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If it hadn’t been for Art Omi, Ghent NY might have remained a quiet town, with its historic homes and agricultural lineage proudly maintaining a polite and unspoiled façade. But, since 1992, the arts residency center with its 120-acre sculpture park has drawn visitors and participants from around the globe, and Ghent’s had quite an awakening. Buying real estate and living in Ghent NY offers the best of two worlds: idyllic natural surroundings and a vibrant, energetic, creative community.
The official town website has links to the practical details you need for living in Ghent with contacts for answers to all your questions. A bit of community history: an enormous hay-pressing facility was the center of activity for nearly 100 years, until it burned down in the 1890s. But that didn’t stop the roll of progress; farmers still sent goods far and wide by the Hudson-Berkshire and Harlem railroads, which ran through Ghent NY until the 1960s. Today there are still many farms, and you can hop on the train at Hudson NY.
What makes Ghent special? In addition to the many farm markets in the immediate area, Ghent hosts a great regional resource, the certified-organic, biodynamic Hawthorne Valley Farm, a hub for people who want to farm in tune with nature. The Hawthorne Valley Association comprises not only the store but the Waldorf School, farmer training, Center for Social Research, Place Corps Residential Fellowship and more.
For more groceries, aside from Hannaford and the Real Food Market Coop in Chatham (where they prepare delicious food to go with a menu that changes daily), there’s Made In Ghent at Little Ghent Farm, a small family farm “on a voyage of discovery,” and another fantastic cooperative market and kitchen in Philmont (seven miles away), serving three meals per day, seven days per week.
Get outside at the Siegel-Kline Kill Conservation Area: residents fish for brown trout in the Kline Kill, bird-watch in the forest and peek at pollinators in the fields. The Town of Chatham NY has several parks and conservation areas, too. The Lightforce Sanctuary leads visitors to experience the landscape in a mindful way through guided walks and yoga. There’s a golf course in Ghent, and there are two places to go up in a hot-air balloon!
Simple yet elegant: New Concord B&B! Rent a 6,000-square-foot Victorian guest house in Philmont. Enjoy a vegetarian breakfast & pretty Shaker-influenced rooms at Silver Maple Farm.
High Falls Conservation Area boasts one of the tallest waterfalls in the region. Olde Kinderhook Golf Course winds through meadows, creeks & ponds. Get in the saddle at Destiny’s Ride.
Enjoy a picnic in the sculpture park, find inspiration in the galleries at Art Omi! Audition for a play at Ghent Playhouse. Take workshops, see film & dance performances at PS 21 Chatham.
NY maple syrup is some of the best, & Ghent’s got it at Maple Leaf Sugaring. The 200+-year-old Ten Barn farm—where there are 10 barns —is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chocolate Affogato & Almond Butter Toast with Cider Honey & Bee Pollen at Bartlett House! Grilled Cheese & Tomato at Kozel’s! Vegan Panini at White Stone Café! Dipped Cone at Dairy Queen!
Top Form offers everything from personal training to youth camps. Have your bridal party prepped & prettified at Shear Images. Hudson Pilates has a 145-acre “farmspace” in Livingston!
Browse folk art galore at the Crow Cottage. Home-goods, books, jewelry, all kinds of nice stuff at Pookstyle. Join the Warm Ewe gang for outdoor community knitting at Crellin Park.
Savor the fruity goodness at Hudson Chatham Winery wine-tastings. Beebe Hill’s is known as a great spot for hiking, biking, rolling along! Visit the site of Art Omi’s world-renowned residencies.
There's so much to do in Ghent, NY - it can be hard to decide! Contact one of our Local Experts at Village Green Realty. We'd love to give you our recommendation on the best things to do in Ghent.
Several independent educational facilities make their homes in Ghent: The Nature Institute works to “develop new… approaches to seeing and understanding nature and technology,” with adult education courses and young adult programming. Then there’s Free Columbia in Philmont NY, where “the heart of the initiative is the cultivation of art, aesthetic education, contemplative inquiry and action research in a spirit of independence and accessibility.” The Art School of Columbia County, also in Ghent NY, offers free and affordable fine art programs to about 1,800 community residents each year.
As for theater, the Ghent Playhouse, a not-for-profit community theater meeting at the 1894 Ghent Town Hall, has been entertaining the community since 1974. The Columbia County Youth Theatre nurtures young actors hoping to succeed in the performing arts. And check out Walking the Dog Theater at Hawthorne Valley.
Restaurants in Ghent NY range from Dairy Queen to the popular Bartlett House, featuring exquisite baked goods and locally sourced foods in a gorgeously restored circa-1870 Italianate railroad hotel (on the National Register of Historic Places). The White Stone Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week; and Kozel’s, according to one reviewer “the real Columbia County,” has been serving down-to-earth American food since 1936. Of course, there are dozens more eateries just down the road in Chatham and Hudson.
For older adults there are two monthly group meetings, the Ghent/Chatham Area Senior Citizens Club and the Tri-Village Senior Citizens, along with Meals On Wheels and Camphill Ghent, the only independent-living senior community in Columbia County NY. For a list of other organizations and get-togethers, check the Columbia Paper’s Events page; a random selection includes a bee-keepers’ club, contemporary art discussion group, bridge and mah jongg, queer women, knitting and crochet, yoga and breastfeeding, tai chi and photography.
Ghent NY homes for sale include romantic wide-pastured farms and orchards and chic glass houses with views of the Catskills and the Hudson River, neat clapboard-sided colonials, state-of-the-art contemporaries, private enclaves and dignified Greek Revival structures. Choose a site right in town for convenience or venture up a long drive into the woods to discover an architectural gem. Buy land in Ghent, put up a tent and listen to the woods. Whether you build from your own designs or reimagine an existing structure, realize your dreams with Ghent NY real estate.
If you have any questions about Ghent real estate, contact Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty. We'd love to show you all that Ghent NY has to offer.
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Listing information last updated on May 14th, 2025 at 5:00am EDT.
THE DATA RELATING TO REAL ESTATE ON THIS WEBSITE COMES IN PART FROM THE IDX OF THE MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF ULSTER COUNTY, INC. REAL ESTATE LISTINGS HELD BY BROKERAGE FIRMS OTHER THAN Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty ARE MARKED WITH IDX LOGO AND THE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THEM INCLUDES THE NAME OF THE LISTING BROKER.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY THE MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF ULSTER COUNTY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT IS NOT GUARANTEED AND SHOULD BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED. IDX INFORMATION IS PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY FOR CONSUMERS' PERSONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL USE AND MAY NOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN TO IDENTIFY PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES CONSUMERS MAY BE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING.
IDX INFORMATION IS PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY FOR CONSUMERS' PERSONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL USE AND MAY NOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN TO IDENTIFY PROSPECTIVE PROPERTIES CONSUMERS MAY BE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING.
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX Program of the GCMLS. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than [INSERT BROKER NAME] are marked with the IDX logo or the IDX thumbnail logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers. The broker providing these data believes them to be correct, but advises interested parties to confirm them before relying on them in a purchase decision. © 2025 GCMLS. All rights reserved.
Listing information last updated on December 31st, 1969 at 7:00pm EST.
Listing information last updated on May 14th, 2025 at 5:05am EDT.
