Key Attractions

Learn the story of the region, from the first farmers in 1668 to the Revolutionary War in 1777, the river trade starting in 1799, the completion of the Erie and Champlain Canals in the 1820s, and the construction of the Waterford Flight of Locks in 1915.

Housed on the first floor of the historic Cohoes Music Hall, the visitor center features "A Day in the Life of Cohoes: 1882", complemented by A Short Story which recaps Cohoes Falls' history from 20,000 BCE to the present, the Harmony Mill Power System, illustrating Boydon turbines, the Mill Work Audio Stories, 4-5 minute interviews with actual mill workers recorded in the 1970s, Lock 38, which shows how a canal boat moved through a lock, and the Canal Lock Experience, a hands-on demonstration with four lock chambers.

Encompassing a series of 19th-century brick mill buildings and worker housing located just below Cohoes Falls, when Harmony Mill 3 was completed in 1873, it was the largest individual cotton factory in the world. The first mill, erected in 1837, burned in 1998. Mill 2 burned in 1995. Mill 3 and Mill 4 have been transformed into high-end residential lofts, which received the New York State Preservation League Excellence Award and are hailed as a prime example of how adaptive reuse of historic buildings can revitalize cities. A complete skeleton of a prehistoric mastodon, now on display in the New York State Museum, was discovered during construction.

More than 700 acres of wetlands and floodplain form a linear greenway that includes two Erie Canal towpath trails, remnants from the original Erie Canal, remnants of Fort’s Ferry, the first settlement in Clifton Park, Historic Double Lock 19, Clute’s Dry Dock, and an abundance of nature trails. The site is also a Bird Conservation Area recognized by Audubon New York. The Clute’s Dry Dock served as a boat building and repair station with three boat cradles. It was abandoned around 1900 and literally vanished when the area was flooded in 1907. The Whipple Cast Iron Truss Bridge, which became the standard design for the Erie Canal crossings, was designed by Union College graduate Squire Whipple. Standing in the middle of the bridge, you can see the 1842 Erie Canal and a section of the original 1825 Erie Canal. Remnants of Historic Double Lock 19 lie between the Whipple Bridge and the end of Ferry Drive at the intersection of Van Vranken Road and Riverview Road.

This unique neighborhood spread across 82 acres along the Mohawk River, is home to more than 40 pre-Revolutionary houses in architectural styles spanning from Dutch Colonial and Georgian to Federal. Recognized 300 years after it was founded, the Stockade was New York’s first local historic district. The National Park Service describes it as having "the highest concentration of historic period homes in the country." The Schenectady Historical Society offers a walking tour of the district. Please respect that these structures are private homes.

Also a property of the Schenectady Historical Society, Mabee Farm, established in 1705, is the oldest farm in the Mohawk Valley. As you walk across the weathered pine floors, imagine what life was like over 300 years ago. Admire the hand-pegged Dutch barn built in the 1760s, meander through orchards, gardens, and forest trails, and tour a reproduction 18th-century bateau tied up on the river to understand how goods were shipped on the frontier.

Founded in 1791, the Institute is famous for a collection of Hudson River School paintings, complemented by an extensive collection of historic furniture, clothing, paintings, silver, and photographs. The three-building complex, a treasure in its own right, incorporated the late 19th-century Rice Building, the only freestanding Beaux-Arts mansion in the city, and a 1920s Classical Revival structure. A contemporary glass structure now connects it all.

General Abraham Ten Broeck built this Federal style residence, now renowned for its sweeping view of the Hudson River, for his wife Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (also descended from a powerful, affluent Dutch family) in 1797. New owners renamed it Arbor Hill. Exhibits tell the stories of the builders, artisans, immigrants, servants, enslaved persons, and free persons of color involved in the property.  Additional exhibits are featured in the gallery at King’s Place. Tours by advanced registration at other times.