Hudson Valley Group Attractions

The Irish American Heritage Museum was created by NYS Legislation in 1986 and permanently chartered in 1992 as a 501c3 non-profit educational institution with an educational mission: To preserve and tell the story of the contributions of the Irish people and their culture in America, inspiring individuals to examine the importance of their own heritage as part of the American cultural mosaic.

As such, the Museum is unique in America, where almost 40 million individuals claim Irish ancestry. The Museum is committed to the basic tenet that preserving one’s heritage is vital to providing a cultural and historical foundation to future generations of Americans.

Over the last two decades, the Museum has developed, produced and presented a number of very successful exhibits throughout America and Ireland, including: “Dublin: Then and Now.” This internationally acclaimed exhibit of stunning photographs portrays life on the gritty streets of Dublin and in its “docklands” in the late 1950s and early 1960s -- as well as life in Dublin in the same areas during the first decade of the 21st century to reveal the transformation in Irish life over the last 50 years. We are the first Museum of its kind here in America to have exhibited at the National Library in Dublin, as well as at the Consulate General of Ireland in Manhattan – in both instances presenting "Dublin: Then and Now."

We are open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. Parking is available on both sides of Broadway and in parking lots behind the Museum.

John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. Even as it safeguards six miles of limestone cliff-face, rock-strewn slopes, woodland and open fields, the park provides a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The park has volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields and numerous picnic areas with nine reservable shelters. Interpretive programs are offered year-round, including guided tours of the famous Indian Ladder Trail. There are over twelve additional miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling.

The NYS Capitol has served as the seat of government for NY since the 1880's. Tours offered.

The New York State Museum in Downtown Albany explores the cultural and natural history of New York State. The Museum features approximately 10 new exhibits each year including the Bank of America Great Arts Series. Favorites include a full-sized Iroquois longhouse, a working carousel, and the Cohoes Mastadon. Temporary exhibitions are often developed with our own extensive collections or traveled from renowned museums across the country. Within our main halls, are the popular long-standing favorites including:
- Adirondack Wilderness
- Ancient Life of New York: A Billion Years of Earth History
- Birds of New York
- Beneath the City: Albany Archeology
- Black Capital: Harlem in the 20s
- Cohoes Mastodon
- Fire Engine Hall
- The Governor´s Collection of Contemporary Native American Crafts
- Metropolis Hall
- Minerals of New York
- Native Peoples of New York
- Windows on New York
- The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response
- Historic Working Carousel

Monday-Saturday from 9:30 am - 5:00 pm | Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Visit us at www.nysm.nysed.gov or call (518) 474-5877 for more information.