The Explorer's Guide to Hudson Valley, New York: A drive upstate includes eclectic charms, luxurious food, and stunning views. - Atlas Obscura

A drive upstate includes eclectic charms, luxurious food, and stunning views.
The Explorer's Guide to Hudson Valley, New York

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Just a short trip north of New York City, the Hudson Valley is great for both day trips and road trips. Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras is a local resident, and loves the natural wonders, as well as the incredible culture and history found in the region. This itinerary combines his favorite spots into one stunning road trip.

Start your adventure at a living antique aviation museum near the historic town of Red Hook, and end with dinner at a Victorian resort. Along the way, you’ll make pit stops at towering waterfalls, a giant kaleidoscope, and incredible views of the beautiful Hudson Valley.

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Step back in time as you watch one hundred year old planes take to the sky. Christina Holmes
Living, Flying History

1. Rhinebeck Aerodrome

This museum of antique aviation located in Red Hook was founded in 1958 with the motto, “It isn’t an airplane if it doesn’t fly.” This motto means that not only does the Aerodrome house one of the largest collections of antique airplanes in the world, it gets them up and flying in thrilling air shows. Weekend events showcase a rotating cast of original and replica airplanes, including the oldest regularly-flying airplane in the Western hemisphere and an authentic replica of the Spirit Of St. Louis. The World War I-themed Sunday show even features pyrotechnics and a tank.

If you are looking for a thrill, the museum also offers open cockpit biplane rides with dramatic views of the Hudson Valley.  The Aerodrome collection is a delight for anyone who loves aviation, and displays the hang gliders that inspired the Wright brothers, as well as old automobiles, motorcycles, and memorabilia spanning the first decades of the 20th century. The entire experience transports you to a time when flying was a source of excitement, instead of “a tortuous experience to dissociate through while getting home for Thanksgiving.”

Two air shows are presented each Saturday and Sunday, mid-June through mid-October. The Aerodrome museum is open daily May through October.

9 Norton Rd Red Hook, New York, 12571

Omi oh my. Forget Storm King, sculpture park Art Omi is larger than life. Christina Holmes
Please (Maybe) Touch The Art

2. Art Omi

Your drive north from the Aerodrome will take you through farmland and forests for 30 miles, until you suddenly catch a glimpse of cartoon clouds. Olaf Bruening’s thirty-foot tall steel-and-aluminum sculpture Clouds, greets you as you pull into Art Omi Sculpture & Architecture Park. 

Art Omi (pronounced “oh my”) is a 120-acre outdoor museum, presenting more than 60 rotating works by contemporary artists and architects.Since its inception in 1992, Art Omi has featured more than 2,000 artists from 100 countries. Though guides are available, there are no paths through the park, encouraging visitors to explore the fields, forests, and creeks in whatever way calls to them. You might start by walking up to a marble piece which, from afar, looks like a war memorial but is, on closer view, a chiseled grocery list. If you bring a skateboard and sign a virtual waiver, you’re invited to drop in on Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s sculpture Ceremonial Pearl-Hole (The Ceremonial Bowl). Art Omi’s Benenson Center also houses a 1,500-foot gallery space with indoor exhibitions.No matter where your explorations bring you, you can’t go wrong: Art Omi is a unique opportunity to experience works of art against an upstate NY landscape that inspired art movements for hundreds of years. For visitors who do prefer a guided experience, audio tours are available via an app and curator-led tours are available for a fee, if arranged in advance.

The Benenson Center is open 9am-5pm or 9am-4pm (depending on the season) and the park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Art Omi is free of charge, though advance registration is required during hours when the center is open. Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear. 

1405 County Route 22, Ghent, NY

Talbott & Arding sells delicious snacks, seasonal produce and, of course, incredible cheese. B. Roberson
Say Cheese!

3. Talbott & Arding Cheese And Provisions

On your way back south, make a pit stop in Hudson at Talbott & Arding, for cheese, provisions, and visions of culinary delight.  a store that sells food so luxurious, you will not believe it’s for sale in a town of fewer than 6,000 people.

Founded in 2014 by cheesemonger Kate Arding and Chef Mona Talbott, Talbott & Arding is a beloved culinary destination in Hudson.The shop sells freshly baked goods, coffees roasted in neighboring Troy, and boxed snacks from hard-to-find brands. If you’re ready for a meal, there’s also a made-to-order sandwich counter. (Uncle Karen’s Hippie Sandwich is the best sandwich this reporter has eaten in her adult life.)

And of course, you can’t go wrong with the carefully curated selection of artisanal cheeses. The shop generally carries forty to sixty cheeses, from Askbrook to Winnimere, bought from northwest purveyors like Jasper Hill Farm or Sugar House Creamery. Grab a freshly-baked baguette, hand-crafted salumi, and high-end condiments to round out your picnic.

Talbott & Arding is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (prepared foods counter opens at 11am). Street parking is available nearby. There are no tables inside, but there is some outdoor seating.

202 Allen St, Hudson, NY 12534

Enjoy coffee next to a wood-burning stove, browse Wylde’s in-house boutique, or wander the streets of downtown Hudson. Lawrence Braun
Shop While You Sip

4. Wylde Hudson

When you’re done with lunch, walk around the block to Wylde Hudson, a cafe, wine bar, retail concept, and community space all rolled up into one. Choose from a selection of tempting baked goods to go along with an Irving Farm coffee, a Rise cold brew, or a tea from Brooklyn-based Masha. (Or, if it’s five o’clock somewhere, order a natural wine or craft beer.) Then turn around and browse the shop, which sells clothing, house plants, candles, tinctures, and books. An attached garage hosts workshops and events in a space meant to manifest “creativity and coziness.”

There’s plenty of seating at Wylde, but if you’d like to stretch your legs, walk two-blocks to Warren Street, the epicenter of Hudson, NY. Warren Street is lined with antique stores, vintage shops, and boutiques. There is much to explore in this former whaling town from eclectic architecture to its community of artists, to views of the Catskills across the river.

Wylde is open 8am-5pm Sunday through Thursday and until 8pm on Friday and Saturday. The shop is open Friday-Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

35 S 3rd St, Hudson, NY 12534

The Saugerties Lighthouse may no longer be on, but it still shines bright. Reid Buchanan
Ahoy, Matey!

5. Saugerties Lighthouse

You’ll cross the impressive Rip Van Winkle Bridge and then follow the Hudson River south to your next destination, the Saugerties Lighthouse, a landmark that is part of the river’s storied shipping history.

The original lighthouse was constructed in 1835, at a time when Saugerties was a major port and when lighthouse keeping involved a lot of labor and whale oil. After the original lighthouse burned down, the current Saugerties Lighthouse was constructed in 1869: a 46-foot tall tower attached to a red brick building that originally served at the keeper’s quarters. Nowadays, the lighthouse is fully automated, and a great pit stop.

Visitors can park at the Ruth Reynolds Glunt Nature Preserve, a 17-acre parcel protecting woods and tidal flats. A gentle, half-mile trail to the lighthouse passes tidal pools, maples, wildflowers, and willow trees. Bird watching is especially exciting here, as the lighthouse peninsula provides habitat for bald eagles, geese, and great blue herons. Once at the lighthouse, visitors can fish, and there’s even a picnic area built on the stone remnants of the man-made island where the original lighthouse stood.

The trail is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and consult a tide table before their trip, as portions of the Lighthouse Trail are mildly flooded before and after high tide.Tours of the lighthouse interior, including a one-room Museum, are offered on a schedule during the summer and by appointment the rest of the year. If you enjoy your visit and want to stay longer, the keeper’s quarters are now a quaint bed and breakfast.

168 Lighthouse Dr, Saugerties, NY 12477

These towering falls are one of the crown jewels of the Catskills. Matt Johnson
Kaat’s Out Of The Bag

6. Kaaterskill Falls

Tucked among the Catskill Mountains are the Kaaterskill Falls, an iconic two-tiered, 260-foot tall waterfall surrounded by a gorgeous forest. No road trip through the Hudson Valley is complete without it.

The landmark has been a favorite with tourists and locals since artists made it famous in the 1800s. Washington Irving described Kaaterskill Falls in his 1819 novel Rip Van Winkle, and the falls became renowned after Thomas Cole painted them in the 1820s. Today, an estimated 200,000 people visit every year.

Park at the lot on Laurel Hill Road and follow the well-marked trail to a newly constructed viewing platform. From there, you can see the imposing upper falls and the clear pool that sits at the top of the lower falls. Trails spread through the woods, and hikers might chance upon the crumbling foundations of luxury hotels which once served the crowds of tourists who flocked here. A steep set of stairs leads down to the base of the falls, and further through the forest. The terrain is rocky, but the hike is incredibly rewarding.

Get to the trailhead early if you’re going on a weekend. If you hike down to the falls, be prepared to climb a lot of stairs back up. As soil is loose and surfaces are slippery and uneven, hiking footwear is strongly recommended. And be sure to stay on trail for your own safety.

103 Laurel House Rd, Palenville, NY 12463

Giant tapered mirrors create colorful, ever-changing visuals Christina Holmes
Psychedelic, Man

7. Kaatskill Kaleidoscope

To see a grain silo and think “that should be a giant kaleidoscope,” you need to have an open mind. At the historic Riseley Flat Farms in Mount Tremper, New York, they are there to help you open it! In a silo attached to a barn from the 1860s, award-winning artist Charles Karadimos built the Emerson Kaleidoscope, with shows created and designed by psychedelic art pioneer Isaac Abrams and his son, computer artist Raphael Abrams. Finished in 1996, it has been officially declared the world’s largest kaleidoscope, at a towering 60 feet tall. 

Visitors walk through the Shops At Emerson to enter the kaleidoscope. There, they lay on slanted, padded boards, and look up at the fractal images while listening to bespoke music commissioned for each show. The original shows still play, and a new show was commissioned in 2016 to celebrate the kaleidoscope’s 20th anniversary. Outside of the show, guests can learn about the history of kaleidoscopes and more about how they work.

You can take some magic home with you and purchase a kaleidoscope in the gift shop. They’re more elegant than you might remember from your childhood – some of the scopes are made of marble, brass, or veneer wood, and all are works of art.

5340 NY-28, Mt Tremper, NY 12457

The last of the great Hudson Valley Victorian resorts, Mohonk Mountain House is like visiting Hogwarts on the Hudson. Christina Holmes
King Of The Castle

8. Mohonk Mountain House

Your journey ends at a Victorian resort with crackling fires, outstanding food, and nightly entertainment: it’s time to relax at the Mohonk Mountain House. Founded in 1869 by the Smiley family, who still own and run it today, the idyllic resort is surrounded by 40,000 acres of forest and overlooks a pristine glacial lake. Five U.S. presidents have stayed there, including Theodore Roosevelt and Bill Clinton.

The resort is open to visitors who have a restaurant reservation, an appointment at the award-winning spa, or who buy a hiking or sports pass. Endless activities are offered; in the winter, guests might ice skate or cross country ski. The rest of the year, visitors can kayak on Mohonk Lake, explore the gardens and gazebos, or scramble on the Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze, a narrow cleft in the rocks that emerges on a cliff with dramatic views of the Shawangunk Mountains.

The views are just as incredible from the restaurants inside the Mountain House -- in fact, the Main Dining Room was named the “Best Restaurant With A View” by Hudson Valley Magazine. Other dining options include a seasonal outdoor space called The Granary, an old-fashioned soda fountain, and a small Chef’s Table 11-course culinary experience with wine pairing. In recent years, Mohonk has started to serve more farm-to-table fare with purely regional, seasonal flavors.

Resort and dining reservations, spa appointments, and sport and hiking passes can be acquired on the Mohonk Mountain House website.

1000 Mountain Rest Rd, New Paltz, NY 12561

Sponsored by Defender. 

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