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Plotter Kill Falls within 20 minutes from campus |
How far is Union from...?
Bike. Hike. Sightsee. Climb rocks. Climb the High Peaks. Go below… to a spelunker’s paradise. Shop. Eat. Get pierced or tattoed. See a show. Be a hippie for a day. Tour. Ski or snowboard.
Not only is there lots to do a short walk from campus, but Union students also find a wide range of attractions within easy reach, from boating on the Mohawk to people-watching at a French café in Montreal. Here are a few.
20 minutes from campus
Albany: The capital of New York State offers opportunities for internships and research; music and entertainment at the Palace and in Washington Park; biking along the Hudson River; theater at the spectacular “Egg”; and colorful Lark Street, with its ethnic restaurants, funky galleries, clubs, pubs and eclectic boutiques.
Troy: Troy is home to many artists, college students, restaurants, one of the best farmers’ markets in Upstate New York and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, an acoustical gem often compared to Carnegie Hall.
Plotter Kill Preserve: Enjoy spectacular waterfalls, deep gorges, great hiking.
The Mohawk: Boat, bike or walk along historic river paths and trails. Saratoga Springs: Experience top restaurants, theater, beautiful parks, cross-country skiing, world-class golf, the country’s largest winter dance festival, the National Auto Museum (co-founded by a Union alum) and more in one of America’s most charming small cities. This city is also a filmmakers’ favorite – “Sea Biscuit,” “Horse Whisperer,” “Billy Bathgate,” “Ghost Story,” and part of “The Way We Were” were filmed here.
Thatcher Park: You’ll find fossil-bearing cliff faces, dramatic waterfalls, panoramic views of several mountain ranges, miles of trails (including famous Indian Ladder) for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.
Clarksville: This is the home of Gregory Cave, a limestone cavern popular with spelunkers.
About an hour away
Lake George: Hiking is tops (try Black and Buck mountains, for starters). Add camping, arcades, great factory outlets and one of the most breathtaking lakes anywhere for a perfect backyard escape.
Woodstock: By the time you get to Woodstock… it doesn’t matter. This town is ageless, a favorite among hippies, musicians, artists, foodies, nature lovers and counterculturalists everywhere. Very, yes, groovy. Spend a day, or stay longer and enjoy the surrounding Catskills, home to the Gunks” (Shawangunk Mountains), a rock-climber’s paradise.
Leatherstocking Region: James Fenimore Cooper (expelled Yalie and famous novelist, “The Last of the Mohicans”) slept and wrote here. See Babe Rut’s bowling ball band Curt Schilling’s bloody sock at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the village Cooper’s dad founded, Cooperstown, or visit nearby Howe Caverns.
Within two hours’ drive
The Adirondacks: Hiking is truly a peak experience here, with 46 High Peaks, from Mt. Marcy to Couchsachraga.
The Berkshires: Beautiful, accessible, home of the Clark Art Institute, a gem.
The slopes: Hands (feet?) down, some of the East’s best skiing, with Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y., site of the 1980 Olympics, and Killington, Stratton and Mount Snow in Vermont.
Three hours or more
New York City: The Big Apple, need we say more?
Boston: More colleges (and friends to visit) between here and there than you can name.
Montreal: The most European city you’ll find this side of the Atlantic. Mmmm, can’t you taste those croissants? Mais oui!