A question about places to see + stuff to do in upstate NY.

September 4, 2020 1:36 PM

What would you recommend to do in upstate NY, anywhere within a three hour drive of Hunter, NY. Open to anything available during coronavirus, but specific interests include modern/contemporary art, socialism/anarchism/antifascism/leftism, government/civics, (vegetarian) food, animals, factory/food tours (learning about how anything is made), architecture, nature, urban/abandoned exploring.
posted by andoatnp to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (13 answers total)

On the art front: Storm King has great outdoor sculptures and is open.
posted by saltypup at 1:45 PM on September 4, 2020 [7 favorites]

It's just about 3 hours away from you but the Corning Museum of Glass is fantastic and includes both modern/contemporary art and learning about how glass objects are made. (They are currently open, but make sure you read up on the timed tickets etc.)
posted by wintersweet at 1:47 PM on September 4, 2020 [12 favorites]

If you do go to Storm King (or anywhere in that general direction), Lagusta's Luscious & Commissary in New Paltz (two shops, same owner, a few blocks away from one another) are on the way. Good places to stop for a great vegan lunch/remarkable chocolate/solid politics.
posted by bcwinters at 1:54 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can hike up to the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower
posted by niicholas at 1:58 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

For art, there are a lot of options! Mass Moca, assuming there aren't problems with quarantines across state lines is a day trip on its own. Dia Beacon can be pretty awesome. As mentioned before, Storm King is a great place to visit as well. You'll probably need to make reservations for all of these museums.

If you're looking for safe, quiet hiking around the Catskills, check out these recent answers to an earlier question about hiking around the area.

For more urban exploration, Troy has a lovely compact historic downtown, as well as parts of Albany. There are some crazy brutalist architecture in downtown Albany that might warrant a visit, mixed in with the historic capital buildings. The small towns along the Hudson all have their own charms... Personally I'm pretty fond of Saugerties and Kingston. They both have a great mix of restaurants and historic areas. Farther south, there is the Walkway across the Hudson that crosses over to Poughkeepsie .

Additionally if you like to bike or walk, there is the Erie canal, which could be its own vacation. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail has some interesting segments that go past the old limestone mines that used to provide 50% of the concrete in America! The tiny but adorable town of Rosendale has direct access to some of the old mines that are open to the public, for a very unique experience.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 2:14 PM on September 4, 2020 [5 favorites]

DIA beacon and Opus 40 Are in range and have socially distanced hours and tickets for a good bit of weird outdoor art.

For a really good meal, I like table on ten or check out what food trucks are at Westkill brewery.
posted by larthegreat at 2:18 PM on September 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

The Adirondack museum is almost exactly 3 hours north of Hunter, probably too far for you BUT they are doing a whole fancy digital experience thing because of Covid so if you're interested in the Adirondacks as a region that's an option.
posted by Wretch729 at 2:19 PM on September 4, 2020

I've enjoyed visiting Olana, The Mount and Val-Kill. Val-Kill may not be open but if it does - it's a lovely visit. Jack Shainman's The School is nearby - I haven't made it there yet but would like to go
posted by rdnnyc at 3:04 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Overlook Mountain has some intriguing ruins.
posted by metasarah at 4:36 PM on September 4, 2020

If you’re not opposed to crossing the river, Art Omi is a cool-and-lesser-known-Storm King, and there are restaurants in Hudson that are doing a great job with the social distancing. A short drive further on 82 will get you to Taghkanic Lake. Also, Kaaterskill Falls is right near you, on your side of the river. The Falls’ trails might still be closed, but there are roadside parking spots that let you go down to the adjoining creeks and rivers. I’d do a drive-by — it’s Labor Day weekend, therefore might be too... coronavirus filled.

That’s literally the case for every attraction up here though— it’s Labor Day weekend in a pandemic, so please (for our sake and yours) just do a drive-by-checkout and be choosy. There are some real non-careful folks coming up.
posted by functionequalsform at 4:52 PM on September 4, 2020 [4 favorites]

Opus 40 at Saughterties is well worth a visit.
posted by essexjan at 10:30 AM on September 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've been wanting to go to the Taconic Sculpture Park, but like many things I want to go to, it is very much "if you like this sort of thing, it's this sort of thing." Your mileage may vary.
posted by babelfish at 4:22 PM on September 5, 2020

Storm King, Dia, and Opus 40 were all mentioned above, and are all excellent.

Cold Spring also has Magazzino, a museum of contemporary Italian Art. (If you go to Cold Spring I highly recommend Juanita's - amazing Mexican food with many vegetarian options).

Newburgh has a ton of historic architecture (and a ton of abandoned buildings). It also home to Washington's HQ during the revolutionary war, and a park designed by the same folks as Central Park. Urban Archive has one or more walking tours of Newburgh through their app: https://www.urbanarchive.nyc/ua-newburgh (for food, Ms. Fairfax and Mama Roux are excellent. For coffee, I'm partial to Rob's Roast).

(I live around here - feel free to message with specific questions).
posted by taltalim at 8:01 AM on September 11, 2020