Storm King Art Center Guide – Perfect Outdoor Day Trip from NYC
A visit to Storm King Art Center is the perfect socially-distanced outing! Located on 500-acres in New York’s Hudson Valley, Storm King is home to large-scale works of modern and contemporary art. Situated among rolling hills, wooden pathways and open fields you will find dozens of sculptures both complementing and contrasting the natural surroundings. Whether you’re a contemporary art aficionado or just in need of an outdoor adventure after months of quarantine, I highly recommend visiting Storm King!
What to Expect On Your Visit To Storm King
A visit to Storm King means having the opportunity to appreciate art while also being out in the fresh air. The unique experience of Storm King’s outdoor gallery means you are able to take in the sculptures from many different perspectives. As you walk around (and in some cases through!) each piece you will see complexities of the artist’s work.
A free online audio guide is available so you can learn more about the composition, materials, artist and inspiration behind the pieces in Storm King's outdoor gallery. It is easy to access on your cell phone.
The grounds are divided into 4 sections (North Woods, Museum Hill, Meadows & South Fields), each defined by their landscaping. Artists from around the world are showcased throughout the grounds in both the permanent collection and special exhibitions.
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Our Favorite Pieces
Storm King can be an opportunity for alone time and introspection, a unique date idea or a fun day out with family and friends! I was invited by a dear friend Jenna, and it was the perfect socially distanced outing! Here are a few of our favorite pieces from Storm King’s collection.Â
Playing Tour Guide: Our favorite activity was to take turns being the tour guide. As we approached each new structure, the 'tour guide' would first share our own off-the-cuff explanation of the work. Next, we would listen to the official audio guide tour to learn the real context behind each piece. We definitely came up with some creative interpretations! Playing tour guide is also a great activity with kids!
Adam, 1970 - Alexander Liberman
One of 3 of Liberman’s pieces at Storm King, Adam is made of steel and stands atop a tall hill overlooking a grassy valley below. Liberman’s construction method was unique and involved multiple steps. A crane operator placed the elements of the structure, and he welded them together temporarily. Also a photographer, Liberman then took photos, cut out the pieces and experimented with different placements before deciding on the final structure for the sculpture.Â
What do you see when you look at this sculpture?
Jenna's Creative Interpretation:
Three-Fold Manifestation II, 1987 (refabricated 2006) - Alice Aycock
Storm King features incredible works by female artists in their permanent and rotating exhibitions. Aycock’s Three-Fold Manifestation II is another one of our favorites.Â
In the words of the artist: “I was working a lot with these stepped bowl-like forms; I would take astronomical diagrams and imagine the space that would be generated by these diagrams. These bowls or whirling, skewed spaces are tipped, so it’s as though you’re looking into disoriented worlds….”
As you explore Storm King do not forget to take in the artwork from different angles. Some pieces seem to morph into completely different shapes as you walk around them! Day Game by David Stoltz looks like a completely different sculpture from these two opposite viewpoints!Â
Interested in awesome New York-based museums you can visit (virtually)? Check out this guide to 12 unique museums in NYC offering virtual activities and online gallery access!
Tips for Visiting Storm King Art Center
- Wear comfortable shoes – Storm King is mostly outdoors, and you will be doing a lot of walking.Â
- Bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water – There is a whole picnic area where you can lay out a blanket or use the tables and benches for eating. There is an outdoor cafĂ©, but due to COVID-19 it is currently closed. But, you can order a boxed lunch or snacks in advance, including beer or wine!Â
-  Check the weather – Your experience visiting Storm King may be considerably affected by the weather. Most of the grounds are open fields, and so make sure to bring an umbrella, hat and/or sunscreen depending on the day! Â
- Make sure your phone is charged – You’ll want to take photos and listen to the free audio guide through your phone. Since the artwork is outdoors, charging your phone at Storm King will be tricky.Â
- Storm King is only partially accessible for strollers & wheelchairs. There are paved and gravel pathways in some areas, but navigating the wooded sections will be problematic.Â
Additional COVID-19 Considerations
As of August, 2020 here are current considerations for visiting Storm King:Â
- Tickets are only being sold in advance online. (Recently days have been selling out.)Â
- The indoor Museum and onsite cafe are closed.Â
- Bicycle rental is temporarily unavailable.Â
Tickets & Pricing
On an average year, Storm King sees about 200,000 visitors. Currently, due to COVID-19, tickets are only being sold online in advance.
Admission is charged per person per car. (No additional parking fees.)Â
For a single car:
1 person – $20
2 people – $40
3 people – $48
4 people – $68
5 people – $76
6 people – $84
The whole ticketing experience is contactless. You pull up into a large driveway loop, and the Storm King employees will scan your e-ticket through the car window.Â
Things To Do Around Storm King
Cornwall, NY is a historic town surrounded by natural beauty in the Hudson Valley area. Here are a few recommendations of other places to visit around Storm King Art Center.Â
- Hudson Highlands Nature Museum – Outdoor Discovery Center & Hiking: Family-friendly learning center where kids and adults can both learn more about the natural landscape of the Hudson Valley. The museum’s website also has great resources for hiking in the area.Â
- Sands Ring Homestead Museum – Historic homestead from 1760s. Plan a visit to learn more about 18th century life in Cornwall and the historical importance of the area.Â
- Cornwall Main Street – Walk along Main St. to grab a bite to eat, do a little shopping or enjoy a coffee
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If you're planning spend a bit more time in Cornwall, Orange County Tourism's Guide to 48 Hours in Cornwall is a great resource!
As shown in these vintage postcards, Cornwall has been known for its natural beauty for over a century! Visit Love Cornwall, Love Life to learn more about the history of Cornwall and for more useful information about all the sights around Storm King Art Center! Their website is a fantastic resource for anyone visiting the area.Â
Directions
For driving directions in GPS use:
1 Museum Road
New Windsor NY 12553
Storm King Art Center is located between an hour and 90 minutes from New York City.
For New York Public Transit options, visit the MTA’s website dedicated to transportation options to Storm King.
Did you find this guide useful? If so let us know in the comments!Â
Love finding interesting things kind of in the middle of nowhere! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never heard of this place but it looks like there are a lot of interesting and unique sculptures to look at.
Hi, Krista – Yes, there definitely are! Storm King will definitely spark your creativity 🙂 Hope you can make it to visit one day.
This is such a unique place, I have never been to an outdoor att gallery, let alone seen anything like this. I would definitely love to take your tour and listen to your explanations of these pieces, I agree with the broken lipstick one.
It’s my first time hearing about Storm King. The outfoor setting is bery refreshing as I love seeing art installations like this!
Storm King Art Centre seems like a terrific outdoor gallery. Love these sort of places. I agree with your interpretation of the broken lipstick.
I love the art, especially the piece on the title photo. I had to look twice to see that the smaller part is suspended. And, yes, it is amazing how art work can change if you look at it from a different viewpoint.
Absolutely love outdoor galleries! We recently visited one in Cyprus and it was fascinating! We love playing ‘tour guides’ as such places too – the weirder the art, the more creative the interpretation. Also, ‘Adam’ does look like a broken lipstick, lol!
Smita – So happy to hear that you had a fun time in Cyprus. What is the gallery you visited? I always appreciate enjoying a creative outlet. Glad our interpretation resonates with you, too!
This is such an awesome tip and definitely something I’d like to do on my next visit to NYC! I love such contemporary art installations and it seems like such fun to see them from up close and different angles. My favourite is the artwork you chose for your feature photo, the partially suspended piece of steep by Maneshe Kadishman. I first thought it was by Richard Serra, whose works I love, but was pleased to discover a new interesting artist. Really great tip, thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Storm King Art Center looks perfect for a nice getaway. It combines nature with such quirky and amazing contemporary artworks.
You’re absolutely correct. Storm King was the perfect getaway. 🙂
Storm King sounds like one of those places that will spark your creativity. I just love how many such attractions are around New York. Just lovely.