Perhaps best known as the "City of Lights" where Thomas Edison founded General Electric, Schenectady, New York, is reviving its historic downtown. The city highlights its tourist-friendly destinations and activities and offers plenty of free or low-cost things to see and do. Nature preserves, parks, self-guided historic walking tours and museums are among the attractions that will keep you busy for little cost.
Take a stroll through the rose gardens in Schenectady's Central Park, where you can see more than 4,000 rose bushes in bloom. You can also play on the colorful jungle gyms and swings on the playground or picnic under the pavilions.
Take a self-guided tour around the GE Realty Plot, a neighborhood of historic early 19th century homes next to Union College. Obtain a free walking tour map of the area at the Heritage Area Visitors Center at the Schenectady County Museum. Maps are also available for the Stockade Historic District as well as other walking tours. After walking the GE Realty Plot neighborhood, tour adjacent Union College. Founded in 1795, the picturesque campus of this small engineering and liberal arts college is one of Schenectady's gems.
Schenectady County has several large nature preserves where visitors can enjoy wildlife, hike, hunt, fish or cross-country ski and snowshoe in winter. Each of the preserves offers something different. Lisha Kill has trees thought to be more than 200 years old, while the more rugged Plotter Kill in Rotterdam has waterfalls, and the County Preserve incorporates the remains of a colonial property with stone walls and a family cemetery.
The Schenectady Museum typically charges admission, but on the first Saturday of every month you can get in free before noon. Many of the museum's science, art and technology exhibits are hands-on and tailored for children. The county's historic society also runs a museum and education center at the Mabee Farm Historic Site. The Dutch farm is more than 300 years old, making it the oldest standing home in the Mohawk Valley, according to the historic society. Tours are $5 by donation, but many of the center's events such as crafts festivals and other seasonal fairs are free.
Schenectady Public Library offers free family story hours as well as other events such as film series and seminars. The main branch is in downtown Schenectady on Clinton Street, and there are nine other branches around the county.
