Brookside: America's First Resort Hotel
How a 1792 guest house at the mineral springs drew a young nation to Ballston Spa — and shaped American leisure.
Explore the gallery →
Ballston Spa, New York · Est. 1792
Where Saratoga County
Where Saratoga County
remembers itself.
Step inside one of America's first resort hotels — now a center for history and community, preserving the people, places and stories that make our county home.
Hours
Wed–Sun12 – 4 pm
Admission
FreeDonations welcome
Find Us
21 Fairground AveBallston Spa, NY
We Serve
31 communitiesAcross Saratoga County
Today
—
National Register Historic Place since 1975
NARM reciprocal member network
40+ oral histories & films online
Backed by 18 local sponsors & partners
What's On
Full calendar →
Come be part of the story
Talks, tours, fairs, and family gatherings — there's almost always something happening at Brookside.
Watch & Listen
Subscribe
The county, on screen
From one-room schoolhouse memories to the rise and fall of mills and mineral springs — new stories from our YouTube channel, updated automatically.
On View Now
Exhibits to explore
Four galleries spanning grand resort hotels, hands-on history, and the everyday life of Saratoga County.
Saratoga County: Our Home!
An overview of the towns, industries, and people that make up the county.
Learn more →History Hunters Hangout
A hands-on room where kids dig into the past.
Plan a visit →Artists Inspired by Their Community
Work by Ballston Spa Middle School students, on view in the galleries.
See the art →
Your Gift, Their Stories
Keep these stories alive
Brookside is a small museum doing big things — recording oral histories before they're lost, welcoming school groups for free, and keeping a 230-year-old landmark open to all. Every gift makes the next story possible.
Brookside Museum / Saratoga County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3). Gifts are tax-deductible.
Become a Member
Join the Historical Society
Free admission, member events, and — at the Contributor level and up — reciprocal access to 1,300+ museums nationwide through NARM.
Senior / Student
$25/yr
- Members' newsletter
- Member events & tours
- Reduced ticket prices
Individual
$35/yr
- Free museum & library admission
- Members' newsletter
- Reduced event pricing
Most Popular
Contributor
$100/yr
- Everything in Individual
- NARM card — 1,300+ museums
- 10% museum-shop discount
- Welcome packet
Supporter
$250/yr
- Everything in Contributor
- Copy of The First Respectable House
- Recognition in our annual report
More membership levels
Businesses: become a partner. See all ways to give →
Thank You
Thank you to our sponsors
Plan Your Visit
Find us at the springs
Hours
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 – 4 pm
Holiday Artisan Market, Nov 28 – Dec 23: Tue – Fri 12 – 4, Sat – Sun 11 – 5 · Research library by appointment
Address
21 Fairground Ave, Ballston Spa, NY 12020
Free on-site parking
Admission
Free for all visitors — donations gratefully accepted.
Members enjoy free admission year-round.
Accessibility
The first floor & galleries are wheelchair accessible.
Questions? Call (518) 885-4000
A novelist's retreat
James Fenimore Cooper is said to have worked on The Last of the Mohicans during a stay here.
Our Story
More about us
"The Saratoga County History Center inspires community memory and tells the story of Saratoga County."
Built in 1792 as a guest house for travelers seeking the healing mineral springs, the Aldridge House — now known as Brookside Museum — is one of the oldest structures in Ballston Spa. Across two centuries it served as a resort, a boys' school, a boarding house, and a military academy before the Saratoga County Historical Society made it a museum in 1970.
In 1975 it became the first of four Ballston Spa properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it's both a historic house and a working history center — collecting, preserving, and sharing the county's past through exhibits, programs, and an ever-growing video archive.
1792
Year built
230+
Years of history
1970
Became a museum