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Albany Travel Guide, New York

Albany is the capital of New York State, a medium-size city seen by many a little rough and not possessing the necessary charms to attract tourists. Still its local people are proud of the city’s history culture and are doing their best to improve the city’s image and acquire the appreciation it deserves.

People coming to Albany are coming mostly for business purposes rather than leisure due to the fact that the city is centered on government and banking. Nevertheless if they look a bit further they will be quite surprised by what they will find: a city that is renewing, full of history, with nice public spaces and summer festivals, and a city that tries to win the visitor’s hearth.

Downtown Albany is a really manageable area where most of the city’s attractions are located including two excellent museums.

Among the attractions the city prides itself on are the State Capitol and Empire State Plaza. The first was built when Theodore Roosevelt was governor; it is made of native stone and took more than 30 years to build. The other one is Nelson A. Rockefeller’s pride who strongly believed that art was a fundamental component of a capital city and wanted Albany to be the country's most beautiful capital city. In that respect he transformed downtown into being one of the most exquisite government headquarters and collected the largest public art collection displayed in the country. Many large sculptures are placed outside on and around The Concourse, but most of the art works are on display in the Concourse passageway and includes works by some of the most important artists of the 20th century of New York School.

Albany was really worth the effort inviting you to start at the unmistakable Empire State Plaza, where several of the top sights are located.

At some point you will get to the Corning Tower Observation Deck, the tallest building between New York City and Montreal and you shouldn’t miss the chance to get to the 42nd floor (especially because it is for free) from where you will get a most wonderful view, especially on a clear day when the sight of Green Mountains of Vermont and the Hudson River will open before your eyes.

With so many school visits at the state capital you can see plenty of children of all ages around. The city has prepared for them quite a few sites to visit. Among them are the Henry Hudson Planetarium, the Albany Visitor's Center, the Albany Institute of History & Art and The New York State Museum where there are plenty opportunities to play either at the Native American longhouse or at the antique carousel.

Another top attraction for them is the Hudson River Way an interesting a pedestrian bridge that tracks the city’s history. The USS Slater is a World War I destroyer children will surely enjoy boarding.

As for entertainment Albany does not lack opportunities. Rock and country-music concerts and sporting events are hosted at the Pepsi Arena. The spherical half-egg on the Empire State Plaza hosts a wide range of entertainment, from modern dance and classical music to comedy and theater while The Palace Theatre is a beautiful movie theater hosting the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Albany Berkshire Ballet, pop concerts and top comedy shows. Go to Capital Repertory Theatre for wonderful Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall for of the area's best jazz concerts.

The bars and pubs are some of the best places to experience your next fabulous night as Albany offers every kind of bar and nightclub imaginable.

With so many attractions on hand you will find Albany is a worth visiting touristy place and does its best to lure tourists with what it has special facilitating your visit with many tours of downtown, historic homes, and historic churches, Upper Hudson River; Adirondacks and Capital District.