Hip Hudson has emerged as one of upstate New York’s coolest destinations in recent years, brimming with trendy cafés and eateries, antique shops and innovative galleries. A magnet for New Yorkers looking to escape the city for the weekend, Hudson offers a broad range of accommodation options — from simple self-catering apartments to characterful luxury hotels. Our pick of the best places to stay in Hudson includes a restored heritage property with a funky retro vibe and a buzzing restaurant specialising in laid-back brunches.
Since its recent revival (catalysed by LGBT New Yorkers making the most of the area’s affordable house prices), Hudson is booming as a hub of creativity, home to a well-heeled artistic crowd. Whilst gentrification has updated much of the city centre, a stroll through the outskirts of town is a reminder of Hudson’s industrial origins as a thriving port for whalers and merchants. A trip to the carefully preserved Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, out on the Hudson River, is a brilliant way to reconnect with the city’s trading past. Other sites of interest include the FASNY Museum of Firefighting and the imposing Olana Mansion, a Hudson Valley gem designed by landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church.
Back in the heart of Hudson, Warren street is lined with quirky vintage shops, swish galleries and top-notch restaurants. There’s great local produce at the Saturday farmers’ market, ample opportunities to marvel at artwork and interior design, as well as a lively programme of annual events at Hudson Hall, a heritage arts venue. Don’t miss the Hudson Music Festival, an intimate musical extravaganza which takes place every September, or the array of fabulous foodie festivals happening throughout the year.
Whether you’re eager to admire artwork, catch some live music, cycle around the city, or eat and drink to your heart’s content, Hudson is all geared up to delight. Lovely during the long summers, but wonderfully cosy in the picturesque autumn and winter months, the best places to stay in Hudson promise an enticing fusion of the city’s industrial origions and its creative twenty-first-century community.