Group Visits
Plan Your Outing
Visit the home of American landscape painting where the iconic 19th-century artist Thomas Cole founded the major art movement, the Hudson River School. Explore the artist’s historic home and two studio buildings in the Hudson Valley and take in the most spectacular view of the Catskill Mountain range, which Cole painted more than any other subject. See original Cole paintings and works by his followers, experience the artist’s bold interior designs, discover rotating special exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, explore the blossoming flower gardens, and take a moment to relax and shop in the new AD100-designed Visitor Center and Coffee Bar.
Visit Year Round
Group Visits are best for groups of 10 or more, with a maximum capacity of 40 people. Click to book below or email education@thomascole.org with questions.
Group Visits are available at 10am & 2pm, Wednesdays-Sundays, Year-Round.
We request bookings be completed at least 30 days in advance.
Group Rates
Standard Group Rates: $25 per person (in peak-season October, $27 per person). Discounts do not apply to the group rates.
College/University Group Rates: $16 per person. Discounts do not apply to the group rates.
Optional Add-Ons:
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Guided Art-Making
- Additional $10 per person
- Finish off your visit by getting creative with guided art-making inside Thomas Cole’s studio building
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Catered Lunch on the Forecourt | MENU
- Additional $25–32 per person
- Enjoy a catered meal from Hudson-based eatery Talbott & Arding. From a shaded seat on the Cole Center’s Forecourt, take in the 19th century setting and the seasonal sounds of nature. Order minimum of 10 per booking.
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Cider Tasting with Left Bank Ciders
- Additional $65 per person
- Enjoy an organized tasting and engaging discussion with local cidery Left Bank Ciders. Learn all about their process, from fruit to glass. Includes a guided tasting of three ciders. Order minimum of 10 per booking.
Cole Center & Forecourt
The Cole Center offers unique Thomas Cole-inspired items, from antiques and home goods to art supplies and publications packed with Hudson River School imagery. Enjoy a steaming cup of coffee or tea, or a cool lemonade and sweet treat from the snack bar. Towering windows opening onto the bluestone-walled Forecourt illuminate the space and feature floor-to-ceiling views of the historic setting and Catskill Mountains.
From a shaded seat on the forecourt, take in the 19th-century setting and the seasonal sounds of nature.
The Storehouse & Studio
Step into the 19th-century Storehouse & Studio where Thomas Cole painted, and accept the invitation to sketch or paint with ready-to-use supplies.
The Main House Porch
The Catskill Mountains tower into view as you step onto the front porch of the house where Thomas Cole lived. Relax and enjoy the scene that Thomas Cole was inspired to paint over fifteen times.
The 1815 Main House
Step into the 19th-century and immerse yourself in the newly restored interiors that include Thomas Cole’s hand-painted wall decorations and his colorful textile choices. Hear Thomas’s firsthand accounts of his life here in the Catskills through immersive, digital storytelling, and see original artworks by Thomas Cole and other Hudson River School painters.
The 1846 “New Studio”
Inside the reconstructed studio designed by Thomas Cole, dive into exhibitions of world-class art, curated by top scholars from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and more.
Gardens
Stand alongside the over-200-year-old Honey Locust tree, who witnessed Thomas Cole’s arrival when it was only a sapling. Historic flower and kitchen gardens are lush with life, and meadows of grasses and flowers sway in the fresh country breeze.
Building accessibility and exhibitions on view vary by season. For questions about what’s available and on view, please email education@thomascole.org.
Bus Parking
Motor coach and bus drop off is located beside the 1846 New Studio building on Hudson Avenue, situated on the south side of our campus. We require that motor coaches do not park in our visitor lot that is shared with Temple Israel, as it is inaccessible for buses of that size. Motor coach and bus drivers should use the following directions. Cars and passenger vans may park in our visitor parking lot.
- Turn off of Spring Street onto High Street
- Turn left at Woodland Avenue
- Make a final left onto Hudson Avenue
- Look for the THOMAS COLE SITE GROUP DROP-OFF sign and let passengers out beside the 1846 New Studio building
- We ask that buses do not remain parked on the residential street during their group visit. Please depart from Hudson Avenue and return for group pick-up.
Arrival & Check-in
Please arrive a half hour prior to your arrival time. Your tour guide(s) will meet you at the Cole Center shortly after your arrival time. If you are running late on the date of your visit, please call us at 518-943-7465 ext. 109. Our Group Tours are approximately 75 minutes. We recommend that you allow 2 hours for your entire visit so that you may enjoy remaining time to self-guide throughout the Site and visit our Cole Center & Shop.
Olana State Historic Site is just across the river!
You can coordinate a visit to both sites by emailing both education@thomascole.org and tickets@olana.org. We can’t wait to welcome your group!
Made possible with the generous support of the Warner Foundation
Supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Additional support provided by Susan Ball & John Brigham, Patti Hanson, Richard & Elizabeth Mason, Nina Matis & Alan Gosule and Alan C. Wanzenberg.
The Program Endowment that supports educational programs at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this the programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.