Storm King – The largest OUTDOOR sculpture collection in the U.S. at an hour from NYC!

I really love going upstate during autumn. The colors, the trees, the fresh air and how it helps you decompress…  I am constantly looking for new interesting places surrounded by nature. Recently, I heard about Storm King from my sweet colleague Alice and I became immediately curious.

The biggest collection of outdoor contemporaneous sculptures in the U.S.? And it is only 1.20h from NY? I had to give it a try and the trip clearly exceeded my expectations!

If you are looking for a quick getaway where you can get a little of everything in one day, I know no better place than this. Indeed, it’s especially nice during autumn so what are you waiting for?

Here is what I did and all the intel I was able to gather. I hope you find it useful!

Storm King one-day getaway in a Nutshell

Buy a roundtrip bus ticket that includes the entry fee to Storm King Art Center (see how to get there for other options), depart from Port Authority and get to Storm King in 1.20h. Next, check out some really cool sculptures that are all set in the middle one of the nicest landscapes you can find upstate. Walk all over the art center, grab a bite in one of the two cafés that are located there and head back to NY after an intense and amazing cultural day out in nature.

The details

So what is Storm King?

Storm King Art Center is a 500-acre (200 hectares) outdoor museum located in Hudson Valley. The museum contains large-scale sculptures under the open sky. It was named after its proximity to Storm King Mountain.

It was founded in 1960 by Ralph Ogden as paintings museum with some small sculptures around its main building. With time, the collection started expanding out into the landscape, of which the sculptures became an integral part.

Storm King has now a stellar collection of large-scale sculptures, which are complemented with annual exhibitions and loans from other art centers. Changing exhibitions, programming and seasons offer new things to discover in every visit.

When should I go to Storm King?

Storm King Art Center is open through December 9.

The schedule is 10 am to 5.30pm until October 31. Then, 10 am to 4.30pm from November 1 through December 9.

Admission tickets cost $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $8 for kids and students (5-18) and free for children under 4.

See link with all the details: Link

What can I see in Storm King?

Storm King Art Center is divided into four different sections (add map link). Each area contains dozens of sculptures and pieces of art. The sections and the highlights of each section are the following (Link to map):

• Museum Hill: this is possibly the coolest area. Highlights are the famous Mirror Fence, Huma Bhabha and Five Swords.

This section is also where the visitor center and the museum store are located. It contains permanent collection works by Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, and David Smith.

• Meadows: this is the smallest area. Check Iliad from Alexander Liberman and The Arch from Alexander Calder.

• North Woods: Three-Fold Manifestation II, Mahatma and Easter Island Head (loved this one).

• South Fields: Zhang Huan (really cool), Pyramidian and the Storm King Wall.

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On top of the above, there was a LED highway message sign, which said: “We are the Asteroid”. While the sign was definitely not impressive, the message made me reflect deeply.

How to get around Storm King?

My personal preference is walking. You can enjoy the views, the pieces of art and walk around as you desire. Overall, the terrain is not too steep so it is quite easy to navigate by foot. There are various walking paths and wooded trails, which are clearly marked. It is also possible to walk along the open fields.

Another good option is to rent a bike. Bikes are first-come-first-serve so you can’t bring your own.

There are also trams for visitors that you can board and exit in several designated stops. I didn’t like this option too much but I guess that if you are going with old people or kids it may make sense.

Also, don’t worry! There are several restrooms around the area. They may not be the nicest ones but they are functional.

Where should I eat in Storm King?

Quite frankly, the options are not great inside the Art Center. There are 3 different options:

1. Storm King-café is an open-air pavilion that serves sandwiches, soups, salads, snacks and a pretty decent Chile con Carne.
2. Café Cart for light snacks, sandwiches and that type of stuff.
3. Food Truck serves tacos, quesadillas, other snacks, ice cream, and drinks.

If you came by car, there are a ton of options in the nearby towns like Beacon and Cold Spring. There is a town called Cornwall very close. While I didn’t have the chance to visit this town, it looks very nice and there are several taverns, restaurants, and shops.

See our post on Beacon: Beacon – Perfect one-day getaway from NYC

See our post on Cold Spring: Cold Spring – Hiking, Oktoberfest, steak and red wine… What else do you need?

See our post on Breakneck Ridge: Breakneck Ridge – Possibly the coolest hike around NYC

How do I get to Storm King?

There are three options to get there.

1. Rent a car and get there in a little over an hour (Google Maps link)
2. Take a bus from Port Authority in NYC directly to Storm King for a total price of $48. This options operates through December and works every day except for Tuesdays. Travel time is 1.20h and it departs 10 am from NYC and at 5 pm from Strom King back to NYC. The tickets include the access fee to Storm King (Link)
3. Take the Metro North from Grand Central to Beacon and then take the shuttle (Shuttle and Admission tickets) from Beacon to Storm King for a total cost of $60 (Link).
   1. In this option, you can always take an Uber from Beacon to Storm King. However, it takes about 20 minutes and especially on the way back, you may not found an Uber.

If you have a car or car rent one, that’s possibly the best option. However, most of us living in NYC don’t own cars and renting for a single day in a convenient location for an affordable price is not always easy. If that’s your case, after careful consideration, I decided to go for option 2 (Port Authority bus).