If you’re also a Hamilton fan, you can retrace the founding father’s footsteps by visiting some of these Alexander Hamilton sites in Upstate New York that we discovered during our recent road trip.
Schuyler Mansion
In 1780, Elizabeth Schuyler married Alexander Hamilton in the home of her father, Philip Schuyler. Today, the Schuyler Mansion in Albany is a New York State Historic Site.
It is open seasonally, and will be open through October 30 in 2016. Guided tours are offered Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the last tour leaving at 4:00 p.m. Check and see if they are offering a Hamilton-specific tour, which they do have but not every day.
Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and is free from children 12 and under. Note that you need cash – credit cards are not accepted. Find more details for planning your visit here.
Fenimore Art Museum
The phrase “Your Obedient Servant” has great meaning to Hamilton fans with a song of that name in the musical. It is the sign off in a series of letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr leading up to their duel. They each signed off with “Your Obedient Servant.” Those actual letters are among the items in the exhibit Hamilton’s Final Act at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
You can also see a lock of Hamilton’s hair that Eliza kept with her, as well as a statement issued by the seconds after the duel. They also have marked the distance that would be 10 paces, and it is a bit jarring to see just how close the two men stood to each other on that fateful day 212 years ago.
You can learn more about the exhibit here. Admission is $12 for adults (ages 13-64), $10.50 for seniors and free for children 12 and under. Museum hours vary by season, so check out the website here to plan your visit.
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga played an important role in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. We confirmed with our awesome and knowledgable guide that Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette were at Fort Ticonderoga, though perhaps not at the same time. Hamilton stopped here when he was traveling with George Washington.
While he didn’t spend much time here (nor did he make it on the plaque of notable people to step inside the fort), Fort Ticonderoga and the very knowledge staff here provide a very good idea of what life was like during the Revolutionary War in which Hamilton fought.
Hamilton’s father-in-law Philip Schuyler is also featured in one of the exhibits. Admission is $22 for adults, which is pricey, but we really enjoyed our visit. You can get the info needed to plan your visit here.
There are many other places to trace Alexander Hamilton’s footsteps but these are a few of the Hamilton sites in Upstate New York that we discovered on our journey.
Prior Post: New England food haul from our road trip
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