Spend an Afternoon at Congress Park Congress Park Review

Congress Park is one of my favorite parks in the area. Even though the park is small, I love going there and walking around. The park is off of Broadway in downtown Saratoga, so parking can be challenging at certain times of the year. My tip is that if you are going there during peak tourist season, get there early in the morning.

I always start over by the War Memorial and sit on a bench watching the ducks in the pond. While I love going to the park by myself, my husband usually goes with me, so we never sit for too long. After a while, we will walk to the Trask Memorial inside the park and around the pond that is in front of the memorial.

We then cross the street inside the park and wander past the Canfield Casino. I have not been inside the old casino in quite some time, but from what I remember it is beautiful. While the casino used to be used for gambling and dining, it is now used for weddings and other special events. People can also enter to see the Canfield Museum, which shows the history of the building.

Years ago, there used to be a man that sold hot dogs and knishes from a cart near the casino. I used to take my kids during the day for lunch and they would eat their hot dog while I ate a knish or two. The man was very friendly and everybody loved him, but unfortunately the higher-ups in Saratoga kept getting requests from others who wanted to bring food carts into the park and instead of telling them no and listening to them complain, they told the man that he could no longer sell his food inside the park. As far as I know, he has never placed his food cart anywhere else, which is a shame, because his knishes were amazing!

On the other side of the park is the historical carousel, that they reopened a few years ago. The carousel is only operational from late spring into early fall and costs a dollar per person. Little ones ride for free with an adult.

Just past the carousel is the Spit and Spat fountain. Spit and Spat sit at opposite ends of a pool and as you can probably guess, they spit water at each other. There are other sculptures on the other side of this fountain that I love walking around as well.

I have two favorite spots in the park, the first is near the ducks and the second is near Spit and Spat. I love to take picnic lunches or dinners and sit and watch the people and enjoy the solitude.

The next time you are in Saratoga, there is a good chance that you will find me amongst the people at Congress Park!