The city of Schenectady, located within the capital city of New York, is a place worth visiting for a day or two. The city is full of variety, such as history, outdoor recreation, food, libraries, and culture. Only a short drive from Albany and the gorgeous Adirondacks. This city has many fun attractions for all ages to enjoy at its best. At Edison Tech Center, you learn about electricity and engineering. Mountain Ridge Adventure has many adventure games for kids that are a delight to little ones. Tourists visiting this colorful city can indulge themselves in a wide range of outdoor activities. A city is a great place for a holiday in all seasons.
If you are planning to visit America, then Schenectady should be included in your itinerary. In this blog, we have put together a great list of some of the best things to do in Schenectady, and we bet you will be thrilled if you include this city in your travel plans.
7 Best Places in Schenectady:
1) Edison Tech Center
The Edison Tech Center was established in 2001 under the name Edison Exploratorium and changed to the Edison Steinmetz Center in 2009 and later to the Edison Tech Center. It is located on Broadway, Schenectady, New York. The center is designed to focus on engineering education while relating it to the historical and human story. The center houses thousands of artifacts ranging from rare engineering prototypes to common household electrical appliances from decades ago. It contains many artifacts such as batteries, generators, lighting technology, microwaves, power transmission, electric motors, audio recording, video recording, washing machines, ovens and kitchen appliances, televisions, telephones, and radios. The Edison Tech Center hosts a variety of program shows, such as The Wizards of Schenectady, television shows, and connected promotions.
2) Stockade
The Stockade Historic District is located in the corner of Schenectady, New York, on the banks of the Mohawk River. It is the oldest historic district in the city. Gillette, a physician and the first New York woman elected to the New York State Assembly, a Stockadeke resident. It borders the Union Street Historic District, which connects it to Union College and the city’s other two historic districts, the GE Realty Plot and Union Triangle. Many special events are informal here, such as singing along to a pink flamingo, which someone has placed in front of the Lawrence statue every Valentine’s Day for the past decade.
3) Schenectady Greenmarket
The Schenectady Greenmarket is a community of vendors, shoppers, musicians, and friends. Which is an integral part of the city’s cultural landscape, linking farm and city to create a responsible, sustainable food system. Established in 2008, the Schenectady Greenmarket has been the place to buy fresh local produce and artisan goods in a festive community atmosphere. This market includes over 60 diverse vendors and offers shoppers the best of local produce, prepared foods, and crafts. Vendors at this green market donate bushels of beautiful, fresh produce, bread, and eggs each week to the artisan. Here you will find a lot of variety such as cooking demonstrations, craft demonstrations, and gardening expertise-sharing demonstrations, and you can also enjoy the music here.
4) Open Door Bookstore
In 1971, Betty Fleming, a Scotia resident concerned with providing quality books for children, founded Open Door Bookstore with her husband, Bob. This independent bookstore carries literature of local and regional interest for adults and children. As well as a wide variety of toys, gifts, jewelry, stationery, personal items, and home goods. Housing over 10,000 titles, The Open Door offers a casual setting, soothing music, and creative and talented staff members. The staff members are ready to offer direction and recommendations.
5) Mandeville Gallery
The Mandeville Gallery is an art gallery. It is located on the second floor of the Knott Memorial at Union College, Schenectady, New York, USA. This art gallery is a National Historic Landmark to dedicated showcasing contemporary art. The Mandeville Gallery provides a unique environment for viewing exhibitions due to the unusual architecture of the Knott Memorial. The gallery is open to the top and bottom floors which cover a semi-circular area. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Gallery Timings: 10 AM to 6 PM except for college holidays.
6) Mountain Ridge Adventure
Mountain Ridge Adventure is the New York Capital Region’s only treetop challenge course and zip line park. The park is located on top of a 1,000′ mountain and only 15 minutes from downtown Schenectady. At Mountain Ridge Adventure you can either experience the zip line park or do both the zip line park and the obstacle course for the ultimate in excitement. One can experience adventures like tree-to-tree climbing, swinging, jumping, traversing, and zip-lining. Mountain Ridge Adventure Park features some of the most unique and exciting obstacles, such as a grand piano suspended 50′ in the air, a life-size Slinky you have to crawl through, and for those looking for the ultimate challenge, The Vortex Obstacle. And the park still has even obstacles like the Tarzan Swings, the Indiana-Jones Bridge, cargo nets, zip lines, and more.
7) Riverside Park
Riverside Park is located along the Mohawk River in downtown Schenectady. The city was established during the administration of George Lunn, the first mayor. Riverside Park was established in 1913, as were several other parks in Schenectady. It includes Central Park, Pleasant Valley Park, and Hillhurst Park. Edgewater Park, Erie Park, Beach Park, Bowland’s, and Holland Park. The history of the cannon at Riverside Park is a mystery. There is also a playground at Riverside Park.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Schenectady, New York is a city with a diverse range of attractions for tourists to enjoy. Some of the top things to do in the city include visiting the Edison Tech Center to learn about electricity and engineering, exploring the historic Stockade district, shopping at the Schenectady Greenmarket for local produce and crafts, browsing the selection of books at the Open Door Bookstore, and participating in outdoor activities at Mountain Ridge Adventure. Other popular attractions in the city include touring the Nott Memorial at Union College, visiting the Schenectady County Historical Society Museum, and enjoying a meal at one of the city’s many restaurants. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Schenectady, making it a great destination for a vacation.