If there’s snow, make sure you bring your own snow tube or plastic sled to take a ride down the “Big Hill,” which is normally the first stop on the Saratoga Battlefield tour route. For safety reasons, the park rangers ask that no metal or wooden sleds be brought to be used during the event. Park ranger Eric Schnitzer says the event will take place with or without snow, and will feature both indoor and outdoor activities.
Located at the base of the Big Hill will be games, winter nature hikes, a giant soldier puzzle, bottle fishing, and ice bowling for the kids, along with other special exhibits. In case a chill sets in on you or your little ones, the park will feature a “Warm-up Tent” stocked with hot cocoa, cookies and other refreshments sure to help you keep warm.
The event will also feature authentic horse-drawn carriage rides. Visitors can park their car and take a relaxing carriage ride from the parking lot all the way to the Big Hill and back again. A guided snowshoe tour is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., but the park asks that you reserve your spot ahead of time.
In keeping with the park’s historical background, musket and cannon demonstrations will take place every half hour on the lawn outside of the visitor center. The visitor center will also have activities for the kids all day long including: contra-dancing, a colonial handwriting demonstration, a craft room featuring decorative tin piercing and copper embossing and a bonfire to make sure you stay nice and warm.
At noon, children can look forward to a winter nature hike along the battlefield that will feature prizes and hidden treasures to be found along the way. The event annually attracts hundreds of visitors. For more information on this or other events at Saratoga National Historical Park, please call the visitor center at (518) 664-9821, ext. 224 or check out their website at www.nps.gov/sara.
