RV Travel Destination: Saratoga National Historical Park
The battleground at Saratoga has a record of getting people engaged in the American Revolution. After British forces surrendered to the Americans in October 1777, the French entered the war as allies of Britain’s one-time colonies.
In 2010, visitors to Saratoga National Historical Park can find themselves hooked on the history of the Revolutionary War. This week’s National Park Getaway introduces Saratoga and makes potential visitors aware of the recreational opportunities available in upstate New York.
Saratoga is the 41st park featured in the Getaways series, which helps people find new places to reconnect with nature, history, family, and friends. Come here to get in touch with nature as you ride on horseback, bird-watch, or bicycle with a loved one. Follow the park’s tour road to tap into history. At one stop on the route, you’ll stand where Benedict Arnold fought for the American army and suffered a bullet wound. At another, you’ll visit an 18th-century farmhouse. The Schuyler House (1777) awaits you north of the battlefield, as do the Saratoga Monument and Victory Woods, site of the British forces’ last efforts in the battles of Saratoga.
This week’s Getaway article acquaints readers with all that the park has to offer and situates the park in context. That is, Saratoga National Historical Park belongs to a collection of attractions in upstate New York, and the Getaway inspires you to plan a vacation that allows you to see them all.
“Stillwater, Schuylerville, Saratoga Springs, and the surrounding area pack in a lot of life and culture,” said Superintendent Joe Finan. “Our park fits right into such a rich area, but it also stands out. Before or after taking in the local restaurants and shops, the concerts and dance performances, visitors here can walk upon hallowed grounds that were key to winning our nation’s struggle for independence.”
Let Saratoga pull you into this struggle—as it did the citizens of France—and then use the National Park System to discover the American Revolution further in places like Lexington, Concord, Boston, Philadelphia, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. Please visit http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm and click “By Topic” and “Revolutionary War” for more information. For previous Getaway articles, please see www.nps.gov/getaways.