Things to do

LEFT BANK (VENUE SIDE OF HUDSON RIVER)

Catskill Historic Main Street 

Catskill has one of the best shopping streets in the Hudson Valley. It’s only a compact half mile, but it boasts options to entice the most curious of customers. Stop in at Magpie Bookshop for a curated used selection, Spike’s Record Rack for ultra-cool vintage choices, Village Common Mercantile for local crafts and goods, Swamp Angel and Sister Salvage for antiques, and Kirwan’s for a variety of tabletop and board games.

Thomas Cole House

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes the home and the studio of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of American painting.

The first and, in some ways, the finest of the Hudson River School of painters, Cole colored many of the Valley’s most indelible images. In his historic house and studio, visitors can learn about Cole and other School members, view important artworks, and look out onto the river. Tours are available spring, summer, and fall, while grounds are open year-round.

218 Spring St, Catskill, NY 124

Mawignack Preserve

Mawignack Preserve includes more than two miles of shoreline on Catskill Creek. This 144-acre property is at the confluence of Catskill and Kaaterskill creeks and includes more than two miles of shoreline on Catskill Creek, a major Hudson River tributary. The name Mawignack is a Native American word meaning “the place where two rivers meet” and was the name of an Algonquian village on the flats along Catskill Creek in the 17th century.

52 Snake Rd. Catskill NY 12414

RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary

Co-owned by Scenic Hudson and the Audubon Society of New York, this 612-acre bird sanctuary allows visitors to walk through woodland, shoreline, and tidal marsh in the hopes of spotting all manner of fowl, from herons to sparrows to a clutch of bald eagles. If you go, don’t forget to bring boots or old shoes; the trails have a habit of getting very muddy.

84 Dubois Rd, Catskill
518.325.5203

Coxsackie Historic Town and Waterfront

Take a stroll at historic Coxsackie and waterfront. Undeveloped for many years, Coxsackie has a wonderful historic district that extends right down to the river, with gorgeous homes, small stores, and a beautiful riverside park with a boat launch where a farmers’ market camps out weekly between May and Oct.

RIGHT BANK (ACROSS HUDSON RIVER)

Town of Hudson

The town of Hudson NY, across the river from the venue. Great historic town with craft shops, antique shops, upscale retail, coffee shops, and great restaurants. This would be a great place to grab a bite during your stay. Hudson’s Warren Street is a shopper’s dream: filled with antique and vintage stores, chic boutiques by local creatives, and botanical shops filled with plants and flowers, there’s nary a chain store in sight

Be sure to make a reservation for the more popular restaurants, as Memorial Day is a busy weekend upstate!

https://visithudsonny.com/visit/

Olana State Historic Site

As the former home of acclaimed Hudson River School artist Frederic Church, the Olana State Historic Site stuns with an expansive landscape, Hudson River views, one-of-a-kind works of art, and global architecture. The grounds are open daily to the public throughout the year for hikes, walks, and outdoor enjoyment.

5720 State Route 9G, Hudson
518.751.0344 

Germantown

The Hudson Valley town may be tiny, but it packs historic sites, gourmet markets, and artisanal alcohol into a few square blocks. Germantown is quiet. Unlike the other towns that line the Hudson River, the quaint community remains something of a secret within Columbia County