Visitor Information

Our Location

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College is located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in the beautiful Hudson Valley, about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston. It is surrounded by several beautiful Hudson Valley estates, including Montgomery Place, Clermont, Olana, Mills Mansion, the Vanderbilt Estate, and the Roosevelt Home and Museum, all of which are open to the public. Other nearby attractions include the Culinary Institute of America, Cary Arboretum, Innisfree Garden, country auctions, wineries, pick-your-own vegetable and fruit farms, nature sanctuaries, and historic river ports. Special events during the Bard Music Festival include daily tours of the Hudson River houses and riverboat excursions.

For more information about tours of the building click here .

Travel by Car

*GPS device users: Enter the intersection of Route 9G and Annandale Road for the most accurate directions. Bard College is in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; the zip code is 12504.

From southern Connecticut, follow I-84 to the Taconic State Parkway, take the Taconic north to the Red Hook/Route 199 exit, drive west on Route 199 through the village of Red Hook to Route 9G, turn right onto Route 9G, and drive north 1.9 miles. Follow sign for Center for Performing Arts.

From northern Connecticut, take Route 44 to Route 199
at Millerton, drive west on Route 199, and proceed as from southern Connecticut.

From Massachusetts and northern New England, take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit B-2 (Taconic Parkway), take the Taconic south to the Red Hook/Route 199 exit, and proceed as from southern Connecticut.

From New York City, New Jersey, and points south, take the New York State Thruway to Exit 19 (Kingston), take Route 209 (changes to Route 199 at the Hudson River) over the Rhinecliff Bridge to Route 9G at the second light, turn left onto Route 9G, and drive north 3.8 miles. Follow sign for Center for Performing Arts.

From Albany, take the New York State Thruway to Exit 19 and proceed as from New York City or take the New York State Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill). Exiting toll plaza, turn left onto Route 23B, then turn left onto Route 23 East. After crossing Rip Van Winkle Bridge, turn right onto Route 9G and drive south for approximately 15 miles. Follow sign for Center for Performing Arts.

Travel by Train

Amtrak service is available from Penn Station in New York City or from Albany to Rhinecliff, about 9 miles south of Annandale. Taxi service is available at the station. For schedules visit amtrak.com or call 1-800-872-7245.

Bard College and The Hudson Valley

Bard College sits in the northwest corner of historic Dutchess County in the beautiful mid Hudson Valley. Today the region's many communities, with their galleries, restaurants, shops, and cultural events; its exciting outdoor activities, including paragliding, kayaking, and mountain biking; and its numerous historical sights make it a vibrant place to live.

Once home to various Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Mahican confederacy, the area was settled by Europeans at the start of the seventeenth century, after Henry Hudson traveled the river that now bears his name. The area that would come to be Dutchess County was ruled by the Dutch and then the English before the Revolutionary War.

By the start of the eighteenth century this fertile region was home to self-sufficient farms, and the Hudson River provided opportunities for commerce, industry, and transportation. During the Revolutionary War, its farms supplied the Continental armies with great quantities of food. The booming agricultural industry continued after the war, as Dutchess County farmers began to supply the New York City market. Brickmaking, whaling, and iron mining joined agriculture in contributing to the prosperity of the region, and soon numerous great estates were built along the Hudson.

The extraordinary beauty of the Valley also drew artists to the area. Painters Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, and other members of The Hudson River School were attracted by the majestic Catskills on the west side of the river, the region's numerous waterways, and the rolling hills on the river's east bank. Writers Washington Irving and Edith Wharton set many of their stories in the Hudson Valley. The area also nurtured great historical figures; national leaders such as Robert Livingston and Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt called the Hudson Valley home.