Saratoga National Historical Park/Battlefield

Saratoga National Historical Park/Battlefield Review

The Battle of Saratoga, fought 12 mi southeast of Saratoga Springs at this site in 1777, is recognized as the turning point in the American Revolution. The visitor center at the Route 32 entrance provides historic information and an orientation to the park, which encompasses the battlefield and two sites in the nearby villages of Schuylerville and Victory. Ten stops along a 9½-mi tour road through the battlefield explain the battle and its significance. Reenactments and other living-history programs are scheduled throughout the summer. The road is popular with bicyclists in warm-weather months and, when closed to traffic in winter, with cross-country skiers. The John Neilson House, the only structure standing on the battlefield that was here in the time of the Battle of Saratoga, might have served as headquarters for Benedict Arnold.

The 155-foot Saratoga Monument (53 Burgoyne St., Victory, 12871) commemorates the British surrender on October 17, 1777. The obelisk was built between 1877 and 1883, and has three niches commemorating generals Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates, and Colonel Daniel Morgan. The fourth niche, where a statue of Benedict Arnold would have gone, has been left empty deliberately and cannot be entered. The monument is open from late May to Labor Day, Wednesday through Friday 9:30-4:30. The General Philip Schuyler House (1072 U.S. 4, Schuylerville, 12871) was the general's country home before its destruction by the British in 1777. Schuyler and his soldiers rebuilt it in 29 days. The house includes some original furnishings. It's open from late May through Labor Day, Wednesday through Friday 9:30-4:30; tours are given every half hour.