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.
2026 - Thomas Cole: Painting the Nature of America
In the early 19th century, Thomas Cole (1801–1848) transformed the American landscape into a powerful symbol of national identity, helping to define the ideal of “America the Beautiful” and launching the Hudson River School of landscape painting. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Cole’s vision of natural beauty continues to inspire and engage generations.
Exhibition Components
Thomas Cole: An American Visionary │ May-December 2026
A dynamic installation of Thomas Cole’s landscape paintings, painting objects, and easels.
In the new Richard Sharp Gallery in the Main House.
Circles of Influence: Thomas Cole and the American Landscape Movement │ June-October 2026
A selection of works by Cole’s followers, including Frederic Church, Asher B. Durand, Albert Bierstadt, and Susie Barstow.
In the historic Library Gallery designed by Thomas Cole in the Main House.
Contemporary Vistas│June-October 2026
Featuring “Light Atlas: Cynthia Daignault,” 2016, an immerse work of 360 landscape paintings created on a road trip across the country. On loan from Art Bridges.
In the reconstructed 1846 New Studio Building.
Programmatic Components
Round Table with Contemporary Artists, Sunday Salon speaker series, Second Saturday creative activity series, K-12 School Programs, and more.
Learn more
Cole 200: Summer 1825-2025. A Big Anniversary in American Art
This past summer marked the 200th anniversary of Thomas Cole’s first journey to Catskill, New York, a pivotal moment that helped launch the Hudson River School and shape America’s landscape art and identity. ANNOUNCEMENT - 200th Anniversary of Thomas Cole’s first trip to Catskill
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Additional Info
The wedding of the artist Tschabalala Self and gallerist Michael Mosby at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site was featured in Vogue. See the FULL ARTICLE.
"It was a meaningful location for the artistic couple: Not only do they live in the region, but Thomas Cole founded the Hudson River School, the 19th-century American art movement that focused on landscape painting and cemented the country as an emerging creative force. As a nod to the setting’s rich history, they settled on a theme of “pastoral elegance” for the weekend."
Thomas Cole National Historic Site Events
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