Kingston (New York)

This is a smaller area of town than the other two historic districts, along a few blocks of West and East Chestnut Street (map here).

Featuring the waterfront onto the Rondout Creek and extending some ways uphill from there, this district comprises the historic downtown area of the city. It's full of 19th-century low-rise brick buildings that were related to industry and river shipping, as well as ornately decorated private houses and numerous churches. Quite a few of the churches and private houses have beautiful multi-colored tiled roofs. You could easily walk through this district for an hour or more, to see all the buildings and the waterfront.

Called "Uptown" by locals, this district, though smaller as an official historic district than Downtown, is probably the largest of the historic districts, though that could be difficult to say because there are also historic buildings interspersed with modern ones on streets such as Broadway in what locals call Midtown, begging the question of where Uptown stops and Midtown starts. Be that as it may, the Stockade District contains a larger quantity of ornate private houses than the historic downtown, plus Academy Green Park, the town green (bounded by Albany Avenue, Clinton Avenue and Maiden Lane), which features grand, larger-than-life statues of important personages for the European settlement and development of New York (explorer Henry Hudson; Governor of New York DeWitt Clinton; and Director-General of New Netherlands, Peter Stuyvesant). This is also the neighborhood that contains the 17th-century Old Dutch Church, the 18th-century Senate House, which functioned as New York State's first capitol, and the still functioning early 19th-century Federal-style Ulster County Courthouse where Sojourner Truth won a lawsuit that freed her son from slavery in Alabama. If you want to see some of the stone houses still standing, several of them are on Green Street. Seeing all of the historic houses and other buildings in this neighborhood in a single day by foot will take a while, but walking down several streets is itself rewarding.

Exhibits on the maritime history of the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the regional industries—such as agriculture, brick, and, before the advent of refrigeration, ice—that depended on the river for transportation. Also has collections of paintings and boats, documentation about the history and geography of the region, the Native American tribes and Euro-American people who have lived in the Hudson Valley, and information about international maritime travel and trade. Allow at least 45 minutes to look at artifacts and read and view videos of some of the documentation, more if you are a shipping enthusiast. Interesting and well worth visiting.

Memorial Day Weekend–Columbus Day, Sa, Su & holidays, noon–5PM. Trolley rides Sa & Su, May-October, from the museum to Kingston Point Park.

A heritage railroad.

90-minute Hudson River cruises are given aboard the Rip Van Winkle II. Tickets are usually non-refundable, but if they decide to sail during a thunderstorm or other severe weather, they are likely to make an exception and allow you a choice of a refund or exchange if you prefer. There is good narration about the lighthouses, mansions and other boats you'll see and the history of navigation and life on the river, and there are seats in shade on the upper deck, so along with the breezes you're likely to get on the river, it's a pleasant thing to do on a clear, hot day.

You really need a car to get to this cinema in a shopping mall, but once you get there, movies are quite inexpensive if you're used to New York City prices. As of July 2023, seats were $6 plus a $1.50 service charge for adults. The theaters are smallish but with comfortable seats, good picture and good sound.