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This park preserves the site of the Battles of Saratoga. The American victory here in 1777 is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. It was the first time in world history that a British Army had ever surrendered and it convinced the French, and then the Dutch and Spanish to ally themselves with the Americans.
We stopped at Saratoga on our way home from Lake Placid. We started at the visitor center where we watched a short film and a cool fiber optic diorama type presentation on the history of the battlefield. We got our map to take the self-guided Battlefield Drive.
We stopped several times along the drive at highlighted points of interest. In some locations there were rangers giving talks and in others there were volunteers dressed in costumes of the era performing demonstrations.
Our tour culminated, 8 miles North of the battlefield, at the Saratoga monument. We climbed the 188 steps of this obelisk, built to commemorate the American victory.
Location: 648 NY-32, Stillwater, NY 12170
Designation: National Historical Park
Date designation declared: 6/01/1938
Date of my visit: 7/30/2011
Looks fantastic! Would love to visit someday.
Thanks! It was a nice stop on a road trip, though I think the battlefields are my least favorite park units to visit. Gettysburg in particular, is very sobering. This one wasn’t as sad
Oh the battlefields are my favorite because I’m very passionate about history. That’s what’s great about the national parks! Something for everybody 🙂
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