Storm King Art Center - New Windsor, New York

Storm King was a name I had heard from friends and a sign I had seen in passing while wandering around New York. I didn't know a ton about it but I knew 1) it's an outdoor sculpture park you can walk around 2) you can rent bikes and enjoy the art center on two wheels 3) it seemed like a quaint way to enjoy the outdoors and art. So now that I've been, I can tell you what exactly is Storm King Art Center is (a 500-acre outdoor museum open rain or shine) and how much I enjoyed it (10/10, will be back). 

Let me start by saying that I am not a big "art person". I will quickly cruise through an art museum if you ask me to go but it isn't my preferred outing. I figured I would like this larger art form, especially in this outdoor setting with some physical activity involved. The art center is about 2.5 hours from home on the Connecticut Shoreline so while it's a doable day trip, it is a longer one. Storm King was on my list for a bit and when work asked if I would visit an office literally next door, I happily said yes, excited to finally experience the sculpture park. 

Mirror Fence, 2003, Alyson Shotz - my favorite piece at the park

Bathroom view

Fall Views of Storm King

Fall Views of Storm King

Storm King Welcome Center and Ticket Booth

From the moment I pulled into the parking lot, I was impressed. You are greeted by the beautiful welcome center building and you immediately understand that everything about this art center was thought out and planned. The bathrooms were stunning, with a gorgeous modern structures and open air style that was truly like an art piece in itself. 

I visited the art center on a rainy day in the end of September and I am so glad I didn't let the rain scare me away because it set me up for the perfect day. It was a Thursday and the day went on with a light drizzle but warm humid temperatures. Because I was alone, I decided to forgo the bike and turn my outing into a trail run through the park which basically turned into a private viewing. In a normally crowded art center (especially in the fall season), I only saw two couples and I was able to enjoy the park in all its beauty and quiet. The moody lighting and clouds really set the scene and I felt so calm and rejuvenated, enjoying the quiet and the beautiful art throughout the park. There were beautiful willows, fields, ponds and bridges, benches everywhere, and the park landscape itself is beautiful. The large form art dispersed throughout the park elevates the experience even further. 

Gravel trails through Storm King

Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 1994

Zhang Huan, Three Legged Buddha, 2007

If you visit the park, you have a few options. You can walk the paved paths and choose the paved roads, wooded trails, or gravel options throughout the park. You can rent bikes from the park (you cannot bring your own), and access the park on a bike. You can also hop on and off a trolley and visit the art and sculptures without having to walk the entire park.  You can grab a map to help navigate and all of the sculptures have a naming plaque where you can read more about the art in your brochure. 

A visit to Storm King would make an amazing date day, a great girls trip with a picnic (or stop at the cafe for lunch), or even a fun way to get kids into art in a more active and outdoor setting. You are free to wander and play and it feels like a great way to get kids outside and around art in a fun and low key setting. The art is also interactive and you can walk underneath and through the structures, a playful way to enjoy the outdoors and the creativity of the artists features at the art center. Plan a trip in the fall and you can enjoy the beauty of the park through the lens of a Northeast Autumn. 

Storm King Map

Visiting Storm King

Contents: Over 250 works of contemporary outdoor sculpture, said to be the "possibly the largest collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures in the United States"

Highlights: Includes large-scale sculptures and site-specific commissions

Established: Founded in 1960

Visiting: open year round - Closed Tuesdays (check out their hours here)
Open rain or shine and entirely outdoors (except for a small museum building) - dress accordingly!

Bike rentals: No outside bikes allowed, two-wheeled and three-wheeled bikes, as well as kids tag-along bikes and kids trailers or strollers are available to rent

Terrain: Paved roads (no cars except for the trolley), gravel roads, fields/lawns, and wooded trails

Bathrooms: There are indoor bathrooms throughout the park as well as port-o-pottys at sections of the park

Cafe: You can bring outside food or enjoy food at the ourdoor cafe. 

Kids: If you are walking, you can bring your own stroller to the park. There is also an option to hop on and off the trolley to access the park and sculptures. 

Fee: As of 2025, adult price is $25 weekday, $28 weekend 

Jeffrey Jenkins, Mermaid, 2000

Bea Blue, Arlene Shechet, 2024

Trails through Storm King

Three-fold Manifestation II, Alice Aycock, 1987

Figulo, Mark di Suvero, 2005

Fall Views of Storm King

Ireland (with kids!) 8 Day Itinerary and Video

If you are just tuning in, we spent eight days in Ireland with our two young children, 2 and 4 years old. We chose Ireland for a few reasons: 1) easy flight direct from our local airport in Hartford, Connecticut (no need to drive to New York or Boston for a direct flight). 2) It is a relatively small country that makes it easy to explore with kids, we knew we could rent a car and see a lot . 3) English is spoken making it easy to communicate and navigate. 4) We heard it was a beautiful country with friendly people 5) it was relatively affordable (cheap car rentals, affordable airbnbs, and food). 

I am here to report that Ireland exceeded every expectation. We had 8 days of absolutely perfect weather (a perfect sunny 70 degree day every day in the first week of May). The people were lovely, kind, and welcoming. The food was actually amazing. The country was so beautiful and we loved exploring it with our kids and my in laws. It was such a beautiful trip and easy enough to get to that we know we will be back to explore the country in the not too distant future. 

Are there things we would have done differently? I would love to spend more time in the Connemara region and more time hiking. I would definitely take a boat tour out to explore some of the islands off the west coast. I would have skipped the detour to the Cliffs of Moher. If I didn't have the kids I would have spent a half day in Dublin before heading out to see the rest of the Country. We also did not have enough time to explore northern Ireland, or the eastern coast. What we did do was the areas high on our wish list, spending a few days in two different home bases to really enjoy the area and not be on the go with the kids every single day. While we spaced out the timeline to enjoy the area, there is a decent amount of driving and if you are from the US (and a lot of the world) you will be on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car on very narrow winding country roads. 

We loved Ireland and if you are planning a trip (especially with kids) this guide might be helpful for you. I really truly hope these posts also inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and travel abroad with your kids. 

Day 8: Connemara and Kylemore Abbey

Our last full day in Ireland was spent driving around the beautiful Connemara area to experience the National Park and the famous Kylemore Abbey. This area of Ireland was so beautiful and we didn't have enough time to explore it. The abbey itself is about an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Galway making it the perfect day trip if you have a car. If you don't have a car, there are a lot of options for tour busses heading out to the abbey and around the coast. 

We made our way to the abbey driving the loop, passing through the rocky, barren mountainous terrain. that Connemara is known for. We were blown away by just how beautiful and untouched a lot of this part of Ireland was. The Pine Island Viewpoint off N59 was the perfect pit stop to take in the views in the area. This is the point where we vowed to come back to Ireland to spend a few days exploring this area alone. 

Day 7: Exploring Galway the with kids

Before going to Ireland, I didn't have a ton of knowledge about the city of Galway besides a few lyrics in an Ed Sheeran song. When planning our trip to Ireland, I knew we were going to avoid the major city of Dublin and Galway looked like a smaller and more kid-friendly city to spend a few nights for the last part of our trip. 

I am so glad we did because we had so much fun exploring the city of Galway. Like most cities, you have your options of shops and restaurants, bars and cafes, and a mix of urban and suburban landscapes. We stayed just outside the city walking distance to a big town park. When we went into the city, we spent some time walking the pedestrian streets (always a peek especially when traveling with kids), visiting the playgrounds, and stopping for treats like donuts and ice cream. 

We had a car so it was easy for us to slip in and out of the city and to use it as a launching point for other day trips. We stayed by Doughiska playground which was perfect for daily trips to let the kids play and meet other kids. 

After lunch, we discovered a scenic river cruise on the Corrib River and Lake through "Get Your Guide". We spent 42 euro on two adult tickets and kids are free 3 and under. The ride was 1.5 hours round trip and the boat had a full bar, coffee and snacks available for purchase. A river cruise was the perfect way to soak up the day of Irish sun and slow down a bit. The kids loved being on the boat and the adults loved enjoying a cold Guinness on the top deck in the sunshine while the guide narrated the river cruise and shared some history of the area. 

Galway with kids highlights:

• Doughiska playground
• Millennium Children's Park on University Road (near Galway Cathedral) 
• Walk Quay Street, the pedestrianized street in the heart of the city
• Scenic river cruise on the Corrib River and Lake through "Get Your Guide"
  
• Amazing donuts at Dungeons And Donuts

Day 6: Drive from Killarney to Galway (stops at Cliffs of Moher and Limmerick)

Day 6 was the day we left beautiful Killarney behind and headed to our second home base of the trip. We had spent four nights in Killarney and used that as our home base to explore Killarney National Park, the Gap of Dunloe, Blarney Castle, and Kinsale.

The last and final leg of our trip would be spent exploring the City of Galway and Connemara National Park on the Connemara Peninsula. We loved the trip until now, having Killarney National Park in our backyard and the resort at our fingertips really made the trip special. We were trading in our resort for an AirBnb just outside the city of Galway, specifically picked for its proximity next to a big park and a short drive into Ireland's fourth largest city on the western coast. Planning the trip in this counter clockwise direction also put us a 2 hour drive from Dublin when we had to catch a mid-day flight back home. 

Day six was our longest drive yet and we made an out-of-the-way detour to explore Ireland's famous cliffs. Spoiler alert, the Cliffs were quite skippable, at least the way we saw them from the visitor's center, but more on that later. 

Mungret Park, County Limerick