Columbia: Art, History and Landscape

Columbia can be explored through a wide range of interests: contemporary art and architecture, historic homes, trails through the landscape and insights into the region’s history. When planning, it’s worth keeping these themes and the conditions for each visit in mind. This can help you choose a hotel based on what interests you most in the area.

Experience art and landscape

Art Omi presents contemporary art and architecture across 120 acres of fields and woodland. The Sculpture & Architecture Park features more than 60 works of art and architecture for visitors to explore on their own. The park combines an extensive art offering with open spaces and woodland. Visitors particularly interested in the interplay of art and architecture will find a fitting focus for their stay here.

The landscape also reveals itself in different ways. Lake Taghkanic State Park is located on Lake Taghkanic, amid the rolling hills and lush forests of Columbia County. Greenport offers views of the Hudson River and the Catskills; its landscape is also shaped by forests, open meadows and grassland birds. The one-mile Access for All Trail in Greenport is suitable for strollers, wheelchair users and people with limited mobility. This specific suitability applies to this trail.

Olana State Historic Site encompasses a 250-acre landscape that is open daily, free of charge, from 8 a.m. until sunset. Tours are offered there from Tuesday through Sunday. Exploring the landscape and taking a tour are two different ways to plan your visit.

Historic architecture and collections

The region’s history comes to life through buildings and collections at several sites. Clermont State Historic Site was the Livingston family’s country estate and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. The James Vanderpoel House is considered one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in Columbia County. As a house museum, it contains furniture, decorative arts and paintings from the Federal period.

CCHS Museum & Library is located in the Village of Kinderhook in an early 20th-century Masonic temple. It houses several exhibition galleries and the Barbara P. Rielly Memorial Library. The Columbia County Historical Society’s archive contains documents from the 17th through the 20th centuries; this time span makes it a subject in its own right, alongside the exhibited collections.

Luykas Van Alen House is considered one of the finest and rarest surviving examples of a historically intact Dutch Colonial-style house in the Hudson Valley. The Early Heritage Narrative Walk offers another way to explore regional history. This permanent outdoor exhibition in Kinderhook features nine information panels that present the diverse history of Columbia County.

Trails between history and nature

The Dutch Farming Heritage Trail is a 1.7-mile hiking trail connecting Luykas Van Alen House with Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald.

Copake Iron Works Historic Site offers another historical focus. It is one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century industrial ironmaking in the northeastern United States and includes a visitor museum. The Pomeroy Family Railroad carries passengers in two converted ore cars; it operates seasonally. The Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse is also seasonal: its museum displays historic school desks and other objects related to education in one-room schoolhouses in Columbia County.

Plan your visit and hotel stay

Visiting hours and operating conditions vary: the visitor season at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site runs from late May through late October, while the Pomeroy Family Railroad operates seasonally. Tours at Olana State Historic Site are offered from Tuesday through Sunday. Check the relevant schedules before your visit if you plan to stop at several sites.

For a different perspective on the region, consider the Scenic Sips Craft Beverage Tour in Columbia County. It is self-guided and takes visitors to producers of craft beverages. If you’re arriving by train, Hudson station, served by four different Amtrak trains, can be a useful point of reference. If you’re looking for a hotel in Columbia, first decide whether art, historic architecture, landscape or regional history will be the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Ghent, Hudson, Copake, Chatham, Hollowville, New Lebanon, East Chatham, Tompkins.

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