Saratoga Springs

Friday was race day! Took the bus to Saratoga Springs and enjoyed a day at the races courtesy of some nice vendor from work. We were rookies and now we know what to expect. The area is named for the many springs that can be found and sampled. Personally I would not recommend tasting them unless you have something else to wash the taste away with - in our case we tried the Big Red Spring. Trust me when I say you probably won't like it. It is naturally carbonated and well very minerally tasting. Blech. I tried to tell Mark to not try it and he was not listening. Pays to listen to your wife. Oh and the best part is some people like it!

Outside the race track there are tons of picnic areas and it appears the majority of the race goers bring their own picnic, chairs and stuff. Oh and there are tons of TV's all throughout the area and betting booths too. No need to go inside if you don't want too.

Inside the track there are the grandstands, which you pay to sit in under the shade and the benches, which are in full sun and close to the rails. That part was free on the day we went although we did have real seats in the stands. The weather was perfect. Not too hot and not cool at all. Nice breeze too.

Some nice guy took our picture and managed to loose his wife at the same time. Poor guy.

Some races are on the turf (grass) and some are in the dirt. The track is one mile around so really it is kind of hard to see a whole race unless you are up in the grandstands. Tons of history.

Baby likes lemonade. Truth be known it was cheaper than a bottle of water and a necessity after testing that spring water. For $3 you've got a deal! Happy baby and mama.

Before each race the horses make the trek from their stables to the track and you can go watch.

So for next time I've made a few notes and it's something you could make a weekend of with a child in tow. One family had a set of twins and triplets so if they can do it we can too! Definitely a cool way to spend a nice summer day. Would love to see the rest of town as well and spend the night.