Well worth visiting including the on-site museum. I would say think about the historical context as…read moreto when this was being built.

This is an interesting outdoor place to come and visit. Words cannot describe the gentlemen…read morespending 40 years to complete this. You have to come and see for yourself the hours of shaping stones with hand tools to be an outdoor art piece that is beautiful to see, walk around to enjoy. There are park benches around where you can sit and enjoy a snack and take in all the different levels of this outdoor artwork. The entry to the park includes a road that you have to share with in/out traffic. Drive slowly and turn out if needed to let the other traffic pass. Be patient and you will enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Cost: $11 online. In person is $1 extra Tip: 1) Purchase tickets online. As we were leaving there was a sign that said park at full capacity and only those with pre-purchased tickets were allowed into the park. 2) Main parking lot can get full fast. It wasn't until after we parked and went to the ticketing office there was a sign for overflow parking. 3) I did not see a bathroom anywhere, so plan accordingly.

The Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, NY is one of those places that quietly draws you in with how much…read morehistory it holds. At first glance, it looks like a simple old church, but once you step inside, you realize you're standing somewhere that has witnessed more than 200 years of stories. Built in the 1770s as a German Reformed Church, it was later fortified and turned into a defensive stronghold during the Revolutionary War. You can still spot a cannonball hole in the wall a little visual reminder of how real that history was. The museum complex is spread out beautifully, with several old buildings and scenic grounds that make it easy to wander around at your own pace. Each building feels like a glimpse into a different part of Schoharie's past from farming and school life to vintage machinery and military history. The volunteers here really add to the experience they're kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the history they're sharing. It's the kind of museum that doesn't feel overly polished, but that's exactly what makes it charming. You can sense the age of the wood floors and the craftsmanship in every display. It's quiet, peaceful, and even a little haunting in the best way, especially if you walk through the small cemetery nearby. If you enjoy exploring local history or hidden gems off the main tourist path, the Old Stone Fort is definitely worth a visit. It doesn't take long to go through, but you'll likely leave thinking about how much life and resilience are preserved in those old stone walls.

Absolutely beautiful cemetery. We spent Mother's Day weekend walking around this peaceful cemetery…read more It was so serene and calming. It's incredibly well kept and clean. The volunteers do a great job ensuring that the property is perfect. We loved visiting the old stone fort and seeing how historic this museum and cemetery is. It's a gorgeous place to meditate, find peace and clarity. The museum is currently closed due to the pandemic but will hopefully reopen soon. Perfect place to spend an afternoon.

This is a fun little railroad museum describing the history of a five-mile railroad that ran in…read moreSchoharie County which was torn up 80+ years ago. It is small in size and cannot compare with larger train museums, but if you are interested in the history of the area or trains in general you probably will enjoy your visit. They have an authentic railroad combine passenger car on display which originally ran on the line, as well as an old wooden D&H caboose, a flat car loaded with old farm equipment, and a boxcar. Inside the coach are magazines to read, a small Brio train layout for the kids, and a small model railroad to watch with three different track scales (N/HO/O). Inside the larger building is the D&H caboose which you can go in, as well as a recreation of an old workshop and freight house with lots of various period-correct tools and freight to move. The smaller building is the old station house and it has a working telegraph, a recreation of the waiting area inside (with lots of train pictures and train decorations), and some newspaper articles. Sadly, a map showing the route of the railroad and how it fit into the local area was absent. They had an excellent D&H system-wide map but that just showed Schoharie as a dot. Other facilities on the premises include an old water fountain, some barns or mill buildings, and a weigh-house. We didn't go in them except to use the bathroom, but apparently some are open at certain times for public events. The staff were super friendly and knowledgeable. I didn't let on that I was a railroad buff and let the tour guide tell me lots about railroad history. It is a nice, though small, museum. There is no charge to enter, but donations would certainly be welcome. There is enough there for a train fan to be interested in local history, but I am not sure how much kids who just want to "see and play with trains" would get out of it.

This place will you back in time there much to see you can get some great photos so if you are…read morelooking to do a day trip you might consider going there for the the only thing about the Railroad Museum they're only open on Saturdays and Sundays other things to do in right and the same stripper Road one is the carrot Barn and the other place is the Apple Barrel all in the same area is your bring your camera Here is some more info about this place The Schoharie Valley Railroads In what I consider the northern tip of the Catskill Mountain range, is the beautiful and fertile Schoharie Valley, carved out by the winding Schoharie Creek, which flows north from it's headwaters in the high peaks of the Black Head Range to the south. When the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad (later Delaware and Hudson Railroad) passed through the northern portion of Schoharie County in 1828 from west to east, through Cobleskill and Central Bridge, the people to the south in the Schoharie Valley thought that the A&S would possibly build a branch south to serve the valley, but the A&S had no such plans. It wasn't until 1865, after the end of the Civil War, that the valley people got together and chartered the Schoharie Valley Railroad. By the next year the railroad had completed 4.2 miles to the town of Schoharie. With no additional funds, the railroad couldn't extend any further. Seeing as how the SV wasn't coming to them, the people in Middleburgh took matters into their own hands and chartered the Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad in 1867. With connecting railroads, they formed a continuous stretch of nine miles of railroad through the valley. After several rough first years, they got on the right foot and operated together as a single operation, but never consolidating, for many years until the early 1930s. Then the M&S began not paying bills and taxes, and lacked in maintenance, and it's locomotive, built in 1895, was worn out. The SV stopped running to Middleburgh and in 1936 the M&S was closed and torn up. The SV soldiered on, but new paved roads and more trucks in the valley took it's toll and it to closed in 1942.

Do visit the vast 750 acre well-preserved Shaker Farm Village in Hancock. Beautiful buildings, each…read morewell maintained and served a purpose in the past. Heritage farm animals abound - (some you can pet!) - we saw Goats, Sheep, Cattle, Hens, Donkeys and Piggies... ** $20 admission ** ** Tour Guides available ** *** Gift Shop & Café *** Thank you!

This Shaker Village is so well preserved with multiple buildings you can tour and beautiful…read moregrounds. The highlight here is the circular stone barn, and the multi story brick dwelling is very impressive as well. I really enjoyed all of the signs that provided information about various aspects of Shaker life. We visited during the fall festival, and the vendors and other activities were great as well. Be sure to check out the meeting house and school house across the street. Hancock Shaker Village is well worth a visit!

Great time and place to unwind. Beautiful art pieces they have in the collection . The natural…read morelighting made everything ten times better. Letting us walk self guide through the house is a great touch .

The Hyde Collection is a hidden gem and well worth the trip North to Glens Falls…read more On a cold winters day, I ventured here as it's known to be styled after the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. The Hyde couple's home houses 5,000 or so pieces of art that you can enjoy within their beautiful living space. I felt privileged to be able to tour the Hyde family's Italian Renaissance style villa built in 1912. Here you'll find works from renowned artists such as Botticelli, Degas, Renoir and Rembrandt just to name a few. The original furniture and tapestries acquired are from the sixteenth century Renaissance. There are also late eighteenth century Neoclassical French seating furniture and marquetry desks for your viewing pleasure. It was a wonderful way to pass the afternoon. The Hyde is also known to share temporary collections with the community. The basement level has an added teaching auditorium as well as classroom space where programs are held for those interested in the fine arts. Lastly use your phone to scan the QR code available in most rooms for a self guided informational tour. I also recommend that you take the visitor guide and map to help you along. The front desk admission can also give you insight on how to navigate your time here. A must see in my opinion and you cannot overlook the library room with their vast collection of original books that are sure to have you in awe.

The staff here were pleasant, kind and helpful. We came for a Saturday night light show in the…read moreplanetarium. About 45 minutes long, a good time you can't beat it. A few jokes from the ticket-taker as well. Tip: try and grab the seats toward the back, to keep your neck more comfortable. We arrived ~15 minutes before start time and were able to peruse around the different displays and interactive exhibits. A place for all ages. This was a nice indoor activity to get out of the house and not be in the frigid cold.

Amazing hands-on activities, fun and engaging displays. Such an amazing museum and kids will love…read moreit.

Came here for my sister's art show opening. She's doing her masters in Curatorial Studies at Bard…read moreCollege and this art museum is affiliated to it. This college is quite prominent, as is the Hessel Museum of Art, and has housed some great art works. It's also given a name to many curators that are now highly regarded. Granted, it's in the 'middle of nowhere' but wow - it's remarkable. From its design, to the space within and layout.

A lovely museum in a bucolic setting. Hessel makes a great stop on a day trip from the city, easy…read moreto combine with visits to DIA Beacon or the Storm King sculpture park if you've got a car. If not--then you can't do them all in one day, but be advised that the Hessel runs complimentary shuttles from Manhattan when they have openings. Beer, wine, soft drinks and pretzels at the opening are complimentary as well. All in all, a great place. But couldn't give it five stars because I'm not into the new shows. One is Haim Steinbach, an artist who never really got my juices running. His work is about shelving, display, minimalist art, the museum retail, etc.--a kind of third-wave pop/appropriation art (if you just read that and you were like "so what?" you feel me). What makes this show interesting--perhaps more so than others of his that I've seen--is what he did with the Hessel's permanent collection. A cool thing about the Hessel is that it's endowed with a small collection of important works of contemporary art but rather than put them up in the standard museum display they let invited artists and curators incorporate them in their shows, using unconventional and experimental display methods, the likes of which you would never see in your run-of-the-mill museum. Steinbach put up this construction-site scaffolding in the big gallery and arranged works above and below it, so you could glimpse the pieces (both museum works, Steinbach's own stuff, design objects, knickknacks etc.) in horizontal and vertical layers, that made you think about the status of each thing as an object or artwork. The other exhibition was Helen Marten, a young British artist. It was a smart pairing with Steinbach, though I like her work even less. It's also about objects and display, and coming up with quirky convoluted relations between things. Everything is about weight, balance, and borders, and everything is solid and in tension. There are papery woodcuts that look flimsy but hold up to the weight of loaded key rings hanging off of them, for instance. The paintings have stuff attached to the bottom of the frames, so they don't end with the canvas. It's about surfaces and repetition, too--there are cans of olive oil positioned on the floor around the galleries, and the olives and vines from the logo are repeated on the wall--yet nowhere in the show do you find the mess of the oil itself. This is also true in her videos. Digital media can be slippery, glitchy, pixelly, liquid--but when Helen Marten gets her hands on it she makes everything robust and shiny and glossy, crafting digits into beautiful perfect objects, just as hard and solid as the commodities she appropriates in her sculptures. Yawn. Great museum though!

Lovely building and a great collection of exhibits collected mostly in the Victorian era.read more

From the owner: The Pember Museum provides residents and visitors with a rich tapestry of the natural world and its…read morecultural heritage. Our collections are showcased in their original cherry archival display cases, with much standing as they were put on display in 1909. The Pember Museum has 10,000 specimens of birds, mammals, eggs, rocks, reptiles, insects, sea creatures, historic artifacts, photographs and art collections.