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Annandale Campus

As a residential college, Bard provides an exquisite campus setting in which students pursue their academic interests and craft a rich social life. The fusion of two historic estates, Bard's parklike campus covers more than 500 acres of fields and forested land bordering the Hudson River. The Catskill Mountains, to the west, can be viewed from many student residences and from the grounds and gardens of Blithewood (the mansion that houses The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College). Walking trails crisscross the campus through wooded areas, along the Saw Kill stream, and down to the river.

New York City's boundless cultural resources, about 90 miles to the south, are readily accessible by train or car. Two major contemporary art institutions are in Bard's vicinity. Dia:Beacon, some 30 miles south of campus, houses a renowned collection of art from the 1960s to the present. MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary arts in the United States, is in North Adams, Massachusetts, less than a two-hour drive north. Also accessible are Olana, the home of Hudson River school painter Frederic Church; the Thomas Cole Historic Site; Storm King Art Center, an outdoor sculpture museum; the Culinary Institute of America; Staatsburg and the Vanderbilt Mansion, two 19th-century estates; the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum; and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill.

The area surrounding Bard offers plentiful activities for outdoor enthusiasts. Skiing, horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding, white-water rafting, cycling, mountain biking, ice skating, and canoeing are available. The area is also a center for spiritual life, containing churches of all denominations, temples, mosques, Zen and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, and meditation centers.

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