Olana’s Historic Landscape Tour
Self-guided tour of 1.5 miles of historic carriage roads
Time: 45:08 (audio); approximately 1 hour with making stopsHelpful Hint! There is free guest WiFi available at the Visitor Center/Museum (network name: OlanaGuest) for
downloading your tour. In addition, there is a map + corresponding brochure available for purchase in the
Museum Store.
Learn about the history and ongoing restoration of Olana’s artist-designed landscape. Imagine walking
through a Frederic Church painting. While you learn a myriad of facts, you will be inspired by Church’s many
historic carriage roads. The tour can be listened to anywhere, but to follow along with the geography, please
start at the historic map sign at the bottom of the parking lot stairway. We suggest wearing good walking
shoes. The route travels on Ridge Road, South Road + New Approach Road.
TOP wishes to thank local actors Leigh Strimbeck and Paul Ricciardi for their excellent dramatic readings. Many thanks to Wave Farm/WGXC for making the audio recording possible and for Henri Scars Struck for donating his original score. This tour was written by TOP’s Landscape Curator, Mark Prezorski. Copyright TOP 2016. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
Photo credit: Frederic J. Church, Plan of Olana (detail), 1886, watercolor on paper, OL.1984.39, Collection of Olana State Historic Site, NYSOPRHP
