While many museums charge entry fees, there are many throughout the Hudson Valley that offer free admission. Art Omi is a free sculpture park in Ghent and offers dozens of large sculptures across 120 acres. Admission is free to the public. Olana State Historic Site sits on 250 acres and features five miles of carriage roads, a Persian-inspired house at the summit, and panoramic views of the Hudson Valley. There is a fee to get a tour into the mansion itself but the grounds, with stunning views, are absolutely free. Also they do affer a free community day every third Thursday of the month. The New York State Museum in Albany explores New York State’s natural and cultural diversity. The museum is the oldest and largest state museum in the country–established in 1836. It is absolutely free, all the time!
Hudson Valley residents receive free admission to Dia Beacon on the last Sunday of each month, “Hudson Valley Free Day.” Visitors who are not Hudson Valley residents can reserve free or discounted tickets by filling out a free-dmission request on the Dia Beacon website. Beacon and Newburgh residents receive free admission to Dia Beacon every day.
ArtPort in Kingston is always free to the general public. Closed for winter break until February, it reopens with an exhibit titled “Game On” in just a few weeks. Once a month, the Hudson River Maritime Museum on the Rondout waterfront in Kingston holds a “Bank of America Museums On Us” where bank members get free admittance to the museum. The Center for Photography Woodstock in Kingston hosts a free weekly “Meet the Artist” lecture series on Thursday evenings.
College lectures
Events at colleges aren’t just for college students. Most are not only free, but open to the public. From speaker series to concerts to film screenings, universities are a great option for lifelong learning, no matter what age they are. Some colleges to check out in the Hudson Valley include Vassar, SUNY New Paltz, Bard, Marist,College, Ulster Community College, and Dutchess Community College. Look to their calendars to find event relevant to your interests or career.
Hiking
The Hudson Valley offers some of the greatest views in the country, The Catskills Fire Tower Challenge is a great way to check out some key Hudson Valley landmarks, stay in shape, and explore new areas. If you hike to the top of each fire tower on the list, you will win a commemorative patch and be entered into a grand-prize drawing. The first 1000 finishers will also receive a one-year subscription to DEC’s Conservationist magazine. The fire towers include Overlook Mountain in Woodstock, Hunter Mountain, Red Hill Mountain in Denning, Balsam Lake Mountain in Hardenburgh, Tremper Mountain in Shandaken, and Upper Esopus in Mount Tremper. You have until December 31 to complete the challenge.
The Walkway Over the Hudson connecting Highland and Poughkeepsie is a must-see, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge. Enjoy scenic views of the mountains and the Hudson River free of cost. Also, hike the Wallkill Valley Rail-Trail and check out the Rosendale Trestle.
Farmers’ markets
Luckily, farmers’ markets don’t end when winter arrives. The Kingston Farmers’ Market at the Old Dutch Church takes place every other Saturday from December through April. The Beacon Farmers’ Market is a year-round outdoors market in the Beacon DMV lot every Sunday. The Greig Farm Market in Red Hook is open year-round, seven days a week. You can order ahead for pickup by calling the farm.
The Millerton Farmers’ Market at North East Community Center in Millerton is open on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Taste NY at Todd Hill offers year-round, locally produced goods.
Game nights
Game nights are a great way to relieve stress and enjoy some of the best restaurants and stores in the region.
World’s End Comics in Kingston and Gunks Gaming Guild in New Paltz hold a variety of game nights for gamers of all ages, like Magic the Gathering, Commander Madness, D&D, RPGs, TCGs, wargaming and more. World’s End also hosts book signings, a chess club, anime club, board-game nights, special movie viewings, queer gaming events, and more.
Rough Draft in Kingston offers trivia nights and game nights every month, but make sure to get there early as theur eventshave become a game-night staple.
Several games take place at local public libraries, For instance, the Saugerties Public Library hosts games like Eughties Film Trivia, D&D, Scrabble, and more.
Yarn Farm in Kingston hosts trivia nights every other week. For non-gamers, they host free knit nights every Wednesday.
Trivia takes place every Tuesday at Keegan Ales. The Station Bar & Curio recently began offering free pool Thursdays, with and beer and shot specials all night.
Kirwan’s Game Store in Catskill also hosts routine game nights.
Angry Orchard Cidery in Walden has a board game night featuring classic games, cider, and food.
Open mic nights
Open mics are a great opportunity to show off your skills and meet fellow musicians. The Colony in Woodstock hosts a weekly, “world-famous” open mic with a house guitar and piano available. Open Mic Bandeoke features a full backing band with generations of experience in cover bands, rock bands, blues & jazz bands at Barvino in Fishkill. Other open mics in the area include Gunks Gaming Guild in New Paltz, High Falls Cafe, the Avalon Lounge in Catskill, the Pearl Moon Open Mic in Woodstock, and occasionally at Rewind Kingston and Holding Space in Kingston. Tinker Street Tavern in Woodstock also hosts an open mic. Unison Arts in New Paltz hosts an Open Mic every third Thursday.
Freebird Kitchen & Bar in White Plains has a Sunday night jam, which showcases an eclectic mix of singers, solos, duos, jammers, full bands, covers, and originals every Sunday evening.
Live music
While most live music requires an entry fee, several venues throughout the Hudson Valley that offer free live music.
From rock-and-roll to Irish cover bands, Keegan Ales in Kingston averages live music five nights a week. Pearl Moon, Millstream Tavern, and Tinker Street Tavern in Woodstock also present free live music. The Dutch in Saugerties has live music a couple of times a month. Tilda’s Cafe in Kingston, specializing in up-and-coming singer-songwriters, has live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Government meetings
Not exercised your civic chops in a while? It’s your prerogative to do so, and not enough people do. Where else do you have the opportunity to affect both your own taxes and the life of your community? It’s also a great opportunity to meet and greet more of your neighbors in a relatively warm room.
Participation can be educational, exasperating, and also real fun. You’re entitled to say your piece. You’ll be surprised how other people will listen to what you say. They may even agree with you once in a while and suggest you consider running for office.
Even though somebody has to do it, think carefully as to whether it should be you. . Doing that may be going a little too far.
Join the family! 
