own brand of sisterly humor. Our goal- We'll show you what makes this town so fun.
If you decide that Saratoga Springs is a place you would like to visit and you'll need a place to stay, we'd hope you'll consider Saratoga Arms.
The weekend of February 3rd, 2012 is a wonderful two event weekend that goes together nicely...Chowder and Beer. The downtown area of Saratoga Springs, NY will have the 14th Annual Chowderfest and Saratoga Arms will hold their 1st of 4 winter Ultimate Bed and Brew weekends. A match made in heaven.
Chowderfest boasts 35 participating restaurants putting up their best chowder for all to sample. $1.00 for a 3oz serving is just enough to sample a wide variety of chowders. Don't forget to fill out the ballot and vote for the best. It provides great bragging rights for the winning restaurant.
Saratoga Springs opened the downtown streets to a city wide lip dub on September 1st, 2011. Never heard of a lip dub? It's all the rage on the internet now. It is a one take, unedited lip sync to a song or a collection of songs. We decided to do 3 Train songs. The drummer, Scott Underwood, is a Saratoga Springs graduate and classmate of our very own Sheila Smith.
Thousands of people lined Broadway and Congress Park to dance, sing and lip sync. The porch of Saratoga Arms was featured as a singing spot and we did a little behind the scenes of filming day. Take a look.
This lip dub promotes how wonderful Saratoga Springs is a destination and as a community. Looks a though the premiere will be held on September, 27th. Look back here for the final version.
Summer in Saratoga is wonderful place to be, especially the Saratoga Race Course. People from all of the world flock to the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in America. But how do you get a seat to watch the races? It's not that hard, and with a little preplanning, you can have a wonderful day watching the ponies. Sheila and I take you on a tour of many of the seating options at the racetrack.
We head out to the races dressed two ways--Sheila is dressed up and takes a tour of the clubhouse dining seating options, while I am dressed quite casually and head over to the picnic areas and grandstand seating. We meet some great folks along the way. Take a look.
To reserve the dining options in the clubhouse, call 888-516-6972 or email Erin Walsh at ewalsh@nyrainc.com. To secure grandstand seats, you must apply by January 1st of each racing season. There are same day seats that go on sale each morning at 9am at the Union Ave gate. Depending on the day, the line does form earlier than 9am and the seats are necessarily the best available.
I hope we took the guess work out of the various seating options at the track. The Saratoga Race Course is a great place to spend a summer day. Enjoy!
It is the beginning of February and Saratoga Springs, NY has a ton of snow on the ground. If you live in the northeast, you adapt the adage, "If you can't beat it, join it!" So what do you do with all of this snow...head out to the Saratoga Spa State Park.
We are home to a beautiful 2, 200 acre park located but a mile from our Saratoga Springs Hotel on the south end of the city. There are wonderful trails to snowshoe and cross county ski and two ice skating rinks. If you don't have equipment, don't worry, the folks at the Administration building at the Park will rent you snowshoes 7 days a week in the winter. And our local ski shop, Alpine Sports Shop will rent cross country skis.
Sheila and I took our family out to the park on a winter afternoon and had a great time. We invited our sister Annie, who lives in Atlanta now and if you take a look at the video, you can see how she is not very steady on skis. But we made it to the warming hut and unfroze the southern sister!
The park has numerous winter events, including a candlelight skiing event Friday, February 4th. For more information, they can be reached at 518-584-2535.
We had a wonderful opportunity to visit Saratoga Springs' own brewery, the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company. The brewery, opened in 1996, is home to Olde Saratoga Lager and IPA, the east coast brewer for the Medicino beer line and over 35 craft brew contracts.
The brewery has a tasting room that is open in the evenings (except Sundays). It is a great place to meet some friends and have a few beers. You can even bring in food and cater a little event there. Can't beat it!
Sheila and I hammed it up as your favorite beer workers from the great 1970s TV sitcom Laverne and Shirley. We were given a hands on tour of the brewery by Bob Cohan and were able to sample many of brews. Considering our tour was at 10:30am, we were sure to eat a solid breakfast. Could not go back to Saratoga Arms a little tipsy!!
In addition to the brewery tour, this video highlights an Ultimate Bed & Brew Winter Weekend Package that we are having at Saratoga Arms this winter. During 4 weekends, one in each month of January-April 2011, Saratoga Arms and the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company are teaming up to provide guests with a beer filled weekend. Here's the fabulous itinerary-
Friday Evening
Arrive and check in at the hotel
Join other beer aficionados for an evening of beer sampling.* An expert brewer from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company will be on hand to answer questions and swap stories.
*We encourage you to bring samples of your own brew, craft beer or favorite local lager from your neck of the woods to share. All enthusiasts are invited to sample from the different offerings.
Saturday
Enjoy a full breakfast at Saratoga Arms
Explore the city of Saratoga Springs. Many unique shops, world class museums and fine restaurants are within walking distance of Saratoga Arms
Shuttle to the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company for a private and indepth tour. While there, we will stop in their tasting room and sample some freshly made beers.
Sit down to a four-course meal with carefully considered beer pairings from the day's tour. Bob Cohan from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company will be joining us to talk about the pairing choices.
Sunday
Another scrumptious Saratoga Arms breakfast
Checkout and feel free to spend some time visiting our local merchants before heading home
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 08:35PM 