Ever since Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River 400 years ago, artists and writers have been drawn to this area to see the beauty of the Catskill and Berkshire ranges which frame this river. You can enjoy the same beautiful views as Thomas Cole and other Hudson River School painters did, such as his famous student, Frederic Church, who built the fabulous Persian fantasy, Olana. Columbia County is home to many historic homes including Clermont, the Livingston family seat, and Lindenwald, home to Martin Van Buren, eighth President of the United States. If you are interested in history and genealogy, then these houses, as well as the Vanderpoel or Luykas Van Alen houses, a visit to the Columbia County Historical Society, the Mount Lebanon Shaker Museum, or the FASNY Museum of Firefighting should make your day.
The rolling fields of the western side of Columbia County are a gentle drive past vineyards, wineries, and organic farms. Dairy farms dot the bucolic countryside and apple orchards welcome visitors in the fall to pick your own fruit from the trees. Our many wildlife sanctuaries offer great biking, hiking, and birding. The eastern edge of the county climbs to the Taconic mountain range, which hosts the Catamount Adventure Park for downhill skiing in the winter, a forest aerial adventure park in the spring, summer, and fall, and mountain biking and a dirt bike riding school. Hikers will also enjoy Bash Bish Falls, close to highest climbing peaks in Connecticut and Massachusetts, right on our eastern border. The Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon in the northern part of the county offers a different kind of thrill!
The heart of Columbia County is a wide valley, where roads meander through rural countryside, towns, and villages, each offering their unique hospitality with events year round. Come visit in the fall when roadside farm stands and spectacular foliage make any drive a pleasure. The harvest season also brings the Columbia County Fair in Chatham and an annual film festival, Film Columbia, in October. The port city of Hudson, right on the Hudson River, 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. In warm weather, the outdoor sculpture gardens at Art Omi beckon you for a stroll through a hundred-acre park. The Austerlitz Historical Society's annual Blueberry Festival at the end of July offers great family fun for a summer day. The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale has been drawing music lovers for over 20 years. Evenings might be spent at the Spencertown Academy, Tannery Pond Concerts, Mac Hayden Theatre, and PS21 Performance Space in Chatham, the Theater Barn in New Lebanon, StageWorks, or Time and Space Limited in Hudson. Or, simply enjoy a leisurely meal at one of many fine restaurants in the county. When all is said and done, sail out on the Spirit of Hudson for an evening cruise and see the splendor of our Hudson River Valley the way Henry did.
