The Children's Museum at Saratoga

"Museum" may be a little misleading. This place has a great balance of fun and learning. Not in the least bit stuffy or inaccessible.

There are two levels of rooms to explore, each playfully devoted to different concepts. There's a bank where kids sort, count and learn about money, a play grocery store, post office and restaurant - perfect for those little mimics to get their hands on!

Fire equipment to try on, a dress-up theater, a treehouse, a room to learn about bones, your health & your body, a schoolhouse, a construction site full of blocks and building materials... and on and on...

$6 per person, children under 1 are free.
(Be advised: Strollers are not allowed)
The Children's Museum at Saratoga

The Albany Art Room

This was such a great idea! It makes me regret moving away from downtown Albany just a little bit.

The Albany Art Room is a big open studio that's prepared for any art project you and your toddler may want to do. And even if you don't have something specific in mind or want to try something new, the people are friendly and helpful and there are tons of ongoing projects to check out.

The boys stamped and painted and played with clay and painted and painted and made noisemakers to their heart's content.

And, boy, am I glad the mess wasn't in my house!

In addition to the open studio time, they do an afterschool program, toddler time, classes, private lessons and a summer program. Also, there's a selection of really neat gifties for sale -- unique stuffed toys, bowls made of vinyl albums, etc.

$7 per hour includes your materials during open studio
AND they have a parking lot (a bonus in downtown).
Albany Art Room

Adirondack Animal Land

Wow, was this a surprise!

It was a little bit of a hike out to this place, but not too much for a day-trip. A little pricey to get in, but you can bring your own food and eat in the picnic areas. Also, as is the norm, you have to buy the special foods that they have for the animals. Two of which, by the way and in case you were wondering, very strongly resembled Froot Loops and Wasa Light Rye Crispbreads. Which, coincidentally, I have seen in both Hannaford and Price Chopper... but I digress...

But, oh, the animals! There is a really wide variety, not just the usual goats and ducks. Giraffes! Camels! Bears! Monkeys! Deer! They're well kept and fun to feed. There are even several areas that you can actually go into to feed them -- docile but definately eager for the treats -- and other animals are kept safely at arm's reach.

Your admission also includes a ticket for a "Safari" ride, which is a fun, narrated hay-ride-ish trip with animals coming right up for treats.

Adirondack Animal Land
Regular hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The zoo is open every day, mid May thru Labor Day.
Adults (ages greater than 12 years) - $12.75
Children (ages 12 mos. - 12 years) $9.75
Children under 12 months old are free.

NYS Museum Carousel

On the upper level of the NYS Museum there is a great early 1900s carousel that operates every 10-15 minutes or so. There is also a Subway sub shop and seating area that makes for a perfect place to have a snack or lunch in between rides. And apparently on Thursdays at noon, a group of State employees gather to play music... guitar, fiddles, flutes, piano... and they bring extra small percussion instruments for any interested participant!

New York State Museum

Tumbling Tykes

This is a great place to spend a morning or afternoon. It's got a big open area full of things to climb on, crawl through and jump in. There's even a little area in the back for the under-18-month crowd. Perfect for good old unstructured fun.

They also have various classes, a drop-off program, nursery school, summer camp, birthday parties and a monthly "Parents' Night Out."

Tumbling Tykes
Open play is $7/visit, $70/10 visits and they have a yearly membership available.

Soccer Tots at Afrim's Sports

Indoor soccer is great to burn some toddler energy during the winter months.

You do have to sign up for a class and pay an annual membership to do this on a regular basis. But Afrim's does let you try out a class before you do.

There are lots of different levels of play-- starting at 18 months! 18 months! Fun little games and "drills." Coach Troy was great with the toddlers.

Afrim's Sports

Tubing at Willard Mountain

Yeah... um... the tubing runs were just a bit too fast for the little guy. He did want to go on the tow lift again. Granted it was both busy and warmish today so that meant really packed snow and ice on the runs. So, if it's either warmer weather or actually snowing, you'd go slower.

We went down once (with my foot mashed firmly into the ground in a futile effort to slow us to under what felt like 30 mile per hour), turned in our lift tickets for a full refund($14 each) and went inside for hot chocolate. There was also a large fire pit and free marshmallows for roasting. Overall, worth a return trip (30 minutes from Albany) in better conditions.

I believe that we've been to another mountain (further away, though) that had a kid's run...

Willard Mountain