I came here on a nice spring day for a walk and was so pleasantly surprised! This is a gorgeous…read morepark! It has a few trails which are fine for beginners and very enjoyable. So many great views here! There are several picnic tables throughout so it would be nice for a picnic or lunch with a view. The history of the lighthouse was so interesting and fun to learn about. This was such a peaceful and relaxing spot. Great for a mental break! There are 2 parking lots that are on the smaller side. One for the Esopus Meadows Preserve and another for the Lighthouse Park, but the parks are connected, literally a 30 second walk, so park wherever you find a spot!

Lighthouse park itself seemed to be overflowing with trash, unfortunately. The parking lot there is…read moresmall, but there is ample parking at the preserve parking lot. The trails were great, well-marked, and well-kept. Saw a big rat snake, and there were some giant fish splashing around. My son enjoyed the Phrenology trail and learning about the plants.

Visiting Kingston for the weekend and it's so lovely in the Fall! Highly recommend buying tickets…read morefor the Hudson River Cruises and sailing along the Hudson, so pretty!

Folk House collective is a great example of interesting works a collection of artworks that have a…read moreunique style!

I think there were more seagulls here today than people. And that's pretty crazy, because this park…read morewas incredibly crowded today as well, including several very large groups having some kind of party (maybe that's what attracted the gulls?). I'd say 90% of the picnic tables were full. If you're practicing social distancing, it might be tough here on a day like this, especially since all the folks in the large groups were evidently comfortable around each other. It is a nice spot for a picnic, and there's a few places for other activity, such as the basketball court. It's possible that it was very crowded today, even though it was overcast and not with a lot of fall foliage yet, because it was probably the last warm weekend for a while in this area. You do get a nice view of the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge, and you'll eventually see some nice foliage in a few weeks (from the time I wrote this).

Beautiful peaceful park to visit and enjoy. Opens to public May 1st. Beautiful views of Hudson…read moreRiver. 5stars

Although the zoo has little to see, this park across the alleyway from the automobile entrance…read morereally is great for anyone who wants to meetup with friends. On-top of the humungous playset they have for the kiddos (that tends to be the "talk of the town" by many who come here), they also have a bunch of tables located on a patio set and quite a bit of grass. And sometimes that can be great if you come and find out that the zoo isn't really that interesting and want to do something else. I came to this park in mid-June despite many other times, and was astounded by the abundance of "life" here. I saw birthday parties being held along with school groups holding an "activity day" here as well as this past day people were enjoying the sun and getting out and enjoying the lovely weather (as bad as the weather has been with all this rain we've had, today was rather pleasant). I had seen more than ample enough people sitting on the grass and talking to others amongst the sea of other people rambling about this place trying to find an enjoyable space to sit tight. I've known about this park for years now, but I do rarely go because I'm not from Kingston. I occasionally pop in, but I actually had a few minutes to stop by, and since I was nearby at the time (at the Emergency One with my g'mother), I'd thought I'd stop in and see what's cooking.

The Staastsburgh Estate grounds are simply beautiful, expansive and extremely well maintained. The…read morelong canopied tree-lined paved driveway winds its way up to the mansion and down to and along the Hudson River. There is a smaller unpaved road that leads to the carriage house and around to several gardens and eventually up to the front entry way of the mansion. We didn't go inside as we had spent 40 minutes walking the grounds but plan to do so on a future visit.

A Wedding at Mills Mansion, Staatsburg, NY…read more There are places where history doesn't just exist--it breathes. Mills Mansion at the Staatsburg State Historic Site is one of them. Perched above the Hudson River, surrounded by sweeping lawns and timeless architecture, the scenery holds a quiet grandeur that makes every wedding feel both intimate and monumental. I had the privilege of photographing a wedding there, and it was an experience that will stay with me for a long time. The mansion itself feels cinematic in scale, yet human in its warmth. Inside, sunlight drifts through tall windows, painting slow-moving patterns across the floor. Outside, the wind off the river carries laughter down the terrace steps, mingling with the rustle of old trees and the faint hum of the day. It's a space that invites stillness and awe all at once--a perfect stage for love stories that feel like they've been unfolding for generations. This is undoubtedly on my list of top 10 places to get married in the Hudson Valley. I love it here.

When you factor in just the nearest park setting, this park tends to be a little small - with few…read morebenches. But when you factor in the expansive area just outside the park - this waterfront park can be huge. It's centerpiece is it's monument dedicated to kingston members of the armed forces who've risked their lives and died - found at the corner nearest the waterfront bathrooms near the Rip Van Winkle boat. I myself have found the ability to feed the birds and ducks that go by here often. It can be so serene and these poultry know it. You can often find electric fish coming up from the water below to catch food floating on the water's surface. Then you add in the few benches that exist, and you will get a park. It's gotten worse over the years. Many years ago, there used to be live bands playing on the stages, but it seems like they've all be told to find other gigs elsewhere. A person who sits on the benches, will sometimes hear the soundtrack from what's inuse at Mariners Harbor nearby, but this isn't even the best. There's little - if any - parking existing for this park that is free. You either have to pay for sidewalk-like parking, or you can go into the lot (which often is full of cars from the Landing added to the cars from the nearby businesses), or if you see a non-handicap spot nearest the Rip Van Winkle boat (isn't often), you can take one there. Your best bet is to park somewhere else in Kingston and Uber-down to the park (or Uber to Mariners Harbor and walk). I don't come down here that often, if it isn't for some peace and quiet in busy times, but it can be a necessary place at times.

Boats creeks and…read moreplaques T.R, Gallo Park was developed in 1984 and renovated and expanded in the years since then. Not a very large park but it is connected to a river walk so it's possible to walk for several miles along the water. The park is located on Roundout Creek and has nice views of the water and boats at the marina. You can even see a couple of very cool lighthouses if you really try. The park has a nice gazebo, picnic tables, benches and a memorial to all those brave souls that have been lost at sea. Lots of events are held at the park in the warm months and there is even a little place to launch kayaks and other small craft. Not a large park but one in a great location. A great use of the open space down by the marina and water.

Clean, obviously taken care of. Bumped into a few dog parents on my various visits with my own pup…read more Very chill and peaceful sloping park.

A park with…read morechurches Cornell Park is a small park named after Thomas Cornell, a very wealthy resident of Kingston that made much of his money running a steamboat company. He lived next to the park so I assume he donated the land. The park is situated on a small hill so it has nice views of the surrounding area. One of the impressive things about the park is all the cool, old and weird churches nearby. One part of the park is dedicated to veterans that served in various wars and the rest of the park is open spaces where kids can run up and down the hills. Unfortunately much of the park seems pretty neglected and in need of care. There are benches but they seem in pretty sorry shape and it definitely has a feel of somewhere I wouldn't want to be after dark. But it is a nice enough park in the daytime and the views from the top of the hill and of the old churches make it a nice place for a quick stop.

Fantastic local playground, situated down off Rhinecliff Rd and minutes from the center of town…read more Fenced in area with expansive playground area with plenty of open space for children 5-12 to run around. Benches surround the playground with an open pavilion nearby with picnic tables and a parking lot area.

This is a nice easy set of trails, flat or gentle hills. The forest and grassland areas are quite…read morenice. For the most part, the trails are well maintained, although I do think the trail markings/signage could be clearer. I started at the kiosk trail head and the first turnoff for the trail can be easy to miss(in fact, I did.) The initial part of the trail is nice dark gravel, but it veers into a field where the trail is just a mown path and the sign for the turnoff is an unassuming post with orange and green squares on it tucked back into the growth. Also at one point off the blue loop, I ended up in a strange area with farm equipment with a sign posted about private property. So I turned back to the loop. I never even saw how to get to the white or red trails. So what I saw was nice but I'd like to come back and try to find what I missed. Maybe I'm just hopelessly directionally challenged. I did take a picture of the map at the trailhead but still found parts confusing. I saw a fox following the paths several times, which was pretty exciting:) There was a pool, playground and community garden but I didn't really check those out.

This is a beautiful park with lots of clearly marked trails. The lake views are wonderful and the…read moretrails we chose to take with our pup were a good level for her. There was lots of wildlife- deer tracks everywhere, a few raccoon prints and we even saw a woodpecker! There isn't too much parking so I suggest showing up early :). All in all highly highly recommend. If we come back we may even consider ice fishing!

This is an awesome park with all levels of hiking trails. A few trails top out with amazing lookout…read morepoints with views of the hudson river. Another less challenging hike goes around a nice pond and the most challenging has an offshoot to a waterfall. The trails are well kept and well signed and there is a nice map in the parking area. Plenty of parking at both upper and lower lot. Lots of wildlife and dog friendly. So lucky to have this nearby!

This a a fantastic area to camp in, there are SO MANY things you can do in the neighborhood…read more(Vanderbilt mansion, CIA, Roosevelt presidential library and museum, orchards and farms, walkway over the Hudson). In terms of the campground, the bathrooms and showers are great. The actual campsite are way too close together and there are these little seed pod things that get everywhere and are harmless, but kind of suck anyway.

Well well, Norrie State Park was the first discovery for me when I was on a field trip during my…read morehigh school career when we visited the Norrie Point Environmental Center. This review is going toward the hiking me and my friend experienced, and it was a good one. We parked at the closet entrance, which is on the left. We took the blue trail which is 4.59 miles to exist (making it the longest trail). Some of the markers along the way are not clearly marked as we ended up going the wrong way, making it confusing. One of the blue markers on a tree was facing at the wrong angle. We then figured it out later on thankfully, as we saw the marker up ahead. With me being good with maps and getting around, we ended up going off the path onto the main road to the Hudson River close up. There are a couple of spaces for parking. We got back on the blue trail as it did a big loop and got on the red trail for a bit, until reaching the main road and followed that to the parking lot where we parked. There are multiple trails along the way to take in, as the white trail, according to the map follows the river, which looks appealing. That will be for another visit. To keep life simple, there should be more maps provided along with updated signage for trail colors, which will then bring up my rating.