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Dia: Beacon
Opened in 2003 in a former Nabisco factory, the DIA is a must for art lovers. The collection includes Warhol, Bourgeois, Chamberlain and Richter, with four massive Richard Serra installations forming an emotional center and definite highlight. The DIA is...
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Hiking the Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley offers incredible hiking, ranging from total beginner trails (basically scenic walks in a park) to challenging, steep terrain that includes some climbing. On the western side of the river, one scenic destination is the Minnewaska State Park,...
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Olana
The hilltop estate of Frederic Church, one of the most famous and well-known painters of the Hudson River School, is must if you’re visiting Hudson or Rhinebeck. At its center is a whimsical, red-brick villa composed of myriad styles (Victorian...
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Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
For New Yorkers, this working farm-cum-gourmet-temple make a glorious first or last stop on a Hudson Valley visit. Everyone knows about Dan Barber’s two award-winning restaurants (once the Obamas had enjoyed a date night in the New York City location,...
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Storm King Art Center
This incredible open-air museum and sculpture park was conceived in 1960 as a place to exhibit the works of painters by the Hudson Valley School. Today it has expanded into an enormous sculpture garden, with important pieces by Calder, Noguchi,...
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Town: Cold Spring
Located in the lower Hudson Valley, close to the Dia: Beacon, Cold Springs is a cute smaller town, with a handful of nice shops (don’t miss Apothecary) and restaurants. Walk down to the promenade along the river to see the...
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Town: Hudson
The town of Hudson is known for its antiques shops, galleries and, now, restaurant scene. The action centers around Warren Street, which starts practically in the Hudson. The lion’s share of shops, cafes and restaurants start past 4th Street. Unlike...
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Town: Rhinebeck
The town of Rhinebeck, close to many great hikes, is fun for a lunch and afternoon stroll. It’s centered around the Beekman Arms, the self-claimed oldest inn in America, so the crowd tends to be more mature than in northern...
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Tuthilltown Distillery
This distillery, a short drive from New Paltz and Minnewaska State Park, was founded in 2003 but it’s still the oldest distillery to produce whiskey in New York State since prohibition ended (and the first bourbon in the state). Some...
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Walkway Across the Hudson
If the painters of the Hudson River School were alive today, they would surely have loved this relatively recent addition to the region. The longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, Walkway Across the Hudson spans the entirety of the...
Hudson Valley

Exploring the Hudson Valley is all about the glorious great outdoors. It’s impossible to hike in this region without being reminded of the Hudson River School of painters, who immortalized the area in deeply romanticized landscape paintings.