Visitor's & Dining Guide
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VISITOR’S & DINING GUIDE ® I LOVE NEW YORK logo is a registered trademark/service mark of the NYS Dept. of Economic Development, used with permission. HUDSON VALLEY REGION When the county fair opens in most places, it’s a big deal. But in New York it’s a lot harder to stand out from the crowd. So if the hundreds of fairs across the state want to turn heads, they’d better be every bit as glitzy and exciting as the city. Fashionista Carnivals. Another reason, Create your free personal Travel Guide at iloveny.com ™ I LOVE NEW YORK logo is a trademark/service mark of the NYS Dept. of Economic Development (NYSDED). ©2009 NYS Department of Economic Development. All rights reserved. YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU’LL FIND YOURSELF… IN OUR NUMEROUS MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, AND HISTORICAL SITES YOU MIGHT FIND A LEFT- BEHIND INTEREST OR A NEW FOUND INQUISITIVENESS. ON A SNOWY SKI SLOPE, A SERENE HIKING TRAIL, OR PICTURESQUE BIKE PATH YOU COULD REDISCOVER A LONG LOST LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS. TAKING IN A SHOW AT ONE OF OUR THEATERS, HAVING A GREAT MEAL AT ONE OF OUR PREMIER RESTAURANTS, OR SHOPPING AT ONE OF OUR MANY ANTIQUE SHOPS MIGHT ENERGIZE A WORK-WEARY SPIRIT. JUST BREATHING THE COLUMBIA COUNTY AIR, GAZING AT A SUNSET OR TAKING A LEISURELY DRIVE ALONG ONE OF OUR COUNTRY ROADS COULD TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE FROM THE ORDINARY—AND KEEP YOU COMING BACK. area code 518 1 Historic Sites & Attractions • PAGE 7 Columbia County abounds with rich history in its architecture and streetscapes. Visit the home of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, or poet Edna St. Vincent Millay’s refuge, Steepletop. The Shaker way of life is recorded at the Shaker Museum and Library, as is 18th-century Dutch living at the Luykas Van Alen House. Plus talks, exhibitions, museums, and more than three dozen weathered cemeteries. Antiques • PAGE 10 Columbia County makes shopping a sport. Drawing in antique lovers, Hudson prides itself on being one of the premier antiquing centers in the country, with over 65 antique shops on Warren Street. Plus fine art, gifts, home furnishings, and jewelry in old-fashioned commercial districts across the county. The Arts • PAGE 12 Theater groups, musical performances, and art galleries dot Columbia County, making it ideal for any artistic sensibility: visual, literary, musical, architectural. Once home to such inspiring artists as Frederic Church, the area continues to attract world-class artistic talent to live, create, and perform. Festivals • PAGE 16 Columbia County abounds with fairs and festivals in celebration of music, art, and all that accompanies the beautifully changing seasons. The Hudson Arts Walk, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Winter Walk on Warren Street, and the main event—the Columbia County Fair. Outdoor Activities • PAGE 17 With rolling hills and serene landscapes, Columbia County offers a variety of activities year round for the outdoor lover in all of us. There are tons of trails, golf courses, skiing, country roads perfect for biking, and state parks for swimming; not to mention ballooning, birdwatching, horseback riding, hunt- ing, snowshoeing, cruising on the Hudson, and more! Kids’ Activities • PAGE 25 If you have kids they can enjoy swimming, fishing, biking, pick-your-own orchards, nature perserves, petting zoos, or at the Catamount Adventure Park a full ropes course awaits them. Plus the oldest fair in the country—the Columbia County Fair. 2 www.ColumbiaCountyTourism.org Food & Drink • PAGE 29 Whether you’re in the mood for a rustic country breakfast, classic American diners, old fashioned family-friendly restaurants, coffee shops for drinks, treats, and delicacies, vegetarian cafes, taverns, country inns, ethnic, or gourmet dining by candlelight, Columbia County has it all. Country Markets & Farms • PAGE 42 Dotting the back roads, the county cradles the secret to delcious food—local farms with fresh from-the-vine produce and baked goods. Throughout the area are country markets attracting connoisseurs of food and newbies alike with fresh cider, pipping-hot bakery delights, fresh produce, maple syrup, and jam. Columbia County boasts many community-supported argriculture (CSA) farms, including Roxbury Farm, one of the largest in the nation. Campgrounds • PAGE 46 Columbia County offers great camping for a true, rustic country getaway or a stopover at a decked-out RV park. A variety of campgrounds feature activi- ties like swimming, hiking, boating, and fishing, and they range from rustic to pampered. Fishing • PAGE 46 A true way to escape the everyday hustle and bustle of life, Columbia County’s bodies of water offer anglers oodles of environments to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a cold creek, deep lake, or stocked stream, or the mighty Hudson River, there is plenty to lure you to the area’s waterways. Accommodations • PAGE 48 The laid-back charm of rolling hills, fresh air, and the quiet hum of the country makes staying the night in Columbia County a destination in itself. You can settle down at one of the county’s bed and breakfasts, city guest houses, hotel, or motels. There’s a lodging to fit every style and budget. Resources • PAGE 55 Now that you’ve planned your trip, how are you going to get there? Whether renting a car or taking the train to Columbia County, you’re sure to find the per- fect way to arrive. The directory lists all the phone numbers you’ll need to make your way around the beautiful towns that dot our county. Plus, where to board your canine companion while you’re out enjoying all that we have to offer! area code 518 3 Columbia County The Hudson Valley Hot Spot Who says you can’t do business where the water is clear and the air is clean? Columbia County is home to Taconic, Inc. and LoveApple Farm, Kinderhook Bank and Swoon Kitchenbar, Local Ocean, LLC and Local 111. Why not add your business to the list of start-ups that chose the-most-beautiful- place-on-earth-that’s-a- train-ride-away-from-Manhattan? Columbia County is the Hudson Valley hot spot. Cool. 4303 Route 9, Hudson , NY 12534 Phone: 518.828.4718 Fax: 518.828.0901 Email: [email protected] Web: chpartnership.com 4 www.ColumbiaCountyTourism.org Where Every Golfer Wants To Be Overlooking Copake Lake, eighteen idyllic holes vie for perfection with the glorious Berkshire Mountains that surround it. Excellent turf. Long, wide fairways. Technically superb. Open to the public. Never overcrowded. Copake Country Club is a golfer’s paradise. Copake Country Club (518) 325-4338 e Greens (518) 325-0019 44 Golf Course Rd. Copake Lake, NY 12521 www.copakecountryclub.com area code 518 5 Olana State Historic Site Olana Route 9G, Hudson, NY Tour Church’s Persian castle, hike 5 miles of trails, or view the landscape from a place that Hudson Valley Magazine readers voted “the best view in the Hudson Valley.” For more information call (518) 828-0135, or visit us at www.olana.org This ad made possible by the Olana Partnership Undermountain Golf Course 518 - 329 - 4444 274 Undermountain Rd. Copake, NY Senior Rates Mon - Fri Full Pro Shop Junior Rates Practice Area Seasonal Discounts Snack Bar Group Rates Riding Carts Spend a few hours … Not a Fortune undermountaingolf.com 6 www.ColumbiaCountyTourism.org • HISTORIC SITES & ATTRACTIONS • Take a tour through American history n Clermont State Historic Site n Martin Van Buren National Livingstone Family Estate, grounds and Historic Site historic gardens open all year for pic- The home and farm of the eighth nicking, hiking, cross country skiing, president of the US. and fabulous views. 1013 Old Post Rd (off Rt 9H), Kinderhook; Off Rt 9G, Clermont; 537-4240; 758-9689; www.nps.gov/mava. Open www.friendsofclermont.org. Livingston daily mid-May-October 9am-4:30pm. family estate. Tours Apr-Oct Tues-Sun n Millay Poetry Trail at and official Mon holidays 11am-5pm; Steepletop Nov-March Fri-Sun 11am-4pm. Vehicle A ½ mile narrow country road for walk- Fee April 1-Oct 31 (refunded with the ing only is marked with a dozen favor- purchase of a House tour ticket). ite nature poems by Edna St. Vincent n Columbia County Museum & Millay. The trail ends at the final resting Library* ground of the poet and her family. Exhibits and research library. Open all year—please use caution dur- 5 Albany Ave, Kinderhook Village; ing inclement weather. East Hill Rd, 2 miles in from Rt 22, 758-9265; www.cchsny.org; Mon, Thurs, Austerlitz; www.millay.org Fri & Sat 10-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm. n Olana State Historic Site n FASNY Museum of Firefighting Home of Hudson River School painter The premiere collection of firefighting Frederic Church. The 250 acre grounds objects in the world, featuring over 90 are open year-round from 8am-sunset pieces of apparatus on display. for hiking, picnicking, snow-shoeing Children’s activities include creative and cross-country skiing as well as play on fire engines, interactive activi- programs and special events. ties and the McCadam Cheese Fire 5720 Rt 9G, south of Hudson; 828-0135; Safety Discovery Room. www.olana.org or www.nysparks.com. 117 Harry Howard Ave, Hudson; Tours Apr-Oct Tues-Sun and Mon, holidays 822-1875; www.fasnyfiremuseum.com. 10am-5pm (last tour at 4); Nov-March Daily 10am-5pm, closed Easter, Fri-Sun 11am-4pm (last tour at 3). Thanksgiving and Christmas. Vehicle Fee April 1-October 31 (refunded Free admission and wheelchair with the purchase of a tour ticket). accessible. n Robert Jenkins House and the n Hudson Athens Lighthouse Hendrick Hudson Chapter of The northern-most lighthouse on the the Daughters of the American Hudson River rises from the river like Revolution a tiny gem.