Peebles Island State Park is a decent hiking destination…read more Tip: The difficulty level of the hiking here is easy to moderate While this isn't a good place to head for if you're craving a heavy workout, it's good for some casual outdoor activity. There's signage here to provide info on the area, and there are also some nice views. All in all a pleasant place to visit :-)

First time here. It was beautiful. The trails are easy to navigate and clearly marked. There was a…read morefull parking lot but the trails were not crowded. People were polite and didn't crowd the paths. I can't wait for snow and do a snowshoe hike.

What a beautiful waterfall and trail. I don't think many folks know about it (may actually be a…read moregood thing so it doesn't get overly attracted; but maybe bad for business's around? - unsure). There was free parking across the park, and there was a lot of rich history around this park. Hope to come back when there is possibly a high water wave. Highly recommend.

A classic stop if you live nearby or are driving through! I've been before but it was a whole new…read moreexperience today brining my kids for the 1st time. They were absolutely impressed and got a little exercise with all those stairs! A must see!

We started coming here during the pandemic as a way to get out of the house. Their two dog park…read moreareas, which are fenced in, are reasonably large and clean and share a common "owner area" in the middle where we can watch our pets run around. The old Troy and Schenectady Railroad, now a rail-trail, was also pleasant to walk along through the woods. Admittedly, I enjoyed it more for its former railroad history than as an actual paved trail but there enough things to do and see including a large tunnel that went under Route 9 and a dusty cement plant. The water park area is fantastic with lots of spraying pipes and hoses and such in the kiddie spray area. There are several pools too for different swim levels and one had diving boards. Changing rooms with free lockers are provided, and there is a concession stand on one end that sells hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and the like. There is one downside though: they ID everyone that comes in. Colonie residents pay $7 each, and non-residents pay $12 each. That is for the day. It isn't a lot of money, and I believe you can purchase season passes to save money. But, on the day we came I didn't think to bring my license and they absolutely wouldn't let me in without some form of ID or proof of address. They asked if I had old mail in my car (nope), a way to check a bill on my [flip] phone (nope), insurance registration (nope), etc. We paid the $5 non-resident premium and moved on. I won't make that mistake again, and as a Colonie resident I sort of appreciate why they are doing it, but it was annoying.

I really love the High Diving board and I wish my girlfriend could go swimming with me!read more

I was invited to play softball as my work place has a team that participates in a league. I was…read morereluctant at first, but decided I have been getting lazy and just get out with the weather being perfect. I dragged my son in with me and he wants to make a trip back to this park already. There are multiple softball grounds and has some historic significance which I have no clue. I got my exercise, my son had fun and that is all that matters. There were other kids there playing football, on scooter, bike, mini motorcycles, softball and some play equipment which looks fairly new.

Here is a cute park located in north Troy. I can't call it a "little park" as the footprint is…read morequite expansive with lots and lots of flat, green grass. I can't call it a "large park" because the areas where you can do stuff (a playground, a seven-move fitness area) don't take up a lot of real estate. It is, perhaps, a perfect sized park. We came for the playground area and it was a lot of fun. There were many slides and steps for kids to climb on, but I can say it wasn't built for toddlers. School age kids would appreciate the reach and engage with the challenges more. There was some candy on the ground (and bees... boo) but we were able to avoid them. Swings and ladders provided lots of areas to play. It is built on wood chips, not that rubber stuff, if that matters to you. It looks like this area was an old school, as a very large round paved area could have been a running track at one time. Another large, rectangular area seems the right size for a basketball court area. Now, both are just flat pavement. The area is bounded by several hills which likely would be great for sledding. There were also several picnic tables for snacking on, and a water fountain which was sadly enclosed with a fence. Parking was plentiful. This seems like such a nice playground in seemingly the middle of nowhere. I hope more kids discover and enjoy it.

I came to check out this new town park, and I will say I am glad CP citizens voted to create this…read morepark at this location instead of letting Shop Rite build a store here. Seeing how Shop Rite is now closing all of its stores in the Capital District north of Hudson, that decision looks to have been even better, since they would almost certainly be closing the one here too. Then we would be stuck with a big empty building and parking lot here, instead of a scenic pleasant park. It is still relatively new and there could be improvements. The accompanying nature center is under construction, and the paths to and from the parking lots could use a little landscaping, maybe some flowerbeds. Some historical monuments or outdoor sculptures would also be nice, provided they are not of the humongous abstract industrial metal type that consume the entire surrounding landscape with bleakness and desolation (like in Ossining, NY). A pavilion or rotunda might also be a good enhancement. It will be interesting to see what more the town might do with this park, but it is definitely a quality-of-life improvement for the townspeople.

When I was a child my father would take the family to his company's Clam Steam outing at Krause's…read moreon the Mohawk River. We did that for many years. Then as adults, my wife and I would occasionally dine at Krause's restaurant which had been added to their outdoor pavilion complex. We always looked forward to ordering and enjoying the Clam Steam Basket. Each basket contained some chicken parts, potato, sausage, corn on the cob, and steamed clams. At some point, I learned there was another place called Lanthier's Grove that also booked clam steams/bakes in a seasonal pavilion setting. Until this week, I'd never had the opportunity to have been invited to an event there. Along comes my 60th High School reunion and Lanthier's is identified as the planned location. This was as good as any to have a reason to experience Lanthier's. The setup looks like it's capable of accommodating maybe a thousand people. A good amount of grassland parking and long rows of picnic-like tables under side-less pavilions. I'm sure that any event organizer is given ample opportunity to customize the food offerings for their gathering. Ours had hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage & peppers, chicken wings, clam chowder, potato salad, coleslaw, steamed clams, and a raw clam bar. The raw clam bar and the beverage bar each had their own respective pavilion a short walk from the main pavilion with the food and tables. A separate soda shack was located between the raw clam bar and the beverage bar and was more popular with the local honeybees than with the event attendees. My initial disappointment was that we were not receiving the traditional "steam basket" of food that I've known all these years. But signs above the food counter identifying the various stations at which each food was being served, and friendly staff at those stations, made the self-service ordering and pickup of your food prompt and convenient. I believe I may have missed an announcement when the steamed clams became available as I was trying to alternate the sipping of my soda with the honeybees. About an hour later I did hear the announcement that there were still some steamed clams available at the shacks behind the food pavilion. I promptly went there to get a dozen. I was surprised to be informed that I would need to pay $11. But like I said earlier, that's apparently the plan our event organizers agreed to. My steamed clams were overdone. Most likely because I missed the first announcement when they became available. My wife said there were plenty of clams in the chowder, but it had no flavor. The sausage & pepper sandwich I had was very good. The raw clams were clean, but you shouldn't be surprised if you occasionally get a shell chip in your slurp. Overall, the rekindling of high school friendships made for a very enjoyable experience at Lanthier's.

This is the second year in a row we went the last day of the year by chance. They have a craft fair…read moreand there's music and burgers! You can even get a cold beer. I don't know why I don't remember to come here during the summer when it's open. It's a nice relaxing place to hang outside under a pavilion or walking around in the sunshine. I know they do private events but this is open to the public. At least the last day it is. I definitely will inquire as it seems like a nice, close day spot to hang and enjoy.

As someone who doesn't like getting caught in the rain (and don't get me started on pina coladas),…read morethe whole concept of spray parks is pretty new to me. But being a new parent, to beat the heat I needed to explore some new options and we have been traveling with our toddler to various nearby spray parks lately. By far, this is the best we have been to. There are a lot of great things going for it. First, it has lots of water spray jets which aim in different directions, put out water at different intensity levels, and randomly (seemingly, at least) go on and off. For a toddler, there are a couple that are fun to play with that aren't too strong to be scary. However, there are also some that are perfect for young teenagers who want to run around and cause mayham. The entire area is surrounded by a security fence, which means your kid can't easily wander off (you are still watching them, aren't you?). Surrounding the area is a pavilion with tables for snack time, a nearby bathroom/changing area, and many shade producing trees. While we were here on a Sunday afternoon, at least 30 kids came and went in about a half-hour. It is a popular place, but everyone shared toys and had fun. Even my wife, who didn't appreciate getting sprayed. (How was I to know?) This place takes the best part of a water park... the spraying water... and puts it in a more approachable scale for little ones. And I haven't even mentioned the rest of the park (with slides, a train, swings, teeter-totter, etc.) that are within seconds from here. And the ice cream place next door... uh oh, there go all of the calories I just burned running from the water!

Came here for the ice rink! The lobby area is warm and spacious with vending machines and access to…read morelocker rooms and a large glass viewing window straight to the ice. In the rink itself the heaters over the bleachers either weren't turned on or don't work regardless I would bundle up and bring a blanket to lay on the seats. You will be very cold at the end of an hour!

Beautiful, scenic park with multiple sections, including a pond, a playground with sprinkler pad,…read moreand a huge golf course. Great spot to go fishing, bring the kids to play, and just relax.