New Paltz brings together the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, Huguenot history, art, and independent shops. This offers several focal points for planning your trip: getting active on a longer route, taking historical tours, visiting an art museum with permanent and temporary exhibitions, or exploring a shopping village. If you’re looking for a hotel in New Paltz, you can start by considering which of these aspects you’d like to shape your stay.
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail section begins in New Paltz and runs 13 miles north. The route’s length gives you a concrete point of reference for deciding how much time to set aside for outdoor activity in your day’s plans. The trail has a stone-dust surface and is suitable for walkers and cyclists of all ages and abilities. Check the surface conditions before your visit. The 13 miles indicate the route’s length, not how long a trip will take.
Huguenot History in New Paltz
On tours of Historic Huguenot Street, you can explore the multicultural history of a unique American settlement now known as New Paltz, New York. Historic Huguenot Street is a National Historic Landmark District with seven distinctive stone houses dating to the early 18th century. The reconstructed 1717 French Church conveys the multicultural beginnings of the Hudson Valley and the history of the persecution of Huguenots in France. In this way, the settlement’s history and the Hudson Valley’s beginnings connect with the story of Huguenot persecution in France.
Art Collection and Temporary Exhibitions
The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz has more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space across six galleries. Its permanent collection includes more than 6,000 works of art from around the world, spanning more than 4,000 years. The number and size of the galleries describe the physical setting, while the collection’s origins and time span show its breadth. The temporary exhibition program includes exhibitions, installations, and projects by internationally recognized artists, as well as annual thematic exhibitions by artists from the region. This brings together a long-term collection and a temporary program featuring international projects and regional themes.
Water Street Market
Water Street Market is a European-inspired shopping village in New Paltz with independently operated shops. Unlike tours or galleries, its focus is on independent shops. If you’d like to add a shopping trip to your travel plans alongside art, history, or outdoor activities, the market offers another facet of the town.
Discover more destinations: Saugerties, Shandaken, High Falls, Lake Katrine, Boiceville, Highland, Phoenicia, Kingston
For the main travel overview: Ulster.
