Hastings-on-Hudson, Part II: Beyond the Museum in the Streets

A few days ago I wrote about the fun we had exploring the Museum in the Streets in Hastings-on-Hudson– but the Museum was only part of our afternoon in this vibrant little town. In addition to all the things we saw on the walking tour, we discovered many other beautiful spots, delicious eateries, and interesting places. If you remember, I talked about the fun of being an intrepid explorer, even when you’re close to home and you won’t be leaving the ‘burbs anytime soon. When you explore a town you don’t usually visit, you’re guaranteed to find unique places and things your own town doesn’t have. That’s how we discovered The Museum in the Streets – and so much more…

During our day in Hastings, around  every corner we found something novel – a beautiful garden, a playground we’ve never visited, a “Gingerbread House”, a shop selling vinyl records (“What’s a vinyl record, Mom?”).

If you’re planning a trip to Hastings to check out the Museum-in-the-Streets – and I highly recommend you do – keep these additional spots in mind to round-out your trip.

When you’re walking with kids, it helps to have a comfortable place to stop and take a little break – especially when it’s chilly. Water fountain, bathroom, a few minutes of quiet time – whatever you need.  We discovered that the Hastings Public Library has a colorful, vibrant children’s room, with a completely enclosed area for young children, and floor to ceiling windows along the entire back wall of the library – facing the river.  Hastings just won my newly-created award: “Best View from a Library Reading Room, Anywhere, Ever”.

Yes, this is the view from the public library. A little reading, anyone?

As we continued our walk, we spotted several beautiful old buildings, complete with a scenic garden, tucked mysteriously under an unassuming bridge on Warburton Avenue. These weren’t listed on the Museum walking tour, and I was intrigued. With a little digging I learned from a friend this is the Newington-Cropsey Foundation, a private museum housing the art of Jasper F. Cropsey, a Hudson River School artist. I’ll be adding this to my list of things to explore sometime soon.

We made our way to Waterfront Park, discovering this sculpture, honoring the Hudson River School Artists. The park also contains a nice playground for the kids, and benches perched right along the edge of my favorite Westchester “landmark”, the Hudson River.

Along the way, of course we had to fuel up the troops. This pizza place caught our eye. Slices Pizza Restaurant offered absolutely delicious eggplant and ricotta pizza, and the casual atmosphere was perfect for a quick family meal.  Thumbs up!

And of course a long walk with kids would not be complete without a stop for a treat, so we also stopped into “by the way Bakery” for some cookies and cupcakes. This quaint little shop delivered big with a delicious ending to our afternoon in Hastings. Yummy!

Hastings-on-Hudson was a great way to spend a low-key afternoon exploring. We walked, played, wandered the shops, visited the Museum, made a few pit stops for some great food – and left feeling totally enchanted with this little town. Keep it in mind the next time you have a few hours free and want a mini-adventure! Note: all of these locations were on or near the Museum-in-the-Streets walking tour – get a map here.

View from the Public Library

Note: The featured photo is a view from under the “unassuming” bridge on Warburton Avenue, and is the front gate of the Newington-Cropsey Foundation.