The Saratoga Springs History Museum - Saratoga Springs, New York

María Barragan

Hermoso lugar para ir en familia ?

Olga Cardenas

No me imaginaba que este lugar hubiera sido la casa de tantos personajes grandes de la mafia y de juego de azar (casinos) tanta historia tantos personajes siniestros. Pues dicen que crímenes horribles fueron cometidos fuera de alli por algunos de sus residentes.

Joe Laskowski

Whether you are a history buff or not stop here. It's an old casino turned museum. It's three stories of history. We both found stuff that was interesting to both of us individually. Considering my daughter is not a history fan that is saying a lot. The grounds are beautiful. Pictures inside are by permission only.

Afnan Aqdus

Amazing museum! Was very cool to see the history of the town, and also the casino building this museum once occupied. Lots of interesting historical objects and informative displays. Tour guides and staff were very friendly. Highly recommend a visit.

Daniel Cisneros

Tour guide was excellent! Beautiful place filled with history. We really enjoyed the whole experience. There’s also a wonderful park right outside for a lovely walk.

Rogue Trippers

Date of Visit: Saturday July 8th,2023
The history of Saratoga Springs comes alive at the Saratoga Springs History Museum.
The city known for Horse racing, and a history of gambling, became a mecca for the rich and elite to come to Saratoga.
The museum has artefacts from many areas – industry, architecture, hotels, gambling, and the spring water that the town is known for.

The museum is located in an historic building in the heart of the Congress Park. The building used to house one of the original casinos from the town’s hey day.
The building is also an old manor house – and each room in the museum houses a new exhibit.

Ryan Mazierski

The Saratoga Springs History is the history of everything in Saratoga. From prehistory to the present the museum presents three floors of Saratoga Springs history! The museum is located in the historic Canfield Casino. After you purchase your ticket you will walk through the well stocked gift shop and then into the museum. Exhibits on the first floor include an early “ice casket,” Native American artifacts, an early waterpipe, rocks from the Springs, and items from the Canfield Casino.
After going through the first floor you can go up to the second. On the second floor are some very interesting displays on the history of hotels in Saratoga. Many people don’t know that at one time Saratoga had the world’s largest hotels. Artifacts from the hotel era include furniture from the Grand Union Hotel and United States Hotel.There is another room on the history of the “springs” in Saratoga Springs. Finally, there is another room that is kept in the style of the Canfield Casino. The room here gives info on people who opened the Casino, ran the Casino, and famous guests of the casino. There is also a display on the founders of the world famous Saratoga Horse Racing Track.
The third floor also puts together many interesting exhibits. One room has an actual courtroom for the city of Saratoga. There is another room on the history of the “springs” in Saratoga Springs. Portrait art made by a Saratoga Springs artist from the 19th century is also on display. Finally, more Native American artifacts are on display. The museum truly captures everything “Health, History, and Horses!”
Parking for the museum is free and you can usually park in front of the museum in Congress Park. The staff at the museum is friendly. This is a can’t miss for locals and a great stop for those visiting Saratoga.

Manasi Suryavanshi

We wanted to skip the noon heat, so we just came to check this out. For an Indian where the historical counts go back to 100 AD, when I see places showcasing the vanity of white gentleman's club from the 1800s, I am not impressed. Waste of time, unless you want to skip the heat outside.

On the ground floor, by the gift shop, you'll see only 2 panels worth of actual history on the geology and native culture of this town. After that, the whole building is a glorified tribute to the gentleman's club for men to drink, gamble, and have women in the dining area ready when they "needed them."I guess after all the high testosterone gambling, horse racing, and "deal making" that happened in this building, men need women for the final outlet of all that male energy! (The tour will give you details of the gentleman's club)

The building is now also a very resonably priced wedding venue. After all that gambling history, I guess it's only appropriate that people get married here now.

The museum is also a good reminder of how human vanity and overexploitation of natural resources (i.e., the springs) have severely shrunk them from their abandunt glory 200 yrs ago.
Good lessons to learn, even from a place like this one!