Cancel

Open app

Search

Corning Tower Observation Deck

3.8 (14 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Corning Tower Observation Deck Photos

More like Corning Tower Observation Deck

Recommended Reviews - Corning Tower Observation Deck

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Pic taken on the ground floor of Corning Tower
Jeannette L.

I highly recommend visiting Corning Tower if you are in Albany. You can see really picturesque views of the city from the observation deck level of the building. There are also interesting art installations in the lobby. There's a Louise Nevelson piece there (she's one of my favorite artists, so I was excited). Best thing - these attractions are FREE. So check it out if you find yourself in New York State's capital.

Views from Corning Tower
Alison V.

My family and I were down in the capital area and my husband saw this big building. His reaction was "I want to go to the top and look out. I bet there are amazing views." He was really just planning to pick a floor and go look out windows. Turns out they have a observation deck just for people like him! Clearly the rest of the floors are filled with businesses and such, but the top floor was all we cared about. There is a special elevator just for the observation deck. There were some indications you had to show ID, but nobody ever asked us - I guess we don't look like trouble makers. The viewing is free and pretty great. The windows were not ideal for taking pictures out of, but that was ok as you could still see clearly. They have some of the telescopes that are a quarter each to focus in on places. The view is not 360, but still pretty good. By many of the windows there is a map of the area you're looking at with points of interest highlighted. It was neat to be able to tell what you're looking at and not feeling out of the loop. I'd definitely suggest you pop in here one time that you're in the area!

Corning Tower

I like the views from the Corning Tower. They are just spectacular. Not only can you see the sights of most of Albany, but also some of the surrounding bigger city of Troy and Rensselaer County as well as a lot of other cities.(Knowing this view is free with a photo-ID verification, makes this doubly good.) I'm not too proud of it's other facts. The windows were a bit dirty, but, being so high up, I take the fact that it's too high for window washers to "climb" to get up to the top of the tower to clean them. For their intended purpose, however, it works. Also, the observation deck isn't the only thing in this tower. There are also other privatized governmental-based business also existing inside the 2 towers.

See all

3 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Kara M.
481
1203
14925

8 years ago

Helpful 10
Thanks 0
Love this 6
Oh no 0
Photo of G G.
4
1709
5514

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 12
Thanks 0
Love this 12
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Matt W.
171
1110
668

13 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0
Photo of A A.
10
46
88

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Corning Tower Observation Deck

Verify this business for free

People searched for Landmarks & Historical Buildings 190 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

Verify this business

USS Slater - 06.11.23 Chartroom aboard SLATER

USS Slater

(46 reviews)

Only one remains afloat in America [Albany NY]…read more We learned so much from our docent, Caroline.. this is a guided tour inside the World War II destroyer escort. General admission was $10 each and lasted about an hour. There were 563 built during WWII and the USS Slater is the only destroyer escort left in the US. It has been restored to its original 1945 configuration. We were fortunate to learn about this national historic landmark. The first thing we learned was the history behind the name of the USS Slater (DE 766). The destroyer escort was named after Seaman Frank O. Slater. He was assigned to the USS San Francisco at Pearl Harbor and was killed when a Japanese torpedo bomber he had shot down crashed into his gun position. Instead of leaving his gun and trying to find a safe place for cover he stayed at his position continuously firing until the plane crashed his gun mount. The tour took us to the galley, officers and enlisted mess halls (btw, the officer mess hall doubled up as the operating room, there is a medicine cabinet by the wall), we viewed the chart room and the sonar room, captain's cabin, ship's office, signal bridge... we mounted ladders to get up and down between decks. These are steeper than stairs so it could be challenging for some. Overall, a very educational tour and I enjoyed it. A Destroyer Escort's main job is to defend naval task forces from Japanese submarines and Kamikaze air attacks in the Pacific. Review #3014

This was a lot of fun. We went on the tour, and our guide was Alan Fox. Very cool guy. He showed us…read morein and around the ship and he had a huge amount of information to give. He also was had a great sense of humor, which made the whole outing even more fun. I would definitely recommend this. It's a small ship, but well worth it for any ship or WWII history buffs out there.

The Shaker Heritage Society - Wholesome Albany Shaker Heritage Museum Brief ride from airport  #NOLA_Haiku #Shaker #CapitolCity #UpStateNY #ALB #ShakerNotQuaker #Albany

The Shaker Heritage Society

(8 reviews)

We visited here twice when we were in Albany this Fall. On our first visit, we toured the grounds,…read morewhich are beautiful, and learned some cool facts from the interpretive signs. On the second visit, we checked out the holiday craft market featuring over 90 vendors including purveyors of mushrooms, coffee, cheeses and tons of hand made table linens and crafts. Some great finds here included mushroom seasoning, ginger jams, and some rare treats from their heavily discounted "attic" section which was super fun to browse. I picked up two cool, old style cookbooks from here for just a couple dollars.

Well despite coming here to Albany for such a short time out of disappointment in regards to my…read morefamily who never told me that they wanted to stay here shortly I had left them alone and went my own way to this Shaker heritage community unfortunately they are closed on Monday and Tuesday and originally I was supposed to go to Cleveland for at least going to the arboretum down there in Cleveland no they want to go over here and stores are closed anyways this looks like a good place to check out I would come back here again but without my family since I like the quaintness of state capital Albany in upstate New York other than that not much I could say I like how they have this rare cow that they raise here that's almost extinct chickens and how they educate you about the Shakers since they don't live a life of producing but rather of the celibate life in Christianity from the days of George Washington and the American revolution. That is what I learned about this place unfortunately I couldn't go to the museum because it was closed on Monday

Pruyn House

Pruyn House

(4 reviews)

A lovingly restored and maintained historic home, with a one-room school house, a large barn, and…read morelots of history to explore and learn.

Cute little historic complex, which I'll describe in detail below, that pays its way for the Town…read moreof Colonie as a reception hall specializing in weddings. I can't comment on the weddings but it looks like a very good value for a small wedding and a charming, spacious setting. The historic complex has three main "attractions". The first is the Pruyn House itself, an odd combination of a federal brick and greek revival mansion, built in the first third of the 19th century for Casparus Pruyn and family. Pruyn was the agent/collector for Stephen van Rensselaer III, the last Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, the feudal remnant of the Dutch empire in the US that lasted in its odd legal form until the middle of the 19th century. It is not the main site of business, but it does speak a bit to the social history around the Patroonship system. There are interpretive placards in each room, including one on the Anti-Rent Wars that broke up the Patroon system finally. Most of the rooms have period furnishings in them, although not a full restoration, and as such it's a nice illustration of 19th century elite living but not exactly a full recreation. The upper floors have rooms that double as offices for the curators, so there are also modernized touches around. Even so, it's a moderately interesting look. There's not a lot of interpretation but enough to figure things out. Outside the main house is a lovely flower garden, and two more buildings. One is the Buhrmaster Barn, an early 19th century barn that was moved from a position close to the Mohawk River, and the old Verdoy school, which was moved from its location near Route 7 in 1995. The barn is used for receptions and programs, and has some very interesting intact woodwork but is, well, you know, a barn used for wedding receptions. It's nicer than a real barn but not as interesting. The Verdoy school house, though, is one of the best intact one-room school houses in the area, and they have a few desks and some props (I can't call them artifacts) left out, which I am guessing are used for school groups to come in, with some modern seating. It's worth a peek inside - the kids enjoyed playing school for a few minutes - but it's not a complete re-creation either. It's all free (donations accepted) and despite the relative lack of interpretation it should be of interest to those interested in local history, old houses, or just a pleasant walk around some grounds. There are picnic tables and a big open space in the rear, and I don't know if they care if you come and use it as a picnic spot, but I would recommend it as such if you're looking for one in the area and want to spice up your stop with a little history.

Empire State Plaza Concourse - Empire State Plaza_albany_Yelp_sanju-6

Empire State Plaza Concourse

(20 reviews)

Perhaps this isn't a destination per se, but I liked the art exhibits, the museum before the…read moremuseum. Alvin Loving's New Morning I serves up a 55-foot assortment of parallelograms, dramatic enough to be a marquee attraction in an actual museum. The food court looks amazing (I already reviewed the stellar Umana Yana) but the hours of operation are grim; it's a just a Monday-Friday lunch place.

A trip to Albany would only be complete with seeing New York's grand Capitol Building and the…read moreEmpire State Plaza, the seat of New York State's government. Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza - one of the most spectacular capital centers in the country. The Plaza was the vision of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who wanted to create "the most electrifying capital in the world." Since its completion in 1978, The Empire State Plaza has become a cultural center for thousands of visitors yearly. The buildings are set around three beautiful reflecting pools, accented by fountains in the summer. Empire State Plaza events host Summer at the Plaza, including an outdoor Farmers Market, movies under the stars, and other festivals. The government buildings are all connected below ground, so follow the underground maze from the Capitol Building to the Egg Performing Arts Center, to the Corning Tower, to the New York State Museum. what to See: 1) For breathtaking skyline views, head to the Corning Tower Observation Deck. Located on the 42nd floor of the tallest skyscraper in New York State outside of NYC. 2) New York State Capitol Building: Marvel at the magnificent New York State Capitol Building on your next visit to Albany. 3) Empire State Plaza Art Collection: It is the most important State collection of modern art in the country. 4) The Egg: The Egg is a performing arts center dedicated to providing Capital Region audiences with the best arts offerings and providing a showcase for NYS artists. 5) New York State Museum: Explore the cultural and natural history of New York State at the New York State Museum. 6) New York State Education Building: Across the street from the Empire State Plaza is the stunning New York State Education Building

Corning Tower Observation Deck - landmarks - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...