Hudson River Maritime Museum
Hudson River Maritime Museum
Hudson River Maritime Museum
4.5
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Tour Hudson River Lighthouses aboard SOLARIS- Our 100% Solar Powered Tour Boat! Take a sailing lesson at our Sailing School. Take a class our Wooden Boat School. Check out our variety of beautiful spaces for events that include boat tours. 2022 Exhibits - "A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River": examines the long history of sailing cargo vessels on the Hudson River, from the 17th century until their decline in the mid-20th century, and how the lessons of that era might help us combat the challenges of climate change in the 21st century. "Warning Signs: Climate Change in the Hudson Valley" Exhibit This new permanent exhibit at the Hudson River Maritime Museum examines the science and history behind climate change and how it has affected and will continue to affect the Hudson River Valley. "Rescuing the River: 50 Years of Environmental Activism on the Hudson" Tracing the roles of individuals and organizations in the environmental movement in NY.
Kingston, New York
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
185 reviews
Excellent
97
Very good
76
Average
11
Poor
1
Terrible
0
ordinarytraveller1
5 contributions
Aug 2022
We took a lighthouse tour on the Solaris that was so brilliant we booked another one! The first trip took us out to the Rondout Lighthouse. The boat trip itself was beautiful, and our guides were friendly, funny and knowledgeable about the river's history. Their love of the region & for the environment was palpable. Next, we went on an early morning birding tour with an expert who lent us his fancy specialist binoculars. We saw bald eagles, ospreys, cormorants, blue herons, and many more. Booking a tour on the Solaris means you get free entry to the spellbinding Museum, and we ended up spending the whole day. The boat tour changed what I thought about the river in general and lighthouse living in particular. I didn't realize that little slice of water had so much history, and such environmental significance. Frankly, I think the price is a real bargain, as you get hours of entertainment and a unique experience. Highly recommend.
Written September 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much!!
Written October 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Justin W
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ7,015 contributions
Jul 2023
I spent the afternoon today walking through the Kingston Maritime Museum and it is really an interesting look at the history of the shipping and pleasure boat industries up and down the Hudson River. They have displays on tugboats, ferries, the steamboat industry and the fishing industry.
There are also displays on the manufacturing industries of ice foresting, the brick industry and the ship building industry. There is an unique display on ship models towards the back and there is a real tug boat just outside the museum. There is a display on the Erie Canal and its development and it changed all of New York State.
The museum also runs river cruises and you can experience a sunset cruise, tour of the lighthouses or just a trip to tour the Hudson River. There is something for everyone at this museum.
It is great for kids.
There are also displays on the manufacturing industries of ice foresting, the brick industry and the ship building industry. There is an unique display on ship models towards the back and there is a real tug boat just outside the museum. There is a display on the Erie Canal and its development and it changed all of New York State.
The museum also runs river cruises and you can experience a sunset cruise, tour of the lighthouses or just a trip to tour the Hudson River. There is something for everyone at this museum.
It is great for kids.
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NancyMonterey
Monterey36 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Our trip was very leisurely and the guide was extremely informative. We only went a short distance....just to the mouth of the Rondout Creek where it branches off from the Hudson River. We were able to climb up in to the Rondout Lighthouse and the guide gave us a running commentary about all aspects of the lighthouse. Very interesting.
Written October 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonnie M
Woodstock, NY1 contribution
Jul 2023
In addition to visiting the good museum, we too a boat tour. This was a lovely excursion. The boat, the Solaris, was built at the Maritime Museum and is fully solar-powered. It is SO quiet and that is such a peaceful thing, being out on the water with no motor sound! The landscape is lovely and it is a pleasant ride. We chose a tour that provided history around the Lenape Indians and their history in the area, the neighboring friends and foes. It was very informative and interesting and I learned many things I did not know! I highly recommend taking one of the several different tours they offer on the Solaris.
Written July 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan M
Corpus Christi, TX243 contributions
Oct 2022
My daughter and I were on our way back home when we took a detour to Kingston. Since we are museum-goers, we headed to the Maritime Museum. My daughter noticed that the lighthouse tour was beginning shortly, so we signed up. What a wonderful two hours we had! We basically started with the lighthouse tour. Had a very pleasant boat ride out and loved the tour. Back at the museum we had a wonderful (and informative) time browsing in the museum which was larger than we thought. Definitely worth planning a visit here!
Written October 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeana P
Raleigh763 contributions
Aug 2023
Lots of great information and I learned a lot about boating history in general as well as history specific to the area. We did not take the boat ride on the Hudson. The museum is larger than it first appears so you could spend quite a bit of time here if you wanted to read literally everything. Some of the audio displays were not working when we were there. Small gift shop with books, children’s items and crafts from local artisans. Entrance fee is very reasonable- so, worth a stop.
Written August 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacqui F
London, UK310 contributions
Sep 2019
We visited this great museum because we read somewhere that they had a lighthouse tour and decided to sign up. If you arrive by car, there’s parking right outside, but you have to pay for it at a meter. Across the road there's some free parking. The lighthouse tour goes from a landing stage at the back of the museum. It’s worth visiting the museum restrooms before you set off, since there are no toilets en route. The trip out takes just a few minutes on a solar-powered boat. The lighthouse itself is fascinating and we were lucky enough to have an excellent docent tour guide show us around. The building has been left as it was when it was last occupied; so it's very atmospheric, if a little spidery. At the top of the building a small ladder leads up to the lantern, which now houses automated lights which are also solar-powered. The tour price ($25 for adults and $20 for kids) includes entry to the museum itself, and the exhibits give a comprehensive history of the Hudson and New York City; and Kingston’s place in the scheme of things.
Written March 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So happy you enjoyed the day! Thanks for visiting!
Written July 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cavertoo
Grand Rapids, MI80 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
My interest piqued by the novel “A Catskill Journey”, I was excited to visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum. The museum does an excellent presentation of the history of the Hudson River and its importance beyond the local communities. The early natives, commercial fishing, large steamships, brick industries, bluestone distribution and more are all well explained. The models room of the ships is worth admission alone. I took the “Wrecked and Abandoned Ship Tour” tour on the solar powered “Solaris”. The staff was very knowledgeable and interesting. As others have noted, it is also a pleasure to move silently in the water. I recommend taking the time to visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane C
3 contributions
Sep 2020
We spent yesterday afternoon at the Hudson River Maritime Museum -admission was included as part of the Fall Foliage boat tour aboard the Solaris that we had booked. The museum is a fascinating look at life along the river In bygone years right up to today’s ecological/environmental efforts in place. There are many artifacts that transpose one back in time. We then set sail on the solar powered boat for a trip down Rondout Creek where we saw several examples of the area’s insutry from tugboats in dry dock for repairs, a barge being towed out of the water on air pontoons, and an example of an old lock along the river. Captain John and crew-mate Tanya were very knowledgeable about the area and seemed happy to answer any of our questions in a fun and friendly manner. The ride was very smooth and quiet and the scenery was beautiful. There is plenty of room on the boat for social distancing and it was immaculate so no worries there.
Written September 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you!
Written December 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ChrisH
Frederick, MD550 contributions
Aug 2022
Two seniors visited this museum on a Sunday in late August and had a wonderful time. The museum is small but the exhibits are packed full of information if you like to read the details (which we do). We spent about four hours in the actual museum learning about the Erie Canal, the Hudson River history from Henry Hudson through to this century, the ships that used to tour the river and much more. We also took the Rondout Lighthouse tour for about 1 ¼ hours. This is the only way to actually tour the lighthouse as the museum has an agreement with the Coast Guard. We were able to see the entire inside of the lighthouse and climb to the top and walk around outside the lens housing. Never been able to do that before in any other lighthouse tour. Of course, the lighthouse is fully automated now but still in service. The town of Kingston looked very interesting also, as we walked about for a while after the museum closed. There is a small municipal parking lot across the street from the museum and metered street parking (free on Sundays). Many restaurants are available within walking distance. There is even the Trolley Museum of New York across the street that was giving trolley rides while we were there.
Written August 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much!
Written October 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Are you running tours this year to the Roudout Lighthouse? Love lighthouses and would like to get a schedule if you are running the tours. Will be in Kingston on Friday May 22. Thank you in advance for your time and information.
Written May 17, 2015
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June Lighthouse Tours
JUNE 27-28. Join us for Rondout Lighthouse tours on Hudson River Day and a Two Lighthouse Tour with Rondout and Esopus Meadows Lighthouses and a boxed lunch. Book your Rondout Lighthouse tour and Two Lighthouse Tour today. Advanced tickets strongly recommended as seating is limited.
Written June 14, 2015
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