Hail
Columbia! – Columbia County that is. It was Henry
Hudson however, not Columbus, who was the first to
sail up the majestic Hudson River Valley and walk
along the bluffs to see the beauty of the Catskill
and Berkshire ranges which frame this river. And you
can still hike these trails as Thomas Cole and other
Hudson River School Painters did, or visit Olana,
home to Frederic Church; one of many historic homes
along the Hudson including Clermont, the Livingston
house, and Lindenwald, home to Martin Van Buren,
eighth President of the United States. If history
and genealogy are your interest, then these houses
as well as the Vanderpoel or Luykas Van Alen houses
and a visit to the Columbia County Historical
Society or the FASNY Museum of Firefighting should
make your day.
The
rolling fields of the western region are a gentle
drive past vineyards you may visit and organic
farms; dairies and apple orchards where in the fall
you can climb and pick your own; bike and bird
through our many wildlife sanctuaries and continue
on to the eastern edge where a series of sharp
mountains host Catamount for both cross country and
downhill skiing, Bash Bish falls for hiking and
fishing and the highest climbing peaks in
Connecticut and Massachusetts right on our borders.
The heart of
Columbia County is a wide valley, where roads
meander through rural country and bustling cities to
towns and villages each offering their unique
hospitality with events year round. Come visit in
the Fall when roadside farm stands and spectacular
foliage lead to the Columbia County Fair in Chatham
which also hosts Film Columbia in October, New
England’s Sundance Festival. The City of Hudson
hosts the Columbia County Council of the Arts annual
Art Walk in October and the Hudson Opera House
sponsors Winter Walk the first weekend of December.
Summer sees the gardens at Art Omi in bloom and the
Shaker Museum and Blueberry Festival of Austerlitz
are great family fun for a summer day. Evenings can
be spent at Spencertown Academy, Tannery Pond
Concerts or Mac Hayden Theatre; StageWorks or Time
and Space Limited in the City of Hudson or watching
summer stock in Copake or Ghent. And when all is
said and done, sail out on the Spirit of Hudson for
an evening cruise and see the splendor of our Valley
the way Henry did.
Columbia
County offers a wide range of historic sights and
sounds to delight you year round and the members of
Columbia County Lodging are most happy to help you
plan your day. We offer a full package of Hotels and
Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, City Guest Houses and
Country Inns and Lodging which gives you the freedom
to choose from a variety of styles and price ranges
when you come to visit and, rest easy, we think a
good nights’ sleep is as easy as, dare we say it,
apple pie, when you stay with us.
Beautiful rural Columbia
County, New York is nestled between the Hudson River
and the Berkshires. Amidst the rolling hills and
fertile farming valleys can be found a wide
selection of lodging accommodations, both in-town,
and situated in beautiful country settings - full
service bed and breakfasts and country inns, motels,
each with its own unique character. Your hosts can
help you plan a wonderful stay!
