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Hudson Valley: Beacon and Hudson
River towns north of New York City: Dia Beacon's huge art galleries and the climb up Mount Beacon, Hudson's antique-shop Warren Street, painter Frederic Church's Olana, Storm King's sculpture fields and the Walkway Over the Hudson.
Photo: Walkway Over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie NY, dtobias, CC BY-SA 3.0
Beacon is a former factory town where an old Nabisco box-printing plant now holds Dia Beacon. A steep trail climbs Mount Beacon for views over the river.
Upriver, the city of Hudson has a long main street of antique shops and restaurants. Across the river, Olana and the Thomas Cole site were the homes of Hudson River School painters. See the views that inspired them.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Cheap
Walkway Over the Hudson
A former railroad bridge, now a high walking bridge.
Paid
Storm King Art Center
Huge outdoor sculptures across fields and hills.
Season Open roughly late March–end of Nov (check before you go).
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Hudson River Skywalk
A walkway linking Olana and the Thomas Cole site across the river.
Cheap
Olana State Historic Site
Painter Frederic Church's Persian-style house and landscape.
Paid
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
The home and studio of the Hudson River School's founder.
Paid
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
FDR's home and presidential library in Hyde Park.
Paid
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse
A lighthouse in the middle of the river. Seasonal tours.
Season Seasonal, check official site.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Free
Warren Street, Hudson
A long street of antique shops, galleries and restaurants.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Bannerman Castle tours
Boat and island tours to the ruins of Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island.
Season Tours roughly end of April–late Oct (check before you go).
Part of our Hudson Valley and Catskills guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- Art by day, then dinner on Warren Street or Main Street.
- Fall foliage weekends are the busiest.
- Trains from New York City make it easy.
Nearby and worth the drive
Lake Georgeabout 2 h 30 · Guide ↗
Steamboats and the fort.
New York Cityabout 1 h 30
By Metro-North train.
Ready-made trips with Hudson Valley: Beacon and Hudson
Good to know
- Tourism: Hudson Valley Tourism.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: Walkway Over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie NY, dtobias, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: View from the Mount Beacon fire tower, W7KyzmJt, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Storm King Art Center, Jim Wroten, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Dia Beacon, New York, Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Olana, Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Warren Street west view, Hudson, NY, Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0