Olana State Historic Site

"Fascinating restored home of the wealthy, eccentric landscape painter Frederick Church - of the Hudson School. Originally built in the 1870s, it was a Guilded Age family home where Frederick and his wife raised four children. He eventually relocated his studio here from New York City. The Victorian architecture incorporates many aesthetic motifs from Church’s travels in the Middle East. Owned and maintained by the State of New York since the late 1960s. Worth a visit and the $20 fee for a guided tour of the main floor. Ellen, our guide, was exceptional and captivating."

"I arrived too late in the day to do the tour, but I walked the grounds and cannot recommend doing so highly enough. The trails are well maintained, the landscape is gorgeous, and the car traffic is minimal. If you like trail running, this could be a good spot for that, too."

"We love the house and grounds. Our tour started outside and we walked a loop around the house along a beautiful trail with overlooks of the hudson river and back at the house. It was a great tour. The inside of the house is also wonderful with many interesting rooms."

"I purchased tickets online for The Artist-Designed Landscape tour and The Artist's House: Main Floor tour back-to-back. The landscape tour was a 1-mile walk around the house. It focused primarily on the landscape surrounding the house, and Frederic Church's intentions and purpose for designing the landscape as it is seen today. This place is unique, and unlike many of the historic homes I have visited. For one, the exterior is quite eccentric. You should take your time studying the painted flowers, colorful tiles, and golden hues of the exterior. All I need to say about the interior is WOW! The amount of chachkies and trinkets is overwhelming but in the most artistic and bohemian kind of way. It was truly amazing to see the Persian influence, and kind of refreshing. It was an eclectic space that you could tell was enjoyed and lived in, and I really loved seeing Church's artwork as well inside of the house. I highly recommend doing a tour inside the house if you haven't already! Recommendation: Despite being a nice prelude to the house tour, I think I could have gone without the walking tour. I recommend coming earlier than your house tour so that you have time to stroll the paths yourselves. You can have a nice picnic before the house tour, go bird-watching, or even enjoy the landscape by sitting on one of the twisted wood benches. I even saw someone painting a landscape! This is a great way to get a sense of the landscape at your own pace, and to also use some of the guided materials that are already provided to you without the walking tour."

"Cool place to stop by if you're in the area and enjoy architecture. Tours are offered here but I did not take one as I had another place to be. Just walked the grounds (free) and visited the gift shop. Bathrooms on site."