One of the great sporting venues in America, the Saratoga Race Course operates for just six weeks each August and draws crowds of up to 50,000 on weekends. The atmosphere is unlike any other racetrack — Victorian grandstands, elm trees, the smell of fresh turf, and a genuine social mix from dedicated handicappers to families there for the spectacle.
General admission is inexpensive and places you in the paddock and the apron areas close to the track. The Backstretch Program offers early morning tours to watch horses train, which is arguably better than the races themselves. The track is a mile and an eighth from the Saratoga Spa State Park entrance.