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You won't want for lots to do and to learn in the Kinderhook area, which is filled with historical spots and incredible estates. So while you are staying at your Kinderhook bed and breakfast, take time to learn a bit about the area.
Here are some special places that you will enjoy visiting and touring during your stay in Kinderhook.
Olana State Historic Site
Rte 9G
Greenport, NY 11944
Phone: 518-828-0135
http://www.olana.org/index.html
Olana State Historic Site is one of the most unusual and delightful estates in the world. The home of Hudson Valley artist Frederick Church, it is styled in the Persian manner and is filled with incredible landscapes done by Church himself. The grounds have been designed to replicate the paintings' scenery. Wonderful Moorish architectural touches, such as the turrets and inlaid tile, make the entire mansion seem almost like a dream rather than a reality. Make sure to allow a good amount of time to tour this fabled spot.
The Shaker Museum and Library
88 Shaker Museum Road
Old Chatham, NY 12136
Phone; (518) 794-9100
http://www.shakermuseumandlibrary.org/
The Shaker Museum is a popular area attraction with an incredible history. It was founded in 1950 by John S. Williams, Sr., with the help of the Shaker leadership, to preserve the life, work, art and religious history of the Shakers. The museum is filled with the hand-made furniture this sect is known for as well as important religious journals and other papers. When you visit, you will learn a good deal about the history of this area and how Shakers lived their lives.
Don Baker Farm
183 Route 14
Hudson, NY 12534
Phone: 518-828-9542
apples@valstar.net
For a different kind of outing, come prepared to pick cherries, strawberries, or anything else that is ripe at the large and scenic Don Baker Farm. Starting in early June and running through the growing season, into late September, visitors can decide which of these fruits they want to pick and then enjoy them after they return to their Kinderhook bed and breakfast. If you would rather not do the picking yourself, you can buy what you want from the farm's fruit stand. Everything is guaranteed to be the freshest in the area.
The Clark Art Museum
225 South Street
Williamstown, MA 01267
Phone: (413) 458-2303
http://www.clarkart.edu/
Founded by Sterling and Francine Clark to house their large collection of fine art, the Clark offers changing exhibits and concerts in the summertime as well. Situated in the Berkshires, the museum also offers wonderful views of the surrounding hills and a place where art and nature combine to give the visitor a sense of the importance of recording life in a visual form. The permanent collection includes paintings by the old masters, such as Rembrandt and van Rign, as well as works by Sargent, Homer, Degas, and Renoir. If you are visiting during the summer months check out the concerts either online or by calling.
Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road, Route 183
Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01262
Phone: (413) 298-4100
http://www.nrm.org/
Americana comes alive at the Norman Rockwell Museum where so many of the artist's renditions of people and places keep the American ideal very much alive. The museum is dedicated to preserving the work of this American icon of the 20th century. There are more than 600 original paintings and drawings. The museum also holds art education events. The museum building is designed after a New England meeting hall. The museum's collection examines the evolution of illustrations.