Valatie

At the center of Kinderhook of Columbia County, NY and right off US 9 is the bustling village of Valatie, where all the action is. As of 2010 and counting, 1, 819 people live here, and it's not hard to understand why: this is where all the restaurants and nightlife occurs, and where all the shoppers go during the day. Perhaps you've come to the Sunday Yard Sale run by Adam and Austin; or, perhaps you're here to use the Valatie Free Library, where kids and adults alike can enjoy wonderful programs and workshops (such as the book club and crochet and knitting club for adults, story hour on Tuesday mornings for kids and free math tutoring each Tuesday for teens. There's a Senior Center in town and the village's Callan Park offers a Winter Walk each year for everyone to keep in shape during those indoor months. Callan Park also offers kids a summer baseball camp.

Valatie has a great night life, which can be found at Hour Time (US 9) , the Niverville Pub (Parker Hall Rd), the Main Street Tavern (Main Street, where else?) and Melino's Pub (Columbia Street). There's also the Valkin Restaurant and Tiki Bar which is a restaurant cafe (check out their Facebook page and say hello after your wonderful meal and tell them how it's going). There's great pizza places like Zia's Pizza & Subs or Mark's Pizza (both on Main Street), or Four Brothers Pizza In on Rt. 9; there's also a fantastic restaurant at the Winding Brook Country Club (off of Rt. 203, which offers much more than just food of course) where, just like the name says, there is a “Winding Brook”. The Valkin Restaurant on Rt. 9 is reputed to have wonderful sandwiches and burgers and basically a wonderful menu in general.

If you're staying in Valatie, why not give the Van Shaack, an antique-style B&B in Kinderhook a try? It's bound to give you a great welcoming feeling to the area, which is rich in history---don't forget to visit the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site museum (only $5 for each adult over 16; $12 for each family) and Olana State Park (once home to Frederic Edwin Church, a 19th century landscape painter (tours operate between April and October). Homes in Valatie begin around $246,250, and offers fantastic medical, childcare and school system, but not that great when it comes to transportation. That being said, Valatie is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and is surely not to be missed!