Beyond the Berkshires, Hip and Happening Columbia Country
Just a hop, skip and a jump from Maine, Boston or New York City, (well three, to three and a half hours to be precise is one of the prettiest and most interesting, not to mention “happening” areas in our country: Columbia County. This is countryside at its best complete with great rolling hills, verdant farmland, orchards, forest land and beautiful historical towns of all shapes and sizes. No wonder so many artists came to this area creating the Hudson River genre of art almost two hundred years ago. This is an area where it seems you can’t go a mile without stumbling over a famous contemporary artists studio, a writer's retreat, the summer home of a symphony, an amazing museum, the home of former presidents or some of the richest folks in America. Here you will also find towns that are so hip it almost hurts, and you’re probably likely to run into literally or otherwise a movie star, famous media mogul or TV anchor.
If all of the above wasn’t enough to get you to visit the county, we have to say there is definitely something for everyone. If you like to shop there are towns like Hudson and Great Barrington which are chock full of chic shops and galleries. And, it's pretty much a foodie heaven with the bounty of this blessed land coalescing with the wealth from the cities (some of the wealthiest Americans have hideaways here). Here Chefs from all over the country, but especially New York City have opened restaurants, cafes and coffee shops of every stripe from haute cuisine to funky take out. If you’re into hiking there are miles of excellent trails throughout the county. And if you’re into the arts there is a continuous round of film festivals, dance performances, readings and theater. In short, it’s time to check out this part of the country.
HOW TO GET THERE
From Maine and Boston one can take the overused Interstate 495 to Interstate 90 over. From New York City it’s about a two and a half hour drive to anywhere in the county via the Taconic Parkway. Albany also has a good regional airport with flights from Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports.
WHERE TO STAY
There are a plethora of great places to stay in the county but there are also a couple of stand outs. All of the places that we list below are great with some offering a more urban and hip experience while others it is all about an indulgent country retreat experience.
When you want to hang with the ultra hip crowd in an almost terminally cool town of Hudson, look no further than the Maker. Founded by the former owners of Fresh, the beauty brand, The Maker features eleven elegant and beautifully decorated rooms, a huge gymnasium, a small pool, a pretty curbside cafe and a moody shabby chic bar. The service here is a bit rough and frequently aloof, but the overall setting and location largely make up for this.
This place is actually in the Berkshires, not beyond them, but it's within spitting distance of everything in Columbia County. If you want to live as they did in the “Gilded Age”, look no further. In 1893 the wealthy American Henry Cook built a spectacular Italianate mansion for his Italian bride. The story goes that she didn’t like the place and only stayed once; now that’s spoiled! It’s hard to understand what she didn’t like. The current super luxury resort is set on 22 acres of beautiful countryside and has 19 guest rooms in the palazzo. The rooms are gorgeous, there is an elegant restaurant, fitness center, pool and spa. Service here is top notch.
This fun trendy hotel is situated in a century old building in the historic town of Tivoli. Owned by an artist couple, the property is filled with an eclectic collection of furniture, lighting and art. There is a “farm to table restaurant”, eleven cheerful rooms and even a store. Although it doesn’t have many amenities, prices here are radically less than other more swanky places on our list.
Set in the historic area of Kingston, between the Catskills and the Hudson River, the 42 room property is set in four meticulously restored structures. There is a surprising emphasis on wellness here with a small spa and gym and other walkable places for fitness nearby. The restaurant and bar here is fun and trendy and the rooms are super comfortable with gorgeous bathrooms and many sporting fireplaces. The tariff here is also fairly reasonable.
TOWNS TO VISIT
Over the years we watched as this town developed from a pretty marginalized and downtrodden former whaling town on the Hudson River to one of the hippest destinations in the state. As it’s only a hop skip and a jump from Manhattan, loads of wealthy creative types have made their home. There is a rich and vibrant cultural scene here and a huge LGBTQ community. Every week there is something going on here be it film festivals, a gallery opening, improv workshops or dance. A walk down the Main Street is fun, just to watch all the “scenesters” and of course to visit the many excellent galleries, antique shops, coffee shops, and cafes that line it. For one of the best bakeries in town check out BREADFOLKS. You will know when you find it, there’s always a line! For lunch we sometimes enjoy an overpriced sandwich at the MAKER or stroll over to Warren street and try CASA LATINA PUPUSAS Y MAS for some great and inexpensive Latin food. For drinks the dark and moody MAKER is a good place to start the evening, followed by dinner at the funky and intriguingly politically correct LIL’ DEBS OASIS. For some of our favorite shopping we recommend FINCH CLUBHOUSE for cool furnishings as well as skin care products and more. Just to experience the funky beauty of it be sure to track down THE QUIET BOTANIST, an apothecary hidden down a small alley. And don’t miss the town's one chain store, FACE, the purveyors of beauty products from Stockholm.
Okay, we know this town is in Berkshire county Massachusetts, but it's just minutes from the border and absolutely gorgeous. The town is flanked by elegant historical buildings and mansions and is the birthplace of W.E.B. Dubois and Edith Wharton. This is one of the things that makes this area so intriguing, so many famous and influential people have lived here, and so many living celebrities, like Meryl Streep continue to visit and live here. Even a short walk around the town will reveal that there is a lot going on here, from stylish new restaurants to galleries to cheese and coffee shops that rival the best in bigger urban centers. For shopping be sure to make an appointment at CYRIL & DAYNE to have some seriously cool glasses created for you and hand made in France. HAMMERTOWN is another must stop if you're ready to redecorate your home. At RUBINER’S CHEESEMONGERS you’ll find a tremendous selection of the finest cheeses purveyed in a restored bank. If you're looking for a great table top, something we always love to do, be sure to duck into SETT for silverware and more from around the world. And, if you enjoy wine, stop by DEPART WINE which has some hard to find offerings as well as non alcoholic alternatives. We love coffee and when we're in this town, we always head to RUBI’s for a late afternoon pick me up. For great drinks in a cool atmosphere, we like MOONCLOUD, where it's fun to start the evening with a specialty cocktail and an artisanal cheese board. We always enjoy good Thai food, and STEAM provides some pretty authentic fare in a nice space. For breakfast, or on the way out of town try the tasty fare at PIXIE BOULANGERIE. Be sure to pick up some of their bread to take home!
The birthplace of President Martin Van Buren, the tiny town of Kinderhook is absolutely charming. For us, the best reason to spend some time in this tiny burg is to have a late morning early lunch at MORNINGBIRD. The Mochi donuts alone are worth the trip, but the Asian inspired breakfast sandwich is a knockout too. There is an interesting store as well in the cafe. This is an ambitious group of people and behind the cafe you’ll find their fledgling restaurant bar the KNITTING MILL, where they are currently outfitting what will be a sexy and gorgeous bar. And, in addition to all this, there is THE KINDERHOOK BOTTLE SHOP, with a nice selection of interesting wines. While in Rome, make sure to visit the MARTIN VAN BUREN HOME, to understand how our nation came to have the political parties it does and how this now obscure, but important president dealt with the issue of slavery.
CHATHAM, GHENT AND SPENCERTOWN
These three charming villages within a minute's drive of each other are well worth visiting while touring the magnificent countryside of Columbia County. In Ghent we always stop at the BARTLETT HOUSE, created by the founders of Fresh Cosmetics. Set in a large brick building built in 1872 and restored by “fresh” money in 2016, this hip cafe serves up some tasty sandwiches, good coffee and great bread, you can eat on the charming porch, on picnic tables outside or in the cozy dining room. One of the most compelling reasons to visit Chatham is to go to the CRANDELL movie theater famed for its cutting edge film festival in October, the theater regularly shows great movies the old way, in the theater! If by chance you’ve connections in the art world, be sure to use them to arrange a private tour of the amazing studio of world famous modern artist, ELLSWORTH KELLY. If you don’t, it's still fun just to drive by and see all the beautiful historic buildings around the studio. And, when in Spencertown, be sure to visit the SPENCERTOWN ACADEMY ART CENTER, which features a varied schedule of outstanding classes, concerts, lectures by authors and gallery shows.
PLACES TO VISIT
Just driving through the beautiful rolling hills of Columbia county, stopping to look at the gorgeous old homes, vegetable stands and quaint towns is relaxing and fun, but there are some truly outstanding places to stop. They give one an understanding of the rich history of this region.
HYDE PARK, HOME OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
We love history, and it doesn’t get more close up and personal! Franklin grew up here and conducted much of the war effort here and he is buried on the property. The home is still furnished as it was at the time of his death, and the docents will be happy to share many interesting tidbits of this great president’s life. The estate, called Springwood, is still full of his personality with items such as his boyhood collection of stuffed birds and his adult collection of Revolutionary War cartoons that he famously would not take down when the King of England stayed at the home. In addition to the home there is a very impressive museum, and the getaway cottage he had built for his wife Eleanor.
VANDERBILT MANSION NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
When the King and Queen of England visited Franklin and Ealanor, they borrowed some china from the neighbors. Who were those neighbors, why the Vanderbilts of course! The estate is over two hundred years old, but the grand mansion was built by the Vanderbilts during the Gilded age. Here they created a home that clearly demonstrated their tremendous wealth and power. This is simply an amazing place to visit.
OLANA, HOME OF FREDERIC CHURCH
Olana was the home of Fredric Church, one of the Hudson River school of painting’s most illustrious landscape painters. The name Olana is believed to have been inspired by a fabled Persian treasure house. The mansion is set on a spectacular site above Hudson in Greenport New York, where he and his mentor Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River school, had often sketched years earlier. The home is a wondrous Oriental-Victorian fantasy, filled with his personal furnishings and paintings. If you like art, architecture and history you will fall in love with this home.
CHESTERWOOD, HOME OF DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH
The home of Sculptor Daniel French, most notably the creator of the image of Lincoln for the Washington D.C. memorial, Chesterwood is another deep dive into the personality of one of America’s most notable artists. His studio designed by a friend in 1897 was not only a workspace but also a salon for entertaining. The main home is beautiful and left almost as it was on the sculptor’s death. And, the grounds are also fascinating with traditional gardens as well as tremendous modern art installations.
THE MOUNT, HOME OF EDITH WHARTON
The Mount was designed and built by the great author Edith Wharton in 1902 and sits on 113 acres of gorgeous land purchased from Georgianna Sargent. The classically inspired Maine House, elegant Georgian Revival Stable, formal gardens and sculpted landscape represent the only full expression of Wharton’s influential architectural and landscape theories. “The Age of Innocence” seems to whisper from every part of this romantic estate.
Robert Sterling Clark, an heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune and his wife Francine, were avid art collectors and in 1952 they began work on a museum to house their personal collection. Over the years the museum has been greatly expanded in spectacular modern buildings spread over a gorgeous campus. The collection features European and American painting, sculpture, prints and photographs and is especially deep in the work of French Impressionists. There are also masterpieces by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and George Inness. In addition there are frequent special exhibits. For full disclosure, the Clark is in Williamstown Mass. but again it’s but a few minutes out of Columbia County and besides what a great name it has!
With all the natural beauty in this area it’s almost imperative that you get out and hike. One of our favorite hiking areas is the Yukon Ridge South with its network of trails through hemlock shaded ravines and beautiful Chestnut trees
WHERE TO EAT
Columbia county is a veritable Garden of Eden, and with its proximity to New York City and a great reserve of talented Chefs it’s hard to go wrong dining here. Here are just a few of our favorites in the area.
On the top of everyone’s favorite restaurant list, one often finds Lil Deb’s. We found this ultra politically correct place to be pretty relaxing and fun. On the summer night when we visited, and sat on the sidewalk watching an improv workshop and a cavalcade of eclectic passers-by, we thoroughly enjoyed the tasty internationally inspired menu and the attentive service.
This place in the charming little town of Kinderhook knocks it out of the park with their delicious Mochi donuts and Asian inspired breakfast sandwiches. The new restaurant side of the Cafe, housed in a modern barn like room, has just opened but the service is outgoing and food is creative and lip smacking good! We look forward to trying the soon to be opened ultra sexy bar with its gorgeous Japanese screen like wall paintings by one of the famous owners.
For a casual breakfast or lunch look no further than the trendy Bartlett House. The hundred year old building in which it is set was completely renovated by the former owners of Fresh cosmetics. You can enjoy a great sandwich or coffee on the porch or in the cozy dining room.
This self declared American bistro is comfortable and laid back with rib sticking selections like sticky ribs (sorry just couldn’t resist), bacon topped meatloaf and chile glazed carrots. There is a piano bar downstairs which is also a fun way to start or end the evening.
LGBTQ COLUMBIA COUNTY
Columbia county has the third highest percentage of same-sex couple households in the nation: need we say more! The county has always been distinguished by its outsized share of artistic types, with Gore Vidal being a pioneer, purchasing his mansion on the Hudson in 1950. For dancing check out GEISH every Monday in Paltz. Or for an ever changing PANSY CLUB most Thursdays at the Beverly Lounge in Kingston. And on Friday’s try FREAKY FIRST FRIDAY at the Mystic Cafe in Poughkeepsie. As far as meeting LGBTQ folks, just about everywhere you go is gay and gay friendly!
WHAT WE THINK
Columbia County is a pretty magical place, with no end to great food, hip hotels, historical towns, great art, amazing homes and beauty, beauty and more beauty. We can’t get enough and we think that once you visit, you too will want to go back again and again.