Whether you’re shopping for artisan-crafted goods on Main Streets or luxury brands at the internationally famous Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, you’ll find an exciting array of shops in Hudson Valley. The region’s historic small towns also offer a wide range of restaurants and boutique hotels, many with spectacular views over the river and its tributaries. But what really sets the area apart is its extraordinary history. This was a place where, in the early 19th century, Washington Irving’s gothic tales were born and the Hudson River School painters took to the canvass. Then, the Erie Canal was built and the industrial age swept through, changing this bucolic setting into a bustling economic powerhouse.
But even as the factories and railroads grew, people struggled to preserve the natural beauty and halt the destruction of its river scenery. Today, the hamlet of Hudson is home to some of the best examples of Hudson River School architecture and an active community dedicated to the protection of its unique landscape. Environmental groups push to keep industry’s toxins out of the water, and farmers, including sustainable-food champion Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, work to bring back fish populations and make the waters healthy enough to eat.
The Hudson Valley continues to inspire creative minds, too. Sculptures loom large at Dia:Beacon, and the sprawling Storm King Art Center sculpture park offers visitors a new perspective on the local landscape. You can also learn about the craft of agritourism at the acclaimed Kitchen Table Farm, or gain a deeper understanding of American art at the Hudson Valley Contemporary Museum.
In recent years, a trend has emerged in Hudson where chefs are staking their reputation on casual restaurants with succinct menus and a cult following. Cafe Mutton, whose fried bologna sandwich was awarded James Beard Foundation recognition in 2023, is a good example. During the day you can tuck into Vietnamese coffee-glazed crullers and cloud-like hash browns, or stop by for dinner to enjoy such dishes as beef cheek ragu with saffron mashed potatoes.
No visit to the Hudson Valley is complete without seeing the sights that have shaped its long and eventful history. The storied city of Hudson, once the country’s most important whaling port, reveals itself in elegant brick buildings and Federal style townhouses. On the outskirts, expansive estates and apple orchards rub shoulders with eyebrow colonial cottages and saltbox farm houses among rolling hills. And a few miles away, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point commands a stunning setting over the mighty Hudson River.