2. What to See: World’s Largest Kaleidoscope

Photo courtesy Emerson Resort & Spa. The World’s Largest Kaleidoscope is located in the silo of the former barn.

The Emerson Resort & Spa is also home to the World’s Largest Kaleidoscope, certified by the Guinness Book of World Records at a whopping 56 feet long and 38 feet in diameter. A popular stop amongst Catkills visitors, the kaleidoscope gets its size from its unique location: inside the silo of the former farm. In keeping with the strong musical and cultural influence of the Woodstock festival, which took place in the Catkills, the kaleidoscope shows an image-based video designed by psychedelic art pioneer Isaac Abrams and his son Raphael, a computer artist. The space, which has a three-dimensional three-mirror system, was designed by an award-winning kaleidoscope artist (there is such a profession), Charles Karadimos. Lest the visual experience not be enough, there is a theater-quality sound system playing a musical score by composer and drummer Gary Burke.

The World’s Largest Kaleidoscope is open seven days a week. Admission is $5, but free for children 11 and under.