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Beacon, NY is a quaint small town located in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. It's situated on the banks of the Hudson River and is known for its beautiful views, historic sites, and unique artistic offerings. It's also home to several parks and trails that take visitors through wooded areas along the river. Beacon has become a popular tourist destination with many people visiting to explore its charming atmosphere and enjoy all of its attractions. Visitors have given glowing reviews about their time in Beacon, mentioning how much they enjoyed walking through its downtown area, which is filled with shops and restaurants. They've also praised the art galleries, featuring works by local artists, as well as some of the museums dedicated to preserving historical artifacts from throughout the area. Many have remarked that spending some time exploring Beacon is an experience unlike any other.
based on 13 ReviewsGet to know Beacon with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Beacon
Beacon is the Best - 3/17/2022
Forget the negative reviews of Beacon. Those are old and the city has changed so much. Beacon is quaint, friendly, and growing so much. There's so much to see and do here. Hike Mt Beacon, walk along the Hudson at Dennings Point, watch the sunset from Long Dock Park, pop in and out of cute shops on Main Street, be mesmerized by the waterfalling by Roundhouse and under the bridge over Fishkill Creek or just sit outside by Trax coffee shop and people watch. Tourist stuff that the locals do every day. Beacon is a great place to live and
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Tasteless and disorganized - 11/10/2019
Great shopping they said, cute town, great art, lots of culture, amazing antique stores, fashionable and chic, a home away from home for Brooklyn and NYC denizens.
No stores here seem to be able to figure out what exactly they are. Except of course the seemingly endless bridal shops of questionable quality. Not that quality is the biggest issue when the 1980s is your wedding theme, which is pretty much what they offer. There were puffed sleeves.
There's a falafel taqueria, because even the food is confused.
They have a hot sauce store with what appears to be used boots and hats.
At the women's boutiques, nestled in between shapeless overpriced beige and orange they have things like the town children's book which is about a cat that runs away. You root for the cat's escape.
The most fun store in town is an "antique" shop that's 90% made in China most definitely not antiques. In the front of that store they sell cheap
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Bought a condo - 11/5/2017
So this town had a lot of potential and I decided to visit ultimately buying a condo. It was a town in transition 7 yrs ago.....now it is growing into a hipster arts community. Great artisan shops, galleries and restaurants. 85 mins to NYC into grand central. Needless to say I am very happy it went that way. I currently rent it but will move up in a few
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All that glitters... - 8/8/2010
The person that called Beacon a jewel yet to be polished,got it somewhat right. There is A LOT of polishing that needs to be done however! In addition to the drug addicts and drug dealers,there is a problem with bums hanging out on Main Street and backward citizens living in the town.Beacon wants to be this little artist's enclave on the banks of the Hudson,but it has a long way to go. They think that if they decorate the old abandoned factories with artwork and have "river celebrations" people will think they are the upstate answer to what SoHo used to be or Brooklyn. Not exactly.
They make a big deal of the DIA being here,but DIA has absolutely no involvement with the town! They have a number of galleries and shops at both ends of Main Street,but the middle is a forgotten "no-man's land" where the bums hang out. All the places in town are geared to the people that come up for the weekend from Manhattan and are barely open during the early part of the week.The one
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Not All It's Cracked Up to Be - 8/8/2010
The person that called this place a jewel that needs to be polished got it somewhat right. It could be a jewel if not for the drug addicts,drug dealers, and bums hanging around Main Street,and small-minded backward citizens. Don't get me wrong,the galleries and restaurants are quite nice,but cater mostly to people coming up from Manhattan because they heard "what a cute,quaint little town Beacon is!" Most of these same galleries and shops are closed except on the weekends,and the middle of Main Street is a no-man's land with empty buildings and the aforementioned undesirables hanging out.Beacon makes a big deal of the fact that the DIA is here,but -newsflash!-DIA has no involvement with the town at all.
The school district is pretty low-rent as well,with people that shouldn't be teaching in the classrooms and a severe bullying problem in the schools.There are some decent folks here,but there are a lot of "trailer trash" types that take the shine off the apple,so to speak.
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Don't Believe the Hype - 6/14/2010
Beacon has put a lot of effort into promoting itself as this quaint little artist's enclave on the banks of the Hudson River. Partly(and not that big a part)true.Another poster touched on some of what plagues Beacon, and actually stops it from being what it claims to be. Yes,there are drugs,crack and meth. Yes,there is some crime,though actually not that much, considering other towns roughly the same size have much more. No,it's not Newburgh,but I'll get to my thoughts on THAT hype,later. What really keeps Beacon from being who they want to be are the attitudes and the overall provincialism of the residents and the politcians they elect. Beacon suffers from a distinct lack of the ability to look forward and see the big picture. Everything that's done is done in an offhanded,half-assed way that wouldn't cut it in other places.For instance,every year they have some "festival" on Main Street that the call Beacon Day. It's supposed to commemorate the founding of the town. If you'd go to
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A jewel that has yet to be polished.. - 3/14/2010
Beacon for all it's charms can't seem to shake it's less than glorious days of poverty, crime and ghetto mentality.
Don't get me wrong, the town has made huge strides with it's businesses, annual fairs and the DIA, but one can't ignore the crackheads peeking around the corners or hard menacing looks one gets in certain parts of town or that uncomfortable feeling one gets when they park and leave their car.
I see through the fluff and transparent glitter that the town officials set up to promote tourism, I've seen much moving around Brooklyn years ago, and I know what I see. This area needs more attractions, destinations and a project clean-up crew to
clear out bad elements. Larger investments into the future will make this area a dream.
I suppose I could be nit-picking though and it could be worse.. I could be living in Newburgh (over the Hudson nextdoor)
nightmare.
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Banging doors to get out, a lost childhood memory! - 2/5/2010
Beacon can be a nice city, but it's crazy (crime rate isn't tidy), and you have to be one of THEM to be part of the community! I have Autism and Social Anxiety Disorder, and when I was younger those people just didn't care to know why I was suffering or so angry, they never will, and when I finally got a grip of myself, NONE OF THEM CARE! Not even 10 (literally) tried to be friends with me out of the DOZENS I went to school with! THEY DON'T CARE! I'm not an adult, I'm talking about childhood here, and Beacon and the community completely ruined mine! PLEASE DON'T MOVE HERE IF YOU HAVE A KID WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, THEY'LL EAT YOU UP AND SPIT YOU OUT WITHOUT SAYING A WORD, AND FORGET EDUCATION AND UNDERSTAND! If you're "normal" enough, it's a pretty good community. Oh forbid you love or even like Poughkeepsie, that's just wrong! For artists, and many other, Beacon can appeal to many, it's been cleaned up since the 90s when all smart people were "door banging" to get out (see
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A decent little city - 3/2/2009
I really do love beacon. It's a nice place to live if you're single or if you have a family. I've lived here now for approx.7 years. I love the serenity of beacon. I also love watching the deers hanging around in mating season. I admit some uncoasha people are moving up here from N.Y.C(I don't know what's that all about), but all in all we'll keep the beaconites up here and the city people stay in new york. I am a true Hudson Valley Fan!Thank
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