5 Best Sights in Hudson Valley, New York

Sixty-three acres showcase the landscape design of Francis Cabot, founder of the Garden Conservancy. Display gardens span 12 of the acres, in settings ranging from rock cliffs and woodlands to placid pools and verdant lawns. Don't overlook the picture-perfect conservatory, where the winter garden includes trees and flowers native to South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

East of Cold Spring, in Carmel, the largest indoor statue of the Buddha in the Western Hemisphere resides at the Chuang Yen Monastery. Standing 37 feet tall, it is surrounded by 10,000 Buddha figurines on a lotus terrace in Great Buddha Hall.

Local historical memorabilia and changing exhibits fill this former 19th-century schoolhouse, once attended by children of West Point Foundry workers. A permanent installation and video chronicle the history of the foundry. Paintings, drawings, photographs, and other objects and artifacts round out the museum's collection.

Greek Revival architecture finds expression in this 1833 chapel atop a bluff facing the Hudson River. Passing sailors have long taken pleasure in the landmark, originally built to support the spiritual lives of West Point Foundry workers. Initially a Catholic church, the nondenominational chapel now hosts ecumenical services, weddings, and other events. The chapel has no set open hours, but the facade is worth a look, and the columned porch is a great place for river gazing.

The ruins of a 19th-century iron foundry stand here amid a babbling brook and 87 acres of preserved marshland and woodland. Scenic trails and interpretive features recount how the foundry once buzzed with activity as the original commercial hub of Cold Spring village. Its employees manufactured Civil War cannons, cannon balls, and guns, as well as cast-iron facades for SoHo warehouses and even the nation's first domestically made locomotive. Today there's also a replica of a historic gun platform. To get here from Main Street, turn south onto Kemble Avenue and take it to the end, proceed through the gate, turn left, and follow the path to the site. The preserve is accessible from the Cold Spring Metro-North train station.