Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business The Hudson Valley follows the Hudson River north from the edge of New York City toward Albany, through a landscape of forested mountains, river towns, orchards and grand old estates.
Few regions in the United States pack so much history and scenery into such a short distance from a major city. Henry Hudson sailed up the river in 1609, the Dutch and then the English settled its banks, and during the Revolutionary War the fortress at West Point guarded its strategic bends.
Today that legacy sits beside a lively modern scene. Former factory towns like Beacon and Hudson have become centers for art, design and food, while state parks protect dramatic ridges and cliffs.
These neighboring villages on the east bank are the setting of Washington Irving's tale of the Headless Horseman. Visit the Old Dutch Church, one of the oldest churches in New York State, and the hillside Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Irving is buried.
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow dates from the late seventeenth century. Photo: Signed “Miller”, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
On a hilltop in Pocantico Hills above the Tappan Zee, Kykuit was the country home of four generations of the Rockefeller family, beginning with John D. Rockefeller. Guided tours take you through the house, terraced gardens, a large collection of modern sculpture and carriage barns with vintage vehicles.
Kykuit, the Rockefeller family estate, stands on the highest point of Pocantico Hills above the Hudson. Photo: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Near New Windsor on the west bank, Storm King Art Center spreads large outdoor sculptures across about 500 acres of fields, hills and woodland, with mountains on the horizon. Works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero and Andy Goldsworthy are set into the landscape, and a long serpentine stone wall winds through the trees.
Storm King Art Center displays large-scale contemporary sculpture across about 500 acres near New Windsor. Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cold Spring is a small village of nineteenth-century storefronts that runs down to a riverside gazebo, with antique shops and cafés along Main Street and its own Metro-North station.
Breakneck Ridge rises between Cold Spring and Beacon on the east bank of the Hudson. Photo: PointsofNoReturn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
In a former box-printing factory near the Beacon riverfront, Dia Beacon displays art from the 1960s to the present in enormous, naturally lit galleries. It is known for large works that need space, such as Richard Serra's massive steel sculptures.
Dia Beacon occupies a former Nabisco box-printing plant on the Beacon riverfront. Photo: Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Built in 1889 as a railroad bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland, the Walkway Over the Hudson reopened in 2009 as a pedestrian park and is the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. Walking out over the river gives you long views up and down the valley, and the bridge connects to rail trails on both banks as part of the Empire State Trail.
The Walkway Over the Hudson, a former railroad bridge completed in 1889, reopened as a pedestrian park in 2009. Photo: Jack E. Boucher, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Hyde Park holds two major historic sites a few minutes apart. The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt preserves the president's family house and grounds, alongside the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the first presidential library in the country.
The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park is preserved as a National Historic Site. Photo: Cbaile19, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Rhinebeck is an attractive village of historic houses, independent shops and restaurants, served by the nearby Rhinecliff Amtrak station. It is a favorite weekend base for New Yorkers and hosts the Dutchess County Fair in late summer.
New Paltz is a lively college town at the foot of the Shawangunk Mountains, known locally as the Gunks. Historic Huguenot Street preserves stone houses built by French Protestant settlers in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
Lake Minnewaska sits on the ridge of the Shawangunk Mountains west of New Paltz. Photo: Juliancolton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kingston was briefly the first capital of New York State during the Revolutionary War. Its Uptown Stockade District has old stone buildings and the Senate House State Historic Site, while the Rondout waterfront on the creek below has restaurants, a maritime museum and boat trips on the river.
Olana, near the small city of Hudson, was the home of painter Frederic Edwin Church, who designed both its Persian-inspired villa and its carefully composed landscape of lakes, carriage roads and viewpoints. The house tour shows Church's paintings and collected objects, and the grounds look out over the river to the Catskills.
Olana was the home and designed landscape of Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church. Photo: Netniks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Hudson Valley is one of the most productive farming regions in the Northeast, and its restaurants lean heavily on local ingredients.
In Hyde Park, the Culinary Institute of America trains chefs from around the world and runs student-staffed restaurants open to the public, which make a memorable lunch or dinner stop; book ahead.
Popular dishes to try in Hudson Valley
Beacon and Cold Spring are the best bases for travelers without a car, since both have Metro-North stations and walkable main streets close to hiking trails and Dia Beacon. They suit couples and day hikers who want an easy trip from the city.
Rhinebeck and the area around Hyde Park suit history lovers and food-focused trips, with country inns and bed-and-breakfasts. New Paltz is ideal for hikers and climbers heading to the Gunks, while Kingston and Hudson attract travelers who want restaurants, shops and an easy run into the Catskills.
Where to stay in Hudson Valley
Autumn is peak season. From late September through October, the hills turn red and gold, orchards are open for picking and harvest festivals fill weekend calendars.
Late spring and early summer bring green hills, blossoming orchards and comfortable hiking weather, and most seasonal sites reopen around this time.
The train ride up the east bank is one of the region's highlights, with the river beside the tracks for much of the way.
By car, the New York State Thruway runs along the west side of the valley and the Taconic State Parkway runs through the hills to the east, with bridges at Newburgh-Beacon, Poughkeepsie and Kingston-Rhinecliff linking the two banks.
Start in Sleepy Hollow at the Old Dutch Church and cemetery, then tour Kykuit.
Hike Breakneck Ridge or a gentler trail in Hudson Highlands State Park in the morning, then spend the afternoon at Dia Beacon and dinner on Beacon's Main Street.
Cross the river to Storm King Art Center, then head north to Poughkeepsie for a sunset walk on the Walkway Over the Hudson.
Visit the Roosevelt home and library and the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, eat lunch at the Culinary Institute of America and spend the evening in Rhinebeck.
Finish at Olana and in the city of Hudson, or swap in a day of hiking at Minnewaska and Huguenot Street in New Paltz.
Poughkeepsie, the largest city in the mid-Hudson region, is a convenient gateway for exploring the valley.
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