Location: Valatie
Top Things to do in Valatie
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Valatie, United States
Valatie (/vəˈleɪʃə/; və-LAY-shə) is a village with several waterfalls in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2010 census. The village is at the center of the town of Kinderhook on US 9.
Restaurants in Valatie
1. Art Omi International Arts Center - Fields Sculpture Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
More than 40 pieces cover the 90 acres of this free, outdoor sculpture garden, part of the Art Omi International Arts Center.
Reviewed By nanabnyc - New York City, New York
A little known outdoor sculpture and architect park outside of Hudson, is just spectacular. There are rolling hills that stretch for acres dotted with babulous works of art. Many are child friendly, so it is definitely a family adventure. Dogs are allowed and, if needed, a cart is available.
I highly recommend alittle detour to see this unique outdoor exhibit.
2. Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 156 reviews
The estate and home of Martin Van Buren, the eight president of the United States, is spread over 38.5 scenic acres, many of which retain a high degree of integrity to the period of the former president's residence.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, Connecticut
We visited the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in Kinderhook, New York on Saturday, October 28th. The introductory film at the Visitor’s Center as well as the guided house tour provided great information on Martin Van Buren’s life including his early years, political career, accomplishments, family, retirement and his home, also known as Lindenwald.
Connor was our tour guide for the Van Buren house on the Lindenwald estate. He was very knowledgeable and informative, providing great details about Van Buren’s life and his home. His tour was well done, enjoyable, interesting and educational. He answered everyone’s questions and provided many details to help understand Martin Van Buren’s life from both a historical and political perspective, including the events of turmoil that occurred during his lifetime. Our guided house tour took about an hour and was well worth our time.
The guided house tour included a tour of several rooms on 3 floors of the Van Buren house. The interior of the house was very elegant and nicely restored with beautiful furnishings, wood work, and wall coverings, even an impressive mural made from wall paper panels and a very long table in the downstairs hall/dining room. Several items in the house are original. The exterior of the house is well preserved and includes a unique tower which was part of an addition that Martin Van Buren’s son built. The surrounding grounds of the house were nicely maintained, with picnic tables and hiking trails. It is a nice place to walk around and enjoy the outdoors. The outdoor interpretive markers along the Wayside Loop Walking Trail provided good background information, including information about Van Buren’s agrarian lifestyle and the location of the Old Post Road. There is also plenty of free parking.
We enjoyed our visit and recommend it to others. It is definitely enjoyable and educational from both a historical and political perspective. It is worth a visit and we hope that you enjoy it as well!!
Our entire visit at the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site took a little over an hour and a half and included the introductory film, the guided house tour as well as walking around the Lindenwald estate. It was a great use of our time.
3. Old Chatham Sheepherding Creamery
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By HudsonValGal - Hudson Valley (NY)
This sheep farm used to be a must-see place in Old Chatham, with buildings for pregnant sheep, milking sheep, and new born lambs, plus thousands of other sheep and their donkey shepherds in the outlying fields. But for at least three years, the 2000-head dairy herd has been living hundreds of miles away in the Finger Lakes. Their milk is trucked to the Old Chatham facility which maintains its creamery to produce the award winning Old Chatham cheeses. But there are no longer sheep in the pens, and for a while there were no animals at all. Now a flock of maybe thirty sheep and a young and older donkey are kept in the field close to the road, possibly as a come-on. On the premises there is a monitored self-serve case of cheese and yogurt for sale and a money slot. The buildings are attractive, but don't expect to see an operating farm with animals.
4. The Mac-Haydn Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 82 reviews
All Musicals, All Summer! Acclaimed professional theatre, presenting classic and contemporary musicals in a charming, unique theatre-in-the-round setting since 1969. Talented professional performers, wonderful singing, dazzling dancing, lots of laughs = exciting fun for all ages in standard favorite and delightful new musicals. Youngsters and parents alike giggle and gasp at original musicals for ‘children of all ages’. The audience says: "Wonderful entertainment", "Fabulous job!", "Love your shows", "…truly outstanding…Kudos!". Mid May through mid September.
Reviewed By NewYorkLime - New York
Second play here. Nice small*** venue. No bad seats. Good performances. Nice local spot. Theater needs a little sprucing/cleaning but nice plays.
5. Harvest Spirits
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 32 reviews
Our little distillery is a special place where the "lucky" apples go to become immortal, preserved forever in the form of our award-winning vodka, applejack and brandy. We established Harvest Spirits in 2007 in order to make the best use of our surplus apples, and in turn support our farming heritage and preserve agriculture in the Hudson Valley. Today, our thriving little distillery attracts visitors from far and wide with our acclaimed spirits, distilling over 600,000 lbs. of fruit per year. We buy locally grown fruit from farms across New York to produce many of our products as well.
Reviewed By Jeannene A - Hannacroix, New York
We were out for a ride and came across the farm stand. We went for fresh veggies and fruits and saw the sign for the distillery. In the crowd were some friends who told us they get all their vodka here. We walked over to...MoreWe're happy you enjoyed the vodka and look forward so seeing you and your camper back here soon. Happy trails!
6. Schodack Island State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By KMR96 - Springfield, Massachusetts
Our family (two teenage girls) went camping for the weekend at Schodack. We selected that campground because we were visiting someone in the area. We were very impressed with the campground. The staff at check in was pleasant and helpful. The one suggestion I have for the check in process was that we were only given a map, but there wasn't any information on it such as quiet hours or what time was check out. We fixed that by stopping by later that day and asked. You can buy firewood and ice from the check in office.
Our site was #33. There are two large loops - one creek side and one river side. You can't really see either creek or river from the camp sites, but if you have a boat there is a parking lot near the river loop so you can park your boat there if you want. Each site was large enough to have your camper and two cars or multiple tents. The center sites were pull throughs and could accommodate larger RVs. One side of the loop has 50 amp power and the other side does not. None of the sites had sewer or water. Spaced pretty evenly around the loop were water spigots so you just had to fill your tank before parking your camper. There was also a dump station near the entrance. The sites were sandy which made them soft (probably great for tent campers). The drawbacks were that our stakes for the awning were a challenge to get to stay in and we got sand in the camper everytime someone walked in. But both were not so bad. The sites also had fire rings, picnic tables and a metal poll that people were using to hang garbage bags or lanterns on.
The bathrooms were some of the best I've ever seen. They are new. Each had two showers (no charge). They were kept pretty clean. They also offered a family bathroom. Outside of the bathrooms was a book exchange and a bulletin board with area information.
On Fridays they have an open mike night and the fire dept. does a cookout. You can also walk/bike ride down to the river or the creek put in. There is a playground and picnic pavilions near the river. When we asked about things to do in the area, the pickings were slim. Albany is a short drive away. We ended up going there for the day and had no problem getting in or out on a Saturday.
The campers were very respectful of each other. While many had dogs with them, only one that we could hear barked much. The rest were well behaved. Quiet hours came and the place was quiet except for the traffic noises (minimum), the train (once in a while) and the rogue firecrackers (4th of July weekend). My daughters (remember - teenagers) complained about the birds in the early hours of the morning - and yes, they were loud, but that's part of nature!
The one draw back to the campground is the lack of things to do. If you don't have a water toy (canoe, Kayak, boat) then there really wasn't much to do in the immediate area. A ranger program would have been fun or a guided hike on the trail going around the park would be nice. There also isn't anywhere near by to go swimming. So if you're looking for a really nice campground and just a quiet weekend away or if you have a water craft this is the park for you.
We really enjoyed it and will go again.
7. S&S Farm Brewery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 7 reviews
S&S Brewery is located in beautiful upstate NY on a small family farm that has been owned and operated by the Sanford family since the 1800s. Over the years, the farm has evolved from a multi-faceted production farm to a dairy farm, and now, to a farm brewery. Our family frienly taproom is currently open on Friday night with live music and food vendors from 6-9:30pm and by special appointment.
Reviewed By hoosick - Hoosick, New York
I had never heard of the S&S Farm Brewery until a friend's band played there. It's an awesome addition to our new list of favorite haunts. Literally, a barn transformed into a tap room, the Farm Brewery has 9 uber-local beers on tap. We had the Farmhouse Ale and a nice lager. $5/pint. They don't have a kitchen but featuring a different food truck every week which means the menu never gets predictable. The crowd is decidedly laid back and easy going. Lots of Carhartts and denim. We were there on a very crowded night but thanks to outdoor spillover space, including lots of picnic tables thoughtfully decked out with blankets for chilly nights, nobody was complaining. There's nothing pretentious about the place which, in my book, makes it the perfect place to end the week. The crowd was a mix of mingling adults and young families with kids enjoying running around the farmyard.
8. Bronck Museum
Overall Ratings
5 based on 28 reviews
Three hundred year old historic (formerly working) farm.
Reviewed By catsnotkids - Albany, New York
Even if you have a passing interest in history, check out the Bronk Museum. It's a real gem. It includes the oldest existing house in New York State. Nearly 100 years older than most historical structures. Our tour guide was excellent. So knowledgeable and able to impart a lot of information in an interesting way. I feel like I learned a tremendous amount. Our tour was nearly 90 minutes, but my sense is that a regular tour is only about an hour. The grounds are also very nice. The $6 you will pay for a tour is a huge bargain. We have talked a lot about what we learned and really feel like we spent a worthwhile afternoon at the Bronk Museum. Highly recommend this place!
9. Samascott Orchards
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By M C - Troy, New York
I have been going here since I was a kid. Nice farm with lots of variety. We picked apples, pumpkins and all season strawberries, which were delicious. Reasonable prices (4 giant pumpkins, 2 bags of apples and a small basket of strawberries was $60).
10. Valatie Free Library
Overall Ratings
4 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By ScarlettO1 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
I was so happy to see this tiny house that was a town library, I thought it would be charming and being close to home, plenty of good reads ahead for me. The place is a mess, the books are all donated old and beaten up and when I was there, most of the books were in boxes and there was no appeal at all in staying there for a minute more.
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