Exuding a charming, quirky cool, Red Hook offers a rich maritime past, exquisite views, and an eclectic arts community.

VAMONDE

A Day in Red Hook

It's the kind of place that is so distinctly Brooklyn: a collision of creativity, ingenuity and some serious sweat equity. Founded in 2012 by contemporary artist Dustin Yellin, Pioneer Works has evolved from an unused 25,000-square-foot manufacturing warehouse to an eclectic "cultural utopia," as the founder likes to refer to it. Rehabbing the Civil War era building included adding more than 100 large windows to bring in natural light, stripping walls down to the original brick and then repainting them, and restoring an original crane to working order.

Today, Pioneer Works, a nonprofit committed to creativity and social change, stands as a bright and bustling hub of creativity. It encourages members to mix, mingle and share work across disciplines. Artists, musicians, scientists, writers--everyone's contributions are welcomed and valued here. 

Pioneer Works offers residencies, classes and exhibition opportunities galore. Along with more traditional studio spaces, there are labs where artists can utilize cutting-edge technology and technologists can explore art. Studios where musicians can experiment, create, collaborate, record, and perform. Residencies and a speaker series that explore the vast realm of science. A publishing program that produces a magazine along with books, records, pamphlets and exhibition catalogs. Basically, anything that can be created is created at Pioneer Works.

From Second Sundays (a monthly melange of open studios, live music, and speakers) to the Scientific Controversies series to Supper Club (where you can dine with members of the Pioneer Works community), there's always something to see and do here. Come enjoy the wide range of classes, lectures, and music. At Pioneer Works, the possibilities are practically endless.

Check out the Pioneer Works calendar to see what's being offered when you're in town. At the very least, be sure to visit the art galleries, which are free and open to the public every Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 pm.

While you're there, check out the garden out back, with its sculptures, trees, and airstream trailer. Promise: You've never seen anything like this cultural utopia before because there's never been anything like it before.

A Cultural Utopia 

Pioneer Works

Waterfront park with prime views and lots to do

Louis J. Valentino Jr. Park & Pier is a waterfront public park along the Buttermilk Channel, one of the country’s busiest shipping waterways in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The park is named after a local firefighter who lost his life searching for the wounded in a three-alarm blaze. This lovely vista honors the memory of his service to the people of Brooklyn.

Louis J. Valentino Jr. Park & Pier offers one of the best vantage points for viewing the Statue of Liberty, as well as Governor’s Island, Staten Island, the New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. You’ll also find some cool street art here, including oversized blocks welcoming visitors to Red Hook. On summer days, Red Hook Boaters offers free kayak rentals on a first come, first served basis, and on summer nights the park is home to Red Hook Flicks, a free outdoor movie series.     

The Louis J. Valentino Jr. Park & Pier is open daily from 6 am until 1 am. Come here to get up close and personal with Lady Liberty, paddle the day away, or relax with a family-friendly flick. A great day of free entertainment awaits! 

Louis J. Valentino JR. Park 

Theatrical special effects make this interactive, indoor miniature golf experience unique.

Shipwrecked Mini Golf is the brainchild of two best friends who also happen to be Broadway theater vets. After the success of their over-the-top holiday light spectacular in a Brooklyn brownstone, the pair set their sites on creating an indoor multimedia experience that's fun for the whole family. They located the perfect spot in an 11,000- square-foot indoor space in Red Hook, recycled holes from a retired mini golf course in Maryland, and went to work on developing Shipwrecked using their Broadway story, set, and lighting skills to tell an overarching pirate story to accompany your putting.

To call the result of their efforts just a miniature golf course doesn't do it justice. At each hole, tokens (which have to be purchased) give you access to story extras such as a wise-cracking skull mountain, hologram pirate, and "exploding" doors. Interactive elements are scattered throughout, including smoke, water, lights and other special effects. The holes are themed, with many tipping a hat to New York City. The final one is fashioned after a subway car and balls are returned through a fake Metracard machine.

Shipwrecked Mini Golf is like a theme park multiplied by a Broadway show with the additional fun of a miniature golf game, all rolled into one. Open varying hours (by 11 am on Fridays and weekends, 3 pm weekdays, closed Wednesdays), you'll want to put this innovative and endlessly entertaining indoor adventure on your list.

Cover photo by Katherine Rotondo via Flickr

Shipwrecked Mini Golf

Jim Clark, the owner and curator of the Look North Inuit Art Gallery, grew up in the Massachusetts whaling town that inspired Moby Dick, a classic he took on not just once but twice in high school. After graduation, his fascination with the sea continued, and he joined the crew of a local lobster boat. By the time he was 20, he got an offer he couldn't refuse: jumping on board an Alaskan crabbing ship. He fished the Bering Sea for the next 15 years, moving his way up to first mate and acquiring a deep admiration for local Inuit culture and art along the way.

After a decade of collecting Inuit sculptures and coming to know the artisans of the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic villages he visited, Clark knew he wanted to come ashore and share his stunning finds. He opened the Look North Inuit Art Gallery in a Civil War era former shipping warehouse inhabited by other artists, designers, and creatives. Overlooking the barges of the New York Harbor, staring out at panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, he feels very much at home in Red Hook (though he still occasionally travels back to the Bering Sea on collecting trips, during which his gallery assistants hold down the fort).

Inuit art is traditionally created from natural resources: stone, antlers, ivory, tree sap. Artists go to great lengths to gather their materials. The resulting carvings and sculptures are meticulous, rugged, and exquisitely beautiful. Mythical transformation is a common theme, as is nature and wildlife. At Look North Inuit Art Gallery, there are more than 60 Inuit artists represented, with pieces ranging from several hundred dollars to the low five figures. Visits by appointment. Call 347-721-3995 to schedule.

Art from the Arctic

Look North Inuit Art Gallery

Before we had highways, bridges, and tunnels to bring goods and services in and out of the island of Manhattan, everything came by boat. Commuters and travelers found their way to jobs and new places by boat as well. For nearly a century until about 1960, these waterways were a living, thriving mode of transport.

Few people today realize the rich maritime past of New York. So when David Sharps, current director of the Waterfront Barge and Showboat Museum, learned that the Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 was submerged in mud in New Jersey, he bought it for a single dollar and set about to restore its former glory. It took nearly two years to remove the 300 tons of mud from below the deck and get the barge floating again. It was eventually towed to where it is now docked in Red Hook and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the last remaining wood-covered barge of its kind.

Today, you can tour the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge on Saturdays from 1 pm until 5 pm (with additional spring and summer Thursdays from 4 pm until 8 pm). See the captain's quarters, tools, bells and gong systems that were used by workers when the barge was still in use. Watch videos of how the barge was saved. Explore rotating art exhibits.

Be sure to check the website for other events when you are visiting: There are often free and/or inexpensive performances available, such as dance and pirate shows, showboat songs, and river circuses. Come make a unique and educational day of it!

Waterfront Museum & Barge

ANN ARBOR

AUSTIN

BALTIMORE

BOSTON

CHARLESTON

CHARLOTTE

CHICAGO

COLUMBUS

DALLAS

DETROIT

GRAND RAPIDS

HOUSTON

MILWAUKEE

NASHVILLE

NEW ORLEANS

NEW YORK

ORLANDO

PHILADELPHIA

PHOENIX

RICHMOND

SAN DIEGO

SANTA FE

SAVANNAH

SEATTLE

TUCSON

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON D.C.

INSPIRATION

Destinations

Plan your next getaway

Where Do You Want To Go?

We are adding new cities every week!

Featured Cities

Top-rated stories told and curated by local experts.

Must-See in Chicago

See what's near you.

Local Things to Do in Chicago

Get lost in Chicago. 

All Experiences in Chicago

Experiences curated by official city guide partners.

Top Chicago Channels

Where to next?

Plan Your Next Getaway

Must-See in New York

Local Things to Do in New York

Get lost in NYC.

All Experiences in New York

Must-See in Tucson

Local Things to Do in Tucson

Get lost in Tucson.

All Experiences in Tucson

Must-See in Austin

Local Things to Do in Austin

Get lost in Austin. 

All Experiences in Austin

Must-See in Virginia

Local Things to Do in Virginia

Get lost in Virginia.

All Experiences in Virginia

Must-See in Boston

Local Things to Do in Boston

Get lost in Boston.

All Experiences in Boston

Top-Rated Stories told and curated by local experts.

Must-See in Grand Rapids

See what's near you. 

Local Things to Do in Grand Rapids

Get lost in Grand Rapids.

All Experiences in Grand Rapids

Must-See in Inspiration

The most current experiences curated by staff.

New Experiences in Inspiration

Top Channels

Choose Chicago® is the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, Illinois. When you’re in Chicago, you’re home. With the countless experiences there are to have here, you're absolutely welcome to do any and all of them.

Top summer experience for Chicago 

Summer 2019

Check out the unique perspective 

Off the beaten path

Check out all other hidden gems

Know more about Chicago

Choose Chicago

Theatre is where Chicago bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work, storefront plays, musicals, improv, and more. Book your next show today at ChicagoPlays.com or find half-price theatre deals at HotTix.org.

All the unique Theatres in the Chicago

The Unique Theatres

Introducing all neighborhood Theatres in Chicago

Theatres in the neighborhood

2019 Year of Chicago Theatre

From historic lighthouses and the birthplace of the blues to Hemingway’s apartment and more, let Chicago’s museums take you around the city and discover its history and hidden gems.

Chicago Top Museums

World Class Museum

Check out all hidden gems on Chicago

Unique Museums in Chicago

Chicago Museums

Experiences curated for our guests

Fairmont's Choice

Get to know Scottsdale with a day at the museum

Museums

Explore Scottsdale's Activities and Attractions

Things to Do 

Grab a bite at one of our featured locations

Food & Drink

Find your next experience nearby

Explore Scottsdale

Experiences Near Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Looking for something to do? This is a good place to start. 

Must-See in Houston

Local Things to Do in Houston

Get lost in Houston.

All Experiences in Houston

Must-See in Columbus

Local Things to do in Columbus

Get lost in Columbus.

All Experiences in Columbus

Must-See in Detroit

Local Things To Do In Detroit

Get lost in Detroit.

All Experiences in Detroit

Must See in New Orleans

Local Things To Do

Get lost in NOLA. 

All Experiences in New Orleans

Must See in Phoenix

Local Things to Do in Phoenix

Get lost in Phoenix. 

All Experiences in Phoenix

Where to next? 

Must-See Experiences in Milwaukee

Tourist and local favorites.

Local Things To Do in Milwaukee

Get lost in Milwaukee.

All Experiences in Milwaukee 

Must-See in Seattle

Local Things to Do in Seattle

Get lost in Seattle. 

All Experiences in Seattle

Must-See in Charlotte

Local things to do in Charlotte

Get lost in Charlotte.

All Experiences in Charlotte

Plan you next Getaway 

Must-See in Richmond

Local Things to Do in Richmond

Get lost in Richmond.

All Experiences in Richmond

Must-See Spots in Savannah

Local Things to Do in Savannah

Get lost in Savannah.

All Experiences in Savannah

Must-See Experiences in Nashville

Local Things to Do in Nashville

Get lost in Nashville.

All Experiences in Nashville

Must-See Experiences in Washington D.C.

Local Things to Do in Washington D.C.

Get lost in D.C.

All Experiences in Washington D.C.

Must-See Experiences in Philly

Local Things to Do in Philly

Get lost in Philly. 

All Experiences in Philadelphia

Where yo next?

Welcome to Chicago! This is a guide to Learning Expedition Chicago, a conference hosted by Chicago Loop Alliance. Here you can find information, itineraries, key points of interest, and economic studies about the Chicago Loop.

A Day in Red Hook

Pioneer Works

Pioneer Works

Louis J. Valentino JR. Park

Louis J. Valentino JR. Park

Shipwrecked Mini Golf

Shipwrecked Mini Golf

Look North Inuit Art Gallery

Look North Inuit Art Gallery

Waterfront Museum & Barge

Waterfront Museum & Barge

Download our app to experience the content you're previewing right now.

Watch, Listen, and Learn

Stories happen here

Find your inspiration