Saratoga Springs

“Consider the location: a picturesque small city (with good restaurants) that’s three hours from New York, Boston and Montreal. That’s great for students who don’t want to study in an urban area, yet want access to big cities.”

— “25 New Ivies” Newsweek/Kaplan College Guide

“A showplace of Gilded Age architecture, the town includes 900 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A member of the National Trust’s National Main Street Program, Saratoga Springs has worked successfully for many years to revitalize its downtown and preserve its Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne buildings.”

— National Trust for Historic Preservation—Dozen Distinctive Destinations

“Saratogians proudly call their town a city in the country, one that offers the sophistication and culture of a major metropolis but the greenery and unhurried pace of a rural area.”

— Frommer’s Guide

Saratoga Springs is perennially short-listed as one of the most interesting and vibrant small cities in the U.S. Famed for “health, history, and horses” — its mineral waters, Revolutionary War battlefield, and the nation’s oldest and most beautiful thoroughbred race track — Saratoga is equally renowned as an arts and cultural destination. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is summer home to the New York City Ballet, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Lake George Opera, and a performing venue for top rock and jazz musicians. The city’s marvelously revitalized downtown area — just a short walk from Skidmore —i s brimming with galleries, clubs, museums (including the national museums of dance and horse racing), shops, coffeehouses, bistros, and four-star restaurants. Visitors come from near and far to appreciate Saratoga’s unique blend of Victorian architecture and modern cultural sophistication. And the city’s location near the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains puts an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities within an hour’s drive. Skidmore College could not ask for a better home town.