Cedar Point
rides as well. Cedar Point Shores Wa-
terpark (formerly Soak City) also sits
right next door to the park.
The Hotel Breakers, which is just
outside the park, is one of the most iconic
places to stay and has been recently up-
dated. The hotel sits right on the beach,
making it easy to book a several day stay
without needing to be right in the park
for the entire time. Several years ago our
family booked a cabin at Lighthouse
Point, the park’s campground, where
you can also book tent and RV sites.
We found it a great spot to take a break
and relax, and would definitely reserve a
spot there again.
Saratoga Springs, NY
Distance: 277 Miles
Drive Time: 4 ½ hours
www.saratoga.com
While Saratoga might be best known
for the Saratoga Racetrack, which
opened in 1863 and is one of the oldest
sporting venues in the country, there are
many other things to do and see in this
small, quaint central New York town.
The historic downtown center is a fun
place to walk and shop, even for families
with kids. There is a nice mix of upscale
restaurants and easy, casual cafes (one
of my favorites is Uncommon Grounds
Coffee & Tea). There is a great toy store
(G. Willikers), a handful of ice cream
shops, and Congress Park, which sits at
the end of the historic downtown, offer-
ing plenty of wide open spaces to take a
picnic lunch and let the kids run around.
If you’re interested in visiting the
racetrack with kids the best thing to do
is to buy single day admission tickets to
the grandstand (think general seating).
Tickets are $12 for adults, and kids 12
and under are free with an adult admis-
sion. While you’ll see plenty of flowery
hats, and sundresses in the more formal
boxed seats, acceptable grandstand ap-
parel is shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops.
(Hint: You might get the kids more in-
terested in visiting the racing museum if
you take them to see a race first!) Races
run regularly throughout the summer.
Check out the website for details (sara-
togaracetrack.com). Performing Arts Center, the National
Museum of Dance, the Saratoga Au-
tomobile Museum, and the Roosevelt
Baths and Spa. While the kids might
not be interested in the museums, the
park itself is listed as a National Historic
Landmark, and worth the drive to walk
the trails and simply see the architecture
of the buildings.
About a 20 minute drive from
downtown Saratoga you can visit the
Saratoga National Historical Park,
which offers miles of nature trails, and is
home to the nationally-known Saratoga While some visitors have said that
Hershey Park has lost its old school
charm, it still remains one of the most
popular amusement parks on the East
Hershey Park,
Hershey, PA
Distance: 289 miles
Drive Time: 5 hours
www.hersheypark.com
continued on page 50
Saratoga Springs
August 2019 WNY Family 19