Scenery, History, and Ice Cream Along the Hudson
Reminiscent of the Nyack Ferry nearly a century ago, the Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry, run by New York Waterway, offers one of Rockland County’s most affordable and delightful weekend adventures. A weekday commuter workhorse, the ferry transforms on weekends into a sightseeing cruise. From the open-air upper deck, passengers take in sweeping views—High Tor, Hook Mountain, Croton Point, sailboats, barges, tugs, jet skis, and even the imposing walls of Sing Sing. Friendly ticket takers and deckhands set the tone for a relaxed and breezy escape.
The Ferry Ride
Fifteen minutes feels like a full-blown voyage.
The fifteen-minute crossing begins at the Haverstraw ferry station, gliding into the three-mile-wide expanse of Haverstraw Bay. Depending on wind and tide, the river runs either glassy smooth or lively with chop. Mid-river, the boat turns south, revealing High Tor to the west and the Hook Mountain range stretching southward. With a sharp eye, you can spot the narrow clove at Snedeker’s Landing, where Major John André landed to meet Benedict Arnold in 1780.
Another clove, deeper in the Hook’s face, marks Rockland Landing—once home to a quarry and the Knickerbocker Ice Company’s famous railway that shipped Rockland Lake ice to New York City. Farther south, the Tappan Zee Bridge comes into view, with Nyack nestled in its semicircle of Palisades.
The ferry rounds Croton Point, turning toward Sing Sing Prison before easing into Ossining’s dock. There, the Three Westerly restaurant and the Metro-North station await. Though only fifteen minutes have passed, the ride feels much longer—an immersion in history and scenery.
On the Haverstraw Side
Art, ice cream, and river views—all within a five-minute stroll.
The Hudson River Sculpture Trail begins at the ferry terminal and winds along the waterfront of the Harbors apartment complex. Sculptures, benches, fountains, and riverviews create a short, level stroll that ends at Black Sand Beach. Riverside Scoops, a cheerful ice cream stand, offers a sweet finale.
On the Ossining Side
Catch a sunset, sip a cocktail, or hop a train to anywhere.
Ossining greets visitors with riverfront benches, sunsets, and another ice cream kiosk. The Three Westerly restaurant serves drinks and meals on its broad patio or inside. From here, Metro-North trains run to Peekskill, Beacon, Tarrytown, or directly to New York City. Beyond the station, the village of Ossining climbs uphill, like so many river towns on the east bank.
Echoes of Haverstraw’s Brickyards
Once 300 million bricks a year shipped from this quiet shoreline.
As you stroll the sculpture trail on the Haverstraw side, you’re walking through what was once the DeNoyelles brickyard—the largest in Haverstraw. At its peak, the village shipped 300 million bricks a year to New York City. The shallow shoreline yielded perfect blue clay, and after Richard Ver Valen invented an automated brick-making machine in 1852, the industry boomed. By the 20th century, the Depression, competition, and exhausted clay banks brought it down. Cofferdam remnants still appear on the southern shore, silent reminders of Haverstraw’s brick empire.
The Brick Museum
A whole town built of clay—soon a three-floor museum.
A mile inland, downtown Haverstraw boasts the Brick Museum, with dioramas, rare brick collections, and films documenting the trade that built New York. Plans call for an expanded three-story museum by 2029.
Haverstraw Beach River Trail
Eagles overhead, ruins in the woods, and the Hudson at your feet.
Just a mile from the Haverstraw ferry terminal, a small lot at the end of Riverside Avenue leads to a five-mile biking and hiking trail that winds south to Nyack Beach. The Haverstraw segment climbs through mature forest, offering vistas a hundred feet above the Hudson. Eagles call overhead, WPA-era ruins crumble quietly in the woods, and the river glitters far below.
Stony Point Battlefield
In 1779, soldiers climbed cliffs in the dark to rewrite history.
Six miles north of the Haverstraw ferry terminal , the Stony Point Battlefield Historic Site commemorates Brigadier General Anthony Wayne’s daring nighttime assault on July 16, 1779. His men scaled the riverfront cliffs, surprising the British garrison and capturing the fort and lighthouse. The victory electrified the colonies and marked one of the Revolution’s boldest feats.
Sing Sing Prison
Where the phrase ‘sent up the river’ was born.
Two hundred years ago, New York State acquired 130 acres for a new prison at Ossining. Inmates quarried marble for its first cellblock—800 cells strong. At night they locked into cells; by day they moved in “lockstep” to labor. From 1891 to 1963, the prison’s electric chair executed 614 people, giving rise to the phrase “sent up the river.” A museum is planned for this still-active prison.
Don’t Delay!
Ten ferries on Saturday & Sunday, but only until mid-October.
The weekend ferry runs mid-May through mid-October. Departures from Haverstraw begin at 10:17 a.m. and continue hourly until 7:18 p.m., with Ossining departures about thirty minutes later. Tickets, available online or at either terminal, cost $4.50 one way for adults ($2.25 for seniors). Children under five ride free; kids ages 6–11 pay $2.25. Bikes, scooters, and e-bikes travel free with racks provided. Parking is free, and a weekend bus connects the terminal to downtown Haverstraw.
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as Treasurer of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center, and Upper Nyack Historian. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. He has written the Nyack People & Places column since 2017. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Sun River Health and Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. Sun River Health is a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually. Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty is the lower Hudson Valley’s Leader in Luxury. Located in the charming Hudson River village of Nyack, approximately 22 miles from New York City. Our agents are passionate about listing and selling extraordinary properties in the Lower Hudson Valley, including Rockland and Orange Counties, New York.
