Thacher Park

Hurrah! A few droplets of sanity fell from the heavens upon our clueless governor and blinkered legislative leaders just before Memorial Day weekend. They finally found a way to pay to reopen (and keep open, for the rest of the season) a long list of New York state parks and historic sites. Locally, this ran the gamut from Albany’s historic Schuyler Mansion to Grafton Lakes State Park—not forgetting a supreme local jewel, John Boyd Thacher State Park.

Closing Thacher Park was a particularly hard pill to swallow, because it has meant so much, and so many different things, to generations of Capital Region residents. To picnickers, it’s the place with the beautiful views of the Hudson and Mohawk valleys, and the surrounding mountains. For those who come to play, it’s the place for the whole family (and the family next door) with playgrounds, volleyball courts, ballfields and such. And to hikers, it’s a paradise with miles of trails, including the 60ft-high Indian Ladder Trail, which passes under the Minelot Falls.

While we’re absolutely delighted that all these parks are open, we don’t want you to forget about all the other places you can recreate around here. We’ve highlighted some fun summer festivals, museums, sculpture parks and nature preserves you can visit.

And let’s not forget the main purpose of the Summer Guide: Here are events listings for music, art, dance, sports, fairs & festivals, theater and—because you need fuel to get out there and do stuff—farmers markets.

Have a great summer!

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