New York’s Hudson Valley paints a blissful landscape, where the blue waters of the Hudson River and forest-covered mountains meet historic hamlets filled with quaint bed-and-breakfasts, cozy antique shops and sleepy cafes. In spite of its rural and small town charm, the region is also home to major historic and cultural attractions.
Founded as St. Stephen’s College in 1860, Bard College is a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson. Set along the banks of the Hudson River, the campus is spread across 540 lush acres of property, including lavish gardens and dense woodlands. The school is home to the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, a massive modern steel structure designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. The center hosts live performances throughout the year, including during Bard SummerScape, a seven-week festival featuring dance, opera, theatrical and musical performances. The United States Military Academy at West Point covers 16,000 acres. Founded as a citadel in 1778 and opened as a military academy in 1802, the campus is open to the public for special events, such as concerts and theatrical performances at Eisenhower Hall Theatre, cadet parades during the spring and Army Black Knights football games at Michie Stadium in the fall. Civilians are also allowed on campus via a narrated bus tour and may visit the school’s military museum, home to various historic uniforms, weapons and flags.
Nestled on the shores of the Hudson, Dia:Beacon in Beacon is a revered museum that specializes in modern art from the 1960s to the present. Housed inside a former Nabisco box printing factory, the museum showcases renowned artists, including paintings by Agnes Martin, audio works by Louise Lawler and sculptures by John Chamberlain. Curators often host weekend gallery talks. Storm King Art Center in New Windsor is a 500-acre outdoor museum with more than 100 sculptures. Stroll through green woodlands and wide open fields as you take in works by such artists as Richard Serra, Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi. The museum has free walking tours daily, bicycles for rent by the hour or day and two on-site picnic facilities.
MANITOGA/The Russel Wright Design Center in Garrison was the private home of Wright, a 20th-century industrial designer. Take a tour of Dragon Rock, Wright’s 11-story home noted for its natural design elements, including flagstone flooring and in-house trees. Covering 250 acres, Olana State Historic Site in Hudson is home to a 37-room castle. The Moorish building, outfitted with Persian rugs, ornate tiles and arched doorways and windows, is open for public tours and was a joint design effort in the 1870s between artist Frederic Edwin Church and architect Calvert Vaux. The Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park includes Springwood, the lifelong home of the nation’s World War II president. Admission to the site includes a guided one-hour tour of FDR’s famed house and access to his adjacent presidential library, the latter of which has letters, photographs and documents on display.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Kerhonkson is a 21,000-acre outdoor recreational playground in the Shawangunk Mountains. Embark on an afternoon of hiking or biking along the park’s 60 miles of trails. From early April through mid-December, the park allows rock climbing. During the summer, you can take a swim or boat ride in the park’s three lakes and, in the winter, the park includes cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails. The 63-acre Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring is open from late March through late October. Take a leisurely stroll through the ground’s colorful perennial and vegetable gardens and along the jagged rock ledge, lake and hillside garden. During the cold weather months, the winter conservancy blooms with plants, trees and flowers found throughout Australia and South Africa.
