Exploring the Northeast US: The Battle at Saratoga

One of the American Revolution sites we wanted to see on this trip was the battlefield at Saratoga. So we planned the day to be a short driving day from Albany to Saratoga Springs so we could spend as much time as we wanted at the Saratoga National Historical Park.

But before we could go, we wanted to gas up as there would be a driving tour through the site. We stopped in the little town of Halfmoon, NY, where we got gas for $4.09/gallon at the Valero station. Gas prices are only going up from there. Thankfully the car is getting 34-35 mpg most days.

So once we got to the Saratoga NHP, we checked in at the Visitor Center for an orientation film and an illuminated display of the troop movements of significance during the battle in October 1777. They also have a cannon that was actually there in 1777 along with two cannon barrels that were surrendered at the end of the battle. Seeing the actual cannon from 1777 was pretty amazing! You may be able to zoom in on the photo with the description to read more about the cannon.

I got my passport stamped, and off we went on the driving tour. The narration is through the NPS app or you can use your cell phone to dial into each stop. We had used the app at the Guilford Courthouse several days ago in Greensboro, NC, so we thought we’d do that again.

The driving tour takes about 2 hours if you stop and listen at each point and also get out of the car to walk to see the wayside displays set up at each stop. One of the stops, the Neilson’s Farm house, is usually staffed with a ranger who will give you a quick tour and talk to you about what happened there. The farmhouse is where Benedict Arnold stayed during the battle. The Neilsons had left the area when they learned the fighting was coming to the area. When they returned later, they saw how much of their home and farm had been wrecked by the troops and battle that occurred on the land.

We were there the day after Labor Day. We only saw a few other cars doing the drive, but the rangers at the Visitor Center told us that the cars were bumper-to-bumper on Labor Day. I’m glad we were there afterwards because we were able to take our time, always had a place to park or pull-over, and were able to really engage with the tour. We took the time to feel the presence of the men who fought for our country nearly 250 years ago. You know, when we started planning this trip and adding in a lot of American Revolution related things to our itinerary, it had not occurred to me that 2026 was the 250th anniversary for our country. It just happened to work out that way. And that's why there are things like the cannon on display as part of the 250th anniversary.

When we were at the Visitor Center, someone came in and asked at which stop on the tour would they be able to see the statue of Benedict Arnold’s foot. That intrigued me, and we found it at the 7th stop. It doesn’t have his name on it, and it’s a boot. You can read about it here.