Winter Travel: 5 Things To Do In Saratoga Springs Off-Season

The Adirondacks in upstate New York is one of my favorite go-to places during the summer and fall months and a place I tend to avoid during winter months because of the cold temperatures and storms that hit the area from December through March.

That said, when I do visit the area during colder months, I tend to go back in time and remember wonderful memories from my childhood, where we went sleigh riding, skiing, ice skating and grabbed a meal or cuppa Joe in a cosy restaurant or cafe to warm up afterwards. Here are five fun things to do in and around Saratoga Springs New York during those cold winter months.

Take a Mineral Bath at Roosevelt Baths & Spa

The Roosevelt Baths & Spa has been open since 1935, with 42 original treatment rooms and a complete menu of services, including mineral baths, massages, facials, scrubs, body wraps and a full-service salon. They offer private soaks in Saratoga’s naturally effervescent water. The mineral water is captured cold from underground springs, then mixed with warm fresh water to a neutral temperature for maximum health benefits.

You can sign up for a soak individually for 40 minutes or before any treatment for 20 minutes. From massage therapy to skin care and facials, body treatments to hair and nails, the Roosevelt Spa has a full menu of services. Options include mineral baths, aromatherapy mineral baths, signature massages, deep tissue massages, a stone massage, reflexology, craniosacral therapy, reiki, shiatsu, Ayurvedic Wellness consulting, acupuncture, yoga, and facials, which include ones tailored to aging skin, such as the oxygen facial, Vitamin C facial, wrinkle eraser, a collagen facial and a hydrolifting facial.

Body treatments include a Saratoga Sugar Scrub, a Spa Salt Glow, a Detoxifying Algae Wrap, a Remineralizing Mud Wrap, a Roosevelt Signature Body Regeneration, a Skin Soother and a Best Body Treatment. They also offer make-up application and lessons, pedicures, manicures, and waxing as well as an on-site salon for cut, color and styling.

Details:

Roosevelt Baths & Spa

39 Roosevelt Drive

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 226-4790

Get a Spa Service or Take a Private Yoga Class

Housed in the historical Pavilion Grand Hotel is All Good Things, a luxury boutique spa where you can either catch a yoga class on a freezing cold day or pamper yourself with one of their many treatments.

In addition to private yoga classes, they offer facials, massage services that are 100% natural and organic as well as healthy body treatments which can be performed in-spa or in-suite. I love the fact that they also offer both eyebrow and eyelash services as well which are designed to last 3-4 weeks. Eyelash extensions are a great option if you have a special event coming up or if you just want to give yourself a special treat.

This wellness center is a stone’s throw from Saratoga’s main drag Broadway, and has a juice bar to help you nourish, relax, rejuvenate and transform your mind, body and spirit. They do fresh presses on the spot or you can get a pre-bottled juice to go — two thumbs up!

Details:

All Good Things Boutique Spa

@ Pavilion Grand Hotel

30 Lake Avenue

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 583-2727

Visit the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame was established in 1986 as the only museum in the nation and one of the few in the world that is dedicated entirely to the art of dance. The museum is located in the former Washington Bathhouse, a historic building in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

The Museum’s archives house a growing collection of photographs, videos, costumes, documents, biographies and artifacts that honor all forms of dance throughout history. They also have a Resource Room, which offers thousands of books, periodicals, and print items for dance research. Throughout the building’s many galleries are a variety of yearly rotating exhibits and three permanent exhibits including the Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame. Opened in 1987, it honors dance pioneers of all types whether they are choreographers, composers, writers, dancers, or patrons.

The Museum campus also includes the Lewis A. Swyer Studios, a building constructed specifically for the purpose of keeping live dance as part of the Museum’s offerings. The Swyer Studios also has master classes, lecture/demonstrations, residencies, and other programs, as well as the Museum’s dance school, the School of the Arts, which offers dance classes to all ages and levels.

One of their ongoing exhibitions is Dancers in Film which celebrates the relationship between dancers and film, and features both well-known dance stars and our favorite actors who have had world famous dance roles on the silver screen. This season, Art in the Foyer at the National Museum of Dance is on through April 2016, which presents photographs from the renowned private collection of two longtime, beloved Saratoga Springs residents – the celebrated photographer Cris Alexander and the legendary New York City Ballet character dancer Shaun O’Brien. Also open through the Spring of 2016 is an exhibition on 125 years of Tango. The only exhibition of its kind, 125 Years of Tango presents costumes, music, artifacts and historical details dedicated solely to Argentine Tango.

Details:

National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame

99 South Broadway

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Make Your Own Ceramic Piece

If you have an artistic flare or even if you don’t, a fun way to spend an afternoon is at a local ceramic studio. It’s fun to do with or without children in tow and easy to do regardless of your artistic ability. You simply choose your piece, choose your paints and design, and then a week later, you pick up your completed piece after it has gone through the glazing and firing process. While the turnaround time is generally around a week, they can also rush orders or ship it to you so your piece is waiting for you by the time you get home from your trip.

They have plenty of options at your disposal, ranging from small figurines, boxes, spoon rests and mugs to pitchers, platters, plates and more. Reasonably priced, the studio fee is only $8 per person plus the cost of the piece.

They recommend that you allot about an hour to complete your project, although I’d suggest two hours to fully embrace your inner creative self.

Details:

Creative Sparks Ceramics and Balloonatics

42 Phila Street

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 583-2030

http://www.creativesparksceramics.com/pottery.html

Outside Winter Fun: Ice Skating

Ice skating is a great family choice during the winter months in upstate New York. The Saratoga Springs Ice Rink is an indoor skating arena located on 30 Weibel Avenue in Saratoga that is open year round. The Saratoga Spa State Park is seasonal with two outdoor rinks. Hockey is allowed at the rink just off Avenue of Pines, Gavin Park in Wilton has a public ice rink and you can skate on Saratoga Lake at the South Shore Marina.

There’s also nearby ice skating in Glens Falls including Crandall Park which has an outdoor lighted rink, an indoor rink at Glens Falls Civic Center, an indoor rink at Glens Falls Recreation Department and an outdoor skating rink at East Field.

More information for fun things to do can be found on the Saratoga Tourism Site at http://discoversaratoga.org. Here, you can also access a list of great restaurants along the main drag and within walking distance, details on the infamous Saratoga Race Track open every August, as well as fun shopping options on Broadway and nearby.

Renee Blodgett

Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.

She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.

Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.

Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.