Thacher Park in Voorheesville is known for its panoramic views of the Adirondacks, Vermont, and Massachusetts, but this beautiful park has just gotten even better! The brand new, 8,240-square-foot, $4.3 million Thacher Park Center is now open, effectively making Thacher Park a year-round destination for tourists and locals.
Here’s what you’ll find at the new center:
- Interactive exhibits, a small theater, and a model bat cave, all showcasing the park’s history and geology
- Helderberg Room – a 1,340-square-foot room that can be reserved for community events
- Outdoor observation deck and patio
- Warming area with a fireplace faced with fossil-bearing stone
- An information welcome desk for visitors
- Two new stone and timber picnic pavilions
The center is also gearing up for the following:
- Rock climbing is expected to start Memorial Day weekend
- An aerial adventure course is slated to open in July
- A new playground will be built with a climbing wall and a slide
And, improvements will be made to the current trails and mountain biking skills park.
The center is located near the trailhead and picnic area for the popular Indian Ladder Trail and is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
What makes Thacher Park special compared to other state parks is that it sits on top of the Helderberg escarpment, which is one of the richest fossil-bearing formations on the planet.
The Thacher Park Center was made possible through the efforts of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks); the Open Space Institute; and the Saratoga-Capital Region Park Commission, among others. The project is a key element of the multi-year, $900 million NY Parks 2020 Plan to revolutionize the entire state park system.
“The new Thacher Park Center is a great example of how Governor Cuomo is improving and reinvigorating our state parks,” State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said in a statement. “Generations of Capital Region residents have grown up with Thacher Park as their playground and the new center will help build on these traditions.”
