There are many ways to enjoy yourself on Beacon's Hudson River shoreline. The Metro North train station acts as a central hub and a good starting point for exploration. On the river side of the station is the Beacon Sloop Club, home of the Woodie Guthrie and a boat launch for kayaks and other small vessels. On Sundays year-round from 10-4pm you'll find the Beacon Farmer’s Market. Weekdays, you can take the ferry across to Newburgh, or sign up for a free weekday evening sail on the Woodie in warmer months.

At the north end of the station, Riverfront Park offers basketball, volleyball, fishing, daydreaming and picnicking, all with panoramic views of Newburgh and the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. There is even swimming at the River Pool!

Just south of the station is Beacon Point Park, a riverside art installation by sculptor George Trakas—pictured in the photo above. From there it’s a one-mile stroll along the Hudson on the Beacon Shoreline Trail to historic Denning’s Point, home of the new Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries Center for Environmental Innovation and Education. Explore this state of the art learning center, then if you're up for it, walk the wooded loop trail (closed in winter so that roosting eagles are not disturbed).

End your day on the Hudson's banks by heading into town for a hearty meal. Leaving the Institute, if you follow the road straight over the small bridge, then across 9D along South Avenue, you'll end up at the west end of Main Street.