The 10 best things to do in Schenectady, NY

A day in Schenectady can start at the Sunday Greenmarket, run through a museum or a walk in the Stockade and end with a show downtown. Proctors turns 100 this season, and so does a community musical theater a few blocks away. This list is for Saratoga County families and couples planning a day or an evening down Route 50 or the Northway, and for visitors staying the weekend.

Eight of the ten picks are in the City of Schenectady, most of them within a mile of State Street. Two are in the Town of Rotterdam: an indoor aquarium in a shopping mall and a colonial Dutch farm on the Mohawk River. Late fall changes a few schedules, so each entry gives the current hours and the dates coming up. Where to eat is on our Schenectady restaurants list.

How we chose

We looked for attractions, venues, museums, parks, trails and markets with a steady local reputation and staying power, and we mixed ages, seasons and budgets. Each one was checked in late October 2026 against the place’s own website or the agency that runs it, and hours, prices and event dates come from those sources. Restaurants are left to our separate Schenectady list, and the casino was left off because a national company runs it. The list is unranked and in alphabetical order, and no business paid to be included.

Hours, prices and dates below come from each business or official source and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

M&T Bank Center

Winter evenings get louder at Mohawk Harbor, where Union College hockey has played at the M&T Bank Center since the arena opened in 2025. The men host Yale on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. and Ohio State on Nov. 27 and 28; the women play Yale on Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. Families and date-night fans both fit at the 2,200-seat rink. Campus shuttles start about an hour before each game.

Hours and dates: Box office Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; will-call opens one hour before events; game times vary

Address: 101 Harborside Drive, Schenectady, NY 12305

Why they made the list

• Union College unveiled the $55 million arena in August 2025, according to the college.
• Shuttles stop at Reamer Circle and College Park Hall on the Union campus, and game-day parking is also available in the Mohawk Harbor deck and garage, according to Union Athletics.
• When the arena opened in August 2025, Union College said the bar overlooks the river.

More details are in our directory listing.

Mabee Farm Historic Site

West of the city in Rotterdam Junction, the Mabee Farm Historic Site tells the story of a Dutch family homestead built in 1705 beside the Mohawk River. Guided tours run Fridays and Saturdays at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and admission is $10, with children and students free. Save time for the one-mile nature trail loop through the woods to a pond.

Hours and dates: Sept.–June: guided tours Fri–Sat 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; closed Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 27–28, Dec. 25–26 and Jan. 1–2

Address: 1100 Main Street, Rotterdam Junction, NY 12150

Why they made the list

• The site has three 18th-century houses and a 1760s hand-pegged Dutch barn, according to the county historical society, which runs the farm.
• SNAP recipients get in free, up to four people per EBT card, through the Museums for All program.
• The Franchere Education Center on the grounds hosts year-round exhibitions, lectures and workshops.

More details are in our directory listing.

miSci (Museum of Innovation and Science)

Weekend afternoons are the time for miSci (Museum of Innovation and Science), which opens to the public Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the school year. Kids head for the Age of the Dinosaurs gallery and the hands-on Design Zone, then the 30-foot planetarium dome. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children, and planetarium shows add $5. Parking is free.

Hours and dates: Sept.–May: public hours Sat–Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; weekdays for school groups only; closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1

Address: 15 Museum Drive, Schenectady, NY 12308

Why they made the list

• The Suits-Bueche Planetarium runs shows at noon, 1 and 3 p.m. on open days, with laser matinees at 4 p.m. on weekends, according to the museum.
• Founded in 1934, the museum merged with the General Electric Hall of Electrical History in 1997, according to miSci.
• Seniors pay $12, and children 2 and under get in free, according to the museum.

More details are in our directory listing.

Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail

Riverfront miles start downtown on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, part of New York’s 750-mile Empire State Trail. From the SUNY Schenectady access point at 78 Washington Ave., with parking and a bike repair station, follow the 1.5-mile ALCO Heritage Trail through Mohawk Harbor, where 11 signs tell the locomotive works’ story. Walkers, runners and cyclists share the path. For more distance, a 5-mile loop reaches Collins and Freedom Parks in Scotia.

Hours and dates: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12305 (SUNY Schenectady access point)

Why they made the list

• The trail covers 25 miles across Schenectady County and is mostly off-road, according to the county.
• Locomotives were built in Schenectady from 1847 until the American Locomotive Company plant closed in 1969, according to the county.
• Much of the trail follows the Erie Canal towpath and former railroad grades, according to the county.

More details are in our directory listing.

Proctors

A century after F. F. Proctor built the State Street theater in 1926, Proctors is celebrating 100 years with a holiday-heavy calendar. A Christmas Story plays the MainStage Nov. 17 to 19, Northeast Ballet‘s Nutcracker follows Dec. 12 and 13, and a 100th Birthday Open House is set for Dec. 27. Couples and families both fit here. Park free on show days in the municipal garage at 407 Hamilton St.

Hours and dates: Box office Tue–Sat noon–6 p.m. (phone and lobby) and 90 minutes before every show; show times vary

Address: 432 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305

Why they made the list

• CBS6 Melodies of Christmas runs Dec. 17 to 20 on the MainStage, and The Notebook plays Dec. 1 to 6, according to the Proctors calendar.
• Downtown street parking is free weekdays after 6 p.m. and all weekend, according to Proctors.
• The Schenectady County Holiday Parade steps off at State Street and Washington Avenue at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, according to Discover Schenectady.

More details are in our directory listing.

Schenectady Greenmarket

Sunday mornings downtown belong to the Schenectady Greenmarket, a producer-only farmers market that has run since 2008 and counts more than 60 vendors. Through Nov. 22, stalls set up outside City Hall at 105 Jay St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the week after Thanksgiving, the market moves indoors to Proctors. Bring cash or buy $5 tokens at the market table. Leashed dogs are welcome outside only.

Hours and dates: Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m. outside City Hall through Nov. 22, 2026; moves indoors the week after Thanksgiving (no indoor start date posted)

Address: 105 Jay Street, Schenectady, NY 12305

Why they made the list

• Vendors take cash and market tokens, and the market accepts EBT and Double Up Food Bucks, according to the market’s FAQ.
• Nearby parking includes the Broadway, Broadway South and Amtrak lots and the Schenectady Municipal Parking Garage, according to the market.
• The market is open year-round except Easter and federal holidays that fall on a Sunday, according to the market’s FAQ.

More details are in our directory listing.

SLOC Musical Theater

Community theater turns 100 this season at SLOC Musical Theater, which began in 1926 and now performs in former church buildings at 427 Franklin St. The Hunchback of Notre Dame runs Nov. 6 to 15, with 8 p.m. shows and 3 p.m. matinees, plus an ASL-interpreted performance Nov. 8. Groups of 10 or more save $5 a ticket. Order online or call the box office at (518) 730-7370.

Hours and dates: Performance days only: The Hunchback of Notre Dame Nov. 6–15, 2026 (8 p.m. Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14; 3 p.m. Nov. 8, 14, 15)

Address: 427 Franklin Street, Schenectady, NY 12305

Why they made the list

• The company started in 1926 as the Bellevue Young People’s Chorus and took the name Schenectady Light Opera Company in 1936, according to SLOC.
• Jingle Bell SLOC, a 90-minute holiday cabaret, plays Dec. 12 at 3 and 8 p.m., according to the theater.
• A Chorus Line follows Jan. 15 to 24, 2027, according to SLOC.

More details are in our directory listing.

Stockade Historic District

History fans can spend an easy hour in the Stockade Historic District, where Dutch Colonial, Georgian, Federal and Victorian houses line the streets, according to Discover Schenectady. A free audio tour, Discover the Schenectady Stockade, runs on the izi.travel app and starts at North Church and Front streets. Afterward, step into the county historical society’s museum at 32 Washington Ave.; admission is $8, and children get in free.

Hours and dates: Public streets; self-guided tour any time. County historical society museum, 32 Washington Ave.: Mon 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Tue–Fri 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Address: North Church Street and Front Street, Schenectady, NY 12305 (tour start)

Why they made the list

• The city council made the Stockade New York State’s first historic district in 1962, according to the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
• More than 40 pre-Revolutionary buildings survive in the district, according to the same federal profile.
• The neighborhood association posts a printable map of the tour.

More details are in our directory listing.

Vale Cemetery

Fall walks are quiet at Vale Cemetery, a 100-acre rural cemetery dedicated in 1857, laid out as a park-like landscape and planted with more than 1,000 trees. The gates at 907 State St. open daily from dawn to dusk. Look for the African-American Ancestral Burial Ground, where Moses Viney, who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad, is buried. The cemetery office keeps weekday hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hours and dates: Gates open daily dawn to dusk; office Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Address: 907 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12307

Why they made the list

• More than 33,000 people are buried at Vale, according to the cemetery’s history page.
• The African-American burial ground was moved to Vale from Veeder Avenue beginning in 1863, according to the cemetery.
• Union College president Eliphalet Nott donated the cemetery’s first entrance, on Nott Terrace, according to the cemetery.

More details are in our directory listing.

Via Aquarium

Rainy Saturdays work well at Via Aquarium, an indoor aquarium in the ViaPort Rotterdam mall with more than 50 exhibits of ocean, river and local freshwater life. Friday-through-Sunday tickets are $24 for adults and $16 for kids 3 to 12, plus tax, and hand-feeding the cownose stingrays costs $10 a cup, shared by up to four people. Young kids and grandparents both do well here. Arrive before 5 p.m., when the ticket window closes.

Hours and dates: Daily 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; ticket window closes at 5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving

Address: 93 West Campbell Rd., Schenectady, NY 12306

Why they made the list

• Weekday tickets, Monday through Thursday, are $21 for adults and $15 for children, according to the aquarium.
• Reptile shows run weekdays at 1 p.m. from September through June for $8 extra, according to the aquarium.
• The aquarium’s calendar lists a 10-year anniversary party on Saturday, Nov. 14, with a shark touch tank encounter.

More details are in our directory listing.

Also worth knowing

On the campus at 807 Union St., the eight-acre Jackson’s Garden at Union College dates to the 1830s and has herb, flower and evergreen gardens, a creek and a gazebo, according to the college.

Frequently asked questions

What can you do in Schenectady with kids on a rainy day?

miSci is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the school year, with planetarium shows at noon, 1 and 3 p.m. Via Aquarium in the ViaPort Rotterdam mall is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; arrive before 5 p.m., when the ticket window closes.

Where do you park for a show at Proctors?

Proctors says the Schenectady Municipal Garage at 407 Hamilton St. is free on show days, and downtown street parking is free weekdays after 6 p.m. and all weekend.

Is the Schenectady Greenmarket open in the winter?

Yes. The market runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside City Hall through Nov. 22, 2026, then moves indoors to Proctors the week after Thanksgiving, and the market stays open year-round except Easter and federal holidays that fall on a Sunday.

Last checked October 29, 2026. See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.