Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

OPERATING HOURS

The Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park is typically open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM beginning March 1st and continuing through the end of November. From December through February it is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9 AM to 4 PM. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

Interior of the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

The Visitor Center is located at the top of a hill, and the standard parking lot is at the bottom. Those with handicap parking permits can use a parking lot at the top of the hill behind the Visitor Center. This is reached via Roosevelt Road. Signs point the way.

AMENITIES

• Ranger-staffed information desk where visitors can get a park brochure and trail map
• Ranger lectures
• Park Film
• Museum
• Restrooms

Ranger gives a lecture on the history of Saratoga Battlefield at the Visitor Center, Saratoga National Historical Park

PARK FILM

The 20-minute film Something More at Stake: The Battles of Saratoga plays on demand in the Visitor Center auditorium. The film covers the fighting at Freeman’s Farm on September 19th and October 7th (collectively called the Battles of Saratoga) and the British surrender at the village of Saratoga on October 17, 1777 (Saratoga was renamed Schuylerville in 1831). It does a good job of explaining the American and British strategies. The film features live action with plenty of musket and cannon firing but with little actual violence. It is suitable for children who understand the concept of war and death.

EXHIBITS

Exhibit area in the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

The exhibits at the Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center are mainly comprised of information panels, so there is a lot of reading involved. The area is divided into three sections, with the most interesting begin an exhibit about the different types of people who were at the Battles of Saratoga, and not just soldiers. It was not uncommon at the time for the wives of soldiers to follow their husbands wherever they went. They often served as cooks, laundresses, and nurses. Young boys also served in the military, though mainly in non-combat roles such as drummers and orderlies.

Exhibit about women and children who were at the Battles of Saratoga on display in the Visitor Center of Saratoga National Historical Park

A second exhibit area is a timeline of the American Revolution with the bulk of it focusing on the Battles of Saratoga. If you don’t like reading, be sure to watch the park film, which explains the battles in a much more interesting way. The room does have an animated light map that also helps explain the battles. This is well worth checking out.

Information on the Battles of Saratoga on display in the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

Animated light map in the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

During the American Revolution, the British were engaged in conflicts all over the globe, not just in America. A third exhibit room has information on all the different wars that the British were fighting at the time. This entire exhibit is made up of information panels, so it is only going to appeal to the most ardent of world history buffs.

There are some artifacts on display, but most are rather generic and not that interesting. There are some work tools that were found during an excavation of the battlefield, personal items commonly carried by soldiers of the era, and a display case of muskets, cannonballs, and other weapons used during the war.

Display of muskets and cannonballs in the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

For those who want to read all of the material in the exhibit area, plan to spend a little over an hour for that task. Most tourists have no interest in doing so, but at least set aside 20 minutes for the park film and a little time to talk with a Ranger about what there is to see and do at the park. Thus allow anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours for a stop at the Saratoga National Historical Park Visitor Center.

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