Top 6 Attractions In Rensselaer, New York: A City By The Hudson

1. 1. Crailo State Historic Site

Crailo State Historic Site is a fortified brick manor house which was originally part of the Manor or Patroonship of Rensselaerswyck held by Kiliaen van Rensselaer. The historic home was built by his grandson, Hendrick van Rensselaer, in 1707 and referred to as Fort Crailo. The fortress was inherited by his eldest son, Johannes, in the 18th century who remodeled the house in the Georgian and then the Federal style.

In 1961, Fort Crailo was declared as a National Historic Landmark by the United States government and is operated by the State of New York as a museum of the Colonial Dutch culture in New York. Exhibits focus on the daily life of the Dutch colonists which consists of household objects, decorative items, clothing, furniture, weapons and construction materials. Exhibits also include artifacts from the Fort Orange archaeological dig site that was erected near Albany in 1624. The manor is opened to the public for tours from mid-May through the end of October.

Crailo State Historic Site

Address: 9 ½ Riverside Ave, 12144 Rensselaer, NY

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday (11 am – 5 pm)

Phone: +1 518-463-8738

Website: Crailo State Historic Site

2. 2. Rensselaer Rail Station or Albany-Rensselaer Station

Rensselaer Rail Station is an Amtrak train station located 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from downtown Albany across the Hudson River. In 2015, it had become the ninth-busiest Amtrak station and serves a metro area with a population smaller than 2 million. The Amtrak terminal is now branded as Albany–Rensselaer in order to differentiate this station from the Rensselaer station in Indiana. The current infrastructure of the station features a Coffee Beanery Cafe, a newsstand, and a post office, and is served by Amtrak’s Empire Corridor routes including Adirondack to Montreal, Maple Leaf to Toronto, as well as the Lake Shore Limited where the routes for New York and Boston branch diverge at this station.

Rensselaer Rail Station

Address: 525 East St, Albany-Rensselaer Station, 12144 Rensselaer, NY

Phone: +1 800-872-7245

Website: Rensselaer Rail Station

3. 3. Regal Cinemas East Greenbush 8

Regal Cinema is one of the three main theater brands operated by Regal Entertainment Group, and the other two theater brands being Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres. The American movie theater chain was established in 1989 and headquartered in unincorporated Halls Crossroads north of Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal Cinema East Greenbush 8 is a decent neighborhood theater complex complete with plush seating. This multiplex theater showcases new movie releases and offers fairly-priced food and beverages at their concession stand.

Regal Cinemas East Greenbush 8

Address: 279 Troy Rd, 12144 Rensselaer, NY

Phone: +1 844-462-7342

Website: Regal Cinemas East Greenbush 8

4. 4. Fuller’s Tavern

Fuller’s Tavern is a renowned inn and pub that is rich in history and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was constructed around 1795 as a two-story wood frame house with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back. In 1806, it opened as a tavern house and remains one of the few surviving inns that were built along the Great Western Turnpike during the late 18th century. The tavern interior is decorated with a metal bar top, wooden barstools with brass pipe foot rest and complete with stone tile floors and ceiling fans. The pub is a stone’s throw away from the Albany-Rensselaer Station and commuters can settle for a drink or two during a transit or stopover.

Fuller’s Tavern

Address: 700 East St, 12144 Rensselaer, NY

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday (11 am to 8 pm)

Phone: +1 518-463-9233

5. 5. New York State Museum

Founded in 1836 as the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey, the New York State Museum is the nation’s oldest and largest state museum operated by the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. It was subsequently reorganized as the New York State Museum of Natural History in 1870 and was announced for works of modernized renovation in June 2015. It is a research-backed establishment located on Madison Avenue opposite of the New York State Capitol and it exhibits art, relic, and ecological artifacts that replicate the cultural and geological development of the State of New York.

The museum is home to a number of centers, programs, and initiatives that contribute to the historical, archaeological and biological perception of areas inside and outside of New York State. It also features an extensive collection of ecological specimens, anthropological materials, paleontology samples, and cultural artifacts, which are open to researchers for analysis. Admission to the museum is free. Visitors can ride its notable full-sized fully operational Carousel which was built between 1912 and 1916 and is located on the museum’s fourth floor. Rides on the carousel and admission to the museum are free.

New York State Museum

Address: 222 Madison Ave, 12230 Albany, NY

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (9.30 am to 5 pm), Closed on Mondays, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day

Contact: +1 518-474-5877

Website: New York State Museum

6. 6. New York State Capitol

The New York State Capitol building represents the seat of New York State government and is located on the peak of Albany’s State Street hill. It was built between 1867 and 1899, where three teams of architects worked on the infrastructure of the Capitol at different period of times throughout the 32 years of construction. The initial layout featured a central open court subjugated by a shaft which was intended to support a colossal dome. However, the dome and tower were never completed because it was reported that the weight of the building was already causing stress fractures and began to move downhill toward State Street. A humongous Eastern Staircase exterior was consequently added to support the front facade and to stop further movement. New York State Capitol was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and acknowledged as a National Historic Landmark in 1979. The majestic building offers free admission walk-in tours to visitors as well as official guided tours.

New York State Capitol

Address: Washington Ave, 12224 Albany, NY

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday (7 am – 7 pm)

Contact: +1 518-474-2418

Website: New York State Capitol

Discover the local world-class attractions in Rensselaer, New York

The next time you set foot in New York, head over to Rensselaer in Albany as the city has a lot to offer. Learn about the Dutch culture at the historic Crailo State Historic Site, explore one of the busiest Amtrak stations in the nation, take a fun ride on the Carousel in the New York State Museum and take a tour at the New York State Capitol.