Local tourists

After years of traveling to other states, in 2022, Kurt and I finally decided we needed to explore closer to home. We’ve been to many places around New York and the US but had never taken time to experience what our own area has to offer.

We picked a Saturday in August, and I planned the day the way I would have if we were visiting a new city. This day, we were to be tourists visiting Albany, NY – the state capital.

I consulted Trip Advisor (one of my favorite places to start when planning a trip) and found several historical homes that we could tour.

We started the day at Historic Cherry Hill, a restored home of the Van Rensselaers, one of Albany’s most prominent, original Dutch families.

The family lived in the home from 1884-1963. When Catherine was young, the family was forced to auction off the home, which devastated Catherine.

She married Edward Rankin, a young attorney, who later purchased the home back for Catherine.

Catherine spent the rest of her life restoring the home to its former glory. Her daughter Emily took over the project, eventually leaving the home to the city, since neither she nor her brothers ever had kids of their own.

After learning about the Van Rensselaers, we were ready to move on to the Schuylers – but first, lunch.

If you’re ever looking for great, casual food near Downtown Albany, I recommend Druthers.

If you’re ever at Druthers, I recommend the loaded mac.

That afternoon, we toured Schuyler Mansion, which was home to Philip Schuyler and his wife, Catherine, who was a Van Rensselaer (but not the same Catherine).

The family occupied the mansion from 1763-1804. During that time, they hosted many prominent guests including George Washington, General John Burgoyne, and Alexander Hamilton.

The Blue Parlor was used to host prominent guests. This is also the room in which Elizabeth Schuyler (Philip and Catherine’s daughter) married Alexander Hamilton in 1780.

During our hour-long guided tour, we learned that the mansion has enjoyed an increase in visitors, due to the popularity of Hamilton: The Musical! Our tour group included a family on a “Hamilton Tour.” They visit homes and sites that are mentioned in the story.

After returning home for dinner (which I compared to eating at our air bnb), we ended our evening with a performance of the Wedding Singer at Park Playhouse.

Each summer, the Park Playhouse theater group produces a show performed outside in historic Washington Park. The performances are free and very well-attended.

Despite having been born less than a mile from this park, I had never seen a play here – or visited any of the sites we saw on this day.

Kurt and I are lucky to live near a state capital, which also happens to be one of the oldest cities in America. Albany is full of history and culture. If none of these things are up your alley, I am still certain you could find something to enjoy in The 518!