Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley extends approximately 150 miles along the Hudson River from Yonkers at the northern edge of New York City to the city of Hudson in Columbia County, encompassing one of the most historically layered landscapes in the eastern United States. Dutch settlers established the fur trade along the river in the early 17th century, leaving place names and manor traditions that persist in estate towns like Rhinebeck and Kinderhook. The American Revolution's strategic campaigns unfolded here at Saratoga and Newburgh; West Point's military academy has occupied the highland bend of the river since 1802. The Hudson River School of landscape painters — Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Asher B. Durand — produced some of America's most important 19th-century artworks from studios overlooking these bluffs, and their subjects are largely unchanged: the Catskill Mountains framing the western shore, the river bending through forested highlands, and the quality of autumn light that made the region's paintings world-famous. Gilded Age mansions — Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park (also home to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library), and Olana, Frederic Church's Persian-inspired hilltop estate — line the eastern shore above the river. Contemporary cultural destinations include Dia:Beacon, a museum of large-scale contemporary art in a former Nabisco print factory in Beacon. The region's extensive farm-to-table dining circuit is anchored by restaurants in Kingston, Rhinebeck, Hudson, and the villages of Greene County. The Hudson Valley is accessible from New York City by Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal, making it a practical day trip or weekend destination.