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Places to visit play in the Hudson Valley
MASS MoCA
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, or MASS MoCA for short, is the preeminent contemporary art museum known for its expansive galleries and diverse exhibitions, sprawling the grounds of a former factory complex. Located in North Adams, Massachusetts, it is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the United States occupying a 16-acre campus that includes a complex of 19th-century factory buildings, providing a unique setting for large-scale installations and performances. Visitors to MASS MoCA can experience a rotating display of contemporary art including visual arts, music, dance, and theater. The museum also hosts a variety of live events and educational programs throughout the year.
Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds
Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds offers a comprehensive shooting experience just outside of Millbrook, NY in the Hudson Valley. As one of the oldest permitted shooting clubs in the United States, it provides a range of clay target shooting activities suitable for various skill levels. The facility includes a sporting clays course, shooting instruction, and gun fitting services. Visitors can also access the clubhouse, which features amenities such as a pro shop and dining options. Visit Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds with a group for a fun outdoor experience.
Shaker Museum
Opening in 2028, the new Shaker Museum will take shape in downtown Chatham as a quietly striking cultural landmark designed by Selldorf Architects. Celebrated for work that balances restraint with depth, the firm brings a thoughtful, understated approach well suited to the Shaker ethos.
Designed to house the world’s most comprehensive Shaker collection, the gallery will reflect the movement’s enduring commitment to simplicity, purpose, and craftsmanship. The result promises to be a space that rewards close attention—inviting visitors to engage with a legacy defined by innovation, clarity, and quiet grace.
The Shaker Museum will not only be a building but a cultural dialogue between past and present, embodying the essence of Shaker craftsmanship through its expansive holdings of over 18,000 objects. Under the dynamic leadership of Claudia Gould, celebrated for her transformative role at the Jewish Museum, the museum aims to inspire by highlighting the enduring relevance of Shaker principles.
Visitors to the museum will have the rare opportunity to delve deep into the history and impact of the Shakers, exploring exhibitions that span centuries, while members enjoy exclusive access to behind-the-scenes tours and insights. Stay connected with this unfolding story of design, community, and innovation—where history is not just preserved, but reimagined for the modern world.
Sharon Playhouse
Curtains rise and imaginations take flight at the Sharon Playhouse, where art and community come together with unparalleled warmth and flair. Sharon Playhouse is more than a venue; it's a creative cornerstone for culture and camaraderie just a stone's throw from the heart of Sharon, Connecticut. Whether you're a theater devotee or a curious cultural explorer, you'll find performances that resonate and inspire.
Sharon Playhouse offers a vibrant lineup, showcasing its commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement. The MainStage events cater to seasoned theatrics aficionados, while the YouthStage programs cultivate the talents of aspiring young performers, making it a family-friendly spot with something engaging for every generation. Want to dive deeper? Seasonal auditions and educational programs offer passionate individuals a chance to immerse themselves in the theatrical process.
Stissing Center
The Stissing Center is a preeminent cultural venue in the Hudson Valley focused on positively impacting its surrounding community through programming that includes cabaret, chamber music, comedy nights, dance, film, and theater.
Originally built in 1915 to house theatre performances, opera, concerts, and community events, Memorial Hall stands as a cultural cornerstone in Pine Plains. Restored to its original glory, its reincarnation as Stissing Center continues the original intent of its founders who brought this venue to Pine Plains over a century ago.
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture stands as a remarkable convergence of history, ecology, and forward-thinking innovation in the lower Hudson Valley. Founded in 2004 through the vision of David Rockefeller and Peggy Dulany, the Center occupies land with an agricultural lineage stretching back 11,000 years to the Munsee Lenape, Schaghticoke, and Wappinger peoples. This deep history shapes Stone Barns’ mission today: to rebuild a food system that nurtures human health, strengthens community ties, and restores the land. Its interdisciplinary research, farming practices, and educational programs invite visitors to understand how food choices ripple outward, impacting soil, climate, and the wellbeing of future generations.
The iconic fieldstone barns, originally built in the 1930s as a Normandy-inspired dairy operation for the Rockefeller family, form the heart of the campus. After decades of private use, the buildings were thoughtfully restored with the goal of returning them to their agricultural roots. Conservationists, organic farmers, and the Barber family collaborated to reimagine the space as a working four-season farm and a hub for creativity and experimentation. This vision came to life with the founding of Stone Barns Center and its onsite restaurant partner, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which has become a global culinary landmark. Through its tasting menu and agricultural research, Blue Hill advances the Center’s mission by showing what an ecological food culture can look and taste like.
Visitors today can explore the campus on foot, meet farmers and chefs, visit the Orientation Center, or enjoy the offerings at the Cafeteria Market without reservations. Seasonal workshops, tours, and dining experiences allow guests to engage with the land and learn firsthand about regenerative agriculture, seed breeding, whole-animal butchery, and soil health. Stone Barns also extends its impact beyond its grounds through programs like LEAF, which partners with community organizations in Westchester and the South Bronx to improve equitable access to fresh food and gardening resources.
Located just 30 miles north of New York City and minutes from Tarrytown, Stone Barns is an accessible retreat into the rhythms of farm life, a place where history, innovation, and stewardship actively shape the future of food. Whether you’re walking through the fields, attending a workshop, or dining at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the experience is designed to reconnect guests with the land and inspire a deeper understanding of the ecological food system we all depend on.
Storm King Art Center
Storm King Art Center is an expansive open-air museum known for its extensive collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures. Founded in 1960 as a museum dedicated to Hudson River School paintings, Storm King soon transformed into a major sculpture venue showcasing works by some of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th century. The center's 500-acre landscape offers a breathtaking backdrop for monumental sculptures that blend art and nature seamlessly.
Over the decades, Storm King has continued to grow, with contributions from landscape architects like William and Joyce Rutherford and Peter Stern, who played a significant role in shaping the center's collection. Notable additions include five monumental works by Mark di Suvero, which were relocated from the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1975. Today, the center's collection includes permanent installations as well as pieces on loan from other museums, making it a premier destination for experiencing large-scale outdoor art in a stunning natural setting.
The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College
The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard) is a pioneering institution devoted to the study and practice of curating contemporary art. Established in 1990, CCS Bard serves as both a graduate school and a vibrant hub for research, exhibition-making, and critical dialogue. Its programs explore the historical, intellectual, and social frameworks that shape curatorial practice, emphasizing experimentation, inclusion, and the ongoing evolution of the field. Through its interdisciplinary approach and commitment to diverse perspectives, CCS Bard has become a global leader in training the next generation of curators and cultural thinkers.
At the heart of CCS Bard is the Hessel Museum of Art, which houses the Marieluise Hessel Collection—over 3,000 works spanning from the 1960s to today—and hosts a dynamic program of exhibitions open to the public. Complementing the museum are the CCS Bard Library and Archives, among the most comprehensive research resources in the United States for post-1960s art, exhibition history, and criticism. Together, these components create a unique environment for scholarship, reflection, and creative production. The Graduate Program in Curatorial Studies builds on this foundation with a rigorous curriculum and a strong commitment to fostering equity and innovation in the art world.
Bard College’s broader mission underpins CCS Bard’s ethos of social engagement and critical inquiry. In 2022, the college deepened its commitment to Indigenous scholarship and art through a transformational endowment from the Gochman Family Foundation, establishing a Center for Indigenous Studies and appointing Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation) as the inaugural Fellow in Indigenous Art History and Curatorial Studies at CCS Bard. Rooted in Bard’s acknowledgment of its location on the ancestral lands of the Munsee and Muhheaconneok people, CCS Bard continues to advance a vision of education and curatorial practice grounded in truth, inclusivity, and public purpose. The campus is also home to the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, a renowned venue for innovative performance and cultural programming that complements CCS Bard’s role as a center for creative experimentation and public engagement.
The Wassaic Project
The Wassaic Project is a dynamic, artist-run nonprofit located in the hamlet of Wassaic, NY, dedicated to using contemporary art and education to foster social change and strengthen community connections. Through year-round exhibitions, an acclaimed artist residency program, and expansive education initiatives, the Wassaic Project brings together artists and neighbors in collaborative dialogue that transcends economic and cultural boundaries. Housed in the striking Maxon Mills—a converted seven-story grain elevator—the organization showcases dozens of artists annually and activates public spaces across the hamlet with installations and performances.
At the heart of the Wassaic Project is a commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and creative generosity. With a robust education program that serves thousands of local students and one of the largest family-friendly residencies in the world, the Project empowers both emerging artists and young creatives alike. As a model for community revitalization through the arts, the Wassaic Project continues to expand its impact locally and nationally, promoting a vision of a culturally vibrant, socially inclusive, and cooperative rural community rooted in pride, respect, and imagination.
Art shown: Mary Tooley Parker, Jen Hitchings, Woomin Kim
Tubby's
Since opening its doors in 2018, Tubby’s in Midtown Kingston has become a cornerstone of the Hudson Valley’s underground music scene. What began as a bold experiment by co-owner Cory Plump and his partners met with skepticism for bringing Austin-style DIY energy to upstate New York. Today, Tubby's has grown into one of the region’s most vital and beloved venues. Hosting a mix of indie legends, avant-jazz icons, noise rockers, and rising experimental acts, Tubby’s punches far above its 100-person capacity, cultivating a loyal audience and a stacked roster of performers who return again and again for its unmatched vibe and hospitality.
More than just a bar or club, Tubby’s is a community-built haven for artists and audiences alike. With its signature dub-heavy sound system, inclusive ethos, and thoughtful perks like home-cooked meals and an in-town band apartment, the venue offers a rare level of care that resonates deeply with touring musicians. Tubby’s isn’t just a place to hear great music, it’s one of the most respected DIY venues in the country.
Windham Mountain Club
Windham Mountain Club in Windham, NY, is a premier four-season destination offering world-class skiing and year-round outdoor adventures. With 54 trails across 285 skiable acres and high-speed lifts, the resort provides an exceptional winter sports experience for all skill levels. Beyond skiing and snowboarding, guests can enjoy snowshoeing, tubing, and apre-ski relaxation in the resort's upscale dining and lounge areas.
Accommodations at Windham Mountain Club feature luxury ski-in, ski-out condos with stunning mountain views, private gyms, heated pools, and hot tubs. Dining options range from the Italian-inspired Cin Cin! to the slopeside Sushi Bar Okami and the elevated Foodhall, offering locally sourced cuisine. In the warmer months, the resort transforms into a hub for mountain biking, hiking, and golf at Windham Country Club, making it a perfect year-round retreat in the heart of the Catskills.
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