The lush grounds at the Olana State Historic Site include a historic house, museum and property located in Greenport near Hudson.

The atmosphere at Olana is one of just consistent peace and beauty,” said Sean Sawyer, president of The Olana Partnership.

The 250 acres were once the home of the famous 19th century American artist Frederic Church.

“He was an amazing prodigy of landscape painting, so [to] the Hudson River School of landscape painting, he is known as the sort of most well-known member,” said Sawyer.

Where the site was once an uninspiring land, Church spent years having the property that captured his artist heart at a young age landscaped with his personal design.

“At 19, he was here at Olana. We have a sketch that he did from this place, capturing the view of the Hudson River and the amazing Catskills,” said Sawyer.

In 1966, Olana became a New York historic site, opening to the public. Sawyer says more than 40,000 people have visited Olana since the state was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can walk the grounds for free or take a paid hour-long electric carriage tour.

“At Olana, you can see four states from the different views within the property. Certainly of course, the very iconic view of the Catskills all the way down to Ulster County,” said Sawyer.

You can also see Vermont, Connecticut, and the Berkshires. In August, the magnificent Middle East-inspired home Church shared with his wife and children is expected to re-open to the public.

“The interiors of the house here at Olana are really a treasure trove. There are over 700 almost 800 paintings by Frederick Church,” Sawyer said.

The park is open all year from 8:30 a.m. to sunset. For more information, head to www.olana.org.