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Hudson is a beautiful small former whaling city in Columbia County, part of New York's Hudson Valley.

Looking west on Warren Street

Understand

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Hudson is an important city in the Hudson Valley that gained its wealth in the 19th century from whaling and as a result has a large number of historic buildings; it is also known for its art galleries, antique shops, and boutiques. The historic buildings and shops center on Warren St. but are also present on side and parallel streets for several blocks on either side of that street. If that's not enough, Hudson also features the 19th-century Hudson River School painter Frederick Church's beautiful country house, Olana, and its 250-acre estate, about 3 miles south of the center of town. A single afternoon walking down Warren St is a pleasant interlude, and a few days' visit is well worth the time if you can spare it.

Get in

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Map
Map of Hudson (New York)

Hudson Train Station

By plane

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By train

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See also: Rail travel in the United States

By car

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US Route 9 is the main road for access to Hudson. State Routes 9G and 23B, which constitute Columbia St. and S. 3rd St. within city limits, are major streets in the center of town. Columbia St. actually forms one end of 7th St. Park, which is the city green. Watch out for traffic along these streets, as they are also truck routes.

A bit south of Hudson, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge traverses the Hudson River and enables access to and from the town of Catskill, on the west side of the river, and the Catskills, further afield.

Get around

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The center of town and getting between it and the train station are walkable. To get further, such as to Olana, you will need a vehicle.

See

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Olana, home of painter Frederic Church.
  • 1 Olana State Historic Site, 5720 State Route 9G, ☏ +1 518 828-0135. The mountain-top villa of Frederic Church, one of the most prominent Hudson River painters and one of the United States' most significant artists, is a beautiful Persian-influenced grand country house. From the hilltop home there are sweeping views of the Catskills, the Hudson River, and the Taconic Hills. Grounds are open year round for walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and other activities. Various guided tours are offered, but even visiting when the interior of the villa is closed is well worth it. Olana State Historic Site (Q2018138) on Wikidata Olana_State_Historic_Site on Wikipedia (updated Feb 2021)
  • 2 Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street. New York State's oldest surviving theater, dating from 1855, offers a year-round schedule of arts and cultural programming. Hudson Opera House (Q14706454) on Wikidata Hudson Opera House on Wikipedia 
  • 3 Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, ☏ +1 518 822-1014. Located offshore, limited tours through Hudson Cruises. Hudson–Athens lighthouse (Q5929090) on Wikidata Hudson–Athens lighthouse on Wikipedia 
  • 4 FASNY Museum of Firefighting, 117 Harry Howard Ave, ☏ +1 518-822-1875. Firefighters Association of the State of New York (Q5451912) on Wikidata Firemen%27s_Association_of_the_State_of_New_York#FASNY_Museum_of_Firefighting on Wikipedia 
  • St. Mary's Church, 427 E Allen St (corner of E Court St), ☏ +1 518-828-1334. The history of this Catholic congregation goes back to the 17th century, but the current rather large church dates from 1929 and is a very striking example of neo-Gothic style, with elements of Flamboyant Gothic style in its decorated facade. Inside, there is a series of lovely stained glass windows, especially the wonderfully colorful rose windows. (updated Jul 2024)

Do

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Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

Walk the length of Warren Street, from the river to the park, admiring the beautifully preserved architecture from the late 18th to early 20th centuries.

Satisfy your aesthetic eye at the many galleries.

Watch the boats sail up and down the Hudson River from the riverside park.

Buy

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Hudson has a huge number of art galleries and antique stores for a town of its size as well as fashion, fabric, and other craft studios.

Eat

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Cornelius Evans House, on Warren St

There are many restaurants in Hudson, especially on the upscale side. Quite a few are on Warren St, with additional ones on side streets up to a few blocks away. Beware that many are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; that even most of those that are open on those days close at 8PM; and that even those that are open after 8PM may not have room for you or might no longer be seating people outside.

Budget

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Mid-range

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Splurge

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  • Feast and Floret, 13 South 3rd St (between Union St and Cherry Alley), ☏ +1 518-822-1500. Dinner daily, 5-10PM; lunch F-Su, noon-3PM. Creative Italian cuisine using many fresh local ingredients. One example is rye cavatelli with Tivoli mushrooms, scallions and Pecorino Romano cheese. Tivoli mushrooms are not from Italy but from the village of Tivoli about 16 miles south of Hudson. Antipasti and salads: $12-22; pasta: $23-28; vegetables: $12-14; meat & fish: $27-35; wine bottles run a wide gamut, but quite a few are between $43 and $57. (updated Aug 2024)
  • Red Dot, 321 Warren St, ☏ +1 518 828-3657. Upscale bar and restaurant. 
  • Rivertown Tavern, 731 Warren Street (between Park Place and 8th St), ☏ +1 518-512-0954, . F-W: 5-11PM (dinner served until 10); also open for brunch Sa-Su: 10AM-2PM. Very creative, delicious food and cocktails. Influenced by several cuisines including Italian, Japanese, French, Middle Eastern, Moroccan and Mexican, and all brought together successfully in an imaginative way. This is indeed a splurge, but sharing one appetizer, one vegetable dish, one main and one dessert is likely to be quite filling for two people. Ample outside seating. Appetizers: $21-24; vegetables: $17-20; pastas: $24-28; mains: $29-38, except for the 28-oz striploin, which is $86; desserts: $11; cocktails: $17-18. (updated Aug 2024)

Drink

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Houses at 37–47 North Fifth Street
  • The Spotty Dog, 440 Warren Street. Bookstore/bar with a handful of excellent local artisan ales on tap for reasonable prices. Also hosts interesting musical performances, usually on weekends. 
  • Taproom (located in the St. Charles Hotel). 10 beers on tap. Happy hour specials. 25 cent wings & 2 dollar pints on Wednesdays.
  • Hudson Brewing Company, 60 S Front St. 

Sleep

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Go next

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  • Rhinebeck, a charming town with pretty historic buildings though smaller and perhaps less spectacular than the stretch along Warren St., is about 35-40 minutes to the south via Route 9G
  • Kingston, the state's first capital, has three historic zones and would take more than a day to fully explore. 35- to 50-minute drive to the south and on the other side of the river from Hudson and Rhinebeck.
  • The Catskills are to the east, across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge
  • Albany, the state capital, is about a 45- to 60-minute drive north
  • Troy, about 45-60 minutes to the north, has an impressive ensemble of 19th- and early 20th-century urban buildings; as it was more built-up in its heyday than Hudson, the style of the buildings is considerably different and worth seeing by contrast
  • The Berkshires of Massachusetts are about a 40- to 60-minute drive to the east
Routes through Hudson
Montreal ← Albany (Rensselaer) ←  N  S  → Rhinebeck → New York City
Buffalo ← Albany (Rensselaer) ←  N  S  → Rhinebeck → New York City
Albany ← Kinderhook ←  N  S  → Red Hook → New York City
Jct W E ← Cairo ← Jct N S ←  W  E  → becomes → Great Barrington


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