Cranberry Bog Confidential

A hidden wedding ring, a cup made to be stolen, an overnight parking lot snooze, and more anonymous memories from Albany's bygone happy hour hotspot.

A photo of The Cranberry Bog that hangs in the office of the former owner’s daughter. “The Bog is a piece of my family’s history,” she says. “My grandfather owned it for many years and eventually my father took over.”

If you’re a Capital Regionite of a certain age who liked to, er, indulge in the food and drink offerings available in Albany in the latter part of the 20th century, chances are, you wound up at Wolf Road’s Cranberry Bog on one occasion or another. Something of a post-workday mecca for young professionals, the Bog, as it was known, operated at 56 Wolf Road (where Taco Bell is now) from 1976–2001...“When Wolf Road had character!” per one Reddit user. And while the Bog’s been gone for some 24 years, if you mention it to a former patron, get ready to be taken on what very well could be a wild trip down memory lane.

Now, as someone who was 5 when The Cranberry Bog closed, I’m just the messenger. I was not present and therefore cannot speak for the alcohol-fueled actions you are about to read. But, if The Cranberry Bog was anything like what this anonymous group of longtime locals have told me, I’m sure I would’ve been right there living it up with them.