Kingston Things to Do

The section of Wall Street between North Front St. and John St. has many colorful old world buildings with trendy shops and restaurants on the ground floor. A nice place to take a walk, shop and grab a bite to eat.

The Old Dutch Church is also known as the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston. This congregation is one of the oldest in the country, being organized in 1659. This church is the fourth to serve the congregation and was built is 1852. The church was constructed for only $34,000 and designed by Minard Lafever.

On the grounds of the church is a cemetery that predates the actual church. There are about 300 headstones with the earliest legible grave being from 1710. The most recent is 1832, unless you consider the monument to General George Clinton who served during the Revolutionary War, served as Governor of New York and Vice President to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Clinton was buried in Washington however his remains were moved to this site in 1908.

The building for the Academy was built in 1774. It was a place to study language, math and the arts. As all the buildings in this area were burned by the British in 1777, the Academy was not spared. But seeing the importance of the Academy, the community rebuilt the structure and it was only closed for 5 months.

Famed American Neoclassicist painter, John Vanderlyn studied at the Kingston Academy in the late 1780's. The building closed in 1830 and the Academy moved to Academy Green nearby.

This house was also built in 1752. The unique feature about the house is that is shows four different styles of construction. Ulster County acquired the property in 1914. In 1999 and excavation of the property unearthed approximately 20,000 artifacts.

It is also one of the "Four Corners" houses in the Stockade District.

Franz Roggen was a Swiss immigrant who built this Dutch style house in 1752. Not much is known about this house before the British burn Kingston in 1777. The Roggen house was gutted but the walls and main beams were all that remained.

It is between 1777 and 1800 that the Roggen House became infamous. The main beams that remained served as the gallows. Many people were hanged here during this time for various crimes. The beams remained as part of the reconstruction after 1800.

While I haven't discovered actual stories, the house is said to be haunted because of the gallows and the beams that remained.

The Jansen House was build by Dutch settlers in the mid-1600's. It's walls are 20" thick and a testament to period architecture. On October 16, 1777, the British Army attempted to burn this house down as they did many others in Kingston. While the interior was gutted, the sturdy exterior remained. In 1796, the house was refurbished and was the residence of local doctors that moved to Kingston. The house is also known as the "House of Doctor's"

In such a historic are such as the Stockade District of Kingston, I was surprised to find so much outdoor wall art. Fortunately, these pieces seem to be sanctioned and appear on newer buildings. At least newer relative to the common 17th century buildings that are in the area. I hope I can search out more on my next visit.

Photo 1: On Crown St. between North Front St and John St.

Photo 2: Same building as above but facing Crown St.

Photo 3: Same building above facing John St.

Photo 4: Opposite the building above facing John St.

Photo 5: On North Front St. facing the Original State building location.

The shortest interstate in the country (Interstate 571) is in Kingston. The logic of this escapes me. Broadway Avenue begins on the shore of the Hudson River in the Rondout Historic District, then it runs through the town of Kingston, becomes Interstate 571 for about 1/4 mile, then turns into New York Highway 28. City, the national, then state roads in less than 1/2 a mile. Confusing? Yes! It is neat, however, to say I have driven the shortest interstate in the US.

If you have the time, I highly reccommend taking one of the two hour site seeing tours offered by Hudson River Cruises. I last went July 1st of 2007 with Tony. I won our tickets froma radio station so it was free, but the regular cost is more than affordable, just $17 per adult for a 2 hour cruise. Children are a mere $10 and those under 4 are free. The senior rate is $16. There are a variety of other cruise choices for those who want something more than site seeing. There are the Murder Mystery tours, sip and sails, kiddie cruises etc., something for everyone.

Tony and I were on the annual Uncle Sam Jam tour. We were treated to a wonderful buffet full of goodies, a cash bar, music by Cloud 9 and Fireworks from the City of Kingston. It was a night to remember for a myriad of reasons, most specifically because it was the night Tony first told me he had fallen in love with me.

Off of Route 28 near Shokan take a left past
the plaza and near
two specialty shops,
After crossing the dam and taking
a left there is a turn-off
There is a place to park in a circle
and one can walk along the dam
and get this view of the
Northern Catskills

Location is south of Kingston off Route 9W
in Port Ewen, in the middle of the Hudson River.
There is a parking area and trails along the edge
of the river. Good place for a picnic and viewing boats that go by

Next to the mini zoo there is a wonderful play ground that will keep your children entertained for hours on end. This is a metal and wooden continuous structure. There are all sorts of nooks and crannie for children to crawl through, run through, jump through etc. On a good day, there will be no more than 15-20 other children there, but usually there's closer to 40. This playground has no problem occupying all those children at once.

The two things I don't like about this playground is that you can't see your child at all times and that there are no age recommendations posted. There isn't a single spot to stand or sit while here that enable you to have constant supvervision of your child. I do not suggest this playground for children under three since it does require a lot of supervision and most of the equipment is not age appropriate for very young children.

There are rest rooms available for public use and also drinking fountains.

When your child gets through playing here, they'll be ready for a long nap.

Located just a few blocks away from the Senate House is a wonderful park and zoo. The zoo is more like a petting zoo, but it is great for the really young children. They have several species of birds, a bull, coy fish, peacocks, goats, a bull, llamas, an albino deer and several other small animals. The zoo offers hands on activities for the little ones. The great thing is this zoo is free. In general the zoo closes at 5:00 PM. See the website for specific days and hours. This zoo is a work in progress and is under going an expansion.

The other day I was out and about exploring the light houses in the Hudson Valley and I came across this cute and interesting museum. This museum is the only museum in New York State dedicated exclusively to preserving the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and the industries dependent on the river. The museum was founded in 1980 by members of the "Steamship Alexander Hamilton Society", local historians and the National Maritime Historical Society. The museum is part of the Historic Rondout Waterfront at Kingston. Collections include paintings, prints, photographs and ephemera, vessel blueprints, artifacts, and a variety of ship models. There is also a collection of small crafts incluing a 100 year old shad boat, a life boat from the steamboat Mary Powell, a lighthouse tender, and several ice yachts. Researchers may use the on site library.

Hours are:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday
April 30 through October 31, 2005
11 am to 4 pm
Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Memorial Day — Museum closed
Independence Day — Museum closed
Labor Day — Museum closed

Admissions prices are:
Adults $5.00
Seniors 60 & over $4.00
Children 6 - 12 $4.00
Children 5 & under free
HRMM Members free

If you like scarey things, don't pass up this attraction. It is wonderful. The entire activity consists of a haunted hayride, a haunted corn maze and 3 haunted houses. The scares are mostly people popping out of no where, but there are actors who chase you around with chainsaws. My friend Francisca got so scared she jumped on me and knocked me down. They have a toned down version for the children once during the haunting season.

This is a general admission event and is pricey, $25.00 a ticket. On children's day the cost is $8.00 a ticket.

They also do not allow cameras on the night tours, only on the children's day tours.