Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
This park preserves the site of the Battles of Saratoga. Historians consider the American victory here in 1777 to be the turning point of the American Revolution. A British Army surrendered for the first time ever in world history! This convinced the French, and then the Dutch and Spanish to ally themselves with the Americans.
We visited Saratoga on our way home from Lake Placid. At the visitor center we watched a short film and viewed a cool fiber optic diorama type presentation on the history of the battlefield. The rangers gave us a 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.
After touring the battlefield, we drove 8 miles north to the Saratoga monument. We climbed the 188 steps of this obelisk. Completed in 1883, it commemorates the American victory.
Location: 648 NY-32, Stillwater, NY 12170
Designation: National Historical Park
Date designated/established: June 1,1938
Date of my visit: July 30, 2011
