The 10 best things to do in Glens Falls, NY

A day in Glens Falls in late fall and winter can take in an art museum, a hockey game and a jazz night without leaving downtown, and the city is a short drive up the Northway from Saratoga Springs. This list is for Saratoga County families and couples planning a day or an evening, and for Lake George-area visitors in the off-season.

Eight of the ten picks are inside the City of Glens Falls, most within walking distance of Glen Street. The winter farmers market sets up at Aviation Mall in the Town of Queensbury, and the Feeder Canal towpath starts at the Feeder Dam in Queensbury before running east through the city. Seasonal spots such as the Cooper’s Cave overlook have closed for the year. For dinner, see our Glens Falls restaurants list.

How we chose

We looked for museums, venues, parks, trails, markets and activities with a steady local reputation and staying power, and we mixed ages, budgets and indoor and outdoor options for the colder months. Each one was checked in early November 2026 against the place’s own website or the group that runs it, and hours, prices and event dates come from those sources. Seasonal spots without a posted reopening date were left off. Restaurants are on our separate Glens Falls list. 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.

Adirondack Thunder

ECHL hockey fills winter weekends downtown when the Adirondack Thunder play at Harding Mazzotti Arena, the former Glens Falls Civic Center. Sunday games start at 3 p.m., which suits families with young kids, while Friday and Saturday puck drops come at 7 p.m. The Nov. 15 game has a Family 4-Pack that saves $60. Season tickets for 2026-27 are sold out, so buy single-game seats online.

Hours and dates: Home games include Nov. 13–15, Nov. 25, Nov. 27–29, Dec. 4–6 and Dec. 20, 2026

Address: 1 Civic Center Plaza, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• The former Cool Insuring Arena took the Harding Mazzotti name in 2025 under a naming-rights deal through 2030, the arena’s operator, the Adirondack Civic Center Coalition, announced.
• Fans throw teddy bears on the ice for charity at the Teddy Bear Toss game on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026, at 3 p.m.
• Military Appreciation Night on Nov. 28, 2026, has specialty jerseys and a postgame jersey auction, per the team schedule.

More details are in our directory listing.

Chapman Museum

Local stories from the French and Indian War to the years when vacationers flocked to Lake George fill the Chapman Museum, a Glen Street history museum that holds the Seneca Ray Stoddard photograph collection. The main exhibition is Yearning to Breathe Free: An Immigration Journey. History buffs and families with school-age kids fit well here. Staff lead tours Thursdays at 1 p.m., and the parking lot sits behind the building off Bacon Street.

Hours and dates: Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun noon–4 p.m.; closed Mon and major holidays

Address: 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• Suggested admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12, the museum says.
• The Dec. 12, 2026, Holiday Open House has free admission and Santa photos from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• A curator talk on the immigration exhibition is set for Dec. 9, 2026, at 7 p.m., $10 for nonmembers.

More details are in our directory listing.

Charles R. Wood Theater

Community musicals, tribute bands and comedy nights share the stage at the Charles R. Wood Theater, a 300-seat house on Glen Street between Crandall Public Library and the arena. Families on a budget can sign up for the Bill Woodward Seats, a free pair of balcony seats released for each event, first come, first served. The box office is staffed Wednesday through Saturday afternoons, and municipal lots on Elm, Ridge, South and Oakland streets sit nearby.

Hours and dates: Box office Wed–Sat noon–5 p.m., and later on show days

Address: 207 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• On Jan. 7, 2027, at 7:30 p.m., the theater hosts an Adirondack Theatre Festival benefit with a return of the show TRAPPED.
• About 90 percent of events at the Wood are rentals, and nonprofits get half off rental prices, according to the theater.
• The Banff mountain film festival’s 2027 world tour screens Feb. 5 to 7, 2027, with all tickets $25.

More details are in our directory listing.

Crandall Park

Snow days send kids with saucers down the sledding hill at Crandall Park, the city-owned green space on upper Glen Street that lumber baron Henry Crandall gave to Glens Falls in 1899. Walkers can loop past the fishing pond to the obelisk Crandall designed, where he was buried in 1913. It suits families who need to burn off energy. There are no trash cans, so carry out what you bring.

Hours and dates: Open daily year-round; free

Address: Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• The park is free and open to the public every day of the year, according to the Crandall Park Beautification Committee.
• Disc golf, a playground, exercise equipment and a splash pad are part of the park, the committee says.
• The city owns and maintains the park, and the volunteer committee raises money for larger renovation projects.

More details are in our directory listing.

Feeder Canal Towpath Trail

A canal towpath walk starts at the Feeder Dam in Queensbury, where the stone-dust Feeder Canal Towpath Trail heads east through Glens Falls toward Fort Edward. Near Glen Street, look down at the Hudson for Cooper’s Cave, the rock formation from The Last of the Mohicans. Walkers and runners fit best, and snowshoers can use the trail when conditions permit. Expect a signed one-mile detour on city streets near the paper mill.

Hours and dates: Open year-round, no posted hours; free

Address: 21 Thomson Ave., Suite 5, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• The Feeder Canal Alliance, a nonprofit founded in 1987, preserves and maintains the canal and towpath, according to the Alliance.
• The Glens Falls Brewfest, which benefits the Alliance, is Saturday, Feb. 27, 2027, from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at the Queensbury Hotel.
• A current Alliance capital campaign is paying for new wayfinding and signage along the trail.

More details are in our directory listing.

Glens Falls Farmers’ Market

Saturday mornings through April, the Glens Falls Farmers’ Market sets up inside the Aviation Mall food court concourse in Queensbury, off Northway Exit 19. Tables carry produce, baked goods, meat, eggs, dairy, hot coffee and handmade gifts while local musicians play from 9 a.m. to noon. Families get a free kids craft table every week. Parking is free, and both the front and rear entrances lead to the food court.

Hours and dates: Winter market Sat 9 a.m.–noon, Nov. 7, 2026–Apr. 24, 2027

Address: 578 Aviation Road, Queensbury, NY 12804

Why they made the list

• The winter market runs Saturdays from Nov. 7, 2026, through April 24, 2027, with free admission, the market association says.
• EBT and SNAP shoppers get wooden tokens at Booth 43, and Fresh Connect adds $2 for every $2, up to $50 a day.
• CBS6 reported Nov. 4, 2026, that Aviation Mall passed a follow-up inspection by the Town of Queensbury and will not close Nov. 16.

More details are in our directory listing.

The Hyde Collection

Louis and Charlotte Hyde’s 1912 Italian Renaissance-style villa anchors The Hyde Collection, whose permanent collection includes Old Master paintings by Botticelli, El Greco, Rembrandt and Rubens. This winter’s draw is The Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore, opening Nov. 7. Art-loving couples can cover Hyde House and the exhibition galleries in an afternoon. Parking lots sit on both sides of the campus, and security checks bags at the door.

Hours and dates: Thu–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; closes 3 p.m. Dec. 24 and Dec. 31; open Black Friday; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

Address: 161 Warren Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• The Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore, about 50 Scandinavian works made from 1880 to 1920, runs Nov. 7, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027, the museum says.
• Adult admission is $12, and the museum waives the fee for everyone on the second Thursday of each month.
• The permanent collection tops 4,000 objects, according to the museum.

More details are in our directory listing.

Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC)

Holiday shoppers after something handmade should stop at the Lapham Gallery of the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC), a free gallery on the first floor of a renovated carriage house beside City Park. From Nov. 13 to Dec. 24, the gallery becomes a Holiday Shop with gifts from more than 50 regional artists and makers. Couples strolling downtown fit well here. Thursday hours run until 6 p.m., later than the rest of the week.

Hours and dates: Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (4 p.m. during the Nov. 13–Dec. 24 Holiday Shop); Thu until 6 p.m.; closes 3 p.m. Dec. 24

Address: 7 Lapham Place, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• Admission to the Lapham Gallery is free, according to LARAC.
• The Holiday Shop opening night is Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m., with 10 percent off purchases, LARAC says.
• The gallery hosts seven exhibitions a year from January to October, each on view for four weeks.

More details are in our directory listing.

The Park Theater

Monthly Jazz Night is one reason to book a winter evening at The Park Theater on Park Street, where drummer Matt Niedbalski brings in a rotating lineup; the Nov. 19 show with the trio GNP starts at 7:30 p.m. Couples planning a night out fit best, though anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian at jazz shows. Park in the city garage beside the theater, where the first two hours are free.

Hours and dates: No regular public hours; open for scheduled shows. Check current hours before you go.

Address: 14 Park Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• Holiday Cheer with Newberry & Verch, an all-ages show of holiday fiddle, banjo and song, is Dec. 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
• OK! Comedy Underground plays the theater’s lower-level lounge Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, at 8 p.m., the night after Thanksgiving.
• Erin Harkes headlines a New Year’s Eve dinner and comedy show on Dec. 31, 2026, with doors at 6 p.m.

More details are in our directory listing.

World Awareness Children’s Museum

Kids slip on a kimono and leave their shoes at the door of the Japanese Tea House at the World Awareness Children’s Museum on Warren Street, then try a tea ceremony and chopsticks. Other exhibits let them paddle a dragon boat and cook a pretend meal in ¡Hola, Mexico! Young children and their grown-ups fit best. Tickets can be bought online ahead of time, and parking is on the street.

Hours and dates: School-year hours: Thu 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fri–Mon 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; closed Tue–Wed

Address: 89 Warren Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Why they made the list

• Admission is $7 per person, and children under 12 months get in free, according to the museum.
• The International Youth Art Collection holds more than 7,000 pieces of children’s art from over 80 countries, the museum says.
• The museum grew from an arts and culture group formed in 1985 and received a state museum charter in 1995, according to the museum.

More details are in our directory listing.

Also worth knowing

For a holiday concert, the Glens Falls Symphony plays the Holiday Pops program, A Jazzy Holiday with jazz singer Dominique Eade, on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Glens Falls High School.

On City Park downtown, Crandall Public Library at 251 Glen Street stays open until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and has a Folklife Center for local family history research.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls called now?

The downtown arena where the Adirondack Thunder play has been Harding Mazzotti Arena since 2025, under a naming-rights deal through 2030. The address is still 1 Civic Center Plaza.

Where is the Glens Falls Farmers Market in the winter?

The winter market runs inside the Aviation Mall food court concourse at 578 Aviation Road in Queensbury, Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon from Nov. 7, 2026, through April 24, 2027. Admission and parking are free.

What can you do for free in Glens Falls?

Crandall Park, the Feeder Canal Towpath Trail and LARAC’s Lapham Gallery are free. The Hyde Collection waives admission on the second Thursday of each month, and the Chapman Museum’s Holiday Open House on Dec. 12, 2026, has free admission.

Last checked November 6, 2026. See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.