Page 57 - Westchester - 2017 Relocation Guide

To See and Do
ARTS & RECREATION
You don’t need to head to New York City for arts, culture, and recreation. There are plenty of wonderful things to see, do, and experience right here in the culturally rich Hudson Valley. Popular events like the Clear- water Music Festival in Westchester’s Croton-on-Hudson each June and the New York Renaissance Faire in Orange County’s Tuxedo Park in August and September are just two examples of what the Hudson Valley has to offer. Here, art, concerts, festivals, theater, and events abound all year long.
ART MUSEUMS
Westchester is home to a number of muse- ums appealing to a variety of tastes. Purchase’s Neuberger Museum of Art, which focuses on contemporary and African art, changes its exhibits regularly. Peekskill, which is a hub for and home to a growing number of artists, reg- ularly invites guests to visit the studios of the artists; watch for the Open Studio schedule in the spring. Peekskill is also home to the Hud- son Valley Center for Contemporary Art, which often hosts new artists’ work for long- term installments.
North Salem blends art with its gardens at the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, while Yonkers joins its art with the constellations at the Hudson Riv- er Museum’s planetarium. Appreciating the Hudson and its valley through art is a tradition that goes back centuries — the Hudson River Museum includes a myriad of such art.
Don’t miss out on some of the smaller museums with truly unique offerings, such
The Hudson River Museum’s planetarium in Yonkers is one of the county’s biggest draws.
as the Katonah Museum of Art, which has exhibitions that explore ideas about art, cul- ture, and society, both past and present.
Yonkers has become an arts mecca in re- cent decades, especially with the 170,000 sq. ft. carpet-weaving building on Nepper- han Avenue, which serves as the epicen- ter of an artists’ district in Yonkers. The eclectic collection of creative tenants in this building includes artists, antiques deal- ers, vintage-clothing companies, costume companies, set designers, staging/home- furnishing companies, sculptors, piano re- storers, Hollywood motion-picture compa- nies, and TV studios. Originally the idea of Randolph Rose, an artist in his own right, the artists’ district is now referred to as the Carpet Mills Arts District (CMAD). With more than 1.5 million sq. ft. available from a coalition of 11 landlords in the Nepperhan Valley section of Yonkers, this revitaliza- tion project has become a reality. With the relaunch of the historic Worsted Building, there will be a large-enough footprint to
The Garner Arts Center, Garnerville
house more artists and potentially include a professional school.
The Garner Arts Center, located in Gar- nerville (Rockland County), is known for its visual and performing art. Attracting nearly 5,000 visitors, the Center’s annual Arts Fes- tival includes exhibitions, a singer-song- writer showcase, a crafts bazaar, children’s workshops, and more. The Storm King Art Center in New Windsor (Orange County) takes advantage of its 500-acre scenic land- scape, displaying more than 100 unique sculptures on its rolling grounds.
EVENTS
The Westchester County Center, Ken- sico Dam, Bear Mountain Park, West Point — wherever you go, events are at the ready. Whether you are interested in concerts, car shows, festivals, cultural celebrations, or performances with Broadway veterans, you can find it all right in the Hudson Valley. The Caramoor Summer Festival brings beauti- ful music to Katonah at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts all summer long. Mu- sic permeates its Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Rosen House Music Room, and Caramoor gardens.
Firemen’s parades are traditions in many of the towns and villages. Salute your local scouts; check out the fire trucks of today and yesteryear; and enjoy music from local bands.
Fall foliage here brings visitors from around the world, beginning each year in mid-September. Walk the Appalachian Trail or drive along one of the popular roadways, including Orange County’s Inter- state 84 West from Middletown; Route 6 in Port Jervis; and Seven Lakes Drive, which leads to amazing views in both Bear Moun- tain and Harriman State Parks. Holidays bring their own traditions. For example, on Thanksgiving Day, the Rockland Road
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