Visiting Historical Battlefields: You Might Want to Get in Shape

The Saratoga Battlefield

On a recent vacation trip home to Upstate New York, I decided it would be fun to show my children the historical sites around Schuylerville that I had grown up with. These sites were what fed my love of American history throughout my childhood, and I wanted to share it with my own children.

It just about killed me.

Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it definitely showed me I wasn't as fit as I had been in my childhood.

First on our historical field trip was the Saratoga Battlefield. For those that don't know, the little corner of the world where I grew up was the site of the turning point of the American Revolution. Luckily for Americans, the battle turned the war in our favor.

Our first stop at the battlefield was the visitor's center. Here you can purchase souvenirs, books on history, and pay the small fee to take the battlefield tour, but you have to climb quite a few stairs to get there. There is a ramp that makes it handicap accessible, but I have to tell you...I wouldn't want to be the one pushing the wheelchair up that hill.

There are also exhibits set up that detail not only the Battle of Saratoga, but also other points of interest during the war.

My personal favorite is the exhibit that explains what role women played in the war. Many women followed their loved ones from camp to camp, battle to battle. They helped cook, clean and tend to the wounded.

My sons' favorite exhibit was the one that detailed cleanliness (or lack of cleanliness) during that time period. You don't want to know what they used as toilet paper back in the day. You know that whole corn cob thing? Yeah...there's truth to that.

According to the exhibit, they also used urine to brush their teeth. I didn't know that. I'm not sure I needed to know that. It makes you wonder what the point was to brushing.

There was also a short movie we watched that gave an overview of the battle. I do recommend watching this, especially if it is your first time touring the park. It also gives you a moment off your feet before you subject them the hiking you'll be doing soon.