Discover and Explore Columbia County on a Sprinter Van Rental in NYC (Part 1)

FILED UNDER: General Bus Rentals NYC Tips and Tricks

 

 

 

Columbia County in New York offers tourists or visitors lots of things to see and do. It has a wealth of historic sites, cultural attractions, and natural scenery, among many others. So if you are looking to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, Columbia is just the ideal destination for the entire family. Book a sprinter van rental in NYC to drive you around!

 

 

And we are going to help you get started. We will give you a list of venues that you can check out while you are in Columbia County.

 

Catamount Adventure Park

 

Catamount Adventure Park at 3290 Rt 23, in Hillsdale, is perfect for adventure and thrill seekers. The place offers aerial forest adventure with a variety of treetop rope courses for different ages and ability levels. There are zip line courses, ski trails, hanging bridges, ladders, and obstacle courses. Children 7 years old and above will surely love this place!

 

Call (518) 325-3200 or visit the park's Web site at http://www.catamounttrees.com for more information.

 

Hawthorne Valley Farm

 

Hawthorne Valley Farm is a 400-acre Biodynamic farm that has been producing high-quality, organic and Biodynamic food while also providing farm-based learning experiences for both children and grown-ups. The farm has dairy cows, a creamery, vegetables, a sauerkraut cellar, and an organic bakery, among many others. The farm has a full-line natural foods store that is open daily.

 

There are various tours available for visitors. There is a “A Day on the Farm” tour, which is a hands-on, farm-based educational tour where visitors will get to experience life on the farm. “A Taste of the Farm” allows visitors to see where Hawthorne Valley farm foods are grown and where other products are crafted. “Seasonal Rhythms” is all about the days, season and planetary movements guide activities on the farm. “Farm Tours” is where you get to learn about land stewardship practices as well as the role of agriculture in cultural enrichment, education, and scientific inquiry.

 

The farm is at 327 County Route 21C, in Ghent. For more information and to book tours, call (518) 672-7500 x231 or visit http://www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org.

 

Make sure to book a sprinter van rental in NYC ahead of time.

 

Columbia County Fair

 

Visit one of the country's oldest fairs at Route 66 & 203, in Chatham Village. The Columbia County Fair features full midway grandstand entertainment that include national rodeos, Demolition Derbies, national country singers, talent competitions, daily animal shows, and a volunteer firefighters parade.

 

To know more about the fair, including its schedules, call (518) 392-212 or visit http://www.columbiafair.com.

 

Harlem Valley Rail Trail

 

The Harlem Valley Trail is 15 miles worth of paved bicycle and pedestrian path that runs through the beautiful landscapes of rural Dutchess and Columbia Counties. The path was built on an old railroad bed that connected the Harlem Valley to New York City and Chatham, NY.

 

You can go to the rail trail through these access points:

 

• Undermountain Road, off Rt 22, Ancram
• Valley View Rd, Copake
• Taconic State Park Entrance (near Depot Deli), Copake Falls

 

Call (518) 789-9591 or log on to http://www.hvrt.org for more information.

 

Lake Taghkanic State Park

 

This state park, located at 1528 Rt 82, in Ancram (1 mile South of Rt 82 interchange with Taconic State Parkway) is a great place to go camping with the entire family. There are tents, trailers, cottages and cabins. You can also go swimming, fishing, skating, boating, hiking, snowshoeing, deer and turkey hunting, cross country skiing, and snowmobile riding in certain designated areas.

 

For more information, call (518) 851-3631 or check out its Web page at http://www.nysparks.com/parks.

 

Columbia County in New York is considered the cultural gem of the Hudson Valley because of all the concerts, musicals, plays, poetry readings, and other sorts of performances that take place here all year round. So if you are into culture and the arts, a trip to Columbia County should be in order. Hop on a sprinter van rental in NYC and get ready to feast your senses on the county's culturally enriching offerings.

 

Here are some of Columbia's venues where you can catch various types of performances or groups that present shows in diverse locations around the county:

 

Clarion Concerts in Columbia County

 

Hop on a sprinter van rental in NYC and treat your group with some quality chamber music, or vocal and orchestral music with a repertoire that extends from the seventeenth century to modern times at the CCCC. Visit http://www.leafpeeperconcerts.org for more information.

 

Ancram Opera House

 

Ancram Opera House at 1330 County Route 7, in Ancram is an intimate theater with a raked stage and great acoustics. See what is showing during your visit by calling (518) 329-7393 or logging on to http://www.ancramoperahouse.com.

 

Ghent Playhouse

 

The Ghent Playhouse presents five different productions each season at Town Hall Place, off Route 66, in Ghent. Call (518) 392-6264 or visit http://www.ghentplayhouse.org to see if they have something for you when you visit Columbia County.

 

Claverack Landing: Great Music in Great Spaces

 

Claverack Landing gives people informal chamber concerts in various architectural venues in and around Hudson. Call (518) 828-7513 or visit http://www.claveracklanding.org to see what they are up to next.

 

Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc.

 

Bindlestiff is a performing arts organization that tour around to promote variety arts, circus, vaudeville, sideshow, and burlesque. Check out http://www.bindlestiff.org to know more.

 

Basilica Hudson

 

The Basilica Hudson is a reclaimed 19th century factory at 110 South Front St., in Hudson that was converted into an art and performance venue. Visit its Web site at http://www.basilicahudson.com for more information.

 

Spencertown Academy Arts Center

 

This arts center, located at 790 Route 203, in Spencertown, hosts concerts, readings, fine arts exhibits, and arts-related classes and workshops. Call (518) 392-3693 or check out http://www.spencertownacademy.org for more details.

 

StageWorks Hudson

 

StageWorks at 41 Cross Street (opposite Amtrak), in Hudson, offers adventurous theater productions and programs. Call (518) 828-7843 or log on to http://www.stageworkshudson.org for more information.

 

Hudson Opera House

 

This is a multi-arts center in the 1855 former Hudson City Hall, at 327 Warren Street. Call (518) 822-1438 or visit http://www.hudsonoperahouse.org for inquiries.

 

The Theater Barn

 

Check out what's performing at The Theater Barn, located at 654 Route 20, in New Lebanon. Call (518) 794-8989 or visit http://www.theaterbarn.com to see its calendar of shows and performances.

 

There is nothing like having a sprinter van rental in NYC to take you home or to take your group back to your hotel after catching a performance or a show in Columbia County.

Columbia County is a great place to visit if you want a fun and enjoyable vacation with family or with close friends. It has plenty of historical, cultural, recreational and outdoor attractions to see. As long as you have a sprinter van rental in NYC to drive you around and to take you to as many places as time permits, there won't be a dull moment in your trip.

 

We now give you a list of Columbia County's historical sites and museums:

 

Columbia County Museum and Library

 

Columbia County Museum and Library at 5 Albany Ave., in Kinderhook Village, is where you can catch changing exhibits and do some research (not that you would need to during your vacation!).

 

Call (518) 758-9265 or log on to http://www.cchsny.org for more information.

 

Clermont State Historic Site

 

The Clermont State Historic Site was the estate of the Livingston family. The house serves as a museum and the grounds and the historic gardens are open all year round for picnics, for hiking, and for simply enjoying the magnificent views of the Hudson River. During the winter, you can go cross-country skiing.

 

This historic site is located at 400 Woods Road (off Rt 9G), in Germantown. To find out more about it, call (518) 537-4240 or visit http://www.friendsofclermont.org.

 

Edna St. Vincent Millay Steepletop Poetry Trail and House & Garden Tours

 

Steepletop was the home and gardens of American lyrical poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay. You and your group can take a tour of the Steepletop house and grounds and see what inspired Millay's writings. You can also hike through a poetry trail, which is a half-mile narrow country wood road marked with a dozen of Millay's nature poems. The trail ends with the poet's and her family's final resting ground.

 

Steepletop is open all year round.

 

It is located at 436 East Hill Road, in Austerlitz (2 miles in from Route 22, south of Route 203). Call (518) 392-EDNA (3362) or log on to http://www.millay.org for more information.

 

Luykas Van Alen House

 

This 1737 Dutch farmhouse housing mid-18th century furnishings was used in Martin Scorsese's “The Age of Innocence.” The property, located at Route 9H, in Kinderhook, also includes a 1850 Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse.

 

Call (518) 758-9265 or visit http://www.cchsny.org for more details.

 

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

 

This historic site was the home and farm of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, who also happens to be the founder of the Democratic Party. The mansion was where Van Buren managed two presidential campaigns and was also where he entertained celebrities and politicians in the 1840's and 1850's.

 

The mansion is located at 1013 Old Post Road (off Route 9H), in Kinderhook. For more information, call (518) 758-9689 or visit http://www.nps.gov/mava

 

Olana State Historic Site

 

Head over to the Olana State Historic Site at 5720 Route 9G, in Hudson and see the home and estate of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. You can go hiking, birding, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing or just have a quiet picnic in certain areas within its 250-acre grounds. The pond is also open for recreational activities such as fishing, kayaking, and boating.

 

For more information, call (518) 828-0135 or visit http://www.olana.org.

 

Robert Jenkins House

 

The Robert Jenkins House at 113 Warren St., in Hudson was the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution's 1811 Federal style house. The house has a local history and genealogical research room and a vast collection of artifacts that relate to Hudson's whaling industry as well as its involvement with the Civil War. The house is furnished with period pieces and paintings by the Hudson River School artists.

 

For inquiries, call (518) 828-9764.

 

Read part 2 of this series here.

 

Make sure to book a sprinter van rental in NYC ahead of time. There is nothing like having a sprinter van to take care of all your transportation needs during your trip to Columbia County.