Hudson Riverama

Please note, Hudson Riverama is closed until further notice. Check back for updates.

Hudson Riverama is the Museum’s hands-on, interactive teaching gallery that focuses on the natural and environmental history, habitats, flora, and fauna, as well as geography and landscape of the Hudson River. It is a multimedia experience geared towards children, with computer and mechanical interactives, videos, models, music, artwork, and more that connect visitors to the history and eco-system of “America’s First River.”

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Photo: Yuliya Levit

Riverama is a journey north to south along the Hudson River. You can learn about the three geographic sections of the Hudson—the Upper Hudson from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains to the city of Troy in Rensselaer County; the Mid-Hudson from Troy through the Catskills and Highlands to the city of Peekskill in Westchester County; and the Lower Hudson from Peekskill into New York Harbor, connecting the river to the sea. Learn about each region’s major features, its animals and plants, and the human impact on each area.

One of central features of Hudson Riverama is a 31-foot, 3D topographic map of the entire river. Based on highly detailed aerial and satellite photographs, it shows the physical characteristics of the river’s landscape and major landmarks, towns, cities, highways, bridges, and railroads. You can see the river from the mountains to New York Harbor and the ocean.

The Hudson River is a vital natural resource for all of us who share this wondrous waterway that sweeps through the state. The Hudson River Museum is situated right along the banks of the Hudson River and it inspires many of our exhibits and programs, flowing through our history, our art, and our heritage.

Hudson River Facts

Length: 315 miles

Watershed: 13,390 square miles

Highest Source: Lake Tear of the Clouds, elevation 4,322 feet on the slope of Mr. Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains

Mouth: New York Harbor

Age: Approximately 75,000,000 years; 11,000 in present form

First Human Contact: Algonquin tribes, 10,000 B.C.

Earliest Name: Muhheakantuck, the early Native American name for the “river that flows both ways,” which describes the tides and currents of the Hudson River that create two-directional flow in the water

Hudson River Explorers

Giovanni da Verrazano, Italy, 1524 A.D., searching for westward passage, first exploration of New York Harbor
Estevan Gomez, Portugal, 1525 A.D., searching for westward passage for Spain, first Spanish exploration of map of lower river
Henry Hudson, Holland, 1609 A.D., searching for westward passage, first exploration of the river north to near Albany
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Photo: Yuliya Levit

Major support for Hudson Riverama was provided by the National Science Foundation; New York State through the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and the New York State Community Enhancement Program; and the Estate of Adelaide Brevoort Ward. Additional funding was provided by the Westchester County Board of Legislators and the Westchester County Executive; the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Joyce and Leonard Greene; the Meryl & Christopher Lewis Foundation; the Hudson River Improvement Fund of the Hudson River Foundation; Cablevision; Tracy McCarthy; Hitachi America, Ltd.; and Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc.