Brown’s beach was a family favorite for many years for residents of Saratoga county, as it was one of the only public access swimming beaches with shallow water and a sandy bottom on Saratoga Lake. To everyone’s dismay it was closed in 2007.
Luckily, Brown’s beach was bought by the Town of Stillwater in May of last year. Since then they have been working feverishly to get the beach open and ready for visitors sometime this summer!
Swimming won’t be the only attraction either! They have big plans to bring the beach back to its former glory and maybe even better!
According to Timesunion.com, Panza’s Restaurant and Catering will be constructing and running a concession stand on the beach as well as renovating a vacant 100 year old restaurant on the property to be both a restaurant and a Bed & Breakfast.
Menneto’s Powersports has been selected to operate the beach and marina with possibly up to 200 dock spaces. Additionally an arcade and bath house are planned to be built.
While not all of these amenities will be up and running this season, officials are optimistic that at least some of the property will open for swimmers as early as July.
UPDATE: Those hoping to swim at Brown’s Beach may need to wait until 2015. Officials will determine whether to push back the re-opening date to next year at a special meeting Thursday, August 7.
Efforts have been ongoing to get Brown’s Beach cleaned up and ready for its summer debut. Here’s a look at the progress as of late May:
Do you have fond memories of swimming at Brown’s Beach or plans to go this summer?
Spent many afternoons and evenings at “Browns”
I am so pleased to see that Brown’s Beach is reopening. I remember my shock when a few years ago my wife and I went to a local restaurant across from the beach and the beach was closed. So any memories from growing up and spending time there.
when I was in first grade, South Colonie Schools had a summer “learn to swim” program. We’d catch the bus at one of the schools and we’d ride up the Northway to Brown’s Beach. I was there for 3 summers in a row, it was great, will be glad to see it reopen.
Hello , This is long time ago.
I sure would like to visit but i live in Holland now.
I remember when i was a little girl,
i came with my parents to swim.
We all sure liked it there.
It was in the years of the sixties.
I miss Saratoga Springs very much, we have lived there for 14 years. I was said to leave, but we had to ,my father had a heart problem so we had to go back to Holland. Miss this very much.Marcia
Will there be a fee? Parking/ swimming etc? What are the hours opwned?
Our family used to go to brown’s beach every summer when we were younger. We sometimes rented one of the camps that was next to the picnic area. I have many fond memories of the beach, ice cream, rides and picnics. I loved to swim out to the docks as well as just sitting and staring at snake hill. Just last week I was saying to my husband that it was so sad that there is no public place to go swimming at saratoga lake like when I was younger. I also specifically mentioned browns beach and said how sad it was that it closed. I see how they plan to bring many of the things back. I hope it includes dining lakeside. 🙂
I’m so excited I have been going to the beach for many yrs as a child and with my own children,and my niece, its gonna bring back a lot of happy memorys that’s for sure.are u thinking about bring back the carnival ride they are the best please think about that it would bring a lot of tourists to the region.
I worked there in ’56 and ’57. Met my husband there as he had a camp across the road. Spent my lunch time eating a sandwich while riding on the Ferris Wheel. My grandmother worked in the bath house assigning baskets with large safety pins for pinning on our bathing suits. I also rented rubber rafts to swimmers. Lots of wonderful memories
As a kid we spent many fun family days at Browns Beach. I hope it reopens