You will want to pack appropriately for your visit. Saratoga has the unpredictable weather typical of the East Coast, which can result in snow in April and 75 degree heat in October. Put our zip code, 12866, into www.weather.com, to get an idea of what Saratoga weather will be like for your visit. Though you don’t need to pack for a month, do try to be prepared for a range of weather conditions.

If you’re driving to campus, be sure to get reliable directions:

www.mapquest.com

Feel free to call us at (518) 580-5450 to double-check your route or estimated travel time.

If you are arriving by plane, you will most likely fly into the Albany, New York airport, which is about an hour from Skidmore by car. From there, you can catch the bus, rent a car, or take a taxi. Some helpful contacts for your travel plans might be:

Albany Airport Taxi Information

Albany Airport Bus Information

Albany Airport Car Rental Information

The bus station in Saratoga Springs is located a mile and three quarters south of campus on Broadway. It’s also the Spa City Diner, which is a great place to get a quick, inexpensive meal (or traditional Greek food) on your way.

If you meet with us during Labor Day weekend, the weekend of Skidmore’s commencement ceremony, or during peak horse-racing season, it may be difficult to get a hotel room in town. If that’s the case, check out hotels in any of the surrounding areas, such as Glens Falls and Ballston Spa. However, if you will be staying in Saratoga Springs, take a look at the following sites when choosing a hotel:

Saratoga Chamber of Commerce

Discover Saratoga

Once you get to the Skidmore campus, simply follow the signs to Case Center (Skidmore’s student union) and Ladd Hall. University Without Walls and the Master of Liberal Arts are located on the first floor of Ladd, which is directly to your left when you enter Case from the parking lot. A map of the campus is available at the Skidmore website:

www.skidmore.edu/map/

While you’re looking at the map, check out the location of the library and the Skidmore card office. When you come to enroll, you’ll need to visit both of those places.

When you’re not in a meeting with faculty or academic advisors, there are several places on campus you should take the time to visit. In Case Center, just down the hall from the UWW office, there is the Spa. The Spa is a snack bar, with a deli, grill, and cold drinks. On the second floor of Case, there’s the Cyber Café, which has coffee, tea, and pastries, and is surrounded by public PCs and Macs.

The Scribner library, also the home of the CITS help desk, also has public computers, periodicals, and vast stacks of books. Take a look at the section of books dealing with your area of concentration, read the Times, or just relax in one of the sunny window seats that overlook campus. The library staff is very friendly and helpful, especially with questions you might have about researching your final project. You can access the library catalog online, the electronic resources, and everything else the library has to offer at www.skidmore.edu/library/

The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, perhaps the most distinctive building on campus, features exhibits from a variety of artists and artistic movements. The Tang has its own permanent collection as well as frequent exhibitions from renowned artists. See what the Tang will be showing when you visit at www.skidmore.edu/tang/. If you come to campus during nice weather, especially during foliage season, be sure to survey the campus from the Tang’s roof-top gallery.

Regardless of your area of concentration, you should stop by that department, just to get a feel for what your fellow Skidmore students are up to. Almost all of the departments have posters on the walls notifying every one of experiment results, art exhibits, thesis presentations, and other academic events. The department of your major will also probably be home to your faculty advisor, with whom you will consult in person during your visits to campus.

Some other cool things on campus include the gardens at the admissions building, located on the other side of Broadway, the Saisselin art building’s galleries of student and faculty artwork, and the gift shop in Case Center. The campus map can help you find these places, and any others you’d like to find:

www.skidmore.edu/map/

Luckily for us, Skidmore is located in a great little college town, with many cultural events, entertainment options, and great places to dine out. Anyone who has been to Saratoga probably has an opinion about the best restaurant in town, including everyone in the UWW office! The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce lists many of these restaurants on their website,

Another resource for deciding where to eat is

www.discoversaratoga.org

Among Skidmore students, perhaps the most popular (and therefore, relatively inexpensive) choices are Uncommon Grounds coffee and bagels, Sushi Thai Garden, and Putnam Market.

In addition to great food, downtown Saratoga is full of shops and boutiques, with every kind of souvenir imaginable. Whether you’d like cookware, a hat for the track, books, or vintage records, downtown Broadway has somewhere fun to browse. Saratoga is famous for the horse races, and if you’re here during racing season an afternoon at the track is always exciting. Again, the Chamber of Commerce website is a great resource for information about retailers and fun activities in Saratoga Springs!