Editor's Picks: Summer Activities In Hudson Valley

RYE, NY — There's a wealth to do in the Hudson Valley any time of year, but especially so in the summer. From the beauty of the Sound Shore to the Catskill Mountains, you can literally get in your car, go in any direction and find something wonderful to experience.

To start off our suggestions, there's Rye's Playland Park, the Westchester County-owned amusement park.

Now there's more than fun, rides and food, because on Wednesday, the first art installation in more than five decades was unveiled on the Playland Boardwalk.

County Executive George Latimer said that, to him, nothing says summer like a stroll down the Playland Boardwalk.

"And I am so thrilled that young, inspired artists will be breathing new life into space that has been left vacant for decades," he said.

The new exhibit, called the Floating Forest, was created by Tatjana Kunst, and was selected out of a group of 54 submissions made by artists and arts groups to ArtsWestchester, Westchester County and the Westchester Parks Foundation.

The Floating Forest is made of ceramic jellyfish suspended from the ceiling at varying heights with lights cast down upon them, creating an engaging an interactive piece that both adults and children alike can enjoy, according to a county spokesperson.

The exhibit will fill up a storefront space in the south bathhouse that has been unoccupied for a decade. It will remain up for the rest of the summer, officials said.

Next, if your car is heading toward the mid-Hudson Valley, there is a 10-year-old state park that is like no other: a 1.28-mile linear park called the Walkway Over the Hudson.

The Walkway has seen more than 5 million visitors since the fire-damaged railroad bridge was repurposed and opened to the public.

Don't worry if walking long distances is daunting. There's a glassed-in elevator that whisks people from the Poughkeepsie waterfront to the bridge.

For more, read One Tank Adventure: Walkway Over the Hudson for more information.

While you are in the neighborhood, stop by the FDR National Historic Site and take a tour of the former president's home — Springwood. It will be closing for renovations in April and won't reopen until November 2020.

Read FDR's Springwood To Close For Part Of 2020 for more details.

Did we mention places to swim? The Hudson Valley has many beaches, lakes and streams where you can cool down as the temperature rises.

Here is a list with links to more information:

Mid-Hudson Valley

• Kingston Point Beach, Delaware Avenue, Kingston
• Lake Minnewaska 5281 Route 44 55, Kerhonkson
• Lake Superior State Park, 342 Dr Duggan Rd, Bethel
• Thomas P. Morahan Waterfront Park, Greenwood Lake, end of Windermere Ave, Warwick
• Taconic State Park, 253 NY-344, Copake Falls

Westchester

• Glen Island Park, Weyman Avenue, New Rochelle
• Croton Point Park Beach, 1A Croton Point Avenue, Croton-on-Hudson
• Rye Town Park and Beach, 95 Dearborn Ave, Rye
• Harbor Island Park, Mamaroneck Avenue and Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck

Rockland

• Nyack Beach State Park, 698 N. Broadway, Upper Nyack
• Lake Welch Beach, 800 Kanawaukee Road, Stony Point
• Lake Tiorati Beach, 3200 Seven Lakes Drive, Southfields

Putnam

• Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, 1798 Route 301, Carmel

Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.