Getting the flavor of...Off-season Saratoga, N.Y.

Off-season Saratoga, N.Y.

Saratoga still has plenty to offer after horse-racing season ends, said Anne Neville in The Buffalo News. The city in upstate New York has a vibrant racing scene from July to Labor Day, but the quiet months between now and then offer a great time to “enjoy the fruits” of Saratoga’s high season, from fine dining and shopping to various cultural sites. Saratoga Spa State Park is home to an automobile museum, the National Museum of Dance, and the Gideon Putnam Hotel, where customers enjoy treatments at the Roosevelt Baths and Spa “using the naturally effervescent, mineral-rich water for which the city is named.” You can also sample this water from the numerous springs in Congress Park. Next to the park lies an “authentic, bustling downtown” full of restaurants, pubs, and ice-cream shops. Horse-racing fans shouldn’t feel left out. From March through mid-December, they can get their fix with live harness races at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Milwaukee’s refined side

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There’s a lot more to Milwaukee than beer and bratwurst, said Nancy Trejos in The Washington Post. Sure, the two are local staples, but Wisconsin’s largest city has also cultivated more sophisticated tastes. I first noted this while sitting at the Iron Horse Hotel. The former warehouse has “all the trappings of an L.A. or New York boutique hotel: faux-zebra carpets, chocolate walls,” and “a comfortable outdoor lounge.” To get a sampling of the city’s non-bratwurst culinary options, I visit the Milwaukee Public Market. More than 20 specialty food vendors inhabit this sprawling complex, offering treats like lobster rolls and cheese curds. I walk off the food at the smartly developed lakefront and admire the water before finally heading to the Milwaukee Art Museum, a catalyst for the city’s revitalization. The building is stunning, but “there’s just as much to admire” inside, from contemporary exhibits to works by Georgia O’Keeffe and Picasso.