I didn't want to write this review, as my December trip to the Capital District was a pleasant…read moredistraction from reality, so this final writeup symbolizes the "end of an era" (three days long but I stretched out the content). The museum does stellar work on the impossible task of capturing New York State. ("How dare they mention the NYC subway but completely ignore the one that used to be Syracuse?! ZERO STARS"). Sesame Street's here, along with clocks, fire engines and a discussion of Albany's rum trade. Not only you can you enter an old-timey train car in the subway exhibit, there's a newsstand with old Post and Daily News copies mentioning the (an?) A-Rod scandal. The best part of the museum, or at least the most photogenic, is the assortment of minerals. The greens and oranges were quite surprising, as was the information that many of the specimens are from downstate. The cartography-inclined will enjoy old depictions of areas like "Lange Eyland."

So much to see, this is a well thought out museum about our state. I really enjoyed it. The old…read moresubway csts & turnstile, and the 9/11 memorial was well done. A donation is all they ask for instead of a set admission fee. Im a native, but I think people from other states will also like this museum.

Friendly staff. I have been in larger museums that were free (in both smaller towns and in larger…read morecities) , so the $12 price per adult was a bit of a heftier price than we hoped for - along with it being a slightly smaller museum. Also disappointed they didn't provide a map of the building/exhibits (I took a photo to help us navigate a little bit. My spouse did particularly like the Hudson River School paintings.

Cute museum but a bit small, it was still good to experience. On the weekend, there is free street…read moreparking, so we luckily got a spot right in front. For weekdays, there are meters or garages around. There are a few exhibits, and the Hudson River room was really spectacular and had so many paintings in a room that really set a nice mood with its deep purple walls. There was an exhibit on maritime art that was more contemporary, but it was interesting to see the variety of paintings on the same theme. There's a section of Egyptian history and some 19th century sculptures. There's a current exhibit of the time capsule under the Philip Schuyler statue. While interesting, the statue was destroyed for unfortunate reasoning, even though the resulting exhibit has really great artifacts from 1920s. The gift shop is good, but the cafe is either not open at all or not on weekends, but you can grab water and chips as needed. The gift shop attendant was very nice, and we got some nice merchandise. For $10 a ticket, the collection is eclectic and the variety gives everyone some focus to enjoy.

Mansion where Alexander Hamilton Married Elizabeth Schuyler [Albany NY]…read more The Schuyler Mansion was less than a mile away from the USS Slater so if you can do both tours it's very much worth it to visit these two historic sites. Admission fee for the Schuyler Mansion is only $5. After we paid for the fees in the Visitors Center we caught up with the group that had just begun its tour. The mansion was the home of General Philip Schuyler, in command of the Northern Department Army during the American Revolution. It was explained to us that during the Revolutionary War his home was used for military meetings, political meetings (he was also a U.S. Senator), elegant parties, and family life. General Schuyler's property extended to a huge chunk of land in Albany but is now only reduced to just the brick mansion that is now a museum. Philip and Catherine Schuyler raised their family (eight children) in this house including hosting the wedding of their daughter Elizabeth to Alexander Hamilton in 1780. We viewed the Yellow Parlor Room, Library, Best Parlor Room, and the Dining Room. Our tour guide was very informative. Most of the tour was held on the first floor, where the family held public and private gatherings. Interesting tour too if you're a fan of the musical, Hamilton. They are only open Fri-Sun each week. We were lucky to visit the mansion during its open season and on the day of the week that we were in Albany. The Schuyler House has just opened for 2023 last month on Fri, May 26th and will be operating through Sun, Oct 15, 2023. Review #3015

Schuyler Mansion is just so beautiful!…read more These are the pre-Revolutionary war-digs of one of only two attendees for the State of New York to the first Continental (State) Congress: Colonial soldier, then renowned and brave General and New York politician, Philip John Schuyler and his family. The Schuyler family were influential early Dutch settlers. The buildings are brick and face East across the Hudson - looking towards New England. Inside are bountiful dining rooms and cozy living rooms as well as rooms for high society! The Schuylers were an influential and renowned and famous New York family who settled very early in and lived in Albany throughout the American Revolution 1776-1781 Walk around and read some plaques and signs and read about Colonial America. The views are perfect and the grounds always pristine. There are small fields. Walk around and take in the scenery, old walls, metal fences and more culture, architecture, framed art and fancy, delightful chandeliers and interiors than you will find at most other places. It's a history and photo spot. Review: 5 splendid

The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area extends from North of New York City (the White…read morePlains, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow area) to North of Albany (the Saratoga Battlefield). It is filled with historic sites from the Revolutionary War and, indeed, from the colonial period before the war. It is also filled with mansions, most of them built after the Civil War, during America's first gilded age, by the super-rich. All of these attractions are interesting, some are fascinating and a few are stunning. Visit the website, www.hudsonrivervalley.com, for pull-down menus of must-see, recommended and special interest tourist attractions, including most of the historic sites and mansions and, in addition, some museums, art galleries and the like. Clicking on an attraction will lead to a detailed description. Although we often disagree with the website ratings (and you may disagree with the website ratings and our reviews as well), the site is both user-friendly and highly useful. That said, our disagreements with the website sometimes extend beyond its ratings to its selections. As examples, we would throw out Dia Beacon as an appalling waste of time and money and add the Rhinebeck Aerodrome as a fascinating and fun place to visit on weekends from early June through late October, for its airshows of antique aircraft. We'd also add the new walkway over the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie. On a sunny day, it's a great experience, and it's also great because it's free. Most attractions are not free. Indeed, tourism may be the Hudson River Valley's largest industry. Someone has their hand out at almost all these attractions -- and on the toll roads and bridges that connect them. In addition, most of them have museum shops attached. Even where a visit is free, as at the United States Military Academy at West Point and the FDR Library & Museum in Hyde Park, a guided tour will cost you. The only exception we found is the tour of the New York State Capitol: like the walkway, it's free. Nevertheless, most of the attractions are well worth your time and money, with this caveat regarding the old mansions: after you've seen more than three, as we did, you may balk -- again, as we did -- at expending any more time and money to repeat, once again, an experience that may be intellectually interesting but definitely is emotionally similar. The exception is the Rockefeller mansion, which is stunning. Touring it will cost you two to five times as much as other mansions, but if you have time and money for only one rich bastard's home, it's the one to see. See also our reviews of attractions and businesses within the National Heritage Area: Adams Fairacre Farms, Poughkeepsie, NY Albany Institute of History & Art, Albany, NY Arlington Wine & Liquor Store, Poughkeepsie, NY Aroi Thai, Rhinebeck, NY Dia Beacon, Beacon, NY FDR Presidential Library & Museum, Hyde Park, NY General Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh, NY Gino's Pizza & Restaurant, Poughkeepsie, NY Hampton Inn & Suites, Poughkeepsie, NY Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, Sleepy Hollow, NY Locust Grove, the Samuel F.B. Morse estate, Poughkeepsie, NY Morton's Steakhouse, White Plains, NY New York Capitol, Albany, NY New York State Museum, Albany, NY Olana, the Frederic Church estate, Hudson, NY Price Chopper, Poughkeepsie, NY Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Rhinebeck, NY Rossi Rosticceria Deli, Poughkeepsie, NY Schade's Deli Restaurant, Highland Falls, NY Terrapin Restaurant, Rhinebeck, NY Union Church of Pocantico Hills, Sleepy Hollow, NY United States Military Academy, West Point, NY Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park, NY Walkway Over The Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY

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 staff here were pleasant, kind and helpful. We came for a Saturday night light show in the…read moreplanetarium. About 45 minutes long, a good time you can't beat it. A few jokes from the ticket-taker as well. Tip: try and grab the seats toward the back, to keep your neck more comfortable. We arrived ~15 minutes before start time and were able to peruse around the different displays and interactive exhibits. A place for all ages. This was a nice indoor activity to get out of the house and not be in the frigid cold.

Amazing hands-on activities, fun and engaging displays. Such an amazing museum and kids will love…read moreit.

I haven't been to Five Rivers in more than 20 years and a lot has changed since then…read more For one, it's much larger than I remember. They are still using the old building for internal needs but have built an entirely new environmental center and it is beautiful. The center is spacious and includes several educational areas covering everything from culture within the region, native plant life, Bee habitat, Bird of prey and other wildlife, building Greening process, and photovolactic energy production. They also have a large learning center where a group of students could watch a video or partake in training during a field trip. There are multiple walking trails available where guests can get some exercise, enjoy wildlife, and nature. We could have easily spent half a day here but only had a few hours to explore one of the main trails. There's a lot of parking on site and staff are super friendly It didn't cost us anything to come out here and enjoy everything they have to offer. If you were in the area and are looking for something outdoorsy to do, I highly recommend paying them a visit.

Wow came here today to take a little hike October 2025…read more They had a very nice educational center. We enjoyed looking inside and checking out the owl and the turtle that has been alive for 50 years! Super friendly staff and nice bathrooms. We took a nice walk on the North loop trail. 2 ponds, lots of birds Great place to bring the kids They have some educational programs.

Review for public areas, not the society itself. (The other review here seems to have been intended…read morefor the Schuyler Mansion, so I'll explicate a bit.) As historical societies / museums go, this is tiny but well-maintained. (I've seen lots of small museums over the years -- it's an affliction -- that didn't even bother to dust the collections, much less try to keep them fresh). The building itself is magnificent, a 19th century residence, but unfortunately there aren't full tours of the spaces, likely due to access and ADA requirements. So you are restricted to the front-and-back downstairs, which is also an occasional reception space (we've been to one, and it's nice for that, if you're looking for a small 50-150 person space). So there's basically two parts: the Uncle Sam room, and everything else. The Uncle Sam room is packed full of stuff about you-know-who, mostly souvenirs from over the ages, but it's very nicely arranged and well-curated. Definitely an interesting if brief stop in and of itself if you're a first-timer to Troy or just generally interested about that side of Troy/county history. Part 2 of the museum is whatever they have for a rotating exhibit. In limited space, both of the exhibits we've seen here have been quite well done and interesting, and while not consuming more than 20 minutes or so, is again worth a quick stop in a tour of lovely downtown Troy. Check their website, of course, to find out what the current exhibit is.

I had visited the Schuyler Mansipn many years ago but decided to stop by recently on a whim. I was…read moreable to join a tour that had just started(they are given on the hour). The house has been recently redone in honor of the hundredth anniversary of its being a museum though it was built in the mid-eighteenth century. It looks fabulous with new historically accurate wallpaper and furnishing fabrics and fully furnished rooms. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and helpful- she is.a PhD student in American History and Women's Studies. The gardens are also lovely and the gift shop and visitor center are excellent. It is definitely worth a detour if you are interested in American History and especially Alexander Hamilton!

The annual Festival of Trees is one of the nicest celebrations of the season! During the festival,…read more3,000+ visitors visit the this historic house to enjoy decorated displays of shimmering fir trees. All proceeds of the festival benefit the numerous programs and services provided by the SCHS. We came to see the many beautiful, clever, and thoughtful adorned trees decorated by local agencies, groups, and a few individuals. Each year we --children and adults --are delighted by the decorations. My grandson laughed at the upside down tree. Open through Sat. 12/27 but closed 12/24-26.

We really enjoyed The Festival of Trees here! I still miss the one they used to have at The Albany…read moreInstitute of Art. This was nice! It's the first time I've been here too. Even thought it's a small house they really packed a lot of trees in. A lot of them brought attention to good causes also.

We made the 90 minute drive from Syracuse to check out the Via Aquarium in...Rotterdam? I didn't…read moreknow this existed until the day before we went, but I'm glad we found it! Repurposing an old mall's dead space into various shops and attractions seems to be the way of the future for malls like this and Via Aquarium is built into the bones of this mall in a really cool way. Instead of just sticking it inside of an old storefront, they really went all out by painting a huge mural outside the parking area for it as well as the long entry hallway into the mall that serves as the Aquarium entrance. Pricing was about what we expected, about $70 for 2 adults, 1 child, and the extra "manta ray feeding" we purchased. The Aquarium is clean and offers a lot of interesting exhibits that range from fish, reptiles, kids play areas, feeding areas, and a gift shop. If you are moving at a moderate pace, you could complete the museum in about 45-60 minutes, so don't plan on dedicating a whole day here. The highlights for us were the tunnels you walked through and underneath fish and sharks and the feeding of the manta rays. On the day we went, they had some arts and crafts for the littles along with a princess in full costume to greet the kids doing the craft (unicorn hat). While we wouldn't make it a regular visit, we'd make the trek again if we were in the mood for some aquatic ambience.

We love this aquarium! Every time we drive through the area we stop by here…read more The girls love the stingray petting area and taking pictures. We have some of these printed on our walls in our house!