Olana State Historic Site, Hudson

A beautiful and strange and scenic and sublime window into a magnificent view of the Hudson. The park is clean and winding and expansive, with dog walkers and families and couples and friends. Ample parking as you get toward the stunning Olana house. The tour of the house is fun and educational and lively. The store is full of books and snacks and gifts and the lovely things you’d expect. From the spot by the house, looking down at the river and seeing the rolls in the land, at the right angle on the right time on the right day, you could be seeing a live painting, created decades ago and still thriving, a living portrait still growing an image from the past.

Gorgeous house, I think the most well preserved art space I've seen so far! The views are indeed breathtaking and a great spot for painting, photography and inspiration. The tour of the house felt a bit expensive for my budget. 20 dollars for just the first floor, 10 extra for the top floor. They're both 45 min I think. To me, it felt short and I could have done both floors in one tour. I didn't do the top floor or grounds tour. The grounds tour looked cool, you get to ride around in a cart. The gift shop was really nice, if not a bit crowded and tight. Packed with lots of cool stuff and a wide range of items and prices. There's also a 12 min video you can watch about the property in case you want to learn more before buying tickets.