About the Village of Cold Spring

The word is On December 1, 2011, while being interviewed on Talk of The Nation, Don McLean said about the song American Pie and where it was written; "It was written in Cold Spring, New York and in Philadelphia, and it was performed first at Temple University when I was just getting started with Laura Nyro."

The charming village of Cold Spring can officially claim it inspired the song "American Pie". This beautiful village is situated on the eastern banks of the Hudson River in the Southwest corner of Putnam County, New York in the Hudson Valley. Visit Cold Spring for a weekend or weekday getaway. An MTA train ride from Grand Central Station in Manhattan to the Cold Spring Metro-North station, is only one hour from Manhattan. When you arrive at the train in Cold Spring, shopping, dining, places to stay, and a stroll along the Hudson River bank are all within easy walking distance of the train station. Start planning a weekend in Cold Spring, New York.

Find trains schedules and places to stay in Cold Spring at
Metro-North in Cold Spring
Places to stay, inns, and b&b's in Cold Spring


For outdoor activities and fun things to do in Cold Spring go to
Outdoor activities in Cold Spring
Attractions in Cold Spring
Beautiful parks in Cold Spring


For fabulous theatre in Cold Spring, visit 'Shakespeare in the Park' at
Performing Arts in Cold Spring and nearby Garrison.


For shopping, boutiques, and antique shops visit
Boutique stores in Cold Spring
Antique shops in Cold Spring

Cold Spring attractions, outdoor activities and wonderful things to do are within easy reach of the Cold Spring train station. Browse through the antique shops, enjoy fabulous outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking and boating in the Hudson, or visit Boscobel just a few miles down the road followed by an evening at the renowned Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. If you love hiking in beautiful countryside, you'll find many conservation areas in and around Cold Spring, where you can take nature walks or go birding.

Find many excellent dining options in Cold Spring and nearby, including award winning restaurants. Cold Spring restaurants include casual cafes, coffeehouses, and fine dining establishments. Cold Spring offers a range of different priced restaurants and several choices of cuisine including French food, American food, Contemporary American, Pizza and more. There are several good places to eat along Main Street and within a few miles of town. Among the many places to eat is the Valley Restaurant at The Garrison Country Inn, featuring American farm to table cuisine. The Bird & Bottle Inn is a small country inn and restaurant, also located in Garrison, New York. In the warmer months, treat yourself to a picnic along the shores of the Hudson River where the views are spectacular.

When its time to eat, find a casual cafe in Cold Spring, dine at a fine upscale restaurant, or pack a picnic and dine on the waterfront of historic Cold Spring while looking out at scenic views of the Hudson Highlands. Enjoy one of many good Restaurants in Cold Spring, NY

Vacation in Cold Spring
If you've just arrived in Cold Spring, get a bite to eat followed by antiquing and boutique shopping. Have a fabulous day perusing the antique shops, quaint boutiques, art and craft stores, and galleries in Cold Spring Village. Walk down Cold Spring's main street and take note of the interesting 19th century architecture mixed with newer buildings. Take notice of the wonderful absence of chain stores and be transported to days-gone-by.

On the shores of the Hudson River, opposite the Hudson House Restaurant and Inn, is a gazebo in the center of a lovely river park lined with benches. On a summer weekend you are likely to hear the sounds of music near the Cold Spring gazebo, a popular venue for live performances and concerts. If you enjoy fishing, drop your line and wait for a bite while you listen to the music and look out at the Hudson Highlands and the majestic Hudson River.

While picnicking or walking along the Cold Spring waterfront, look out across the river at the U.S. Military Academy of West Point. Plan a visit to West Point, only 30 minutes from Cold Spring. Another exceptional attraction in the Hudson Valley is Storm King Art Center located in Mountainville, Orange County, also just across the river. Storm King Art Center is considered one of the finest outdoor sculpture gardens in the world. Storm King "a museum that celebrates the relationship between sculpture and nature" is situated on five hundred acres of landscaped lawns, fields and woodlands that provide the site for postwar sculptures by internationally renowned artists.

The Hudson River not only provides magnificent landscapes and views, but also offers opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking, boating and fishing. Visit the beautiful Cold Spring Hiking Trails; Fahnestock State Park offers hiking trails (you can even walk a piece of the Appalachian Trail); or hike at Hudson Highlands State Park (an undeveloped wilderness preserve of 4000 acres). If relaxing is your thing, relax, unwind, and take a leisurely stroll while you listen to the sounds of the river against the shore.

Cold Spring is just down the road from the highly acclaimed Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in Garrison. "Few stages have wings like those of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, where the theater is an open-sided tent perched on a riverside knoll. For a classic summer night of theater, the glorious grounds of Boscobel provide perfect set and setting. Pre-theater picnicking sets the mood as festival-goers choose their view of the Hudson Highlands." by Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Include Cold Spring in the Hudson Valley in your vacation plans for a day, a weekend, or longer. Spend a day antiquing, hiking, biking, kayaking, or just relaxing, and then start your evening with a gourmet dinner at one of many excellent places to eat in Cold Spring. Or, picnic at Boscobel, overlooking the breathtaking Hudson Highlands, before watching world acclaimed theatre at the Shakespeare Festival right down the road. At the end of the evening get a great night's sleep in your cozy room at one of the charming places to stay in Cold Spring and nearby.

Brief History of Cold Spring
"The first settler of Cold Spring was Thomas Davenport in 1730. A small trading hamlet grew alongside the river by the early 1800s, and in 1818, Gouverneur Kemble and others established the West Point Foundry. It became one of the major industrial sites in the United States and provided munitions (including the famed Parrott gun) for the Union Army during the Civil War. With the influx of workers at the Foundry, local housing, businesses and churches increased, and Cold Spring was incorporated as a village in 1846. During the last half of the nineteenth century, Cold Spring was a magnet for artists, writers and prominent families, all attracted to the extraordinary beauty of the Highlands. Great mansions were built along Morris Avenue, including Undercliff, the home of George Pope Morris, and Craigside, the home of Julia and Daniel Butterfield. After the Foundry closed in 1911, Cold Spring’s prominence faded; however, following World II, a rebirth began with an influx of businesses into the Hudson River Valley and commuters to New York City. In 1973, the Village was designated a Federal Historic District, and tourists have been visiting Cold Spring’s historic sites, shops, restaurants and hiking trails ever since."

A Brief History of Cold Spring is sourced from Cold Spring History.