I’ll admit that being from Schenectady, I don’t visit Amsterdam as often as I could. It’s the same distance to me as Albany is and honestly the traffic and parking is a lot easier. Luckily, I got a good look at the city and not from where you’d expect!
/edit Down the River Kayaking and since closed.
Down by the River Kayaking is a great local business owned by Audrey. Having kayaked for over 7 years, she wanted a way to be able to do it but without the long drive. Luckily, she lives right near the Mohawk River and turned her hour drive to 10 minutes and is now kayaking all of the time. Now that she’s a Mohawk River pro, she wants to show you just how great the area is, especially seen from the water.
Hopping in our kayaks, we paddled our way down to the locks, around some beautiful islands and then up to the riverfront concert venue. It took, at most, two hours and we got a great view of the city of Amsterdam as well as that beautiful new bridge with an added experience. We learned so much about the area! For example, did you know there’s a rock replica of one that is found down the river with drawings from Native Americans? Or that Amsterdam used to be a big button making city and you can still find shells along the shore with button holes popped out?
A calming, active experience with a bit of history in the Capital Region at a reasonable price? Could you ask for anything better?









