In august we are going to drive from NYC to Saratoga Springs area, then lake george and then Montreal. I need help planning this trip.
We don't want to stay in Saratoga Springs but want to stay near by so we can walk around the town and go to the races - i have read posts about the races being sold out, does that include general admission? Is Lake George close enough by that we can go to Saratoga just for the day, but stay at Lake George for a couple? And what are considered the "nice" hotels in lake george area? Thank you!

i strongly reccomend the fort william henry hotel, in lake george. one of the nicest weekends i've had. enjoy!

The races are not sold out - but the Grandstand seats are - they typically sell out within a few days of going on sale in January. (Although perhaps you might find some on e-bay - at a premium - not sure.)

So - to see the races you need to either stand all day, find some of the few benches (non-reserved seats - so you need to get there very early) or bring your own seats (they used to allow beach chairs - check the web site to be sure this is still so).

Hotels in Saratoga Springs have also been sold out for months. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Lake George - so it's certainly possible to do the races from there - many people do so just to save money - since prices in Saratoga are about 4 times normal in August.

One hint: Weather can be beautiful - or can be brutally hot and humid - with violent thunderstorms in the afternoon. If the latter - be sure to drink plenty of water - and stay indoors - no matter how hot - if a storm hits the racecourse.

Lake George is less about 25 miles north of Saratoga Springs. The drive will take about 30 minutes. The drive to Montreal from Lake George is about 170 miles.

tmr nyc:
Did you end up going? Could you update? Thanks!!