our backyard
fall’s best five five places to celebrate fall compiled by brianna snyder
1
Dutch Apple Cruises
If you love the water and local history, taking a scenic and historical tour on the Hudson River with Dutch Apple Cruises is a wonderful way to spend a fall day. The boat has food and a cash bar — for grownup fun — plus private-party and charter availability. Cruises run through the end of October, so it’ll be chilly near the end, but heated cabins plus fall sweaters should take care of that problem.
OPEN: Wednesday to Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (boarding 12:30 p.m.), through the end of October ADMISSION: $17.95 per ticket CONTACT: 518-463-0220, dutchapplecruises.com
— PHOTO BY JOHN CARL D’ANNIBALE / TIMES UNION ARCHIVES
2
The Arts Center of the Capital Region
The catalog of classes at the Arts Center in Troy is astoundingly broad — everything from dance and fitness and yoga to art, crafts, cooking and kids stuff. The center’s mission is to “engage people in the creative experience,” and the modern building is located right in Troy’s rich downtown (stop in while you’re shopping the Troy Farmers Market). Curious about taking a writing course or a drawing class or a photography workshop? This is the place to start. And it’s affordable too.
OPEN: Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 4 p.m. ADMISSION: Course prices vary, but hover in the $50-$125 zone CONTACT: (518) 273-0552, artscenteronline.org
3
Albany Visiting Writers Series
This season’s lineup of visiting writers looks as exciting as last season’s. In the spring, visiting writers included George Saunders, Marilynne Robinson, James Salter, Gail Collins and more. The intimate events feature contemporary and acclaimed authors who come to read excerpts of their work and take questions from the audience. (There are book-signings too.) Coming up this fall: Ayana Mathis, Jonathan Lethem, T.C. Boyle, to name just a few. ANNUAL FENCE SHOW at the Arts Center. — PHOTO BY JONATHAN FICKIES / TIMES UNION ARCHIVES
14 EXPLORE
OPEN: Dates vary throughout the season; see calendar ADMISSION: Free CONTACT: (518) 442-5620, albany.edu/writers-inst