Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau
25 Quackenbush Square
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 434-1217
Population
101082
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
42.67° /-73.77°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 53
LOW: 41
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The capital of New York State, Albany's colonial heritage dates back to the early 17th century. American Indians had inhabited the area for hundreds of years when, in 1624, they were joined by the Dutch, who wanted to trade for furs. Albany's location near the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers has made it an important hub for transportation from earliest times. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 greatly increased the city's importance. Today's traveler can visit a rich variety of colonial homes, historic churches, history and art museums, and modern performing arts centers that are certain to impress and entertain.
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The city is dominated by its government buildings, and since the 1960s, the government buildings have been dominated by the soaring towers of the Empire State Plaza. Sweeping views of the city and Hudson Valley can be had from the Corning Tower's 42nd floor observation deck.
Brimming with modern art by luminaries such as Calder and Frankenthaler, the plaza is a place for public gatherings and various cultural events as well. Here you'll find the Empire State Performing Arts Center, a stunning oval-shaped building know simply as "The Egg." Its two theaters feature musical theater, dance, and chamber music concerts, cabaret, and solo performances. The plaza is also the site of the New York State Museum, dedicated to chronicling the state's natural and human history.
Adjacent to the plaza is the grand State Capitol building. Built at the staggering sum of 25 million dollars and completed in the last year of the 19th century, its Great Western or "million dollar" staircase has been recently refurbished. When the legislature meets, visitors can obtain a gallery pass to view the proceedings in the Senate or Assembly chambers.
A long Colonial history has left the city with a healthy supply of eighteenth-century homes including Historic Cherry Hill, built by Colonel Philip Van Rensselaer in 1768 and occupied by five generations of his family, the Ten Broeck Mansion, with formal and herb gardens, and the Schuyler Mansion, site of the marriage of Alexander Hamilton. For exhibits on the Hudson Valley's development, visit the Albany Institute of History and Art, one of the oldest museums in the land. A trip to Albany is also an opportunity to tour America's first Shaker settlement, located on the Albany-Shaker Road just south of the airport.
For sports, the Pepsi Arena is the home of the hockey-playing River Rats of the AHL and the Conquest of Arena Football 2, while the Washington Avenue Armory is the place to go to watch professional hoops being played by the Patroons of the Continental Basketball League. Both venues are also sites for concerts by major musical acts. The refurbished Palace Theatre, a former movie house that retains many original features of its 1931 Bavarian atmospheric design, also hosts popular touring acts and cultural events.
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