Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is the former home of Hudson River School of Art founder, Thomas Cole. Located in the village of Catskill, the house, called Cedar Grove, and Cole's studio are open for tours, events, and workshops throughout the year.

Tour Thomas Cole's House

Go Inside Thomas Cole’s Home & Studio

Hudson River School painters captivated the world in the early-to-mid-1800s with their fierce desire to preserve America's wild places and raise awareness through art of the fragile balance between nature and civilization. Cole is known as the father of America's first distinctive artistic style. Take a guided, 50-minute tour of Cole's house, studio, and grounds, and enjoy special exhibitions of Hudson River School paintings. Watch a short film about Thomas Cole's life, and the influence that he and other Hudson River School painters had on conservation and the Catskills in the Visitors Center.

Hudson River Art Trail

The Hudson River Art Trail includes over 20 sites in New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Wyoming, showcasing the vistas captured by Hudson River School of Art painters. The first stop on the art trail is the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. From Cedar Grove, guests are invited to explore 16 sites in the Hudson River Valley, from Kaaterskill Falls, the highest cascading waterfall in New York State, to the site of the former Catskill Mountain House, and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. Most of the trails offer easy-to-moderate hiking conditions, though some require skill and should only be attempted by experienced hikers. Special markers are located at key sites so visitors know which artist stopped to immortalize that site.

We are open for private guide tours that include immersive digital installations and collection artworks in the historic interiors, and we are announcing our Sunday Salon speaker series and Winter Guided Tours soon, which bring new ideas in American art to Catskill once a month from January through April.

Cole 200: Summer 1825-2025. A Big Anniversary in American Art

This summer commemorates the 200th anniversary of Thomas Cole’s first journey to Catskill, New York (1825–2025), a pivotal moment that reshaped American art.

His paintings of the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains not only established his career but also ignited the Hudson River School, the nation’s first major art movement dedicated to landscape painting. Through his evocative artwork and passionate writings, Cole championed the preservation of America’s natural beauty, helping to define the nation’s identity as "America the Beautiful."

ANNOUNCEMENT - 200th Anniversary of Thomas Cole’s first trip to Catskill

Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora & Contemporary Responses

May 3–Nov 2, 2025. Opening Reception: Saturday, May 3rd, 4-6 PM

Featuring artists Emily Cole (1843-1913), Ann Agee, Jacqueline Bishop, Francesca DiMattio, Valerie Hegarty, Courtney M. Leonard, Jiha Moon, Michelle Sound, and Stephanie Syjuco.

Introducing our latest exhibition, Emily Cole: Ceramics, Flora, & Contemporary Responses, which explores the artistry of Emily Cole—renowned ceramicist and daughter of Thomas Cole—alongside the work of eight internationally acclaimed contemporary artists. This exhibition marks the most extensive presentation of Emily Cole’s original painted porcelain and works on paper since the 19th century. A celebrated artist in her time, Cole exhibited and sold her work in New York City and the Hudson Valley, earned critical praise, studied at the National Academy of Design, and played a pivotal role as a founding member of the New York Society of Ceramic Arts, advocating for ceramics in museum galleries. For Tickets and more information click HERE.

On Trees: Georgia O'Keefe & Thomas Cole

June 21-December 14, 2025.
We’re excited to announce our upcoming exhibition, On Trees: Georgia O'Keeffe and Thomas Cole, celebrating the COLE 200 anniversary year (1825–2025). This unique presentation brings together two iconic American artists and explores their powerful depictions of trees—Thomas Cole during his transformative first visit to Catskill, NY in 1825, and Georgia O’Keeffe during her pivotal introduction to New Mexico in 1929, a century later. More information HERE.