6 Art-Filled Day Trips from New York

Our picks for autumnal attractions for the art-minded day-tripper

Giant statue resembling a head balancing a pair of legs with four people looking up, surrounded by colorful autumn trees.
*Three Legged Buddha* by Zhang Huan at Storm King Art Center in Cornwall, NY. Photo: Courtesy of Storm King Art Center

With fall well underway, many New Yorkers will soon feel compelled to head out of the city and experience the wonders of the season firsthand. For those wishing to take in a bit of culture as well as foliage, Galerie has six picks for museums and galleries just a few hours away from the bustle of New York City.

CONNECTICUT

Modern building with a curved roof set in a grassy field, surrounded by colorful autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.
The River Building at Grace Farms. Courtesy of Grace Farms

Grace FarmsNew Canaan, CT

The irresistible River Building at Grace Farms is currently home to a sound installation by multisensory artist Julianne Swartz. Reverberating through three separate rooms—the Sanctuary, Corridor, and Library—Swartz’ work is intended to explore empathy, awe, silence, and joy. The River Building, a work of art in its own right, also houses installations by Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Teresita Fernández, Beatriz Milhazes, and Susan Phillipsz. The serpentine building is the work of Pritzker Prize–winning architects SANAA. 365 Lukes Wood Road, New Canaan, CT 

Modern glass ceiling with metal beams and a security camera in a bright, sunlit interior space.
The Sculpture Gallery at the Glass House. The Glass House

The Glass HouseNew Canaan, CT

A multipart exhibition by Jennie C. Jones entitled “RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)” is on view across the Glass House grounds through the end of November. The Glass House is filled with the blending of solfeggio frequencies, a tone that is carried over to the Sculpture Gallery, where it is met with the slow crescendo of predominantly black musicians and composers like Alice Coltrane and Milford Graves. A complementary series of works on paper, also by Jones, will be on view in the Painting Gallery. As a whole, the show has a clear mission: to bring the work and voices of largely excluded black artists into the spotlight. 199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT

SOUTHAMPTON

Art installation in a gallery with colorful neon lights on the wall and a neon light chair on the floor.
Pieces from Keith Sonnier’s high-tech exhibition “Until Today,” currently on view at the Parrish Art Museum. Courtesy of Parrish Art Museum

The Parrish Art Museum | Water Mill, NY

Only a few weeks remain to see Barthélémy Toguo’s first-ever solo exhibition in an American museum, “The Beauty in Our Voice.” Its centerpiece, a life-size, luggage-laden boat titled Road to Exile, weighs anchor on October 14. Then on November 11, the museum celebrates six years in its current Herzog & de Mueron–designed building with an installation of works from the permanent collection that will include galleries devoted to David Salle and Louisa Chase. Keith Sonnier’s high-tech exhibition, “Until Today,” is also on view. 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY

HUDSON VALLEY

Modern art gallery interior with colorful abstract paintings and sculptures on display against red and white walls.
OnSite: Lebbeus Woods installation at the Benenson Center at Art Omi.

Art Omi | Ghent, NY

While the sculpture grounds at Omi are not to be missed, the highlight of Omi’s winter season is OnSite: Lebbeus Woods. The show centers on the installation Three Reconstructed Boxes (1992-93), on view in the United States for the first time. Created in collaboration with Paul Anwar and Yair Millet, the installation, which incorporates sophisticated sound and video components, testifies to Woods’ status as one of the preeminent experimental architects of his time. The show is on view through January 6. 1405 County Route 22, Ghent, NY

Large pile of wooden sticks with scattered debris in an empty white gallery space with high walls and concrete floor.
Windward Coast—West Coast Slave Trade by Radcliffe Bailey at The School. Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery

 The School | Kinderhook, NY

While solo exhibitions by Nina Chanel Abney, Valérie Blass, and a handful of others come to a close the first week in October, Radcliffe Bailey’s exhibition, “Travelogue,” remains on view through the spring. The pièce de résistance is Windward Coast—West Coast Slave Trade (2009–18), a surging wave of dismantled piano keys that draws upon the imagery of the Middle Passage. 25 Broad Street, Kinderhook, NY

Scenic view of a grassy landscape with colorful autumn trees and large metal sculptures under a blue sky.
The Storm King sculpture grounds in early autumn. Courtesy of Storm King Art Center

Storm King Art Center | Cornwall, NY

Though the center’s summer exhibition, “Indicators: Artists on Climate Change,” continues through November, at least one change awaits visitors to Storm King Art Center. The once-verdant landscape will be transformed by stunning fall foliage, providing a fresh backdrop for large-scale sculptures by renowned artists Alexander Calder and Henry Moore. 1 Museum Road, New Windsor, NY